Praxis of Social Imaginaries, Winter Session 2025

On March 5th to 9th, the Praxis circle gathered for another Winter Session – the last one within this three year cycle. Once more, we were hosted by the Sigtuna Foundation; a center for culture, research and education, with roots in the Christian ecumenical movement of the early 20th century. The Foundation resides in a cluster of monastery-like buildings, situated among pine trees on a hillside in the mediaeval city of Sigtuna (Sweden)… a venue quite congruent with the texts we were reading. And the book was A Description of the Northern Peoples, written by Olaus Magnus – the last Catholic archbishop of Sweden – during his exile in Rome, and published in 1555.

Woodcut from Olaus Magnus’ ‘A Description…’ showing a party of Scricfinnias hunting on ski;
artist unknown, image source Wikimedia Commons

The book consists of a very large number of short chapters, covering topics such as The Five Languages of the Northern Kingdoms, On Preventing Filthy Ditties and Of the Sea-Magicians. The text was approached from various perspectives (as usual within the Praxis study circle) and further processed through workshops in writing, drawing and listening. A chapter on sword and fire dances generated an improvised solo dance by Dr. Laura Hellsten; and the mediaeval Festivals of Greenery were discussed and enacted while enjoying the first sunny day of spring. In present time, Ramadan had begun and a handful of the participants were observing the lent during daylight. Luckily, dinners were served after sunset, and we could all share plentiful, tasty meals in the dining hall… as the new moon was quietly waxing.

Woodcut from Olaus Magnus’ ‘A Description…’ showing a ship running aground after being misled by a fire on the shore,
and men of the Finnmark attacking the supposed pirates onboard with stones in their hands.;
artist unknown, image source Wikimedia Commons

Olaus Magnus’ original text was accompanied by woodcuts, made under supervision of the author himself especially for this first edition; an unusual feature that most probably contributed to make the book a success. As can be seen, the scenes were abundant with vivid detail… About one hundred of these pictures actually originate from an earlier publication of Olaus Magnus: the Carta Marina. Printed in Venice in 1539 – after twelve years of work – it is in itself a rich description of places, creatures and people; an almost overwhelming compilation of material provided from memory by the banished archbishop. This map provided the starting point of a session on Magic, facilitated by Dr. Lindsey Drury, where we connected events described in the book with the actual places on the map – and, again, with our own experiences of traditions and histories handed down over generations…

Olaus Magnus’ Carta Marina, printed in Venice (1539) and later hand-coloured;
artist unknown, image source Wikimedia Commons

My own contribution followed shortly after this session, and included a listening exercise borrowed from Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening scores; a silent walk along the hillside groves; and providing handmade booklets for making personal notes while finding one’s way back to the Foundation. The idea was to turn from an analytical mode, into attention in the present – shifting from the realm of the scholar (Olaus Magnus) in order to approach the mindset of a person closer to weather, shifts of light and temperature, and other-than-human life…

(In fact, I believe that the indigenous “magic” perceived by foreigners may – more often than not? – be the result of close attention paired with traditional knowledge.)

Spirit Land performed by Nina Nordvall Vahlberg, Emma Göransson, Olli Liljeström, Carolina Bjon, Minna Hokka, Marianne Maans, Kari Mäkiranta and Frank Berger

In the next-to-final day of the Winter Session, the Praxis circle was invited to take part of Vuoiŋŋalaš Eanadat / Spirit Land, an artistic collaboration between two of our co-participants: textile artist / artistic researcher Emma Göransson and composer / musician Frank Berger. The performance also included a number of musicians from Finland and Sàpmi, and was open to the public as a part of Sigtuna Foundation’s cultural program.

The auditorium was crowded, and the afternoon sun gently spread its light through the textiles as music and jojk began to fill the air. For two years, Emma and Frank have been working towards this performance – and now was the moment! Colours, textures and sound intertwined, invoking the visible and invisible landscapes of the North. In Emma’s own words: “The three cosmological spheres in traditional Sami mythology – Jabbmeájjmo/Underworld, Eana/Earth, and Albmi/Heaven – are represented by monumental weavings, here set to music. The voices of the landscapes are heard anew, restored and brought to life, but changed.”

Afterwards, Dr. Hellsten moderated a talk between Frank, Emma, and Dr. Shiluinla Jamir – another valued member of the Praxis circle, who graciously added the perspective of a person from the indigenous Naga people of Northeast India. Listening to Frank’s music, and the jojks of Emma and Nina Nordvall Vahlberg; watching the delicate weavings floating in light; and following the exchange of indigenous experiences… were some of the memorable moments of hope and beauty that will stay with me.

Praxis of Social Imaginaries, Summer Session 2024 @Løgumkloster I

art, recent work, time-out

the Praxis group at work in Løgumkloster Folkehøjskole, Denmark; photo credit Laura Hellsten

Early August, and I’m landing home after attending the 2024 Summer Session of the Nordic Summer University; after yet another week of working together with the Praxis group (or, more formally: Circle 3, The Praxis of Social Imaginaries. Cosmologies, Othering and Liminality – one out of ten ongoing study circles within the NSU)… Our focal point this time has been A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies by Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas – a fiery document from the 16th century, intended to alert the Spanish king to innumerable atrocities committed by his conquistadores in the Americas.

Seventeen people came together for this occasion, bringing perspectives from Peru, the US, South Africa, Nigeria, Bangladesh, India, Germany, Portugal, Denmark, Finland and Sweden… Over and over, I feel such a great gratitude for being part of this group – diverse, experienced, and creative as it is; acting together as an instrument for processing the text, even when the subject matter touches on possible conflict lines such as religion, race, or the legacies of colonial history; finding out, along the way, how community research could be conducted in a transdisciplinary setting.

Ever since the study circle began in 2023, co-facilitators Lindsey Drury and Laura Hellsten have offered multiple approaches to the text. This time, participants were actively invited to take the lead for a morning or afternoon class – resulting in reading sessions and workshops staged from very diverse fields of professional experience: for instance, highlighting the text sections about legal structures, or experiences of ‘the first encounter’; introducing complementary texts and imagery from early encyclopedic efforts to document indigenous culture* – thus inviting the group to visual and performative interpretations – as well as movement and mindfulness exercises; not to forget the practises of reading aloud, listening, talking, and writing….

It should also be mentioned, that the Nordic Summer University is open to parents bringing their kids – there’s always a Children’s Circle welcoming the young ones. However, our circle of adults had the great joy of hosting little J. (two years and a half) who preferred staying around his parent. His gentle presence, communicative skills and stunning dance moves gracefully gave us a model for human interplay.

above: dance historian Lindsey Drury presenting documents from the early encounters between the Mesoamericans and the Europeans, along with later and contemporary pictures of mestizo dance cultures;
below: local micro-examples of 20th and 21st century Danish culture

…and if photos are lacking from most working sessions, it may be because then we were all immersed in the actual co-creating of knowledge…

*specifically, the Huexotzinco Codex, the Florentine Codex, the Codex Azcatitlan and the Codex Telleriano Remensis

Praxis of Social Imaginaries, Winter Session 2024: Oulu Review

art, recent work, time-out

This winter session of the NSU Praxis circle was hosted by the Oulu Museum of Art. Here, we spent four days reading, writing and discussing; twenty persons from Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. Some of us were ‘oldies’ in this group, other ‘newbies’; some were Christians, others Muslims, some from yet other religious/cultural backgrounds… Earlier Praxis sessions have been dedicated to the tales of monks and merchants,* but this time, we turned to the Muqaddimah by Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406); a highly learned jurist and historian, possessing extensive knowledge as well as a keen mind – and sometimes also named ‘the father of sociology’. For six centuries, the Muqaddimah has served as an introduction not only to history, but also to the methodologies of empiricism and critical thinking.

Obviously, a few days will be far from enough for the study of such a book . Circle facilitators Laura and Lindsey offer different approaches to help us along: reading aloud together, reading thematically from keywords, reading individually while making notes, reading in pairs while walking… One of the group reading sessions deals with Ibn Khaldun’s treatise on ‘the craft of midwifery’ – a short but extremely interesting portion of the text. Lindsey suggests that the women in the group take turns in reading, while the men listen in silence. Fareeda begins, followed by Justina, Tinka, Didi, myself, Puja, Dorcus, Emma…

“Midwifery is a craft that shows how to proceed in bringing the new-born child gently out of the womb of his mother and how to prepare the things that go with that.
/…/
This is as follows: When the embryo has gone through all its stages and is completely and perfectly formed in the womb /…/ it seeks to come out, because God implanted such a desire in (unborn children). But the opening is too narrow for it, and it is difficult for (the embryo to come out). It often splits one of the walls of the vagina by its pressure, and often the close connection and attachment of its covering membranes with the uterus are ruptured. All of this is painful and hurts very much. /…/ In this connection, the midwife may offer some succour by massaging the back, the buttocks and the lower extremities adjacent to the uterus. She thus stimulates the force pushing the embryo out /…/ She uses as much strength as she thinks is required by the difficulty (of the process).
/…/
[The] midwife undertakes to massage and correct (the new-born child) until every limb has resumed its natural shape and the position destined for it /…/ After that, she goes back to the woman in labour and massages and kneads her, so that the membranes of the embryo may come out.
/…/
She then returns to the child. She anoints its limbs with oils and dusts it with astringent powders, to strengthen it and to dry up the fluids of the uterus. /…/ She makes it swallow an electuary, in order to prevent its bowels from becoming obstructed and their walls from sticking together.
/…/
Then, she treats the woman in labour for the weakness caused by the labour pains and the pain that the separation causes her uterus. /…/ The midwife also treats the pain of the vagina that was torn and wounded by the pressure of (the child’s) coming out.
/…/
One can see that this craft is necessary to the human species in civilisation. Without it, the individuals of the species could not, as a rule, come into being…”

Clear voices transmitting substantial knowledge in a space of concentrated listening. When reading is finished, discussion begins. We note the qualities of the text; the care and factualness, the absence of misogyny. We wonder how Ibn Khaldun managed to collect this information? We compare the practices of Maghreb in the 14th century to our own – diverse – experiences. We keep listening, now to each other; male and female voices weaving invisible patterns of expanded understanding… A precious moment in time.

Apart from the reading sessions, we spend little time in the city. Our accommodation is located on one of the islands nearby, in three comfortable cabins close to the seashore. Each day, four or five from the group form a cooking team, to prepare and serve a ‘dinner keynote’: a Croatian pasta dish, a Peruvian dinner, a veggie curry… Communal cooking is another great way of getting together, and the significance of the evening meal goes even deeper as three of us are celebrating Ramadan.

After five intense days, we return home. The work continues.

Above: Oulu, city old and new;
Below: Frank doing spontaneous parkour outside the museum

*namely, Gerald of Wales, William of Rubruck and Marco Polo.

Praxis of Social Imaginaries, Working Retreat @ Sigtuna II

art, recent work, time-out

The Praxis of Social Imaginaries – an intriguing title* and an inspiring project, launched by Dr. Lindsey Drury and Dr. Laura Hellsten in 2022; still in its first year out of three, the initiative has managed to attract researchers, scholars and artists from six (!) continents, to gather around readings of mediaeval travellers’ tales. Like distant mirrors,** the written accounts of monks and merchants reflect shifting interests, gradually forming a worldview that impacts our lives deeply even today… And we ourselves, as a working group, are a diverse set of mirrors, framed in so many cultural contexts; from the Amazon forest to Berlin and New York City; from Kampala, Singapore and Adelaide to Sápmi… hopefully opening up for developing new modes of understanding; for social imaginaries more appropriate to our own world.

Views from Sigtunastiftelsen: dining room, garden and library

Our contributions to the Praxis project are partly realized within our respective professional settings – but, since the aim is to nurture genuinely transdisciplinary collaborations, ad hoc gatherings will be held over time as sub-projects emerge. So here we are, in the small mediaeval city of Sigtuna some 45 kms from Stockholm, to spend a weekend together in late November… The venue itself provides unique values; we’re hosted by the Sigtuna Foundation – a meeting ground dedicated to dialogue and openness ever since 1917. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nathan Söderblom, UN general secretary Dag Hammarskjöld and poet Gunnar Ekelöf are some of the notable Swedes historically connected to this place, which still offers a lively spot for cultural, scientific and interreligious exchange. Anders the librarian gives us a guided tour in his sanctuary of books; some of the items are of venerable age, others come fresh off the presses to spark debate or enhance knowledge in current topics. (Due to GDPR issues, you will neither see Anders in action, nor the amazement in our faces here.) Later, we also got the opportunity to attend an opening at artist-run space Slipvillan, where our fellow project contributor Emma Göransson was part of a group show.

Walking and talking in Sigtuna; Sigtuna Foundation and the ruin of S:t Per’s church

Was there any time for actual work during this working session, then? I think it’s fair to say that shared time, shared experiences and shared meals are meaningful elements in work processes like this one. Equally important, of course, are the moments of structured reflection – both individual and common… and yes, there was time for that, too. Even sleep may bring unforeseen revelations…

…to be continued…

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* “The imaginary (or social imaginary) is the set of values, institutions, laws, and symbols through which people imagine their social whole.” – Wikipedia: Imaginary (sociology)
**A distant mirror is the title of a renowned book by historian Barbara Tuchman. That specific work isn’t part of the Praxis project reading list; however, the title is too good not to be re-used – with due credit!

Art in the Land of War

recent work, time-out

What is the role of art when an entire country is fighting for its life? How is it even possible to create under the conditions of war? The common denominator, I think, is the strive for freedom.

To my understanding, freedom is one and indivisible – just like Spaceship Earth is one for all of us. To paraphrase Caribbean-American poet Audre Lorde: I am not free while any being is unfree.* In February 2022, when Russia’s prior war crime aggression and annexation turned into a full scale invasion of Ukrainian territory, it wasn’t only an eye-opener, but also a compelling urge to take action. How could I, as an artist, support the defenders of our freedom?

Staying in touch (since 2011) with Kyiv-based filmmaker Oleg Chorny, in combination with having a volunteer-run cinema just across the street, finally sparked the idea of organizing a film screening. When I contacted Stadsgårdsterminalen – one of Stockholm’s most creative spaces – the project kind of doubled… In the first months of 2023, I turned to Region Stockholm for funding; in June, my application was granted, and I could start organizing the two screening events. Independent production company DocNoteFilms gave me full access to their short film series Art in the Land of War – documentaries made in 2022-2023, following Ukrainian artists in their studios and workshops; in front of the screen or the loom; in the basement shelter or in the city streets… To pick a choice from the 25 movies wasn’t easy, but in the end ten were chosen to mirror the diversity of Ukrainian art and artists.

Local cinema Mölnbo Bio by night

Örjan from ‘Caps and Candles for Ukraine’

Painter Matvei Vaisberg, from the documentary by Oleg Chorny

Inna, outstanding singer of the band ‘Ukraina’

Painter Matvei Vaisberg, from the documentary by Oleg Chorny

Pelle the cinema technician

Introducing a movie

On September 23rd, the first screening event took place in rural village Mölnbo. Long-time local residents mingled with more recently settled Ukrainian refugees; home-made borsch and nalysnyky pancakes were served, artworks by Angela Ursol were on display and the band named Ukraina played. Örjan – representing local volunteer organization Caps and Candles for Ukraine – told us about his recent journey to Eastern Ukraine, where much-needed supplies reached its destinations. And the documentaries took us all along to Mariupol, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Muzychi, Poltava, Charkiv… to a number of artists at work – very diverse in personalities, age, genres and techniques, each one finding their own way in modalities of resistance.

During the following weeks, the next event was announced on walls in central Stockholm as well as online. Another batch of soup and nalysnyky were prepared, all details of the program were finally set, and planning proceeded with the super-helpful staff at Stadsgårdsterminalen. On Saturday, October 7th, volunteers and artists gathered in the morning to arrange everything… Visual artists Liubov Babichenko and Anastasiia Usenko contributed with their artworks, Tomas the technician got everything in order – and by noon, people began to drop in as the soundcheck of domra player Olga Kovalenko smoothly turned into a little concert.

‘Rex Tremendae Majestatis’ by Liubov Babichenko

The volunteer-run café attracted visitors

‘Les trois soeurs’ by Liubov Babichenko

Olga Kovalenko presenting her music

A glimpse of Anastasiia Usenko’s drawings

The screening program opened with two films that were made before 2022, and therefore weren’t part of the Art in the Land of War series: first, Derevo / The Tree – a portrait of a woodcarver, originally created by amateur filmmaker Victor Kyzyma in the 1970s. The faded and damaged remains of Kyzyma’s film were rediscovered in 2017, and brought back to life by contemporary filmmakers Oleg Chorny and Gennadiy Khmaruk; a dreamlike memory, reimagined. Next, Proekt Doschu/Rain Project took us to the city of Mariupol in 2016, to follow the work of street artist Gamlet Zinkivskyi – also known as ‘Ukraine’s Banksy’.

Still from ‘Derevo’ (2019)

Still from ‘Proekt Doschu’ (2016)

The program proceeded with the recent DocNoteFilms/Babylon’13 documentaries, shown two by two with a 30 minutes pause inbetween screenings. There were talks by artist Liubov Babichenko, and by Max Valentin – founder and producer at Fabel Kommunikation – who gave us insights from the Ukrainian cultural sector (especially, the changing role of public libraries). We also succeeded to make contact with director Hanna Iarosevych over link from Kyiv; a valuable exchange, as the audience could pose their questions directly to the filmmaker, who emphasized the blooming of contemporary Ukrainian cinema as a part of civil society.

Max Valentin on what to learn from Ukrainian civil society

Hanna Iarosevych live on screen

View from the backstage hangout

Our final treat was a work by Liubov Babichenko, produced especially for this event and with music by composer Roman Gens; archive documentary PAST SIMPLE – once more connecting with the past, speaking wordlessly about life in peace… projecting hope for the future.

Below, screenshots of some of the artists seen in the documentaries:

Street artist Gamlet Zinkivskyi

Conceptual artist Alevtina Kakidze

Conceptual artist Taras Polataiko

Artist and activist Oleksiy Sai

Anonymous art student

Nina Savenko, printmaker at print workshop Lithography30

Composer Alexander Shchetynsky with colleague at the Kharkiv National Kotlyarevsky University of Arts

Tapestry weaver Olha Pilyuhina

Sculptor Svitlana Karunska

*original quote by Audre Lorde: “I am not free while any woman is unfree.”

Praxis of Social Imaginaries, Summer session 2023 (Palanga)

art, recent work, time-out, upcoming

End of July, and a group of scholars and artists meet up to continue the journey that begun in March: studying the Praxis of Social Imaginaries. Observing our own times through the lens of mediaeval travel accounts, this transdisciplinary research project is now turning to William of Rubruck and Marco Polo – both speaking to us from the 13th century.

“The journey of William of Rubruck to the eastern parts of the world”

Marco Polo, “The Travels”

Summer session readings: the travels of friar William of Rubruck (photo credit Laura Hellsten) and Marco Polo’s Book of the Marvels of the World

A diverse bunch of people we are, actually representing all continents except Oceania; diverse also in age and cultural background, not to mention other kinds of situatedness… Reading under the pine trees in Palanga Botanical Garden brings out knowledge and memories from Sápmi and the Amazonas. Listening to voices from the 13th century brings out concern for the silence(d) in history. The ‘brave space’ of genuine dialogue brings out deep emotions of grief, joy and care… as well as the interchange of intellectual perspectives.

The Praxis project will continue for another two years – partly within the alternating Winter and Summer sessions of the Nordic Summer University, and partly in parallel side projects; next gathering planned in November, at Sigtunastiftelsen north of Stockholm. I’ll have some mapping work to do before that… For now, I wish to cherish the creative flow that emerged from sitting beside Ilona Blumgrund, and our thinking together swiftly and wordlessly.

With great gratitude to Ilona, Adriana, Jackie, Louie, Emilia, Roberto, Tinka, Eduardo, Dorcus – and, of course, co-facilitators Lindsey Drury and Laura Hellsten – à la prochaine!

Mapping on the beach; how to realize common values in colonizing the future

About the Nordic Summer University
This particular study circle is but one out of a dozen, which together constitute the Nordic Summer University. From July 27th to August 3rd, the NSU Summer session 2023 was held in Palanga, Lithuania. Keynote speakers Ekaterina Kouznetsova, Amanda Valentin and Epp Annus all focused on different aspects of democracy in our time; academic freedom in an authoritarian society, election monitoring, and Russia’s colonial engagements and imaginaries of supremacy. In daytime, study circles worked independently (and sometimes joined). In the evenings, cultural programs were offered – such as music, workshops and multilingual readings (a practice introduced by Lara Hoffman last summer)… Together with Alina Kalachova, I conducted a mapping event which made us think, as well as cry and smile. A valuable experience.

Keynote speaker Epp Annus presenting a poem by late writer Victoria Amelina (killed in Russian strike on Kramatorsk, July 1st); and a joint reading of short stories on the beach

About Palanga and Hotel Vysuris
The venue and the city itself deserve some attention, too. Hotel Vysuris, built under the Soviet regime, stays almost unaltered since the 1970’s; history alive in many aspects, also in the struggle of the kitchen staff to navigate between different instances of need and want. The long applause they got at the final gala dinner was well earned.

(above) Vysuris restaurant and the last evening’s gala dinner
(below) Some features of the labyrinthic, circular building

And finally, some touristic views from walking in Palanga – and a treasured gift (thank you so much, Dorcus!):

Praxis of Social Imaginaries, Winter session 2023 (Oslo)

art, recent work, time-out, upcoming

Last month’s notes from the conference in Åbo/Turku briefly mentioned a new research project launched by Laura Hellsten. Here’s a little more on that…

Laura’s scientific approach is shaped by her dual competence as a dancer and a Doctor in Systematic Theology. While she holds a position at Åbo Akademi University, part of her current research will be conducted within the framework of the Nordic Summer University (aka the NSU). Actually, this project has already begun; in early March 2023, the first gathering of NSU Circle 3 Praxis of Social Imaginaries; Cosmologies, Othering and Liminality took place in Oslo. Lindsey Drury – post-doc and co-facilitator of this study circle – is an early modernist historian, and an educated dancer as well. Their common work evolves around mediaeval accounts from travels into ‘unknown lands’; aiming at transdisciplinarity, the methodology incorporates reading aloud, various modalities of movement, academic lectures and discussions, and…

The Hereford Mappa Mundi – a mediaeval world map,
conceived in the very place where Gerald of Wales spent the last part of his life (although nearly a century later) –
presented in a keynote lecture by historian Line Cecilie Engh; picture made available by Wikimedia Commons

…and more? Future will tell.

In this first Praxis session, a number of scholars and artists from different fields and places processed the tales of Gerald of Wales: a monk travelling uncivilized Ireland by the end of the 12th century – reporting back to his learned colleagues and to the English king; picturing Éire and the Irish through a lens of curiosity, religious zeal and practical political thinking.

Here’s my own recap from our five of days walking, talking, listening, disputing and dancing in wintery Oslo:

Domus Theologica (University of Oslo) hosted the event

Streets of Oslo – a signpost pointing the way to a bomb shelter;
Saint Olav guarding sewages and waters underground; icy footway; a cool cat by night

Saint Olaf, king of Norway, accompanies us, as we walk the streets – occasionally trodding along his old pilgrimage path, leading all the way from here to Olaf’s grave in Nidaros (Trondhjem). In his youth, Olaf sailed the Baltic and the North Sea as a fierce warrior, before being baptized and returning to Norway as a Christian king. His image, cast in iron, can be seen on every lid covering the descents to the city’s system of underground sewage pipes. The waters that have cleaned our bodies – or passed through them – is kept from sight and smell in those sewers. Meanwhile, Aker river running through the city, once heavily polluted, is now restored to be the ‘green lung’ of the urban area…

How can one atone for the wrongdoings of history? As we walk and talk, I think this may be the beginning of a pilgrimage.

Limestone wall of Old Aker Church – the oldest existing building in Oslo,
erected by the mediaeval pilgrim route

For the closing summary, I did an ad hoc mapping on a classroom blackboard – picturing our experiences as a group: reading Gerald’s tales, listening to Viveca Servatius’ lecture on Hildegard of Bingen, seeing lovers in a churchyard, meeting dogs friendly and angry, slipping and sliding in a park, dancing between graves… Other participants helped me fill in the empty spots.

Slipping along an icy slope

Proceed with care!

Reading aloud in groups in Old Aker churchyard

Noted by participant: many fathers walk their kids in Oslo

Noted by participant: many people walk their dogs in Oslo

Noted by participant: I got locked in inside seminar building for some time

Dancing in a graveyard, and lecture on Hildegard of Bingen’s musicology

Oslo architecture, and seminar group seated around a table

Loving couple under a tree in churchyard

Next gathering will take place in Palanga, Lithuania, when July turns August. See you there!

Åbo/Turku: Sites of Learning

art, recent work, time-out

Leaving Stockholm on Sunday evening, May 14th, sleeping across the Baltic sea and waking up early Monday morning to sunrise over Åbo/Turku… In 2010 and 2011 I made this trip quite a few times, when engaged in the Nomadic University project at Åbo Akademi. Now I’m back to take part in a conference hosted by the Donner Institute and the University of Helsinki: Religion and Spirituality as Sites of Learning.

Nice to trod the streets of Åbo once more…

..and nice to be back in the facilities of Åbo Akademi University. Niklas the caretaker helps me to arrange a poster exhibition that I’ve brought for the occasion. Soon, conference guests begin to arrive and register. Then: coffee time, and next the welcome introduction by Ruth Illman, research director of the Donner Institute, and professor Terhi Utriainen from the University of Helsinki – followed by a keynote speech on Unlearning by professor Kim Knott of Lancaster University; a productive opening to three days dedicated to learning.

Entrance hall at Arken, Åbo Akademi University

Ruth Illman and Terhu Utriainen opening the conference

The conference proceeds with three parallel sets of lectures throughout the day. Among the presentations I manage to attend is Jaana Kouri‘s research on Learning in contemporary shamanism (carried out congruently with her own shamanist practice); among the ones I’m sorry to miss out on are Miriam Feldmann Kaye‘s Learning as Idea: ‘Hospitality’ from a Philosophical Perspective and Emine Neval’s Where are the Women?.. This first day is wrapped up with a reassembly and panel discussion on Eastern Spirituality in Arts. Panelists Nina Kokkinen, Måns Broo, Linda Annunen and Ville Husgafvel open for a highly interesting and well-grounded discussion along the themes of Inspiration, Appropriation, Conversation… upon which follows a get-together reception and the awarding of Donner Institute Research Prize 2022 to Maija Butters for her book Death and Dying Mediated by Medicine, Rituals, and Aesthetics.

Leaving the gusto of seventy researchers gathering ‘in real life’ for the first time since covid 19, to enter the calm atmosphere within the Bridgettine sisters’ guesthouse… where a modest room is waiting for me, and the singing of psalms accompany Tuesday’s breakfast.

Morning choir at the Bridgettine Convert’s guesthouse

The second day of conference begins with researchers from the University of Helsinki sharing conclusions from their project Learning From New Religion and Spirituality. In addition to informal talks and tasty lunch (the menu is all vegetarian), I enjoy and learn from Lena Roos and Laura Wickström lecturing on, respectively, The Green Sabbath Project and Learning about the Environment Within Islamic Tradition – just to mention two out of many appealing themes.

Researchers from the LeNeRe project

Laura Wickström on environment in Islamic tradition

Lena Roos presenting her research on the Green Sabbath project

The third and final day starts directly with the sets of parallel sessions; in Auditorium Källan – the Well – we delight in multi-skilled university lecturer Mikko Autere reciting Sufi poetry in Urdu (or was it Hindi?) and introducing us to South Asian practices of aesthetic and mystical cognition; his talk followed by doctoral student Olivia Cejvan, reporting about secrecy as a didactic tool in a Swedish esoteric society. I feel very favoured to be the third one to present in this sequence – even more so, being the one non-academic person to attend the conference. My talk takes place by the entrance, in front of the poster exhibition; retelling the story of Interfaith Dialogue in Images (a workshop in two parts, which I conducted in the autumn of 2019), presenting the concept of Pictorial Reasoning and inviting feedback from a researcher’s perspective. Again, I’m privileged to get insightful comments and questions from such an extremely qualified audience. Two of them to appear on stage a little later…

Nataliia Pavlyk captured me talking

‘translating’; professor Mulki al-Sharmani

‘In search of…’; professor Mulki al-Sharmani

After the coffee break, with continued discussions, it’s time for professor Mulki al-Sharmani to hold her keynote speech on Women Living with, Learning from, and Reasoning with the Qur’an – sharing experiences from long-time engagement with a number of Muslim women. Some of her informants belong to the islamic minority in Finland, others to the majority in Egypt; some are fairly well-off, others underprivileged; each one of them possessing deep resources of judgement and agency.

Next out, in the closing set of parallel sessions, is Laura Hellsten, dancer and doctor in systematic theology. The subject of her lecture is Dance as a Spiritual Formation Practice… partly treated in connection to her project The Praxis of Social Imaginaries; Cosmologies, Othering and Liminality, which has recently been launched in collaboration with Lindsey Drury (PhD at Freie Universität Berlin/ University of Kent). I’ve already had the pleasure to take part of Laura’s and Lindsey’s work within the framework of the Nordic Summer University. More to follow there…

‘…through our whole body…’; Laura Hellsten

Laura Hellsten (2)

Laura Hellsten (3)

‘… Letting desire lead to deeper levels…’; Laura Hellsten

And so: time for some closing words, and one more cup of coffee before we leave. The walk along the Aura river, on my way to the ferry , brings me close to the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art, where a rich retrospective of Jan Kenneth Weckman’s painting is on view. I cannot just pass by, of course; after three days of intense listening, I need to wash my eyes in colour to see again. Need to pay respect to Jan Kenneth’s corpus; to art as materialized thinking.

Jan Kenneth Weckman at WAM (1)

Jan Kenneth Weckman at WAM (2)

Jan Kenneth Weckman: still from video interview

Jan Kenneth Weckman: Mother of God (2016); oil on canvas

What, then, have I gathered from these sites of learning in Åbo/Turku?

…from Jan Kenneth: to focus on painting, not on the picture.

…from the sisters’ guesthouse, a kaleidoscope of fragmental memories: a digital key handed over at night hour; clean surfaces, plain clothing, sparse colours; morning oats, singing voices converging in the unison. Austerity and care. Time stripped bare of signs of change.

…from the conference: the Q’s and A’s. Observations of the living world, transformed to words aligned according to the rules of logic. A poem in urdu (or was it hindi?) ungraspable by logic. Delight in meeting, delight in sharing. A beautiful sign on the restroom doors.

Musical Quarter Interlude: Art and Spirit

art, curating, painting, recent work, time-out

“Art and Spirit – like a twelve-tone scale, the works of eleven artists sound in the Musical Quarter. The exhibition takes place on all floors within the building – in the doorway, the entrance hall and stairwells, in the foyers and the concert spaces.”

A one-day-only exhibition at Stockholm’s Musical Quarter, curated by Tobias Sjöberg – up and running from noon at Saturday, March 11th, into the wee hours of the night when the last guests are leaving the party.

Tobias Sjöberg at work; photo HHW.

ART AND SPIRIT
participating artists:

Amanda Cardell

Beata Fransson

Helena Hildur W.

Jakob Sjöstedt

Jouko Mario

Margrethe Sjöberg

Mats Adelman

Stefan

Tiago Altink

Tobias Sjöberg

Viktor Kopp

– – –

Friday, March 10th: gathering together to hang the artworks. A colourful curtain – made for the occasion by Amanda Cardell – will greet every guest at the main entrance. In the Clara Schumann hall, works by Viktor Kopp and myself have found their place, waiting quietly for tomorrow’s artsy sounds, klezmer swing and late night disco. Manager Andil Dahl always seems to be in the right place to make everything run smoothly.
(below)

Amanda Cardell: “Entering” (behind the entrance doors); a drapery of ribbons

Viktor Kopp: “Door and line”; oil on canvas 160 x 170cms

Andil and Johan discussing lighting matters

HHW: three diary paintings; oil on wood panel

HHW: four monthly pictures; blood, ashes and chinese ink on silk

(above)
Hanging completed in the Clara Schumann hall; on display from my part are three diary paintings (oil on wood panel) and four monthly pictures (blood, ashes and chinese ink on silk).

In the first floor foyer, painted wood sculptures by Tiago Altink are put on display. At the second floor, Jakob Sjöstedt’s sculptural sounding objects interplay with scenic elements of the locale. Missing on photo are Margrethe Sjöberg’s embroidered birds of fantasy, and Jouko Mario’s enigmatic paintings opening up to views of strange streets and buildings.
(below)

Installing sculptures by Tiago Altink

Tiago Altink: painted wood sculpture

Jakob Sjöstedt: “Signal”/”Untitled”; loudspeaker elements, sand, sound / reeds, deer skull, copper plate, parts of a torn-down kitchen

In the stairwells, Mats Adelman builds exquisite cabinets where the night fly finds rest and the barn owl can be seen flying… The old and the new meet in the third floor foyer, where Beata Fransson’s playful photographic sculpture echoes the brick wall of a building across the street.

Halfway down another staircase, Stefan’s self portrait is a world in itself; I’m humbled and grateful to have my cloud drawing placed next to it.

Missing here are Tobias Sjöberg’s Octave – watercolour paintings covering two huge windows, creating a quiet virtual space opening to pure colour; turning the room into a floating vessel, carrying living people and pale plaster muses along outside of time …
(below)

Mats Adelman: “Subforest”; installation with sculpture and drawings

view from the third floor foyer

Beata Fransson: “Corner”; black and white print on woodprin

HHW: cloud drawing; graphite on paper

Stefan: untitled; watercolour and pencil on paper

Saturday, March 11th: giving the installations a last finish; then removing tools and ladders, doing a bit of cleaning up; and, the Art and Spirit exhibition is up by noon. At four o’clock, the Swedish Wind Ensemble gathers for a sounding parade around the neighbourhood. When they return, guests are already queuing to get inside. Scendödsfestival sets off – let the party begin!