Art Mobs take over urban space in Espoo
Starting in August, the Future Stories Art Mobs will bring colour to Espoo residents’ everyday lives and neighbourhoods. Built around the themes of sustainability, Art Mobs are small-scale art and cultural events taking place around the city until the end of November. The events are free of charge and open to all.
Future Stories Art Mobs inspire the public to reflect on the future and themes of sustainability through installations, performances and workshops. The ten selected works will offer easily accessible cultural experiences that bring colour to urban spaces and add a sense of surprise to everyday life. Art Mobs will offer something for everyone in Espoo – no matter your age or language.
“We arranged an open call and received some really creative ideas. We were delighted to see many proposals from diverse teams and international artists, which in itself speaks volumes about our future”, says Production Planner Salla Vallius.
Culture in the urban space and support for artists
Artists and artistic teams were invited to apply through an open call in April 2025, and a panel of professionals assembled by Espoo’s Cultural Venues and Services selected the works to be realised. The aim is also to provide professional opportunities in the field of art and culture.
“Through Art Mobs, we as a city can support the cultural sector, which is facing difficulties. The Future Stories concept was a perfect fit for this purpose, as we want art and culture in Espoo to continue to flourish”, says Leena Hoppania, Manager of Cultural Services in Espoo.
Installation in Central Park introduces easy-to-read literature
Selkokulttuuri ry’s installation Metsänpeitto – Forest Cover will open to the public in August in Espoo’s Central Park, near the park’s ice-age potholes. Visitors will be able to sit inside the installation and contribute to the web-like structure with natural materials.
“The old, ice-age potholes create a contrast to the installation, which will decompose within a few months. We hope that the installation will encourage visitors to reflect on the traces we leave in nature”, explain Carly Markkanen from Selkokulttuuri ry and artist Wiebke Pandikow, who created the installation.
The installation includes a small forest library of easy-to-read literature and other easy-to-read materials.
“Forest Cover offers a low-threshold cultural experience for everyone, regardless of language skills or knowledge of nature”, Markkanen continues.
You can find Metsänpeitto – Forest Cover from 17 August onwards in Espoo’s Central Park. For further directions, please visit the event page.
Theatre caravan hits the streets
Teatteri Qo’s object theatre performance Tea for Two will be shown on a small stage built inside a caravan on 19 August in Matinkylä and on 20 August in Karakallio. This wordless performance tells the story of two quarrelling neighbours who, despite their differences, are brought together by fate – and by natural disasters caused by climate change, which introduce unexpected twists to the plot. This intimate performance will make you laugh at the smallness of humans and reflect on whether we know how to share this one world we live in.
“The performance aims to bring culture close to home and create a space where different cultures and generations come together. The inspiration for the mobile stage came from France, where you might stumble upon tiny theatres like this one”, say Teatteri Qo’s Perrine Ferrafiat and Mila Nirhamo.
When Tea for Two was written, Europe was being battered by devastating floods and extreme drought. That reality became part of the story.
“We humans tend to focus on our small personal problems and forget the bigger questions. Yet our fates are tied to each other – and to the future of the planet. Conflicts between neighbours, and distrust between nations, can easily spiral out of proportion and become destructive.”
Teatteri Qo’s Tea for Two performances: 19 August in front of the Matinkylä Upper Secondary School (Tynnyritie 2) at 17:00 and 18:00 and 20 August in front of Karatalo, at 16:00, 17:00 and 18:00. Read more about the performances on the event page.
Get creative in a workshop
Muoviamo’s Plastic-Shaped Journey is a mobile plastics laboratory, where plastic collected from the environment gets a new life through art. The artworks created at the workshops will be documented and displayed in a digital exhibition. The workshops will be held at the WeeGee Exhibition Centre from 18 to 19 October. You can sign up through a form at muoviamo.fi/taideisku(external link, opens in a new window).
In Falay Transition Design Collective’s workshops, participants will build a sound installation in a communal atmosphere. The Futures We Create workshops will take place in the Espoo Museum of Modern Art EMMA on 18, 19, and 21 September.
Video and performance art
ColorsNCode’s video installation Gold Water, on display at the Lippulaiva Library from 1 October to 5 November, invites you to reflect on clean water as a natural resource and to take action to protect it. The piece is interactive: the video reacts when someone steps in front of it.
Lari Suominen’s Pickle Free video installation will be shown on an old tube TV set placed in the back of a car. On display at the Otaniemi campus of Aalto University on 28 November, the piece combines analogue aesthetics and associative visual storytelling.
On Wednesday 1 October, Sofi Häkkinen and Miradonna Sirkka’s performance The Life and Death takes the stage at Kannusali – bursting with weirdness, humour, horror and playfulness. This socially critical work combines elements of performance art and underground club gigs.
Children’s theatre on future themes
Teatteri ILMI Ö’s Juhlat metsässä (Forest Party) takes the audience on an adventure with a city rabbit called Mustikka. Intended for children, the performance explores our relationship with nature and the circular economy. Juhlat metsässä takes place at the Pakkasmäki outdoor stage on 26 September at 17:00 and 18:30, and at Lippulaiva Library’s multipurpose space Salonki on 1 October at 14:30 and 16:00.
Puppet theatre ANNOS presents Mehiläisen laulu (The Song of the Bee), a performance for children based on poems from Kalevala (Finnish national epic). The show introduces young audiences to the special characteristics of bees and the role of various creatures in nature. Mehiläisen laulu can be experienced at the following libraries: Sello Library on 25 October at 13:00, Entresse Library on 26 October at 15:00, Lippulaiva Library on 2 November at 15:00 and Tapiola Library on 22 November at 14:00.
Future paradises by baby and toddler theatre group AEIOU is a performance about hope and belief in the future, intended for children. Visually rich, the show sparks the imagination and strengthens positive images of the future. Performances will take place at Lippulaiva Library’s multipurpose space Salonki on 25 October at 13:00, 14:30 and 16:00.
The entire Future Stories Art Mobs programme is available online at espoo.fi/en/future-stories.