Events
Upcoming events
6–7.9.2025 at 11-17 Konstrundan
Organised for the 18th time this year, Konstrundan brings together 480 artists, craftspeople, designers and artist residencies from across the country. During 6-7 September 2025, the participants will open their studios and workshops to the public, providing a unique opportunity to meet artists and gain an insight into their work. Read more
Past events
1.2.2025 ArkMuoto Festival: Open house
Open house at the Leaf House as part of the national architecture and design days. This year’s theme wass Traces of Use. For more information about the event visit Archinfo.
7.9.2024 Konstrundan, open studios
20.1.2024 Concert: Akefalos, Hevonen
3.11.2023 Himera festival: Ahti & Ahti, Antti Tolvi, Rasmus Östling
30.–31.10.2021 Die Angel: Brainwave Music
Die Angel is a duo project of internationally renowned and recognized experimental electronic music pioneers Ilpo Väisänen (former Pan Sonic) and Dirk Dresselhauss (Schneider TM).
Turku celebrated the 10th anniversary of the European Capital of Culture in 2021 and this experimental and environmentally influenced performance, using electromagnetic waves from the brain and surrounding electric fields to create a sound piece, was part of the anniversary programme.
Audiences were limited due to the pandemic, but ten short (50-minute) performances allowed 120 people to watch the performance on site. In addition, a compilation of the performance was published on the Life on Leaf YouTube channel. The event, organised by Life on a Leaf Association, was supported by the Turku 2029 Foundation.
19.8.2021 Sound and Structure
Halla Steinunn Stefansdottir, violinist and composer-in-residence at Arte ry, performed an excerpt from her work-in-progress, which combines city sounds and string music shaped by artificial intelligence. After the performance, Halla, Shawn Decker and Simo Alitalo discussed sound art. The number of people present was limited by pandemic, but a recording of the discussion has been posted on the association’s YouTube channel. The event, organised by Life on a Leaf Association, was supported by Svenska Kulturfonden.
29.–30.9-2018 Life on a Leaf symposium 2
Architecture / Art / Ornament / Happiness
Turku Art Academy, Sibelius Museum & Life on a Leaf house
29.9.2018 Creative workshop for art and architecture students at the Turku Art Academy
A workshop led by artist Jan-Erik Andersson and architect Olavi Koponen, whose idea was to connect art and architecture students with each other. The workshop included participants from Aalto University, the Academy of Fine Arts, and the Turku Academy of Fine Arts. The evening programme included a visit to the Life on a Leaf building.
30.9.2018 Public seminar at the Sibelius Museum in Turku
Keynote-presentations:
Jan-Erik Andersson is known for many imaginative environmental artworks and the Life on a Leaf house, which is also his doctoral work at the Academy of Fine Arts. Together with architect Erkki Pitkäranta he has creating several buildings and public spaces as collaborations. Andersson has lectured extensively, among others as invited in the architectural department at Yale, in Carleton architectural school in Ottawa and in the Henry Moore Institute. www.anderssonart.com
Helena Sandman has been involved in numerous architecture projects in Africa and India as a part- ner of Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects and is one of the founders of Ukumbi NGO. She has reflected on how Northern aesthetics communi-cate with local cultures and how these can enrich each other. Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects’ projects were presented as part of the main ex- hibition at Venice Biennale, “Reporting from the front” in 2016. www.hollmenreutersandman.com, www.ukumbi.org
Ion Sorvin, Copenhagen, is the leader of the Danish art collective N55. They work by combining artistic thought with architecture and design to create practical tools with which we, in a sustainable way, can deal with the environment and society.
Olavi Koponen is well known for his imaginative use of wood in detached houses, the most famous example being the Kotilo house in Espoo. Koponen works in Grenoble as a part of the R2K Architecte office. Recently he won the Wooden Building of the Year prize in France. Koponen is known for his bold opinions. He has also been a Professor of Arts.
19.6.2017 Life on a Leaf symposium 1
Forskning, konst, arkitektur, stadsmiljö. Ett hus som forskningsstation
Stödgruppen för Life on a Leaf-huset och AmosLAB ordnade den 19.6.2017 ett symposium i Life on a Leaf-huset på Hirvensalo i Åbo. Under seminariet diskuterades utvecklandet av konstnären och doktorn i bildkonst Jan-Erik Anderssons uppmärksammade Life on Leaf-hus till en forskningsstation, kopplad till Åbo Akademi och Åbo universitet.
Under seminariet och den efterföljande diskussionen söktes efter nya metoder och idéer för att huset på bästa sätt skall tjäna konst och vetenskap, samt verka som en nod för att skapa nya kontaktytor mellan universitet både i Finland och internationellt. I en värld där nya utmaningar kräver nya initiativ, kan konst och konstnärligt tänkande skapa mervärde även i den akademiska miljön? Hur kan verksamheten se ut när konst möter vetenskap? Hur ser vår nya miljö ut, där vi bygger upp vår framtid? Hur kan forskning och konst påverka den?
Stödgruppen för att utveckla huset, som verkat under ett år, vill konkret utveckla huset till ett residens, där forskande konstnärer eller akademiker ges möjlighet att verka i en unik och stimulerande miljö. Samtidigt är huset öppet för symposier, konserter, möten och annan verksamhet som vårt seminarium öppnar upp.
The opening speech was held by Cay Sevón, introduced by moderator Bengt Kristensson Uggla. The keynote speeches included Robert Powell on “Artists, the Art, & ´Place´. A Personal Journey”, Jan Kaila on “Artistic Research”, and Hanna Johansson on “Art, the public sphere and semi-public houses”, followed by discussions.