MyMyMine, 2014

The audience is invited into a space full of different kinds of armchairs and stools that together with a diagonal line of speakers divide the space into many different kinds of audiovisual positions. In My My Mine we were interested in the concept of free choice of a citizen in contrast with phenomena such as following religious or ideological movements that violate a persons self-determination (often and strongly women's rights).

There are four women on stage. Acts of reaching for freedom through voice and body and acts of silencing and being silent/silenced are churning. Performers are being held and they are holding themselves down. The audience is gently brought into the middle of all this, whilst seated in the comfortable islands of everyday. Performance is all around, sometimes hiding in shadows and sometimes talking directly to you.

Witnessing silently violent or obscene parts of the performance from a safe, comfortable position reminds the viewer of the average western people's place in the global world, watching from a distance. The piece also makes quite a strong comment on the Finnish religious movement called Laestadianism that  denies birth control and women from being part of the movement's administration. By this it makes thousands of women birth machines, even in the Finnish society of 2014. This might, however, not be the strongest connotation for many, and the performance opens up to many interpretations. The piece creates an environment where time slows down

Performers: Krista-Julia Arppo, Elisa Keisanen, Anni Koskinen and Katriina Tavi
Choreography: Soili Huhtakallio
Light designer: Eero Erkamo
Costume designer: Siru Kosonen
Sound designer: Eero Pulkkinen
Set design: Eero Erkamo, Soili Huhtakallio and Siru Kosonen
Production: Uniarts Helsinki
Duration: 25 min
Premier: Helsinki, 2014
Photos: Jaakko Kahilaniemi