Jul 25, 2023
Kuva: M. Plepys, KMN Kiemų šventė 2023, Kaunas Artist House
Come and feel the atmosphere and culture of the city at the common dining table in Mannerheim park in the Oulu Arts’ Night on August 17. from 18:00 to 20:00.
Sit at the table with your own snacks, grab takeaway from nearby restaurants, or come check out the tastings offered by the operators at Summer Night table setting.
This year we are trying the event as a free event, open to everyone. We will implement a 24 m long table with white cloths in Mannerheim park during the Oulu Night of Arts on August 17. from 18:00 to 20:00. There will also be live music and other artistic activities around the Summer Night Setting.
So grab your friends, your work team, your top team or just come alone to have social dining togethers!
The Summer Night Setting is part of the Oulu2026 Arctic Food Lab cultural program.
Welcome!
Arctic Food Lab
Northern Finland’s short but intensive summer ripens our local ingredients. Arctic Food Lab is a programme that brings forth the ingredients that have grown under the Oulu2026 region’s Northern sky, and the uniqueness of traditional food born under arctic circumstances. We want to offer locals and international guests Arctic Food Lab experiences that cannot be experienced anywhere else.
For more info, please contact us: arcticfoodlab@oulu2026.eu
Jun 21, 2023
The Program Peek is an article series where, as the name suggests, we take a sneak peek into the cultural programme of Oulu2026, the European Capital of Culture. The series provides small glimpses of what’s to come and highlights interesting aspects.
As the year 2026 approaches the former wood chip silo located in Meri-Toppila is being revived through a project led by the Factum Foundation. The aim of the project is to restore the building into a world-class multipurpose space for various exhibitions and public events. With the AaltoSiilo project, the cathedral-like concrete structure will transform into a center for science and culture, combining Alvar Aalto’s iconic architecture with 3D technology, creating a unique entity in the area.
The project manager Valentino Tignanelli explains that the silo will actively host events annually even before the actual year as the Capital of Culture.
“The first event we organized in the silo was Farewell to the hoppers, where the Transistori collective used the elements within the building’s interior as instruments, turning the space into its own instrument. The latest event, Screaming Duende, combined flamenco master Israel Galván and Huutajat (Screaming Men) choir. We appreciate the interaction between artists and the building, and we hope that the silo will always be the main star of the events held there,” describes Tignanelli.
How does AaltoSiilo connect to the Oulu2026 theme of “Wild City”?
“We see the wildness as a symbol – it is something that has disappeared and needs to be created again. Wild city in this Oulu2026 program needs to be this new relation to what we consider wild and nature. AaltoSiilo reflects cultural climate change by being part of that.”
How does AaltoSiilo promote cultural climate change in the area?
“From an architectural perspective, it is important how the restoration of a concrete building like the silo saves an equivalent amount of emissions that would be generated by constructing a new series of apartment buildings. Oulu is full of concrete buildings, and through our work, we aim to set an example for the use of similar structures by preserving and refurbishing this culturally significant silo.”
What can we expect from AaltoSiilo in the upcoming years?
“We are planning a public space to the lower floor of the silo intended for 200 people. There will also be a vertically arranged audiovisual cabinet of curiosity from the lowest floor towards the building’s highest peak. Silo is an iconic landmark of its era, where we hope to welcome both exhibitions and live performers.”
How would you like the northern region to look like in 2026?
“I truly hope that the Capital of Culture year leaves something visibly tangible in the city – such as this silo, for example. I hope that the initiatives and organizations launched during the Capital of Culture year will continue their activities even after the important celebratory year. I believe that the cultural landscape of Oulu will undergo significant changes as a result of the year 2026.”
Follow the project:
Aaltosiilo.com
Instagram.com/aaltosiilo
May 31, 2023
Oulu is a European Capital of Culture in 2026. The Oulu2026 culture programme in 39 municipalities is realised by local, national and international actors. The programme in Oulu is coordinated and managed by the Oulu Culture Foundation. The Foundation provides co-funding for projects. The entire culture programme will be published in 2025.
Oulu and the entire northern region of Finland will be filled with culture, art and events in the coming years. We arranged Open call 2022 that was specifically aimed for large-scale projects that take several years to prepare or carry out. Nearly 300 project proposals were received: about 90% of the proposals came from Finland, of which 65% came from the Oulu2026 region. 62 of the proposals have now been selected to complement the Oulu2026 culture programme.
In addition to the projects now selected, the Oulu2026 culture programme includes approximately 50 projects that have been involved since the application phase of the European Capital of Culture year, and the programme will expand further with the We are Culture Open Call in 2024–2025. The culture programme is divided into three themes: Brave Hinterland, Wild City and Cool Contrasts.
The majority of projects under the cultural programme are carried out under an external executive production leadership and they are selected and co-funded through the Open Calls. The next open call will be We are Culture in 2024–2025, which is call for applications for individual and communal projects.
The construction of the cultural programme will continue, and the entire programme will be published in 2025.
We will add information about the projects later this year.
Selected partners – Open Call 2022
Brave Hinterland – nature, art and life on the edge of Europe
The Association for Rural Culture and Education
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Kivilompolo Kukkakollektiivi (workgroup)
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Reality Research Center
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Oulu Safaris Oy
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Lumo Company
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ArtAr-luonnontaiteenkeskus (workgroup)
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Antye Greie
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The Northern Opera Company
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KulttuuriKauppila Art Centre (Municipality of Ii)
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The Mustarinda Association
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Kulttuuriosuuskunta G-voima / Vaara-kollektiivi
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Municipality of Kempele
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Folk Extreme Oy
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Oulu Writers Association
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Erika Benke
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Municipality of Liminka
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The Danish National Museum / Ships department
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Oulun Työväen Pursiseura ry
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Kajaanin kaupunginteatteri (Kajaani City Theatre)
Unique local flavours and experiences
Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Oulu
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Pohjois-Suomen Messut ry
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Eija Ranta (workgroup)
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Foodium Oy
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Varjakan kyläyhdistys ry
Wild City – art and culture belong to everyone and everywhere
Kulttuuriyhdistys Bio Huvimylly (workgroup)
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Limingan kansanopiston kannattajayhdistys ry
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Akola Friends (workgroup)
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The Aine Art Museum / City of Tornio
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Perfect Circle Oy
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Teatteri Telakka ry
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Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde (PPCM)
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Instituto Iberoamericano de Finlandia
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MABD Oy
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Oulun Rantasaunaseura ry
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K2 Taiteilijatalo ry
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Routa Company
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Talous ja Nuoret TAT ry
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Taito Pohjois-Pohjanmaa ry (Regional Crafts Association)
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Oulu Theatre
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Kulttuuriradio Oulu ry
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Romanikulttuurin museon tukiyhdistys ry
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Pikisaaren Villatehtaat ry
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Kulttuurikiihdyttämö ry
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PROTO – Designers’ association of Northern Finland
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Vanha Villatehdas ry
Festivals in Europe’s spotlight
Varjo / Pro Piknik Festivals Oy
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OstariFestari / Höyhtyän Kulttuuriyhdistys ry
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The Irish Festival of Oulu / Irish Music Society of Oulu ry
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Concreate Urban Art Festival / Helsinki Urban Art ry
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Oulu Music Video Festival
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JoJo – Oulu Dance Centre
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Solstice Festival / four-one-seven oy
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Valentin Vaala Film Festival / Brandstein/Ilmestys Oy / Municipality of Vaala
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Puolanka Pessimism Festival / Puolanka Pessimism Association
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Kuusamo Nature Photo / City of Kuusamo
Cool Contrasts – power to create something new
Pyhäsalmen Tanssi ry
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Rauhankone ry
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Oulu University of Applied sciences
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The Ostrobothnian Contemporary Music Festival / Nykymusiikkiseura Lokakuu ry
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The Finnish Light Art Society FLASH ry
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Faculty of Humanities, University of Oulu
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Screaming Men’s Choir, Mieskuoro Huutajat ry / POSK tuotannot Oy
Jun 6, 2023
Northern Stories-project develops new ways of bringing stories to their authentic locations using technology. The aim of the project is to create several themed routes with user-friendly mobile technology. We are mapping and collecting the stories around local culture and history from the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture area together with local cultural history experts and citizens. We recognise that urban Oulu and the surrounding northern villages are filled with untold stories. We want to bring the stories to the people in an approachable and experiential way in the urban space and wider in the area.
Northern Finland has a rich history filled with stories about destinies, meanings, and revolutionary events. Our area is known for, among other things, air guitar competition, Tierna Boys tradition, presidents, and Oulu Kärpät.
We want to hear more stories! Which stories are important to you? Answer a brief survey from this link.
The survey is open until June 21st. You can additionally send story tips to us by mail to address Oulu Culture Foundation, Torikatu 18, 90100 Oulu. If you want to share your story tips in other form, then you can send them to anne.makela@oulu2026.eu. Among the respondents, we will draw a Museum Card (€76), which allows free access to hundreds of museums in Finland.
Together with experts in cultural history and the residents of the area, we will review the stories and phenomena that should be told. The citizens’ own personal stories also fascinate us. We will collect more personal stories in the autumn. The scripts for the selected stories are written by professional writers. For the promotion of the stories, a suitable implementation method will be chosen. The purpose is to create a simple easy-to-use operating model that can expand after the project in terms of content and geography. Later this year, the citizens of the municipality will be able to test routes.
Stories strengthens local identity and creates tourist attraction
We bring out the diversity of the region’s culture through stories. Offering intangible experiences in a way that is accessible to everyone strengthens the local identity of the area’s residents in everyday environments and creates tourist attraction. With the help of the project, in addition to attraction, the residents’ awareness of their own roots is also strengthened.
More information: Project Manager, Anne-Maria Mäkelä, anne.makela@oulu2026.eu, 040 673 5155
Implementer of the project: Oulu Culture Foundation sr.
Main financier: Council of Oulu Region
Project implementation period: March 1st 2023-February 28th 2024
May 10, 2023
The Factum Foundation and AaltoSiilo are organizing the Screaming Duende event in Meri-Toppila, Oulu on June 3rd. The event is a world premiere of pairing the radical flamenco master Israel Galván and Huutajat (Screaming Men) Choir. The event is a central part of the AaltoSiilo project, which uses art and industrial cultural heritage to develop this unique silo.
There will also be performances by vinyl DJs Malsson, Tenko, and Matti Aikio and an audiovisual concert by Veera Neva & Arttu Nieminen. The event is free and will be live streamed and projected outside the Silo itself. The event can also be followed on Twitch (from 4 pm) and Oulu2026’s Facebook page (from 7 pm).
At AaltoSiilo Israel Galván will meet the world-famous Huutajat Choir in the spirit of Federico García Lorca’s concept of duende. García Lorca describes duende as a tragedy-inspired ecstasy, a poetic, and uncontrollable emotional state. “El duende, then, is a power, not a work. It is a struggle, not a thought.”
Oulu is the European Capital of Culture for 2026. Screaming Duende is part of the Oulu2026 culture program and the cultural climate change. The event follows last year’s event, where Transistori band played the silo building as a large-scale urban instrument.
AaltoSiilo
Alvar Aallon katu 5, Oulu
June 3, 2023, from 4 pm to 9 pm
Program
4:00 pm DJ Malsson
5:00 pm DJ Tenko
6:00 pm DJ Matti Aikio
7:00 pm Veera Neva & Arttu Nieminen
8:00 pm Israel Galván & Screaming Men’s Choir
A unique place gets a new form
The Factum Foundation and the award-winning architecture firm Skene Catling de la Peña bought the long-unused silo in 2020. Through events, the owners are exploring and developing AaltoSiilo into a versatile performance and exhibition space and research center.
Read more on the AaltoSiilo website.
Contact
Producer Valti Tignatelli, valti.tigna@factum-arte.com, +358 45 806 3171
Giulia Fornaciari, Factum Foundation / AaltoSiilo, giulia.fornaciari@factum-arte.com
Nicolas Beliard, Factum Foundation / AaltoSiilo, nicolas.beliard@factum-arte.com
Dan Barrett, Skene Catling de la Peña architects, dan@scdlp.net
More info
israelgalvancompany.com
huutajat.org
veeraneva.com
hcnieminen.wixsite.com
factumfoundation.org
aaltosiilo.com
May 9, 2023
The Qstock Festival in Oulu stretches partly over three days this year, for music on the Oulu2026 Stage starts already on Thursday, 27 July. The stage moves to a new location in Linnansaari island, and entry to the island will be free throughout the festival.
As before, the Oulu2026 Stage introduces rising bands and artists from Oulu. The acts on Thursday include pop/rap artist Sana, pop rock group Valkea, and spoken word artist Lajune. Friday acts are electronic artist Recend, metal group Slow Fall, prog pop band Kos Mos, and singer/songwriter Eereka. The final day is Saturday when the Oulu2026 Stage presents rapper Mactopias, the folk moods of Haamusoittajat, the melodic punk of Saa kiljua, the electronic folk of Junna, and the explosive energy of Kiestus.
“We want to highlight the versatility of the Oulu music scene by introducing artists from many different genres. There are acts who are just starting their careers as well as ones with a little more experience. All of them are united by the urge to develop and take strides toward bigger and bigger stages,” says Executive Producer Henri Turunen from the Oulu 2026 foundation.
The Oulu2026 Stage is part of Oulu’s journey to becoming the European Capital of Culture in 2026. Turunen says that music is an integral part of the cultural identity in Oulu, and that is why the Oulu2026 foundation wishes to offer local artists opportunities in Europe as well as locally.
Qstock takes place in the area of Kuusisaari and Raatti islands in Oulu on the last weekend of July. The festival has been sold out for nine consecutive summers and established a status as one of the biggest festivals in Finland, gathering 40 000 people over two days.
