HAPARANDA. Performance artist Lynn Lu from Singapore throws more water on the sauna stones. The hot air smells of tar, and the visitors, dressed in towels only, are kindly asked about their misfortunes. Lynn uses the expression “Misfortunes never rings the bell” for her performance. The sad memories are written down, packed in paper together with a small bell, and later handed out to people in the streets of Haparanda. Will the misfortunes somehow be neutralised when shared with others, will people start to talk about the darker side of their lives? No one knows, the only thing is sure – something has happened, an experience has been given to people in the border town of Haparanda.
At the sauna workshop, people write down their misfortunes. Photo Kenneth Mikko
Lynn Lu’s “Sauna Workshop” is part of the third IKRA Dance and Performance Festival in HaparandaTornio 13-16/6. Other international participants this year are British Zierle & Carter, a duo exploring “societyʼs conventions, traditions, and rituals, often flipping them on their head, reversing orders, and disrupting the norm.”
SveFi (Swedish-Finnish Folk High School) in Haparanda hosts Sweden’s only (?) specialised performance education, and many of the recent and former students are giving performances at the IKRA festival. One of them, Johannes Blomqvist, has started PAiN – Performance Art in Norrbotten – that wants to broaden the interest for performance in the north.
Performance artists Olga_Prokhorova_and Ville_Tikkanen, are gving a performance at the IKRA festival.
The festival’s dance program includes hiphop, flamenco, butohdance and envolvment by children from kindergartens and schools.
