The joint project of the Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes Association and ten Finnish cultural and academic institutes, “pARTir – Creating a Cultural Roadmap Towards Responsible International Mobility,” begins in May. The first projects of the initiative will be showcased in Paris, London, Troms County, and Tartu during the summer.
The project promotes the sustainable and long-term internationalization of art and strengthens common operational models within the institute network. Spanning until 2025, the project supports the international mobility of artists and cultural exchange by producing approximately 30 sustainably produced performances, exhibitions, and other works in collaboration with partnering international art organizations. The program aims to establish and solidify ecologically and socially sustainable working methods and practices for international mobility, cultural export, and exchange.
The first pARTir projects will be held this summer. At the end of May, the JUNE EVENTS festival in Paris will feature the performance Something Like This by choreographer Sonya Lindfors and a street dance event led by Akim Bakhtaoui, Linda Ilves, Ramona Panula, and Sophia Wekesa. In London, the Vapaa Collective (Iines Karkulahti, Meri Wiikinkoski, and Charlotte Nyholm) will present their series Architectural Acts of Care, as part of this year’s London Festival of Architecture. After London, the series will continue to New York in the fall for the Archtober festival, in collaboration with the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York. In Estonia, the pARTir journey begins with the CPPM Manifestal theatre and performance festival at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, featuring Katia Skylar‘s work Mundane.Magic. In July, the European Capital of Culture Tartu will host Elina Brotherus‘s residency at the Villa Tammekann, designed by Alvar Aalto.
“By focusing on collaboration with local partners of the institutes as well as with artists and organizations operating in Finland, we aim for a more impactful cultural export with long-lasting effects compared to one-off events. The project also designs and experiments with various methods of mentoring and networking, aimed at enabling deeper and ongoing dialogues. This approach is also reflected in the internal cooperation and development within the institute network, for which large projects like pARTir provide a special opportunity,” describes Asta Teräväinen, the project manager of pARTir.
A dedicated website has been established for the project, which will publish information about the institutes’ projects, artists, and articles and interviews that delve into the themes.
The project’s goal is to enhance the international mobility and work opportunities of cultural professionals abroad in an ecologically and socially sustainable manner. The project is based on a network model and The Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes Association in Helsinki serves as the project’s main coordinator. The ten Finnish cultural institutes involved operate locally with intermediary and production organizations in their respective host countries.
Participating in the project are the Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes: FinnAgora – The Finnish Institute in Hungary, The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux, The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland, The Finnish Institute in Japan, The Finnish Institute in Madrid, The Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, The Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Institute FINNO, The Finnish Institute in France, The Finnish Institute in Germany, and The Finnish Institute in Estonia.
The project is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
