Ptarmigan is no longer operating in Helsinki.

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.

News

Kontaining project documentation
posted by Ptarmigan on 30 March, 2013 07:31

During May and June 2012 Ptarmigan orchestrated a two week programme at the art container in the middle of Helsinki in collaboration with the Arts Council of Uusimaa. We have recently compiled a pdf document and a video detailing the events that took place. The Ptarmigan team developing Kontaining was: Amal Laala, James Andean, Marek Pluciennik and Sari tm Kivinen. The artists who participated in Kontaining were: Creative Sustainability students of Aalto University, Karri Kokko, Joséphine A. Garibaldi, Paul Zmolek, Baaba Jakeh, James Andean, Marek Pluciennik, Sari tm Kivinen, Johnny Amore, Hermanni Saarinen, Carlos Llavata, Helsinki Hack- lab, Laura Uusitalo, Christine Langinauer, Otzir Godot, Beniamino Borghi, Marianne Decoster-Taivalkoski, Gaile Griciute, Kirstine Lindemann, Libero Mureddu, Carmelo Nesci, Alejandro Olarte, Linda Priha, Leyla Nasibova, Verónica Bluguermann, Reha Discioglu, Hannah Harkes, Anna Rouhu & Guadalupe López-Íñiguez, P o P _ X & the Nasty Power Bitch, Arlene Tucker, Sari Toivola, Nate Williams, Marko Juhani Roininen, Eero Savela, Il- mari Heikinheimo, Julius Heikkilä, Nicolas Rehn, Madis Katz, Giorgio Convertito, Antonio Alemanno Konkra, Jari Heinonen, FILMVERKSTADEN, and Liina Kuittinen.

click HERE to see the pdf document of kontaining

click HERE to watch the video

 

Ptarmigan on residence at the Performance Center in Helsinki
posted by Ptarmigan on 08 June, 2012 08:04

From 7-27th July 2012 Ptarmigan ry will be on residence at the Performance Center in Suvilahti.

Ptarmigan ry will use the summer residency as a way to develop the concept of perfhop. Perfhop is a recently formed performance club initiated as an open group that meets regularly to experiment with all kinds of ideas, actions, gestures, sounds and words that might possibly look/ sound/ feel like what is termed as performance or live art. Above all perfhop explores how individual practices can be developed in shared spaces. Whilst there will be a core working group to direct the structure of the residency period there will be several sessions open for anyone interested to join to test out performance ideas in a supportive environment. Ptarmigan ry develop projects that exist outside of traditional realms and seek to create opportunities for adventurous and challenging scenarios.

The perfhop working group includes: Sari TM Kivinen, John W. Fail, Marek Pluciennik, Katariina Mylläri, Baaba Jakeh & Iivi Meltaus (+ more to be confirmed)

Perfhop is a group that meets regularly to experiment with all kinds of ideas, actions, gestures, sounds and words that might possibly look/ sound/ feel like what is termed as performance or live art. Whilst there will be a core working group, to direct the structure of the residency period, there will be several drop-in sessions open to anyone interested to join and test out performance ideas in a supportive environment. There will also be 2 public discussion and performance events. Timetable of the residency period will be announced soon.

 

 

 

 

Kontaining - call for applications
posted by Ptarmigan on 12 April, 2012 07:36
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
 
Kontaining is inviting applications for its two-week takeover of a shipping container in Lasipalatsinaukio, Helsinki, from the 29th of May until the 10th of June 2012. Kontaining is produced by Ptarmigan ry in association with the Arts Council of Uusimaa.
 
We are looking for proposals that take into consideration the specific site of the container in Kamppi, in the categories of installation, performance and/ or participatory activities. Through an application process 8-10 artists will be invited to use the container for 24 hours (from 9am to 9am). In preparing a program from the applications, we will look at the possibility of artists from different disciplines collaborating on the same day if their works are suitably compatible.
 
The project is process-oriented, supports experimentation and is targeted at emerging to mid-career artists from a variety of genres and backgrounds, and encourages interactive and site-specific artwork and cross-media exchange. At the end of the two weeks, the project will host an Open Day which will invite all the participants to celebrate the developments and results of the week's events.
 
Kontaining will provide the selected artists the possibility to use the space for 24 hours, with access to electricity.
 
All other costs are to be covered by the applicant. You need to install and de-install + look after the space while your work is there.
 
 
Application Requirements
  1. Personal Information: name, nationality, contact details (address, email and telephone number).
  2. 200 word (max) project proposal
  3. 1 page Bio/Curriculum Vitae
  4. For visual artists: 5 digital images of work in JPEG formats (PC and Mac formats), resolution 1024 x 768. For sound artists/musicians: links to three online work samples, or sample submission via yousendit or other suitable file-sharing service. \
  5. Inventory list of the work samples that includes: Title of work, date,medium & explanation (if documentation of installation, performance etc.)    
  6. All 5 requirements should be sent in one email to helsinki@ptarmigan.fi
 
Applications must be received by April 30th, 2012. Late applications will not be reviewed.
 
Selected artists will be notified by May 8th 2012.
 
For more information please contact: 
 
There will also be a curated film and moving image night, as well as a sound and music program.
 
Curated film and moving image night:
 
 
Sound and Music program:
Contact James Andean
Ptarmigan at Supermarket Art Fair, Stockholm, 17-19 February
posted by Ptarmigan on 14 February, 2012 12:29

 

Ptarmigan (both Helsinki and Tallinn) will have be exhibiting at Supermarket 2012 in Stockholm this coming weekend (17-19 February).

If you're attending, you'll find out booth on the 5th floor in the centre. In addition to the regularly scheduled performances and talks at Supermarket, Ptarmigan will be hosting some mini-events in our booth:

Friday:

Ola Ståhl - 'Black Box' :  16:00


BLACK BOX is a textual re-staging of pager messages intercepted in the US between 3am and 8.46am on September 11, 2001 and released publicly in 2009 by WikiLeaks. The text was first commissioned by Stockholm publishing press Valeveil in 2011 and has since been used as the basis for a series of performances using overhead projectors, tape recorders and live voice. 
www.olastahl.com / www.ineditmode.com

 

Saturday:

Sari TM Kivinen - 'Textual Opera/rations' :  13:00
Textual Opera/rations is a writing performance that takes place at a given site in order to generate manuscript material. Sari TM Kivinen in an artist working with text, theory, performance and video. Kivinen has previously performed Textual Opera/rations in Helsinki 2010 as a way of writing through multiple performance roles. Adapted to the location of the Ptarmigan booth in Supermarket Art Fair Textual Opera/rations will become a mediated document that reflects the given site as interpreted by Kivinen

 

Sunday:

Instant panel : 16:00
Instant panel is an open-form seminar and discussion dealing with issues relating to artist-run projects. The panel will hopefully assemble throughout the weekend and will address two topics: experimental pedagogy in the arts, and alternative funding strategies. The panel will be loose and open to anyone to contribute their ideas.

 

Supermarket is open: Fri 11am-10pm, Sat 11am-8pm, Sun 11am-6pm.

Kulturhuset is located in the city centre of Stockholm. 3rd and 5th floors. 

 
Ptarmigan's visit to Supermarket is supported by the Nordic Culture Point Mobility Programme.

 

 

Ptarmigan 2011 residency programme: call for proposals!
posted by Ptarmigan on 24 May, 2011 09:37

Ptarmigan seeks applicants for our residency programme, funded by the Nordic Culture Point Mobility and Residency Programme.  Three two-month residencies are available:

  • Helsinki in September-October 2011
  • Helsinki in November-December 2011
  • Tallinn (time period is flexible but stay must be two months)
 
Who we are looking for:
     Ptarmigan is a multi-faceted platform for arts and cultural projects with an emphasis on participatory work. In Helsinki, our former space was the home for many workshops, talks, performances and concerts, and we currently organise events in different locations throughout the city.  Our newly-opened Tallinn location seeks to build connections with our audience in Finland while welcoming international ideas that fit with our existing projects.
    Our residency programme seeks creative practitioners (artists, cultural producers, teachers, and anything else) who are interested in experimenting in the Helsinki and/or Tallinn environments.  We have an emphasis on work that engages directly with the public, usually event-based, and often educational in nature.  Aesthetically we are driven by the margins of culture, and we explicitly look to find a home for things  that don't fit anywhere else.  Ptarmigan residents have ideas that are outward-reaching and we welcome experimental methods, without pressure to produce quantifiable outcomes.  Proposals that seek to participate with some of our recurring programming and existing projects/partners (such as Clip Kino, the Public School Helsinki, Labyrinths and Rings, Svamp, Pixelache, and other workshops) are favoured. 
 
Who is eligible:
    Applicants for the Helsinki residency must be residents of a non-Finnish country in the Nordic or Baltic region.  Applicants for Tallinn cannot be residents of Finland OR Estonia.  The Nordic and Baltic countries eligible are: the Åland Islands, Denmark, Estonia (for Helsinki residency only), Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. 
 
Practicals and specifics:
     Residents will receive support for travel costs and be provided with accommodation and a working space.  There is a monthly stipend to cover living costs and materials.  Residents must spend at least 85% of their stay in Helsinki/Tallinn to receive the stipend.  Ptarmigan's all-volunteer staff will do their best to help realise the resident's project, which includes organising any events that are integral to their work.  Residents are also asked (but not required) to give a presentation of their work at one of the regular monthly 'Labyrinths and Rings' artist talk events.
 
Regarding the Helsinki residency:
    Because Ptarmigan does not have a physical space any longer in Helsinki, this year's residencies are going to be a bit unusual.  We'll adapt the situation to the specific proposals and provide what we can; but instead of thinking that we are a "residency centre without a centre", we see our community as the centre.  As always, we're most interested in proposals that don't fit inside the typical confines of art production.  With our focus on participatory projects, we are most excited by work that engages with the public and creates events and interactions, and in Helsinki this will be more of a necessity.  If you are unsure about how your proposal might fit, feel free to contact us at info@ptarmigan.fi.
 
How to apply:
    Applicants must fill out the all-purpose Ptarmigan proposal form.  Please choose either "Helsinki residency" or "Tallinn residency" for the question 'Does your proposal fit into one of our existing projects?'  We are not accepting applications by post.
   
Deadlines:
    We review proposals as we receive them, making this a fairly open, rolling proposal period.  So don't delay!  Absolute deadlines for the Helsinki residencies are:
        - Helsinki Sept-Oct: deadline 1 August
        - Helsinki Nov-Dec:  deadline 1 October
 
More information:
    Our websites have information about the various activities that have occured over Ptarmigan's existence.  Please check out our event archive, projects pages, and artists pages to get a sense of what occurs.  For any other questions, please feel free to contact us.
 

 

Tallinn has opened; proposal form online
posted by Ptarmigan on 03 May, 2011 21:09

Thanks to everyone who came down from Helsinki for our opening event in Tallinn!  We're really thrilled to have such a beautiful space and to start building a bridge across the Gulf.  Additionally thanks to everyone who came to the Invisible Forces premiere and after-event.  It's great to see everyone back together and we love being in Oksasenkatu 11.  And finally, hooray for artHOP and Svamp, two ongoing projects that we hope will bring some new collaborations together.

In other news, we now have an ongoing project proposal form on this site which we ask you to use to submit any ideas you have for events, workshops, residencies, or other projects at Ptarmigan (in either city).  We will keep this form up forever, and hopefully we made it robust enough to cover everything you might wish to propose.  We are looking for three residencies in 2011 from Nordic or Baltic artists or other creative minds (sorry, Finland is ineligible), which will complete our KK Nord residency project.  If you have an idea (or know someone who would be good), then please apply!

Ptarmigan returns
posted by Ptarmigan on 17 March, 2011 17:41

Welcome back to Ptarmigan.  Though we no longer have our Nilsiänkatu home, we are excited to be organising events in various locations, and we will be continuing our focus on workshops, participatory projects, and residencies.  We are most excited to be partnering with Oksasenkatu 11 in Töölö.  We will be organising events in their space as well as others, beginning with the after-event for the premiere of Invisible Forces by Juliacks, on Saturday 9 April.

We will also be introducing some new projects to Ptarmigan, such as ArtHOP, and bringing back some of the recurring events we organised in 2011, such as Labyrinths and Rings and Svamp (which we will be organising in partnership with Äänen Lumo).  

The second Ptarmigan will be opening in Tallinn at the end of April.  Please check out our Estonian satellite website for information on

As always, you can find out about Ptarmigan events here, through our Facebook group, our Twitter account, or our Google Calendar.  Thanks again to everybody who has supported us through attending events, creating projects, and being part of our community.  We are glad to be back.