Installation to be erected on Kansalaistori Square on the Night of the Arts reminds us of the loss of species
The Night of the Arts will be celebrated throughout the city on Thursday, 18 August. The 15-metre Comrades in Extinction installation on Kansalaistori Square will invite everyone to remember our extinct comrades. People can also join in a musical procession led by Ánnámáret, Anni Elif and Ali Saad. Music will also fill dozens of city blocks and street corners on the Night of the Arts.
The 15-metre installation Comrades in Extinction, which commemorates extinct species, will rise on Kansalaistori Square, opposite the Parliament House, on the Night of the Arts. To the artists, Jonas Staal and Radha D’Souza, the animals depicted in the installation are our comrades of different species, martyrs to the climate disaster and our predecessors in the battle for existence.
Dutch artist Staal and Sri Lankan writer and lawyer Radha D’Souza have also addressed climate issues in their previous installation, The Court for Intergenerational Climate Crimes, which presented evidence of climate crimes committed by corporates and governments.
The monument, which will be on display on Kansalaistori Square until 21 August, will turn into a live festival of remembrance on the Night of the Arts. The theme will be complemented by a musical procession led by the singers Ánnámáret, Anni Elif and Ali Saad, accompanied by the Philomela Choir. Everyone can join in to declare their support, transcending the boundaries of species in efforts against extinction. We are looking for volunteers to carry signs in the procession; the online registration is open until 6 August at helsinkifestival.fi/comrades.
Before the procession, there will be an artist interview and a panel discussion focusing on the loss of species, organised in cooperation with Helsingin Sanomat, at Sanomatalo. Journalist Petja Pelli will lead the panel. The discussions will be streamed on the Helsingin Sanomat channels.
City blocks and street corners filled with music, hundreds of events across the city
Hundreds of events will be held all over Helsinki in the evening and late into the night. Visitors to the Night of the Arts will be surprised on sites such as street corners in the city centre by musicians taking over places of architectural interest. There will be a total of about 25 short concerts by top artists.
Block concerts will also spread throughout Helsinki to delight audiences in courtyards across the city with 50 concerts featuring a great variety of genres. Housing companies in Helsinki were able to register for intimate gigs to be performed in their courtyards through an open call in June, and the concerts are meant for the residents of the selected sites.
The evening programme will also include DJ sets and a kayak orchestra in Huvilanranta, the Future Self light installation at Dance House Helsinki and Art goes Kapakka events in selected restaurants. The Night of the Arts will also feature a free preview of Two Phone Calls, which will premiere during the Helsinki Festival; tickets for the preview can be booked at helsinkifestival.fi/taiteidenyo.
A programme built together with the people of Helsinki
The Night of the Arts programme is created in collaboration with the people of Helsinki. People can submit their free art events to the Night of the Arts programme until 16 August, so the programme will expand in the coming weeks. The most up-to-date programme is available online at helsinkifestival.fi/taiteidenyo.