Suo, Silent, Disco

Suo, Silent, Disco

Why do we keep on getting stuck? Suo, Silent, Disco is a piece that combines traces of the rare, typical and controversial Finnish suo (swamp, bog or peatland) into a light-hearted physical experiment. Participants are invited to share the playful and audiovisual space of the sticky unknown.

My rubber boot got stuck in a sticky landscape. It was a warm and gentle summer day. Numerous birds and small insects were inhabiting this place, as I, just a visitor, waded through the unknown. My ears were tickling from buzzing sounds. I kept on going, I kept on getting stuck. I was terrified since I had been told not to come here alone. I took a break and sat on a tussock. The scent of marsh tea was surrounding me. Suddenly, a pinecone fell onto the ground. I wondered how long it would take for it to decompose and come together with different bodies of flora and fauna. There was something unknown brewing under the surface.

Suo, Silent, Disco was created through different experiences and notions of suo landscapes, which cover almost one third of Finland’s land area. Although the piece approaches the theme from a playful and heartfelt point of view, the cultural and political aspects of suo areas are controversial. Suos work as great carbon sinks, yet for decades they have been hugely under threat by draining and peat extraction. These human actions create vast emissions and injure the ecosystems. Knowing this, why do we still keep on getting stuck?

Creative Team:

Hugo Enkenberg, Mirei Kato, Meme Korhonen and Hilla Ruuska (Costume Design major, Aalto ARTS)

Lyydia Johansson, Aku Lahti, Alina Pajula, Ville Tolvanen, Joakim Udd and Outi Vedenpää (Lighting Design programme, Uniarts Helsinki)

Ruusa Johansson, Mikko Salminen and Aino Väisänen (Design for the Performing Arts programme, Uniarts Helsinki)

Aino Juutilainen, Pauli Kotilainen and Timo Tikka (Sound Design programme, Uniarts Helsinki)

Curatorial Team:

Sofia Pantouvaki and Susanna Suurla, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture

Kimmo Karjunen, Liisa Ikonen, Tomi Humalisto, Jari Kauppinen, Tuomas Fränti, Jokke Heikkilä, Theatre Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki)

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The Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (PQ) is the largest international festival of design for performance, scenography and theatre architecture, taking place in Prague every four years. Its 15th edition will take place from 8 to 18 June 2023 at Holešovice Market, the National Gallery and The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. The theme of PQ 2023 is RARE; in the sense of unique and raw realities that artists create. 

Website: https://pq.cz/