Capital of Culture sprints for the finishing line in September

The autumn season of the European Capital of Culture, Turku, includes the opening of a major exhibition and will fill the city with jazz. After the successful summer peak season, the cultural audience is invited to enjoy the crisp autumn weather at the local food market, at dance performances inspired by the Great Fire of Turku and at the Ferris Wheel events.

During January–August, a total of 1 373 000 visitors have participated in the various events of the Capital of Culture year. Of these numbers, Logomo Exhibition Centre visits amount to 130 000 and Logomo performances and concerts have been seen by 47 000 people. The total numbers do not include all visitors to open public events, and they are expected to rise significantly when all numbers are available at the end of the year.

Battle for the stadium

One of the undeniable spectacles of the Capital of Culture year is Battle – a major visual production at the Paavo Nurmi Stadium. With theatrical direction by Kari Heiskanen and musical direction by accordion artist Kimmo Pohjonen, the performance will be seen on three evenings. The Finnish Defence Forces will provide special effects for the performance. The performers at this imposing event will include actors Sami Uotila, Karoliina Blackburn and Juha-Pekka Mikkola and dancer Sami Saikkonen.

Autumn Harvest in the Market Square, culture at the library

The Autumn Harvest event will offer a traditional rural market atmosphere, as local producers invite city residents to enjoy local delicacies at Turku Market Square on 10 September. Local chefs will share recipe tips to help make the most of fresh autumn treats. The event will be spiced up by various stage performers.

On the same day, the Turku Main Library will host the Ferris Wheel Opening Event. Audiences will be able to familiarise themselves with festive traditions from different countries through music, dance and food culture. During the autumn, these traditions will also be presented at eight district libraries in Turku.

September will also see the launch of the Main Library’s open lecture series. The Well-being and Culture series will examine the relationship between well-being, culture and customs. The lectures and workshops in the Taking in Asia series will help you get acquainted with the Chinese and Japanese cultures. And, to complete the cultural offering, the Music Department will continue its popular Away with Music series.

Flame brings jazz to the city

Launched during the spring, the Flame jazz concert series will return in full force this autumn and turn Turku into a true jazz capital. As a grand entertainment spectacle, the series will feature Club For Five & Umo guest starring in Logomo. This cooperation has resulted in a tango concert which features Unto Mononen’s and Toivo Kärki’s evergreens as new and surprising adaptations. The second main concert for the autumn will take place in October, as Logomo sets the stage for the Jukka Perko Streamline Jazztet and Olli Ahvenlahti’s The Poet Revisited concert. In addition, several Flame concerts taking place in Restaurant Aurora and jazz club Monk will offer a more intimate atmosphere during the autumn.

Dance in the spirit of the Great Fire of Turku

The first September weekend will offer dancing in the spirit of the Great Fire of Turku. The two-part artwork by choreographer Marjo Kuusela will include the In Full Blaze performance at Turku Summer Theatre and the Engagement Celebration at the Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum.

In Full Blaze sees the terror of the masses expressed powerfully by AB Dance Company and Turku Arts Academy dancers against the silhouette of the darkening city. This work uses the elements of fire and ash, water and earth to depict what happened when fire spread from the burning quarters inhabited by the poor all the way across the River Aura.

Engagement Celebration will bring everyday life from 1827 to the Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum. The performance will feature folk dancers, musicians and contemporary dance professionals. The audience will be taken on a guided tour through the event. Along the way, they will even get to participate in a group dance.

Art tips for September

Opening at the Turku Art Museum in September, Carl Larsson’s exhibition Dreams of Harmony can be called a grand exhibition and for good reason; his original artwork has never before been displayed this extensively in Finland. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to enjoy artistic beauty and virtuosity and offers an intimate portrait of an artist whose goal was to paint himself into the hearts of his audience.

The international Close Your Eyes and Tell Me What You See exhibition of contemporary art will be on display in the rarely-used Observatory facilities. The exhibition will present artworks from a total of 15 artists from ten different countries. Finland will be represented through the works of selected young Finnish-Swedish artists. The most remote artists will come from as far as Japan and Cuba. The exhibition has been curated by Johan Sjöström from the Gothenburg Museum of Art. In addition to the artworks themselves, the exhibition will highlight the profession of a curator with four open seminar days organised during the autumn.

Running until the end of the year, Turku Castle will host Turku-based artist Saara Ekström’s new video triptych Rosario, a modern interpretation of the visual imagery and symbolism related to the Finnish myth of Mary. The media artwork has been created using video, film, tomography and animated materials.

The Boat – Vene exhibition by the Halinen Rapids, open until mid-September, showcases six boat installations made by international emigrant artists. The participating artists come from India, Hungary, Greece, Iraq, Syria and Israel.