Ptarmigan existed as a project space in Vallila from 2009-2011 and a mobile curatorial/creative platform until 2014. We no longer exist as an organised collective, but this website will continue to serve as an archive of the activities produced as/at Ptarmigan during these years.
doors 1800, showtime 1900
MENTAL ALASKA presents: MEET THE BOARD 2009
Mental Alaska has now been a registered organization since the early months of 2009. Immediately after becoming "official", there was a huge effort with the 10 year anniversary celebration. For this occasion, Mental Alaska invited Ghedalia Tazartes from France to headline. The party was successful and now that the ripples have toned down, it has come time to provide the members with a rare glimpse inside the mindscapes of the Mental Alaska board. At this historical events, you will see solo performances by the secretary, the chairman and the treasurer!
The treasurer Roope Eronen aka NUSLUX has become an amazing controller of sounds created by waterglasses, short circuits and nowadays also fruits. The Nuslux show is a truly holistic experience as it both looks and sounds curious and hilarious. One can't help but to smile and dance along. Nuslux performs also at the experimental music stage of this year's Flow festival!
The secretary is also known as REIJO PAMI. Reijo Pami's approach could often be described as coming from the "found sound"-tradition, utilizing everyday objects or weirder stuff that has been abandoned. A Reijo Pami gig might consist of a dense and gnarly drone created with an electric guitar and an electric toothbrush. Or then he might perform using only playful and/or plain stupid human voice. Pami is part of the underground super group The Puke Eaters, with Jan Anderzen and Chris Corsano.
AMON DÜDE is the alter ego of chairman Arttu Partinen. Amon Düde combines molten gamelan rhythms, plundered free jazz tapes, recordings of David Hasselhoff rapping with live drumming, the result being some kind of slap stick improv. The artist desperately tries to follow the tapes he is operating and every time he is about to reach them, something changes drastically. A dancebeat, stolen from the kurdish music tradition, might rise from amidst all the floundering, or then everything ends abruptly with the equipment falling apart.
€5; €4 with Mental Alaska membership card
