Four Finnish art world bodies – Frame Contemporary Art Finland, Helsinki International Artist Programme (HIAP), IHME Helsinki, and Mustarinda – have recruited a common Eco Coordinator, Saara Korpela to reduce their climate emissions.
The Eco Coordinator will work with the organisations for example, with identifying various ways of reducing carbon emissions in the artwork production as well as informing the art world with the learned insights so that sustainable operating models will become the norm. This is the first time that someone with the job title Eco Coordinator has been employed in the Finnish art scene.
New climate conscious practices to different fields in the art world
All of the organisations have previously worked paying attention to ecologically sustainable guidelines in their practices.
Frame has launched an initiative to change the Finnish State Travel Regulations. The current Regulations instruct all of the state-funded bodies to prioritize flying in their travels. HIAP and Mustarinda’s joint projects have investigated the transition to the post-fossil-fuel era, for example, with regard to energy, transportation and food.
Every year, IHME invites an established artist to visit Finland with the idea that art-lovers would not have to travel abroad to pursuit art. The aim is to produce artworks using local workforce and materials that take the environment into account.
“Frame’s mission is to bring Finnish art to the world. We believe that the encounters between people are at the very heart of everything. How could this be done in a high-quality, cost-effective way without destroying the climate?” asks Frame’s Director Raija Koli.
“How are we to safeguard artistic freedom within the framework of life-sustaining systems?” asks IHME Helsinki’s Executive Director Paula Toppila. “We cannot leave the change in ideas and actions required by the climate crisis to potential innovations in art. Artworks, too, have to be produced in emission-free ways or with as little emission as possible.”
“The common eco-coordinator represents a major opportunity for a dialogue between the organisations,” says HIAP’s Director Juha Huuskonen. “In the age of climate change, collaboration is the cornerstone of everything.”
About the organisations
The four organisations employing the eco-coordinator all work in their own ways. Frame’s mission is to bring Finnish art to the world by supporting international projects and facilitating international partnerships. Frame is the commissioner of the exhibition production in the Pavilion of Finland at the Venice Biennale.
Every year, IHME Helsinki creates an accessible artwork in public space. Last year they updated their strategy and informed their experts to respond specifically to the challenges of climate change.
HIAP runs artist residencies in Helsinki and works actively in different international collaborative projects.
Mustarinda is a largely volunteer-based group of artists and researchers that promote the ecological reconstruction of society, and cultural and natural diversity. During its decade in existence Mustarinda has, for instance, focused in creating ecological practices in the Mustarinda building in Kainuu and around the world.
Additional information:
Saara Korpela
Eco Coordinator
saara.korpela@ihmehelsinki.fi
tel. +358 45 632 6267
Raija Koli
Director
raija.koli@frame-finland.fi
+358 44 728 9938
Picture: Juha Huuskonen (HIAP), Raija Koli (Frame), Eco coordinator Saara Korpela, Pauliina Leikas (Mustarinda) ja Paula Toppila (IHME) iloitsevat ilmastoyhteistyöstä.