Time
8.5.2025 12.30 – 15.30

Address
Helsinki City Theatre, Eläintarhantie 5

Language
English


Helsinki City Theatre’s Stage for Contemporary Performance is organizing a seminar for performing arts professionals, focusing on the working environments and practices of artistic designers in different Nordic countries. The event is held in collaboration with the Nordic Culture Point.

The seminar will discuss the work of artistic designers in various Nordic countries. What kind of design culture and potential barriers exist between institutions and independent actors in different Nordic countries? How do different aesthetics and institutions interact within the Nordic artistic design field? 

The seminar aims to spark discussion on the various ways to work as an artistic designer, sharing experiences and learning from them. How do structures, attitudes, and institutions guide artistic design, and how could they be redirected? 

The keynote speaker of the seminar is Nathalie Mellbye, set and costume designer and the artistic director of the Copenhagen-based Sort/Hvid Theatre. The panel discussion speakers include Finnish sound designer Tuomas Norvio, Swedish lighting designer Sofie Gynning, and scenographer and costume designer Katja Ebbel, who works in Norway and Belgium. The closing remarks will be given by Iida Hägglund, sound designer and co-organizer of the Designers United events in Helsinki. 

The seminar continues the goal of Helsinki City Theatre’s Stage for Contemporary Performance to create encounters between established professional theatre and independent actors. 

The event language is English, and it is free to attend with prior registration. Coffee and tea will be served. Register for the event by Sunday, May 4, at 23:59 here. 

For more information about the event, contact Riikka Thitz (riikka.thitz@hkt.fi), curator of the Stage for Contemporary Performance. 

Read more information about the Stage for Contemporary Performance here. 

Program 

12:30–12:40: Welcome / Introduction: Riikka Thitz (Curator, Stage for Contemporary Performance ) 

12:40–13:10: Keynote: Nathalie Mellbye 

Short break 

13:15–15:00: Panel: Case examples and discussion – with breaks in between. Moderator: Antti Mattila, Panelists: Katja Ebbel, Sofie Gynning, and Tuomas Norvio 

15:15–15:30: Closing remarks: Iida Hägglund