Hämeenkyrö Action, Finland
The inaugural action consisted of a Delivery Menu offering a variety of site-specific artistic experiences and/or tangible custom-made items. The menu was distributed around the community prior and an article was published in the local paper to advertise this one-day event. Customers could order in advance or on the actual day. The AOD team allotted 30 to 45 min per order and donned themselves in red to mark themselves as a team. Six deliveries were made that day over a spread out, remote community.
Elaborate review on Hämeenkyrö Action
Participating artists:
Lilian Beidler (Switzerland/sound artist/laughing choir)
Pilar Mata Dupont (Australia/visual artist/video documentation)
Vera Hofmann (Germany/visual artist/photo shoot)
Brenna Noonan (USA/saxophonist, composer/saxophone improvisation)
Sabine Schründer (Germany/visual artist/photo shoot)
Vanessa Vaughan (Canada/visual artist/drawing)
With the support of Arteles-Creative Center
THE MENU:
PREPARATIONS:
Step 1: The press photo
All participating artists in poses relating to their offer.
step 2: Posting flyers around town
step 4: Announcement in the local press
An idea worth ten points
Hämeenkyrön Sanomat, Tu 19.2.2013
By the editor, Katri Linnikko
Arteles artists are not lacking ideas. On Friday the people of Hämeenkyrö will have an opportunity to order an artist to their home and even choose from different options, what kind of art they would like to enjoy. An art delivery service operated same style as the pizza taxi, is surely something unique at least in Finland. The idea is so superb that it is surely a wonder, if it won’t persist. The idea derives somewhere from the areas of street art and performance brought close to the masses. Here, however, the art is actually brought not only to the midst of public, but even closer. For Hämeenkyrö as a cultural town, Arteles is a lot bigger thing than you would at first think. The innovations of Arteles artists are definitely exporting Hämeenkyrö to the world. It is surely a wonder if the now invented “art taxi” will not be reported nationwide. The Hämeenkyrö county should now think how they could benefit from Arteles in terms of marketing. An idea as original as this one, creating a positive image of the county, could prove to be very fertile indeed.
Art home delivery service
Hämeenkyrön Sanomat, Tu 19.2.2013
By: Katri Linnikko
The February residents of Arteles surprise the people of Hämeenkyrö by bringing art to their homes. They are offering an art menu of four products, from which the customer can choose. The options are “It may not be amazing”, “Don’t expect jazz”, “Pimp your profile” and “A serious experience”. The menu consists of a live drawing of a subject of choice, a personal improvised saxophone concert, a photo shoot of choice and a laughing choir.
– The February artists wanted to make something completely new. There’s a lot of potential in this idea, when you start thinking, how art could actually come to you and not always vice versa, says Pekka Räsänen [sic!] from Arteles.
– Certainly there is a lot more to it, when artists come to your own living room, he continues.
The artists behind the Art on Demand project are Lilian Beidler from Switzerland, Pilar Mata Dupont from Australia, Vera Hofmann from Germany, Brenna Noonan from the US, Sabine Schründer from Germany and Vanessa Vaughan from Canada. The artists are taking orders on Friday from 12.00 to 20.00 for free. The amount of art is restricted to only one per order.
Picture: Lilian Beidler from Switzerland, Pilar Mata Dupont from Australia, Vera Hofmann from Germany, Brenna Noonan from the US, Sabine Schründer from Germany and Vanessa Vaughan from Canada will bring art to the homes of Hämeenkyrö people on Friday.
THE ACTION
The video documentation of the AOD action in Finland:
some more impressions:
PRESS COVERAGE:
Mustamakkara was being bribed by macaroni
Hämeenkyrön Sanomat, Tu 26.2.2013
by: Ville Koivisto
Six resident artists squeeze themselves into two cars in the yard of the former Haukijärvi school building. A customer is calling. Name and address are given. The navigator starts shouting directions. In the car there are Sabine Schründer and Vera Hofmann from Germany, Pilar Mata Dupont from Australia, Brenna Noonan from the US, Vanessa Vaughan from Canada and Lilian Beidler from Switzerland. None of them know yet, what is going to happen when they reach their destination.
– Usually the customer has a wish of what the artwork will consist of. This time the artists don’t know, what will happen, says Teemu Räsänen from Arteles. Räsänen is talking about the Art on Demand service, which includes four options from which the customer can choose: drawing of choice, improvised saxophone concert, photo shoot or laughing choir. There is a discussion going on in the backyard of Petri Ojanen. Ojanen doesn’t know yet himself, what he would like to have. Eventually a drawing is being picked, and the group occupies the living room. Oiva Ojanen of 1,5 years climbs to his father’s lap. Vanessa Vaughan starts putting the father and the son on the paper. She only has half an hour. Meanwhile the rest of the group is chatting with Ojanen. The conversation moves from the appreciation of art to the history of Finland. Ojanen, a salesman, is wondering one detail of the project.
– How come the menu doesn’t have any prices on it?
– Because the service is for free, answers Vera Hofmann.
– For free? You should be asking money for it. People may get suspicious, when something is being offered for free.
Vaughan finishes her piece and hands it out to Ojanen, who is happy with the result: the view the artist has on him makes him laugh.
– Do I really look this old?
The last order of Friday and the whole project is a photo shoot. Keimo Ketvell is taking the artists pass his house towards the henhouse. That is where the model is being shot. Some macaroni has been saved for the model beforehand. A hen called Mustamakkara is about to step in front of the camera. Piia Ketvell carries Mustamakkara to the summer room of the henhouse, and the artists start turning the room into a photo studio. One is laying a light blue paper over the table. Another one is setting up the lights. The model, however, is getting suspicious of all the fuzz of the women. The hen parks herself on an old hammer that’s holding the paper still, and doesn’t dare to move towards the middle of the background. Piia Ketvell places a macaroni on the paper. Eventually the belly takes victory over the suspicion, and after an intense photo shoot the model has been captured for the future generations in a whole new light. The Ketvell couple picks their favorite of the pictures. The photo is being copied on a CD on the spot. The plan is to frame it and hang it on the wall of the henhouse.
– If not before, now we certainly will have a reputation of lunatics, Keimo Ketvell is laughing.
REFLECTIONS:
read the reflections of the AOD Team of this event here