CIRCUS

Recover Laboratory – Pyhimys Concert tour /Tampere 2019 /Photo: Lauri Elstelä

The beginning
I started going to the youth circus in Northern-Finland in Rovaniemi when I was 7 years old. I got very passionate about presenting my own shows every spring and christmas in the local youth circus school and theater. I attended many youth circus festivals during my childhood and performed in plenty of events with my solo trapeze act and many group acts. I definitely did not plan to be a professional artist, circus was my dear hobby that I sacrificed all my time. With time the hobby got more serious, after performing in Berlin in a FOX TV event as a 17-year old I decided this might be something. As 18-year old I started studying in a private theater academy in Southern-Finland in Tampere where I was mixing theater and circus practices and made my first multidisciplinary solowork Hellin (english translation: The Most Tender). The following autumn, through many phases, I started studying BA of circus in Turku Arts Academy where I graduated in 2015.

Studies
In my professional circus training in Turku I specialized in aerial acrobatics with main subjects aerial chains and trapeze. I was also involved with clownery and physical theatre. Within my studies I was going through an intensive accident that happened while training for a duo acrobatic performance. During my studies I was keen on directing and storytelling contemporary circus and after the accident I focused on that. I made my first full 60-minutes show Mattarahka directed for 13 students. The show was seen in many events in Turku places like Logomo event center, Turku City hall and Turku100 events.

Specialization
My last years in circus school I specialized in object manipulation and acrobatics. But beauce of the accident I had to stop all highly demanding physical activity for a while so I found it tricky to continue studying as planned. So, in 2013 I moved to Berlin to do an internship in Cabuwazi Krenzenkultur Zirkus. I lived in Berlin for 9 months and started to question the extreme physical demands that the circus was having. I was constantly hurt, hungry and under ridiculous pressure for my outlooks. I wanted to change not only my own practice but also bring out an alternative way of presenting the circus. Then I started the Recover Laboratory. A multidisciplinary company that’s performances are based on human connection. Then I met Sofi Häkkinen, my partner in crime.

Currently
Now Recover Laboratory has been established as a multidisciplinary art company. More about that here. I am still performing as a circus artist: Currently performing with plastic tubes (someone calls them hula hoops, but Hula is a Hawaian dance so I think we should reform the name). Occasionally I perform with aerial acrobatics also. My shows and performances are a mixture of visual arts, contemporary circus and sometimes interactivity. My performances have been seen in Finland for example New Center for Circus – Cirko, FLOW-festival, Baltic Circle festival etc. From abroad to mention Kobenhanvs Interntational Theatre, Katapult Berlin, Circus of the Kids New York, Tama Art University Tokyo, Immersive Design Summit San Francisco. This, I am extremely thankful and proud about because I do not perform as traditional hoop/aerial acrobat tricks. More likely, I concentrace on the audience experience and connection between me- as a performer and the audience as experiencers.

AERIAL CHAINS