Restaurant Haikaranpesä is hosting an first exhibition in the history of the restaurant. Free entry. Please read the full press release below.
PRESS RELEASE
big wet
A one-day event with works by
Jessie Bullivant / Emelie Luostarinen / Jani Anders Purhonen / Kristina Sedlerova-Villanen
Saturday 29 August 2020, 12 – 18
Restaurant Haikaranpesä
Haukilahti Water Tower
Hauenkallio 3, 02170 Espoo FINLAND
Latitude 60.161618, longitude 24.764868
We warmly invite you to join us for a one day exhibition of works by Purhonen, Bullivant, Sedlerova-Villanen & Luostarinen. The Haukilahti water tower was built in 1968 and is owned by the Espoo waterworks. The diameter of the tower is 45.3 m and its volume is 4000 m³. The height of the tower is 45.3 m and 76.3 m from sea level. From the top of the tower, one is able to perceive the earth as a planet without flying.
The artists, who were intrigued by the unique and elegant form, first visited the flying-saucer shaped structure in spring 2019, and were immediately drawn to its rich material, visual, sonic and narrative potential. They initiated a dialogue with Ravintola Haikaranpesä, a 360degree panoramic restaurant located at the top of the still-functioning water tower. The restaurant, and encapsulating balcony, will host the site-specific show by Purhonen, Bullivant, Sedlerova-Villanen, Luostarinen on Saturday 29 August, between 12 – 18.
A large-scale painting by Luostarinen will be visible from a distance and draw attention to the scale and orientation of the tower. Sedlerova-Villanen will create visceral drawings on the surfaces of the restaurant’s panoramic window, and incorporate her sculpture made from natural Sicilian salt, previously exhibited in Kunsthalle Helsinki, into the restaurant menu. Remaining salt will be destined for the Baltic sea. Purhonen will collaborate with a number of sound-makers to perform simultaneously, but out of ear-shot of each other. The performances which happen intermittently throughout the day. Bullivant will offer a warped autofictive text which considers our bodies as soft water vessels, and messy water towers. For more information contact: jessiebullivant@gmail.com
Entrance to the water tower is free.
The artists would like to thank Restaurant Haikaranpesä for their generous support.
Kristina Sedlerova-Villanen would like to thank Sale di Sicilia for their support.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Jani Anders Purhonen (b. 1982, Tammisaari) is an artist based in Helsinki, whose practice revolves around questions of simulation and energy. Purhonen is a graduate of the Academy of
Fine Arts Master’s degree program in Time & Space. In addition to their own work, they’re active with projects such as Bread Omens, Radio Bekola and Bebetton art space. www.andersahlroth.com
Emelie Luostarinen (b. 1987, Stockholm) lives and works in Helsinki. Her artistic practice is project based and incorporates painting, sculpture and performance. The works are often
autobiographical with a detectable narrative. Most recently her work has been seen in Sinne Gallery in Helsinki and before that the Ilmiö 2019 in Turku, MFA Degree Show of the Academy
of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Helsinki and at the group exhibition Purpuritanssi at SIC Gallery, Helsinki. www.emelieluostarien.com
Kristina Sedlerova-Villanen (b. 1987, Kohtla-Järve) generates transitions in raw materials and the information history they are loaded with, incorporating them into varied forms and sizes.
Recently Kristina has been working on the large-scale sculptures involving shapes of zeros as well as traces of chocolate and lipstick on the walls of the institutions. At the moment Kristina is
involved in the self-initiated artistic research on water manipulation systems. Sedlerova-Villanen is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts Master’s degree program in Sculpture and Aalto
University School of Arts, Design and Architecture degree program in Scenography. www.kristinasedlerova.biz
Jessie Bullivant (b. 1986, Albury) is a Helsinki-based artist, writer and academic. They recently graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts Master’s program in Time & Space. Their work
examines the ways that institutional practices affect our bodies, by drawing on histories of institutional critique, as well as feminist, queer and crip discourse. Jessie has presented work at
the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art in 2015; the John Fries Award in 2016; and Next Wave Festival in 2018. Their work has been featured in a number of published reviews and
profiled in Art Collector issue 84 (2018). Jessie was awarded a working grant by the Finnish Cultural Foundation (2020). In 2020 they will present work at SIC Gallery, Helsinki. www.jessiebullivant.com
ACCESSIBILITY:
There is free on site parking.
There is a 2cm threshold at the entrance.
The restaurant is reached via elevator. The entrance to the elevator measures 79 cm.
(Internal elevator dimensions: 118 x 125 x 205 cm and 640 kg limit.)
There is a ramp from to the balcony with a 2cm threshold.
There is a gender neutral & accessible toilet on the ground floor (door width 90cm).
There is an accessible toilet on restaurant level (door width 94 cm).
TRANSPORT FROM CENTRAL HELSINKI:
HSL PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
The journey from central Helsinki takes approximately 40 minutes by metro + bus.
BIKE:
The water tower is 12.3km from Central Helsinki. Google maps says the journey takes 45 minutes by bike.
SAILING:
Haukilahti marina is a 20 minute walk from the water tower.
Latitude / Longitude: 60.1558° / 24.7714°
DRIVING:
You can drive to the water tower from Central Helsinki in under 20 minutes.
There is free parking on site.
Featured image: big wet_image courtesy Jani Purhonen
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