Creating a Deeper Level of Understanding – The Advisory Board of the Saari Residence Has Come of Age 

The Advisory Board steered by Sirpa Pietikäinen has developed the Residence’s activities for almost 20 years. Now their work is complete. 

Many great inventions have been born with the original idea being turned almost upside down. 

That seems to be the case with the Saari Residence, or at least when recalling what was discussed during the Advisory Board’s first meeting. Whether it was actually the first, no one remembers for sure. But the speech remained in people’s mind. 

More specifically, when ornithologist Esa Lehikoinen stated that the most important thing in the future residence should be being left alone and concentrating solely on doing one’s own research. To not have to see anyone or anything, or maybe birds at most. 

The other board members responded that it was an interesting thought. But what if…

As a result, the Saari Residence is now known for its fruitful encounters – whether between research and art, between different artistic genres or between residents from home and abroad.

How did this happen? 

Happy accident

In 2003, Hanna Nurminen became the chair of the Kone Foundation Board of Trustees. Following that, the Board started considering how to expand the Foundation’s activities. Grants were good, but what else could be done? 

Soon the idea of the Foundation’s residence was born. Next, a suitable location had to be found. Nurminen’s spouse Jaakko helped in that matter. The couple visited the Saari Residence for the first time in 2006. In fact, the primary purpose of that trip was to pick up spare parts for the sugar beet lifter. During the same trip, the couple decided to take a look at the vacant station of the Agricultural Research Centre of Finland that the real estate company Senate Properties had put up for sale.

Hanna Nurminen had not thought that the future residence would be so large. But when she saw the state of the 18th-century colonel’s office and its courtyard, she was inspired to save and restore a valuable piece of cultural history. 

Walls alone would not be enough, however, no matter how grandiose. Nurminen understood that a versatile group of people from various fields would be required to plan the Residence’s activities. So she picked up the phone. 

One of the first people she contacted was Member of the European Parliament Sirpa Pietikäinen. 

Different forms of knowledge 

“There were probably two separate things that made them want me on board,” Sirpa Pietikäinen says on the phone. 

The first was her thoughts on the environment. From the start, the activities of the Saari Residence have always included a strong ecological focus. 

“But then I also have my background. My father was an artist, and I grew up under the atelier’s desk. So, I always understood that people carry different forms of knowledge.

What Pietikäinen means by this is that the level of artistic experience can supplement rational thought. Art opens new connections, experiences and thoughts in a way that is partially beyond words, but still actual and significant. 

In addition to Pietikäinen, the people invited to become the first members of the Advisory Board back then included Kirsti Lehmusto, Director of Communications and Community Relations in the University of Helsinki, Futurologist Anna Kirveennummi, Head Secretary of the Regional Art Council of Southwest Finland Maria Merikanto, Professor of Cultural History Hannu Salmi, and Lecturer and Ornithologist Esa Lehikoinen. 

They met for the first time in Kone Foundation’s facilities in Helsinki. As the renovation of the Saari Residence progressed, the Advisory Board was able to hold meetings there. 

Right from the beginning, many practical choices had to be made. What fields of art would be included? How many people could the Residence accommodate at one time? How long would they be there, and what services would they need? And so on.

According to Pietikäinen, the main idea behind the creation of the residence was to support new and ambitious projects. 

“For me, “radical” is an overused word, but there is still something a bit different that steers thoughts into new directions in a good way. And of course, quality and having skilled people involved is very important,” described Pietikäinen. 

Later on, the Advisory Board defined the values of the residence as well. What followed was a long list. 

A sense of community, encounters, sharing, equality, empowerment, care, kindness and respect for creative scientific and artistic work. 

Esa Lehikoinen’s thought was not forgotten either. When a new resident arrives at the Saari Residence, they are told the most important rule of the place right from the start: working in peace. Going into other people’s apartments or workplaces without permission or prior notice was forbidden. 

However, this principle was accompanied by something entirely different. 

Vintage media laboratory

At first, Kirsti Lehmusto thought that she had messed up. The other members of the Advisory Board were mostly confused. 

It was 2007 and the Saari Residence was only halfway complete. The Advisory Board met in the middle of a renovation, and Lehmusto had a bad case of jet lag. She had just returned from a work trip in the United States. The media laboratory of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had made quite an impression on Lehmusto. To her, the laboratory’s sense of community and the culture of sharing seemed revolutionary. When the use of the facilities was not pre-defined, surprising bumps and innovations would occur. 

Somehow, this practice should also be applied at the Saari Residence, she declared. 

At first the idea did not attract much response, but then Maria Merikanto mentioned the wells.

Wells used to be the media laboratories of Finnish villages in the sense that people met at the well and shared their thoughts. People might ask, for example, how someone had done their hair the way they did, which would lead to a new braiding technique being taught.

Wells therefore seemed like a natural way for Finnish people to talk about encounters and sharing ideas. This idea gave rise to the Saari Well concept, a recipe for unexpected encounters. The Well does not refer to a physical location in the Saari Residence. Rather, it is a metaphor for sharing, encounters and insight. The Residence staff aim to offer communal spaces and promote encounters. These can lead to friendships, collaboration or even the opportunity to learn a new way of working. All of this also supports the strengthening of one’s artistic identity.

People have been consciously selected not only from different backgrounds, but also from different stages of their careers. Upcoming artists can learn from their more experienced peers, and vice versa. 

One form of collaboration during the early years of the Residence was when the poet Eira Stenberg became acquainted with the Japanese composer Aki Ito. When Aki read the French translations of Stenberg’s poems, she was so inspired by the texts that she began to compose a large, multilingual vocal music. Their cooperation continued for a long time. The same has happened for many other people visiting the Residence. The Saari Residence has always wanted to support projects that have been created on site, also by offering the opportunity for the new working pairs and groups to return to the group residence.

Choices and asylums

In the first years, the Advisory Board was also responsible for selecting artists for the Residence. As the number of applicants grew, this was no longer possible. The process was handed over to experts. 

It was clear from the start that the Residence was to be international. In the early years, applications came mainly from Europe, e.g. the Baltic States. The Advisory Board thought for a long time how to get more applicants from Asia, for example. Even this was possible with international artist in residence networks. 

The Saari Residence has also collaborated with various international networks. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the emergency residency community of Ukrainian artists was found as a partner, which later developed into a more formal entity called the Ukrainian Solidarity Residencies. Similar work has also been done with the Artists at Risk programme. The project promotes freedom of speech and expression by offering residences to artists threatened in their home country. 

At the same time, the regional level has also been important. In general, the diversity and scale of the activities are unmatched, especially in Finland. The Saari Residence has established a new way of thinking what a residence is or what it can be in our country. The Advisory Board has played an important role in creating this diverse role. “Working in the Board has been a tremendous joy for the members themselves,” says Sirpa Pietikäinen. Or at least, it was for her. 

“I have probably had the best conversations of my life in this group. I have always received ideas and thoughts from outside my own bubble.” 

The long-standing chair of the Advisory Board believes that the meetings have been meaningful for all members, even on a personal level. 

“To be in the midst of such deep understanding and to develop its possibilities… This has cleansed and refilled my soul time and time again. People are cleansed of their daily to-do lists when they paused to reflect things slowly and with a broad perspective.” 

Now, the Advisory Board’s work in its current form has come to an end. Why? 

“The way I see it, the Advisory Board has now come of age. We have developed the operation thoroughly and have succeeded in creating a good concept. At least with this group we cannot see that the concept needs to be renewed any more. However, the thinking and work will continue at both the Saari Residence and Kone Foundation.” 

Christmas porridge tradition 

From the early stages, the Advisory Board developed a so-called Christmas porridge tradition. They met at the Saari Residence on the week before Christmas and enjoyed the still winter landscape and the atmosphere at the manor. A traditional slowly braised barley porridge would be served.

At the same time, the Advisory Board and the staff of the Residence had the opportunity to listen to visiting artists and researchers talking about their ongoing projects and what encounters had occurred this time or what new ideas had been born. The projects could be separate or collaborations.

“It was unbelievable to see what kinds of people and ideas always came up. I was surprised every time,” Sirpa Pietikäinen recalls. 

The beautiful halls and courtyard of the Saari Residence had a unique atmosphere – calm and focussed. It is not a coincidence.

“It has been the goal of the Advisory Board and everyone else here. To create a place where you can take your time to think. I think that this is especially valuable in our current TikTok age,” says Pietikäinen. 

It sounds like one of the values ​​of Saari Residence might also be comfort. It is precisely in the current social climate that many researchers and artists feel challenged, clueless and lonely. In such a situation, the Residence can also serve as a place where people can find a sense of community and gentleness. A sense of not being alone.