The Finnish art factory consists of Alyssa van Maris, Marlieke Colijn, Mira Tolonen and Sonja Juutinen. The supporting teacher is OSYK’s art teacher Tiina Ala-Opas. They are in charge of the setting and the costumes. The art factory works closely with the acting team and the directors to work out the best way to bring the story alive. The visuals are important to set the right atmosphere for the play and the actors.
I asked the team about their process on Friday, while they were brainstorming ideas for the costumes. They said they really like the theme, Kalevala, because it has so many possibilities, especially in terms of costumes.
Are the costumes going to be traditional or have you changed them up? Have you had any challenges?
Marlieke: I think the costumes will be a bit different, not the traditional kind they have in Kalevala. We are working on them right now.
Mira: My challenge was that I’m not very good with fabrics. I am handier with other stuff, so that’s what I am in charge of.
Every year, the hosting country’s art factory makes a poster for that year’s YET. This means that this year, the poster is the Finnish art factory’s responsibility. The posters are given to all the participants to keep as a memory. Usually the participants also get tote bags with the artwork printed on it. The artwork was made by Mira and Marlieke, and finished by Arsi Paananen from the media team.
How did you come up with the idea for the poster?
Mira: We wanted something to symbolize the competition over Sampo. That’s why we came up with the hands reaching towards it and grabbing each other at the same time. The hands symbolize people pulling others down to get what they want.
We also wanted to
add something Finnish, so that’s why the swan is there. In Kalevala, swans are the symbol of death and bad things, so we wanted to add that to represent the more dark part of the story, too.
The project has a really tight schedule, and all the participants are working very hard on what they are responsible of. Do you think you will be ready in time?
Sonja: Yes, we already have a lot of the setting almost ready. Now we have moved onto the costumes. We all have different strengths, so we can divide the work nicely.
text and pictures: Venla Aitta
