Lin Da & working group Napapiiri

Napapiiri – Navel Circle performances are part of Kuvan Kevät master thesis exhibition that takes place at the Academy of Fine Arts (Sörnäisten rantatie 19, Helsinki).

The performance leads the participant on an expedition to the Navel Circle. The purpose of the trip is to get to know the navel experientially. There are two ways in which the audience can join the performance; by witnessing it from the sidelines or participating in the expedition. The performances begin on the second floor of the Mylly building. The audience following the performance from the sidelines can move freely between the floors.

Those participating in the expedition are required to take all other explorers into account. The expedition is partly carried out in small groups. All activities on the tour are voluntary, and you can step out of the group at any time and witness the happenings as a bystander.

Expedition groups also move on staircases. In planning the expedition, the people who feel anxious about heights have been taken into account. The people with visual and movement limitations are taken into account with contrasting stripes on the staircase on the 1st and 2nd floors and with a continuous and accessible railing. All the instructions are provided in Finnish and in English. If an expedition member has hearing limitations, the expedition group leader will take this into account.

For a holistic performance experience, sign up to be part of the expedition by email:

In the email, tell us which performance you want to attend and how many places in the expedition you will book. Spots are very limited.

On Sundays: 14.5., 21.5., 28.5. at 2pm.

Duration: 75 min (approx.)

Language: Finnish and English

Age recommendation: Expeditions are aimed at adults, but children over 7 years of age are welcome to participate in an expedition with an adult.

The performances are free.

The performer members of the dance work have become involved in the process through an open invitation letter. The process has been multifaceted and has included, among other things, navel mold casting with each performer. The navel casts are part of Da’s installation that is on display at the Kuvan Kevät exhibition until 4.6. In addition, we have spent time together in workshops, during which the dance work to be distributed to the public has taken shape. There have been a total of thirteen workshops and their durations have been 2.5–4 hours at a time. The performers come from different backgrounds to dance, movement and performance. The common denominators have been a personal relationship with queer identity and an interest in being with the navel through movement, touch and collaboration.