Events in different parts of the city of Oulu take citizens around the city and attract them to see the city’s unique features.
The three-year Climbing over Oulu project, which is part of the European Capital of Culture year, will continue in Oulu in May and June. It is organised by the French Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde in cooperation with Flow Productions. This spring, Climbing over Oulu joins the Revitalizing Meri-Toppila project of Aaltosiilo Association, Factum Foundation, Oulu Culture Centre Valve and Oulu Urban Culture’s Nook project.
Climbing over Oulu is a three-year collaborative project involving international architects, musicians and circus artists in Oulu. The artists invite citizens to join them in urban walks, workshops, site-specific pop-up events and performances inspired by the city, its people, urban landscapes and human heritage.
The Urban Walks will lead Oulu’s citizens around the city and make them aware of the city’s special features. Led by the project’s artistic director Eleftérios Kechagioglou and architect Amine Slimani, the Climbing over Oulu Walks are spontaneous: participants are invited to share their experiences and knowledge of the sites along the route and to suggest points of interest along the way.
On the other hand, The Alvar Aalto Heritage Walk explores Alvar Aalto’s handprint in the Meri-Toppila, Typpi Oy and Koskikeskus areas of Oulu, guided by Pia Krogius, the City of Oulu’s urban planning architect. The urban walks create new connections between the public and citizens, architecture, urban planning and the performing arts.
These walks will also be a pilot for the implementation of an Alvar Aalto route circuit in Oulu for the 2026 European Capital of Culture year.
During the Revitalize Meri-Toppila Workshops for city residents, a Pop-up park will be created in the car park next to the Aalto Silo. The workshops, organised in cooperation with Aaltosiilo Association, Factum Foundation, Oulu Culture Centre Valve, Oulu Urban Culture’s Nook project, University of Oulu, The Latvian Academy of Arts and Skene Catling de la Pena Studio are open to everyone and offer meaningful activities and learning opportunities for participants of all ages and backgrounds. The workshops will also bring together architects and architecture students from France, Latvia, the UK and Finland.
This experience is part of the New European Bauhaus initiative, of which the Aaltosiilo is an official partner, and it aims to set goals of sustainability, inclusion, and aesthetic innovation in the built environment. Guided by these aims, majority of the construction materials are sourced from the recycling center Likke and Rusko waste management center, both operated by the local circular economy company Kiertokaari.
At the same time as the urban walks and workshops, a group of 12 French and Finnish artists will be working in Oulu. During the residency, the French and Finnish circus artists and musicians will prepare pop-up performances for audience at Aalto Silo and Summer Sauna, as well as a Climbing over Oulu performance at Culture Centre Valve.
All events are free of charge. The first Climbing over Oulu residency took place in the summer of 2024 and will culminate in the summer of 2026.
