The Finnish Institute in London

Finnish Institute in London logo

The Finnish Institute in London (Suomen Lontoon instituutti)[1] is a non-profit, private foundation with two programmes, Society & Culture and Arts and Culture, focusing on fresh themes, producing events, and bringing together groups and individuals. The Institute was founded in 1989, and it operates in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Finland. The London-based institute has commissioned, produced and/or collaborated in hundreds of events across these countries.

It is a part of the Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes network which is formed of seventeen independent institutes.

MISSION

The mission of the Finnish Institute in London is to increase awareness about Finnish culture and society in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, and to increase co-operation between the countries. To reach this goal the Institute identifies emerging issues and strives to make a positive social impact. The Institute provokes its partners to carry out culturally and socially significant actions.

The Finnish Institute in London makes Finnish culture, society and research known by strengthening existing and creating new co-operation and networks in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Finland. The Institute supports the internationalisation of Finnish artists, researchers and other social and cultural actors. The Institute also works towards better using international expertise in Finland.

Projects

The Institute has commissioned and produced projects[2] such as Below Zero, WOW- Women of the World Finland Festival, MOBIUS, Mobile Home, and Ten Tales from Finland.

Below Zero

Below Zero art prize is developed by the Finnish Institute in London. The prize has been made possible by an anonymous benefactor. It builds on long established links between Beaconsfield and the Finnish art community. The prize offers residency and a new commission mentored by Beaconsfield. The first winner of the prize Jonna Kina started her London residency at Beconsfield Gallery Vauxhall at the end of January 2018. Her work at the mentoring programme of the gallery culminates in an exhibition opening in March 2018.

Ten Stories from Finland

The Finnish Institute in London, together with the Finnish Embassy, arranged the ‘10×10 Stories from Finland’ campaign in 2017.[3] The campaign has collected 100 books written by Finnish authors, translated into English, in cooperation with British publishing houses. The books have been donated to 10 different libraries around the UK and Ireland during 2017. The selection of the books include a wide range of literature including both modern pieces and classics, including the Finnish national epic Kalevala.

There are books by some of Finland’s most celebrated contemporary authors Rosa Liksom, Ulla-Lena Lundberg, Timo Parvela, Lars Sound and Antti Tuomainen. The campaign represents the joy of reading, which can be experienced through Nordic noir, sci-fi, poems or children’s literature. Institute's partners are Embassy of Finland in London, Bloodaxe Books, Gecko Press, Orenda Books, Pikku Publishing, Serpent’s Tail, Sort of Books and Vagabond Voices. 10×10 Stories of Finland is a part of the official programme of Finland 100.

Mobile Home London

Together with Finnish architect Sami Rintala and British architect Tom Raymont, dozen students from eight different countries designed and built an innovative wood structure in a week in Lusto - The Finnish Forrest Museum in the middle of wilderness at Punkaharju 29 April 2017[4]. The shelter called ‘Lastu’ has a hearth and it is available for public use from 8 May onwards.

The project was run by professor Harry Charrington (University of Westminster) and Finnish architect Sami Rintala (Rintala-Eggertsson Architects) along with Harry Paticas (UK) and Tom Raymont (UK) of Arboreal Architecture, who run Design Studio 3.6 at the University of Westminster. The project was an integral part of the architecture studies of the University of Westminster 2016-17. The students have already taken part in a series of lectures and workshops.

In January 2017, the Institute, in collaboration with the University of Westminster, organised a series of workshops in London where the students had the opportunity to research materials and techniques to develop the wooden shelter. The processes and the end result was presented at the university’s graduation show in June 2017. Lastu was also showcased to a professional audience at the Habitare Showroom in Helsinki in September 2017. Lastu was part of the largest ever, collaborative project between the Finnish institute’s in Paris, Berlin and Benelux Countries, Mobile Home 2017.

WOW

The Finnish Institute in London is organising WOW (Women of the World) Finland event March 2017[5] in Tampere in collaboration with Tampere Hall and feminist think-tank Ajatushautomo Hattu.

WOW is a global cultural project with women's issues at its heart. It works as a network and gets its ideas from listening to different communities and their needs. WOW Finland will start at Tampere with a think-in event – and similar events will take place during 2016 around Finland in Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Imatra and Vaasa. The process will culminate to the main event at Tampere Hall March 2017.

WOW- Women of the World was developed at London's Southbank Centre. The international event concept arrives now to Finland and Northern Europe for the first time. The event aims to increase people's freedom of choice and equality between the sexes, to celebrate Finnish girls and women and strengthen the connection and sense of togetherness between women. The diverse programme deals with topics such as feminism, quotas, domestic violence, women bishops, sex, culture and cuisine.

The WOW Finland's core team and group of ambassadors consists of top professional Finnish women such as journalist Maria Veitola, activist Maryan Abdulkarim, artist and author Rosa Liksom, Olympic medalist Virpi Sarasvuo and councillor of state Riitta Uosukainen.

The event joins Finland into the international WOW network and it is part of the official Finland 100 anniversary programme.

MOBIUS

MOBIUS is a fellowship programme for visual arts, museum and archive professionals based in New York, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Finland. The programme enables transatlantic mobility and collaborative practices and supports long-lasting professional relationships. MOBIUS is a three-year pilot programme organised by the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York (FCINY) and the Finnish Institute in London.

The MOBIUS programme wants to support peer-to-peer learning, meaningful networking and sharing of knowledge. One of the main agendas is to open up and develop current modes of operation in the fields of visual arts, museums and archives: in organisations ranging from up-and-coming to prominent, from independent to institutional.

The programme will carry results such as exhibitions, publications, research, events, and other outcomes that will find their form during the process. The information will be edited as part of a publication that aims to unveil and discuss some of the crucial structures, processes, possibilities and challenges that form the basis of today’s visual arts institutions, museums and archives.

MOBIUS is generously supported by Kone foundation, Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland and Svenska Kulturfonden (The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland).

Artist Residency Programme

The Finnish Institute in London organises four residency programmes in the UK and Ireland in collaboration with Frame Visual Art Finland and HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme. The residencies are based in White Building (Space) in London, Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Wysing Art Centre in Cambridge, Lighthouse in Brighton and Temple Bar Gallery & Studios in Dublin. Each of the residencies has a different focus and therefore they open opportunities for artists from various areas of contemporary art.

Partners

The Institute collaborates closely[6] with the Finnish Embassy in London[7] and the Finnish Embassy in Dublin.[8] It is also a member of EUNIC London,[9] the network of the cultural institutes from the member states of the European Union in London. In most projects, they work with the Finnish Cultural Information Centres. The Finnish Institute is also part of a cluster of 17 Finnish cultural and academic institutes.

References

  1. ↑ "ABOUT US". The Finnish Institute in London. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "What we do". The Finnish Institute in London. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. ↑ "10×10 Stories from Finland celebrates literacy". Finnish Institute London. Finnish Institute London. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  4. ↑ "Lastu – a wooden shelter in Finnish wilderness". Finnish Institute London. Finnish Institute London. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "WOW Finland 2017". The Finnish Institute in London. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "OUR PARTNERS". The Finnish Institute in London. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "Embassy of Finland, London". Finemb.org.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "Embassy of Finland, Dublin". Finland.ie. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "euniclondon.org". eunic-london.org. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
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