READ ABOUT UNIMA FINLAND
UNIMA Finland: Report 2021–2022
Founded 11th
February 1984, 168 members.
Administration:
board 5 members (position of trust) and a secretary-coordinator (part-time
employee). Chairpersons Katriina Andrianov (2021) and Timo Väntsi (2022).
Address of office &
library: UNIMA Finland c/o Metropolitan Puppets, Lepolantie 19, 00660 Helsinki.
E-mail: unimafinland@gmail.com,
Tel. +358-46-8114024, www.unima.fi
In 2021-22 all
activities were aimed at strengthening collaboration and team spirit amongst
all members. Theme of the year 2022 was “Invitation to Meeting”, the emphasis
being on:
·
Strengthening
the members’ communal feeling of belonging to the community of UNIMA
·
Promoting higher profile
visibility
·
Ensuring accessibility
and inclusion
In autumn 2022
UNIMA Finland sent all members a questionnaire for evaluation. The results were
presented in the general assembly, and they were considered when planning
activities for 2023.
Information
for members: In addition
to the Internet pages, Facebook and email newsletters, the board of UNIMA
Finland started to organize online briefings on current topics such as “Harvest
of the Congress 2021” and “Financial News”. The briefings were open to all
members.
The Magazine:
UNIMA Finland has published magazine Nukketeatteri (Puppet theatre) regularly
since 2008. The articles of the magazine are written by the members, mostly in
Finnish but partly also in English. In 2021-2022 the magazine was published
once a year but in the future the purpose is to publish it twice a year.
Remote Coffee
Breaks: During the
COVID-19 pandemic UNIMA Finland started to invite all its members to gatherings
online for informal discussion. Remote Coffee Breaks were organized five times.
One of them was focused on how to support Ukrainian refugees in Finland.
Finnish
Puppetry Day: The Finnish
Puppetry Day is celebrated every year on the 11th of February. On
that day, UNIMA Finland awards a person, group, or event for “The Activity of
the Year”. In 2021 the award was given without festivities and in 2022 the day was
solemnized online.
Activities
connected to UNIMA International:
Members of UNIMA Finland
participated in World Puppetry Day activities.
ResiliArt UNIMA #18:
Finland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcGbb8mM32Q
Congress 2021, Fishing
Fresh: UNIMA Finland presented its project ”Meeting Point Finland” (2019).
Collaboration with
commissions: Research (research day 2022), Professional Training (answering the
questionnaire), Publications (PPO-project), International Festivals
(information given on Finnish festivals).
New in 2022: UNIMA
Finland participated in establishing a new interest group “Nordic UNIMA”.
Open sessions: Board
members of UNIMA Finland have participated in Open sessions. Invitations have
been sent to all members.
Mentoring: UNIMA Finland has been mentoring ideas for new puppet
shows since 2018. The projects, chosen to be mentored in a week-end event
called “Comet”, are offered professional artistic help, possibility to be
introduced to customers, and small financial support. Two mentors choose 3-4
ideas, offered in an open application process, and spar the artists before,
during and after the event. In 2022 the event was organized as a “Supportive
Clinic” concentrating on dramaturgy according to the participants’ wish.
Education: In 2021 UNIMA Finland participated actively in a
project “Vision for Performing Arts Education for 2030”, run by Uniarts Helsinki’s
Theatre Academy. Participating was vitally important because of the lack in
Finland of educational path from basic studies of puppetry to the university
level. Vocational examination in either puppetry education or puppet building (competence-based
qualification, defined by the Finnish National Board of Education) alone will
not bring new puppeteers in the field. https://www.uniarts.fi/en/projects/vision-for-performing-arts-education-for-2030/
Research: In spring 2022 UNIMA Finland organized an
international research day in collaboration with Theatre Research Society
Finland, Tampere University, and UNIMA Research Commission. The theme was
“Human and Inanimate Non-Human Performers”, and the event was primarily
targeted to the members of the organizing associations. Tampere University
facilitated the seminar both on the spot and online.
Intangible
cultural heritage: In
2021 UNIMA Finland was invited by the Finnish Heritage Agency to participate,
for the part of puppetry, in reporting on national implementation of The UNESCO
Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The
convention was ratified in Finland in 2013, and Finnish puppetry was nominated
in the national inventory of living heritage in 2020.
“Talks about
Puppets” – online panel discussions: During 2021-22 UNIMA Finland has organized five panel
discussions in collaboration with puppetry festivals in different parts of
Finland. The panelists were invited according to the themes that were chosen
together with the facilitating festival organizations. The themes were: puppet
building, pedagogy, elements of a puppet performance, puppeteering, and shadow
theatre.
Courses on
puppet building: In
2021-22 three courses on puppet building were arranged, two of them online and
one face-to-face. The teachers, hired by UNIMA Finland, were members who work
as freelancers.
Promotion of
interests and fair art: UNIMA
Finland does not promote its members’ interests like a trade union but it tries
to improve working conditions when possible. Information on minimum wages and
contract models are found in the Internet pages. Update for the suggested fees
was published in 2021. A guild of puppet theatre professionals was founded in
2009 and it is open for all members of Trade Union for Theatre and Media Finland.
For its part, UNIMA Finland takes care of informing on the guild’s activities
evenhandedly regardless of its members’ background organization, network, or
community. When hiring artists for its projects, UNIMA Finland follows the
operation mode of a responsible employer, described by the Arts Promotion
Centre Finland in its Campaign for Fair Art https://reiluntaiteenmanifesti.fi/en
Collaborators
in 2021–22:
Culture Factory Vernissa,
Theatre Research Society Finland, TINFO – Theatre Info Finland, University of Arts:
Theatre Academy, Puppet Theatre Sampo, Pikku Aasi Puppet Theatre Festival, Aura
of Puppets, Metropolitan Puppets, Theatre Mukamas, Puppet Theatre Hupilainen, Youth
Theatre Riihimäki, UNIMA International / Research Commission, The Association
for Cultural, Scientific and Advocacy Magazine - Kultti ry, Finnish Heritage
Agency, Tampere University.
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UNIMA
FINLAND REPORT
2018-2019
OFFICE AND
STAFF
The office
of UNIMA Finland is in the Cultural Centre Vernissa in the city of Vantaa, 30
minutes’ drive from the capital city Helsinki. The part-time secretary works as
well as a producer within projects.
MEMBERS
UNIMA Finland has approximately
200 members, individuals, students and companies representing all generations
and fields of puppetry in Finland.
EVENTS
Finnish
Puppetry Day
UNIMA
Finland celebrates the Finnish Puppetry Day on the 11th of
February. According to a tradition, the Declaration of National
Puppetry Day is written and announced by a person or a group, having
remarkably developed Finnish puppetry and having thus received the Finnish UNIMA’s
annual Puppetry Award. In 2018, the
award was given to Marja Nykänen for organizing Katsos! -event, The Showcase of Finnish Puppetry in
France, at Charleville-Mézières International Puppetry Festival in September 2017.
The showcase, consisting of eight Finnish shows and 26 performances, was
included in the main program of the festival.
In 2019 the Finnish Puppetry Day was celebrated with the
35th anniversary of UNIMA
Finland and the 110th
anniversary of professional Finnish Puppetry. Annual Puppetry
Award was given to puppet theatre ensemble Le Royal Joutava for arranging seven times a regional
festival Joutavat Nukketeatteripäivät (Idle Puppetry Days) in the region of
Lappeenranta.
KOMEETTA
2018
UNIMA
Finland started in 2018 a new project called KOMEETTA, in order to develop and
enhance new touring puppet theatre performances. Open call to the puppetry
field invited puppeteers to present their new ideas, out of which six
candidates were elected in Spring 2018 to a workshop led by experienced
professional puppeteer. In September 2018 KOMEETTA
showcase was held in the Cultural Centre Vernissa
(Vantaa). Two of the demos, Kuuma
Ankanpoikanen/Hot Duckling: Iso Haha Susi/Big Baaad Wolf and VaurioTeatteri: Home Sweet Home were awarded a grant securing the further development of puppet theatre
performances.
KOMEETTA
2019
In 2019 KOMEETTA-project had its second edition at Cultural
Centre Vernissa, with five candidates at the workshop and showcase. Two of the demos, Iida Vanttaja & team: Havaintoja kädellisistä/Observations
of primates and Perrine Ferrafiat &
team: Asuntovaunu/ Caravan CoCoon - Fala Favela were awarded a grant securing the further development of puppet theatre
performances.
INFORMATION
AND COMMUNICATION
UNIMA
Finland publishes a magazine Nukketeatteri (Puppet Theatre),
which since 2019 appears four times a year (one printed edition, three in the
web). Nukketeatteri is a member of The Association for Cultural, Scientific and Advocacy Magazines and is
financially supported by Ministry of
Education and Culture. For the members of Finnish UNIMA, the magazine is
included in the membership fee. Moreover, complimentary copies are regularly
posted to decision-makers in the field of culture and to the stakeholders of
UNIMA Finland. Since 2016, the issues of Nukketeatteri include
articles not only in Finnish but also in English and are available for al in
the internet: http://unima.biz/publications.html
EDUCATION
Students
of theatre at Arts Academy Turku / University of Applied Sciences can include
courses on puppetry in their curriculum. It is also possible to accomplish
vocational examination in either puppetry education or puppet building. To
complete this competence-based qualification, candidates must demonstrate
certain skills and competence required in the profession. These skills are
outlined in the Requirements of Competence-based Qualifications defined by the
Finnish National Board of Education.
In 2018
and 2019 UNIMA Finland informed about puppetry workshops and courses around
Finland on its web pages. UNIMA Finland also admins a record of artists and
companies that organise courses in puppetry.
INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS
In its
general assembly 2019, UNIMA Finland appointed three councillors for the term 2020
- 2023. The councillors are Ms Roosa Halme, Ms Marjut Tawast and Mr Aapo Repo
from different parts of Finland.
UNIMA Finland is a member of NEECPA - The
Northern and Eastern European Centre for Puppet Arts, a cooperation network
of Northern and Eastern European puppet theatres and organizations (founded in
2011). Our association belongs also to the Barents Region Puppetry Network,
founded in 1992.
In 2018 -
2019, UNIMA Finland administrated a directory of Nordic puppeteers NORDPU and a
net portal www.nordpu.net for collecting information on both actors and activities in Sweden,
Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Finland. The objective of this project is to create
a Nordic network for collaboration and for developing the professional
puppeteers’ visibility and employment.
Meeting Point Finland 2019
In 2019 UNIMA Finland arranged in cooperation
with Maria Barič Company
and Kulttuurimylly Art Venue a Nordic, multinational
and multicultural art project MEETING POINT FINLAND in
Helsinki. Nordic puppet theatre artists from all five Nordic countries (Finland,
Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland) came to Helsinki in order to enhance and
change the knowhow of puppetry and street theatre. Two artists from Cuba led a
week long workshop, which resulted in the creation of a gigantic walking spider
and several performances in the street theatre carnival in the suburb of
Myllypuro. Kulttuurimylly Festival offered puppetry
performances and other events in their theatre during the week. The project was
funded by Nordic Culture Point / Nordic Council of Ministers and it will be
continued in other Nordic countries in the coming years.
FINANCES
UNIMA
Finland’s incomes consist of grants, membership fees, ticket sales and magazine
subscriptions. In 2018 - 2019 the membership fees were 30 €, 15 € (student) and
120 € (company). UNIMA Finland has received Support of the state, which is
vital, project fundings and several grants.
TRADE
UNION WORK
In 2009, a
Puppetry Guild was established within the Trade
Union for Theatre and Media Finland. Since then,
UNIMA Finland has supported annual guild gatherings for discussing the present
state of puppeteers’ working conditions and salaries. In 2018 – 2019 the focus
was on unified employment contract, wage rates, job descriptions and other
issues within the trade.
Contact
information:
UNIMA Finland, Tikkurilantie 36, 01300 Vantaa, FINLAND
Tel. +358
46 811 4024
___________________________________________________________________________
UNIMA FINLAND REPORT
2016-2017
OFFICE AND STAFF
The office of UNIMA Finland is in the Cultural Centre Vernissa in the city
of Vantaa, 30 minutes’ drive from the capital city Helsinki. The part-time
secretary’s temporary agreement has been regularised.
MEMBERS
Unima Finland has about 200 members, individuals, students and companies
EVENTS
Finnish Puppetry Day
UNIMA Finland celebrates the Finnish Puppetry Day on the 11th of
February. According to a tradition, the Declaration of National Puppetry Day
is written and announced by a person or a group, having remarkably developed
Finnish puppetry and having thus received the Finnish UNIMA’s annual Puppetry
Award. In 2017, the award was given to Satuteatteri Punahilkka (Theatre Little Red
Riding Hood) for its 35 years high-level work on the field of amateur puppetry.
Among about 5000 projects, the
Finnish UNIMA’s festival Showcase of Finnish Puppetry received the status of being a
part of the official Finland 100 Years jubilee programme. The projects and
their events created the widest jubilee programme ever built in Finland on six
continents and in over a hundred countries.
The Showcase festival was held in the Cultural Centre Vernissa
(Vantaa). Its 12th edition on the 6th-7th October 2017 consisted of
10 Finnish puppet shows performed. In addition, the programme included a puppet
exhibition, a workshop on puppet making, a presentation of a Finland 100 Years
community puppet art project, animated films and street performances. The festival also facilitated an event in
which a theatre director Kirsi Siren and a puppet theatre artist Leila Peltonen
were honoured by UNIMA Asia-Pacific Commission for their long-lasting work in
the art of puppetry.
Katsos! Charleville-Mézières
As part of its Finland 100 Years project, UNIMA Finland supported the
realisation of KATSOS! – the showcase of Finnish puppetry in
Charleville-Mézières, France. The showcase, consisting of eight Finnish shows
and 26 performances, was included in the main program of the festival.
Power of Object Expression – seminar
UNIMA Finland participated in organising a seminar for discussing object
theatre, focusing on both artistic and applied contexts of object expression for
adults. The seminar was held in 2017
and the main organiser was the Art Promotion Centre Finland.
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
UNIMA Finland publishes a magazine
Nukketeatteri (Puppet Theatre) twice a year. Nukketeatteri is a member of The Association for Cultural,
Scientific and Advocacy Magazines and is financially supported by Ministry of Education and
Culture. For the members of Finnish UNIMA, the magazine is included in the
membership fee. Moreover, complimentary copies are regularly posted to
decision-makers in the field of culture and to the stakeholders of UNIMA
Finland. Since 2016, the issues of Nukketeatteri include articles not only
in Finnish but also in English and are available for al in the internet: http://unima.biz/publications.html
EDUCATION
The 4-year degree of puppet theatre at Arts Academy Turku /University of
Applied Sciences was closed in 2015. Students of theatre can still include
courses on puppetry in their curriculum. It’s also possible to accomplish
vocational examination in either puppetry education or puppet building. To
complete this competence-based qualification, candidates must demonstrate
certain skills and competence required in the profession. These skills are
outlined in the Requirements of Competence-based Qualifications defined by the
Finnish National Board of Education.
In 2017, UNIMA Finland organised two short courses focusing on puppet
building. On its web pages, UNIMA
Finland admins a record of artists and companies that organise courses in puppetry.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
In its general assembly 2015,
UNIMA Finland appointed three councillors for the term 2016-2020. The
councillors are Ms Johanna Salo from Lapland, Ms Katriina Andrianov from
Western Finland and Mr Aapo Repo from Eastern Finland.
UNIMA Finland is a member
of NEECPA - The Northern and Eastern
European Centre for Puppet Arts, a cooperation network of Northern and
Eastern European puppet theatres and organizations (founded in 2011).
In 2016-17, UNIMA Finland
created a directory of Nordic puppeteers and a net portal www.nordpu.net for collecting information on both actors and activities in Sweden,
Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Finland. The objective of this project is to
create a Nordic network for collaboration and for developing the professional
puppeteers’ visibility and employment.
FINANCES
UNIMA Finland’s incomes consist of grants, membership fees, ticket sales
and magazine subscriptions. In 2016-2017 the membership fees were 30 €, 15 € (student)
and 120 € (company). Support of the state is vital.
TRADE UNION WORK
In 2009, a Puppetry guild was
established within the Trade
Union for Theatre and Media Finland. Since then, UNIMA Finland have organized annual guild gatherings for
discussing the present state of puppeteers’ working conditions and salaries. In
2017, the focus was on creating a unified employment contract.
Contact information:
UNIMA Finland, Tikkurilantie 36, 01300 Vantaa, FINLAND
Tel. +358 46 811 4024
