AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry
AREFS art and culture association

• about
• activities
• artist-in-residence
• art & technology
• board
• contact
• contribution
• events
• hiirola
• information
• location
• previous programs
• projects
• publications
• reports
• rural art village
• savon-radan ryhmä
• studio 23
• support
• links
• privacy
• copyright

• projects index
• CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU
• slide show CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU

CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU

In cooperation with art centre Saksala ArtRadius the project CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU has started in August 2009. Artists from Nordic countries have participated in this collaboration project.

CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU is an international exchange and collaborative art project where migrant Nordic artists and Finnish, Nordic and European artists come together for intense artistic dialogue. The quiet and authentic culture of East Finland will guide them into new and challenging territories. It will contribute to cultural exchange and increase awareness of historical and cultural knowledge as well as the emergence of new traditions and contemporary cultural heritage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
The main purpose of the project CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU is to create a platform to investigate and exchange, collaborate and produce international multidisciplinary dialogue. This dialogue will be realized with migrant artists living in NORDIC countries. The leading participants of the collaboration and workshops will exchange and collaborate with native artists and others and possibly interact with cultural workers, teachers, craftsmen, policymakers and youth of the multicultural community of Haukivuori (who are another target group of this project). As a part of the project the artists intend to cooperate and produce together with local craftsmen and people in the educative field whom they deem valuable for the artistic exchange. Through this, also local youth can develop their artistic skills and increase consciousness about their specific roots and relationship with northern Europe.

The physical place Saksalanharju will be viewed through the eyes of professional observers with the specific goal of shaping a concrete impression. By borrowing the eyes of an outsider, members of the community in Haukivuori can see their history, culture and landscape in a new light and from a different angle.

Through intense dialogue the arts professionals will communicate verbally and visually. The dialogue will take place in different sessions from 4 to 6 weeks creating one or more art works, (this can include drawings, paintings, installations, site specific art, sculptures, video and/ or mixed media). The finished result should be art work created by a minimum two artists. The selected artists will have to collaborate with each other aimed at challenging them to cross the boundaries of their own work and attain new influences.

In order to get acquainted and involved with the location, the artists will need to explore the environment, the nature and the Finnish rural culture of the area (forestry and agriculture). The impact of place is different for every artist. With the different backgrounds and all the different influences of this specific place, the outcome of the project will show the uniqueness of the location in which it was created. The project will contribute to cultural exchange and increase awareness of historical and cultural knowledge, as well as the emergence of new traditions and contemporary cultural heritage

In this project, it is interesting that the physical place of SAKSALANHARJU, a national heritage, will be viewed through the eyes of professional observers of different origin with the specific goal of shaping a concrete impression. By borrowing the eyes of an outsider, members of the community in the small village of Haukivuori can see their culture and landscape in a new light and from a different angle. It is especially interesting that Finnish artists living abroad in Nordic countries will contribute having cultural experiences both inside and outside of Finland.

The location of this pilot-project is the national heritage SAKSALANHARJU-KIRKONKYLÄ. The large monolith was already for hundreds of years a significant mark in the landscape where travelers crossed from different directions. The project initiates through art production of collaborating migrant and native artists the attention to the unique exploring of the NORDIC region.

LOCATION HAUKIVUORI
The geographical location of Haukivuori includes SAKSALANHARJU. The population of Haukivuori has an unusually high percentage of international inhabitants; 4% of the 2300 inhabitants are foreigners, while the national average for the whole Finland is 2%.  One can find Bosnians, Burmese, Afghans, Dutch, Russians and Estonians among others, who have settled down in rural Haukivuori and are integrating into the local culture. Artists, cultural workers and teachers of these groups will be invited to exchange knowledge by participating in the planned lectures, workshops and artists presentations at Saksalanharju. Participating, communicating and producing together with local and other interested culture workers will influence and improve the local craftsmanship and is valuable for the artistic exchange.

PROJECT LOCATION
Saksalanharju, an ancient settlement site, is situated in South East rural Finland between the small cities Mikkeli and Pieksämäki. Currently art center Saksala ArtRadius is founded on the ridge of Saksalanharju. The profile of the art center is based on cooperative art projects, art education and international cultural exchange. Modernized artists residences are available for 6 artists visiting at the same time. There are also work spaces, studios, exhibition spaces and good working space possibilities outdoors. The tranquil landscape, with fields and forests around Saksalanharju, creates good possibilities for maximum concentration on art work and contribute to genuine understanding far from commercialized and hierarchical art societies in the cities.

This project is based on the strong intention to create a positive power out of the diversity of Europe and to inspire people living in the periphery of Europe to use their authentic value in future Europe.

CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU is carried out in art centre Saksala ArtRadius - Finland

Think global and act local is reformulated in this project:
act locally, but with a global effect.

A slide show about the project plan CROSSROADS SAKSALANHARJU is published on Slide Share.

The website SAKSALANHARJU also informs about the results of the project.

contributors to this NORDIC collaboration project:

Arts Council Finland	Nordic Culture Point	Nordic Culture Fund	AllaprimA Foundation - the Netherlands	Etelä-Savon Maakuntaliitto	art centre Saksala ArtRadius