here with you – Performance Work with Inclusive Art Workshops
Unique opportunity to become a part of Astra´s history! here with you is a long-term and inclusive performance artwork that takes place both in and around the new Astra campus building in Turku. The work will be launched at Astra’s inauguration in 2026 and is deeply interwoven with the building’s everyday life, history and future.
The performance begins during the inauguration ceremony. From then on, the artist Nastja Säde Rönkkö will spend one day each month at Astra over a two-year period. On these days, anyone present in the building may invite the artist into an action or encounter that feels meaningful. In this way, the work takes form through the needs of the community, grounded in daily life and shaped by the shared space.
The continuity and duration of the performance resonate closely with Astra’s context: in the layers of memory embedded in the building, the future of the students, and the identity of the campus community. As a concrete trace, a bench will remain in Astra – a memory of the shared time, the work itself, and its evolving process.
Even before its premiere, the performance begins through a series of workshops. These offer the audience and the Astra community the chance to take part in the creative process before the work is formally presented. The workshops explore presence, togetherness, and performance art’s capacity to foster connections between people.
Art Workshop Content and Aims
The workshops are open to Astra’s students, staff, alumni, and other users. They will take place in October 2025, January 2026, and March 2026. Each workshop spans a weekend (maximum 2 x 5 hours) with a maximum of 15 participants per session. Participation is open to all: no prior experience of performance art or performing is required. You may join one or several workshops.
Workshop 1: Encounter and Slowness in the Digital Age
When: 7 December 2025, 11.00-18.00
Where: Theologicum, Piispankatu 16, Turku
The languages of the workshop is English and Finnish
We will explore Astra’s history, architecture, and archaeological finds, as well as the building’s significance for the campus community. One exercise is A Weekend Without, in which participants spend a weekend without smartphones. The exercise is followed by discussions on presence and our experience of time.
Workshop 2: Buring Time and Archaeological Layers
When: 7 February 2026, 11.00-18.00
Where: Handelshögskolan, Henrikinkatu 7, Turku
This session delves into both the practice and theory of performance art, with a focus on its history and on experiencing art as material. Practical exercises will develop the body, space, and presence as artistic means of expression. A writing exercise connects with Astra’s history, including traces of the Great Fire of Turku, and reflects on their symbolism in relation to contemporary crises such as climate disasters.
Register for the workshop here.
Workshop 3: Feeling and Intuition as Artistic Tools
When: 28-29 March 2026, 11.00-18.00
Where: Astra, Porthaninkatu 3, Turku
Here we create and present small-scale works of our own. Participants are invited, if they wish, to perform their pieces at Astra’s inauguration. Physical exercises and discussions guide participants in discovering the significance of emotions and bodily awareness in both artistic and personal work.
