Audience Body (work-in-progress) 24th of May 2022

The Covid-19-pandemic has been a state of emergency also for performance audiences. An audience has not emerged at all as events have been cancelled. Or it has not gathered in the same place and time but taken part in the work via remote connection or through a documentation. Does an audience still exist as a body? Why do we bother gathering?

Audience Body is a performance and a reading event premiering in November 2022 as part of the programs of Reality Research Center and Moving in November festival. The work has been developed in a long series of public experiments since 2018 – also in May we will present a work-in-progress version of the piece. Audience feedback is welcome and will help the makers to take the process forward towards November.

In the performance the audience is reading texts, which ask and play around with questions like  ”what is an audience?” and ”what does the pandemic do to it?”. Each text is a small performance of its own. The audience can move freely in the performance and exit in the middle of it if they like. The texts do not require any special skills or knowledge, only a desire to read or an interest in the subject. There is no need to read aloud. The performance is bilingual: in Finnish and in English. After the performance, you are welcome to discuss with the artists.

Script and direction: 

• Tuomas Laitinen

In collaboration with

• Lighting designer Nanni Vapaavuori
• Grafic designer Visa Knuuttila
• Sound designer Carolina Jinde
• Spatial designer Alexander Furunes Eriksson
• Production Reality Research Center

Tuomas Laitinen

Tuomas Laitinen works as a director, performance artist, writer and curator. His artistic practice has revolved around experimenting with the audience position and questioning the nature of spectatorship. His works have taken for example the forms of retreats, family gatherings, rituals of encounter, 7-day mystery plays, pole dances in living rooms or practices of immortality. Currently he is working on an artistic doctorate at Performing Arts Research Center Tutke of the Theater Academy in Uniarts Helsinki.

Location: Valssaamo, The Cable Factory

Admission to the work-in-progress presentation is free!

Supported by:

• Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation
• Kone Foundation
• Performing Arts Research Center Tutke
• The Steering Group for Doctoral Education and Research of the
• University of the Arts Helsinki
• Arts Promotion Centre Finland
• Helsinki City