Riikka Maaria Bado - Kone Foundation

I am a theatre creator. I see theatre as a way of studying and discerning the world.

I am currently working on a piece of theatre with the working title Cotton Project. It investigates questions concerning wealth, poverty and global justice through cotton farmers and the consumers of cotton products.

My life has always been cushioned by cotton. I have always dressed myself in cotton and it can also be found in every room in my home. The blankets, pillows and sheets in the bedroom. The rugs and curtains in the kitchen. The bathrobe, towels, cotton balls and Q-tips in the bathroom.

But where does the cotton come from?

The Cotton Project has taken me all the way to West Africa. In the spring of 2010, I spent two months in Benin, and in the spring of 2011, another two in Burkina Faso. For both Benin and Burkina Faso, cotton export is the primary source of income and so the livelihoods of millions of people depend on it. On both trips, I visited cotton farmers and asked them to tell me about their work and their life. During these encounters with the farmers, I was faced with many unexpected issues; the kinds of things someone who has led a protected life finds difficult to understand.

During my stay at the Residence, I will be working on putting together a script from the material I have gathered and will also be planning the direction. The documentary theatre piece, Cotton Project, will première in the spring of 2013 as an Arctic Reach Ensemble production.