Milka Luhtaniemi

This residency is a chance for me to delve deeper into ecopoetry and really think about where my work is going and what it is turning into. It will allow me to stop worrying about being understood for a moment and let my writing evolve organically into whatever direction it wants. I am working on two essays, the first of which is about the concept of extended reading and its relationship with the rhythm of text, while the other focuses on environmental writing and language restoration. In respect of the latter, I am particularly interested in the forgotten vocabulary of old literary Finnish and the possibility of bringing it back and incorporating it into modern language. The essay explores the idea of language poetry as the environment in which we exist, and my plan is to mix and match both phenomenological thinking and literary methods. In addition to this conceptual exploration, I intend to work on my poetry, choral writing as well as other texts. I am also planning to host a literature event towards the end of January 2025.

I am looking forward to the peace and quiet of Saari Manor and having meaningful encounters with the other residents. I am hoping that this experience will give me the time and space to work on the conceptual aspects of my art, which are difficult to define and slow to bring to fruition. I am excited about the prospect of breaking down the structure of my creative process and productivity and finding a more intuitive rhythm for my writing.

Milka Luhtaniemi is a poet, dramaturge and multidisciplinary artist whose works combine elements of literature, performing arts and fine arts. She graduated from the Theatre Academy with an MA in dramaturgy in 2020. Her debut book of poetry Kirnu (‘Churn’) came out in 2021 published by Gummerus and was received positively, and her second book Tauoton (‘Unceasing’) came out in early 2024. Milka often works in collaboration with other artists. Her multidisciplinary works have been shown in galleries such as Titanik (a poetic installation and performance called ‘Buoyancy’ in 2021) and Forum Box (an experimental spatial poem and digital video installation called ‘Different Species’ in 2021). Milka has also shown installations and collaborative works in B-galleria, Oksasenkatu 11, Contemporary Art Centre Muu and Mad House. Her poetry has been described as bodily and sensorially engaging. She unravels the structure of poetry to unleash a vitality that goes beyond the human experience. It is this openness in her work that enables linguistic discoveries and brings a clarity of being.