When thinking of the future of travelling could land-based long distance train travel be the norm?

With the aim of finding tools, mapping and testing options as well as solutions for travelling we are looking for participants for an east-bound trip from Finland going through Russia (and China) to Japan.

The group will plan the trip starting from Helsinki together – deciding the amount of stops, activities and duration – but it is good to keep in mind that the travel will take at least one and a half months.

In a situation of reduced mobility and travel restrictions, we are not yet able to define when the actual trip will take place. Our aim is also to make sure that travelling will be considered safe before conducting the journey, but in any case participants will require to have an active and open mind. Despite the practical questions being not set, we wish to start preparations by forming a group to activate thinking and initiate a shared discussion of the possibilities of the future of travel as well as to plan the upcoming trip together.

The application is open to anyone interested in questions related to travelling, active in the field of art, research and with an interest in ecological and environmental questions.

The travel, accommodation and visa costs are covered with the support of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and we will have an assistant to help with the practicalities, translation and also research in order to make the itinerary. Our wish is to have the group to think and formulate how could these kinds of long and land-based trips be made more accessible and possible, and how the time travelling could best be spent by working and exploring things together. 

If interested in partaking, submit a free form letter of interest that includes a description of your background to the address connectingpoints@hiap.fi by the end of August (31.8.2020). 

The group will be formed in September 2020 and the trip is to be planned, dependent on the situation for the year 2021-2022.

This trip is coordinated by Miina Hujala & Arttu Merimaa who curate HIAP’s Connecting Points programme.  Connecting Points aims at strengthening the collegial and curatorial activity in the artistic and cultural realm in/within Finland and in Russia and is committed to thinking about the role of travel within artistic and cultural activities.  Funding for the land-based travel is provided by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.  The Connecting Points programme is supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland.