Mikko H. Haapoja: The Routes of Helsinki

Gallery TEN, Nezu, Tokyo: April 3-13, 2025
Open 11:00-19:00 (Closed on Monday April 7th)
Vernissage on April 3 at 17:00
Closing event on April 13 at 15:00

Metsä Village, Hanno, Saitama: April 19-27, 2025
Open on weekends 10:00-19:00, on weekdays 10:00-18:00
Vernissage on April 19 at 15:00
Closing event on April 27 at 14:00

 

Experiencing urban space by ears. Art about the soundscape of a city.

Exhibition info and event links: mikkohaapoja.net/japan2025 

Helsingin reitit – The Routes of Helsinki is a long-term soundscape project initiated by media artist and music producer Mikko H. Haapoja (MMus) in 2010. The project is about listening and capturing the sonic  image of Helsinki, Finland, and creating radiophonic pieces, audiovisual  installations and multidisciplinary art performances of it.

For April 2025, Mikko H. Haapoja is invited to have the 15th anniversary exhibitions of The Routes of Helsinki project in Tokyo and Hanno, Japan. The exhibitions will consist of a new multichannel audio-visual installation, in addition to another video piece (The First Route, 2014/2017) and multiple binaural sound works for headphones. In addition to the exhibitions, Haapoja and Kira  Leskinen (MA), who together have created the visual design of the exhibitions, will give multidisciplinary art performances and artist talks.

Along with having the gallery exhibitions in Japan, Mikko H. Haapoja will create a mobile sound work, a generative binaural version of his piece ’Luotisuora’ (Beeline) about summer 2015 in the central Helsinki. The new site specific ’Beeline’ is set to be experienced in the bustle of central Tokyo using a GPS based mobile web app. The original piece is part of Helsinki City Museum’s permanent exhibition.

For the 15th anniversary of The Routes of Helsinki project, Haapoja will also release a compilation album Helsingin reitit – Helsinki Soundtrack – a special urban experience collage for ears.

Haapoja’s art transports the listener to Helsinki, where the soundscape is constantly changing in cycles of the seasons, yet also rapidly over the years.  Despite the growth of the city, one can still easily access and hear the forests in Helsinki and experience tranquil summer nights even in the center of the Nordic capital. The latest piece of The Routes of Helsinki project, ’Keskusmetsä’ (The Central Forest) about preserving nature within the city represented Finland in the European Broadcasting Union’s Prix Palma Ars Acustica competition in 2023.

Haapoja’s Helsinki soundscape exhibitions in Tokyo and Hanno in April 2025 are the first-ever Finnish solo exhibitions in Japan in the field of urban soundscape art.

In addition to bringing his sound art to Japan, Mikko H. Haapoja will tour in Japan with his electroacoustic bowed lyre (jouhikko) music. In November 2024 Haapoja gave his Unheard Landscapes solo album release tour in Japan, which continues now in April 2025. IN addition, Haapoja is invited to perform in Osaka World Expo 2025 Nordic Pavilion. Soundscapes from nature and cities play a key role in Haapoja’s solo music as well.

The project and performances are supported by The Finnish Institute in Japan as part of the pARTir initiative funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.