On Saturday afternoon, the streets of Joensuu will be graced by Näkki, a captivating figure that first enchanted Joensuu residents in September. This collaborative work by Veera Snellman, Lindon Shimizu, Elina Ström, and Vertti Korkki will once again delight festival-goers in Joensuu this November.
Näkki is a performance in an urban space created by Lindon Shimizu, Veera Snellman, and Elina Ström. At the heart of the piece is a massive and striking costume along with character-driven choreography.
In Finnish mythology, Näkki is a creature dwelling underwater, luring people to it by shape-shifting. In this performance piece, Näkki leaves its polluted habitat, emerging from the water on a quest for revenge in the city.
Through the Näkki myth, the team brings attention to the alarming state of waterways and integrates performance art into the urban landscape.
The performance moves through the city space, with the audience following along on an easy-to-navigate route alongside the performer. Please dress according to the weather, with outdoor-appropriate shoes and clothing. The performance is also accessible for wheelchair users. If you plan to attend in a wheelchair, please notify us in advance by email at .
Photo: Lindon Shimizu
Lindon Shimizu is a Brazilian-Japanese immigrant artist living in Finland. Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and raised in Japan, Shimizu is interested in the dialogue of ethical, aesthetic, and political corporeality as a strategy for being and creating—playing within the spaces between liquids, membranes, contents, and containers, toward creating in the in-between.
Veera Snellman is a dance artist who moved from Helsinki to Joensuu. She is currently interested in the potential of dance art to create moving, surprising, and gently anarchistic performances accessible to all.
Elina Ström is a Helsinki-based costume designer, with a special interest in creatures that transcend the boundaries of humanity, characters that transform during the performance, and costumes as a space and environment for the performer.
Sound design by Vertti Korkki