The first production by an Aalto University artist in residence is complete: Return of the Goddess combines art, research and technology
08.08.2012
Marita Liulia, the first artist invited to take part in the Aalto University AiR residence, will see the premiere of her production Return of the Goddess on 17 August at Savoy Theatre during the Helsinki Festival.
The work, which has been described as a fantasy film, is a part of the multidisciplinary trilogy Dance of Death and combines film, modern dance and new technology. The objective of the entirety, produced throughout the residence period, is to combine different fields of science, research and technology.
– Modern artists can work in very different types of productions and in different fields of art. However, funding of multidisciplinary or new types of works is still a bottleneck, especially for young artists, explains Ms. Liulia.
Return of the Goddess has received support from the Finnish Film Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, AVEK the Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture, the Arts Council of Finland and the Kone Foundation.
In addition to production of art, Aalto AiR includes teaching tasks, as well as offers students the opportunity to follow the different stages of a professional project during some of their courses, for example in the form of studio visits.
– Students yearn for practical training in production and my teaching plan includes this, Ms Liulia describes.
A year ago, Aalto University established the Aalto AiR residence for international artists and experts. Artists invited to the residence are responsible for the development of artistic activity at Aalto University. The objective is to create an innovative cooperation model within the university and enable cooperation between different fields.
– Aalto University is implementing its core idea of multidisciplinarity by creating possibilities for the bold and groundbreaking combination of art, science and research. Marita Liulia’s residence production is an excellent example of this. It is fantastic that Aalto is taking part in the innovation of Finnish art and supporting its development with residence productions that are of international standard, comments Professor Emeritus Yrjö Sotamaa.
The leading roles in Return of the Goddess, a short film 20 minutes in length, are played by Dimitri Paile, a graduate of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture Media Lab and Virpi Pahkinen, a dancer-choreographer. The film, which utilises new film technology, was shot in the Ukraine, in the desserts of Utah and Arizona and in Jaipur, India. Part of the production was filmed at Aalto University in Media Centre Lume.
In addition to her short film, over the course of her residence year, Ms Liulia completed 100 works for exhibition in Luxembourg. Her work will also be displayed in the United States, the Netherlands, Poland and Cyprus. In Finland, Ms Liulia’s work is on display until 31 August at Vetelin Taidekartano’s third fine arts exhibition. Ms Liulia’s residence period will last until 2013 and will continue with preparation of the next parts of the Dance of Death trilogy.
Return of the Goddess will be shown at Savoy Theatre in Helsinki 17 - 19 August.
Programme (helsinginjuhlaviikot.fi)
Further information:
Artist-director Marita Liulia
Tel. +358 40 833 8944
marita [at] maritaliulia [dot] com
www.maritaliulia.com