Live art and performance studies alum: I am now better able to navigate the field as a freelancer
Maija Linturi worked in the industry for more than ten years before starting her master’s degree at Uniarts Helsinki. Read about her study experience, which she describes as a journey towards a deeper, clearer artistic practice and knowledge.
Tell us about yourself and how you came to study at the Uniarts Helsinki?
I am Maija Linturi, a performance artist based in Helsinki. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the now defunct Puppet Theatre Department of Turku University of Applied Sciences in 2010, and have worked for more than ten years in various puppet theatre, theatre, and performance art productions.
I had been thinking about studying for a master’s degree for a long time, as I felt I needed more tools and new perspectives for my own artistic work. The closure of the society during the pandemic made it possible for me to pause on the idea and explore different master’s programmes.
The description of the Live Art and Performance Studies (LAPS) programme at the University of the Arts Helsinki emphasised that people from a wide range of backgrounds and with a wide range of aims could apply. It also highlighted the research approach, which seemed interesting.
Tell us something you remember about applying to the Uniarts Helsinki.
The application process was quite thorough. In the first stage, we had to write our own research plans for the master’s programme. I had never written a research plan before, so it was quite a challenge. However, it also forced me to articulate why I really wanted to study and what my goals were, which was really helpful.
The last part of the entrance exams took place on Zoom and it included an artistic part and an interview. I remember It being a surprisingly relaxed event. The atmosphere was supportive and I felt that the jury wanted me to succeed.
During the interview I was also given the opportunity to ask questions, which created a sense of a two-way process. It was not just the panel trying to find out if I was ‘good enough’ for the LAPS programme, but we all wanted to find out if I was right for the programme and the programme was right for me.
What do you think was the best thing about studying?
For me, the best thing was the opportunity to deepen my own interests and to clarify my artistic practice. In fact, it was almost as if a world of knowledge was opening up to me: I realised that there were people who had actually studied and written books about my own vague interests.
Looking back, I see the studies as a journey towards a deeper, more precise and clearly articulated artistic practice and knowledge, even if clarity was often far away during the studies.
What was the most memorable experience during your studies?
Here, perhaps, I have to mention my own artistic thesis, Rat City. It was something of a dream project for me because it combined so many of my passions and interests: interspecies work, site-specificity, collaboration between art and science, and the combination of ecological fieldwork and artistic work. It also brought me into contact with like-minded artists and researchers with whom I have continued to collaborate after the project.
Of the courses, I particularly remember the course Horse and Performance, led by Pietari Kylmälä and Eero Yli-Vakkuri, and the workshop Performance Philosophy + Animals, led by performance philosopher Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca.
Of course, trips to the ANTI festival in Kuopio and Documenta 15 in Kassel, Germany, were also memorable.
What was the most challenging part of your studies?
The hardest part was actually internalising my role as a student. This came as a surprise to me, as I had previously thought that the best part of studying was being able to simply receive information without being forced to produce and succeed. However, the jump from professional to student after so many years was not always easy.
My previous studies had been quite practical, and academic practices and terminology, for example, were a bit of a learning curve. During the first semester, I often felt that my previous training or work history was of little use in my new studies. It took time, reflection and independent study before I began to see how I could integrate my previous knowledge into my master’s studies.
Did you take advantage of any international opportunities during your studies?
Not that much, because I wouldn’t have been able to go abroad for a student exchange or for a longer period of time because of other things in my life. However, the LAPS programme itself was quite international: the other students in my year came from all over the world, and many of the teachers were from outside Finland.
You graduated from Uniarts Helsinki last year. Have you found anything surprising about working life as opposed to studying?
I had worked in the performing arts for a number of years before completing my masters, so there were no surprises in terms of returning to work. However, my studies helped me to better understand the structures of the industry and I feel that I am now better able to navigate the field as a freelancer.
The LAPS programme emphasised the importance of my own practice, which has helped me in my professional life. Freelancing is often a fragmented job, jumping from project to project. Framing my work as a practice rather than projects helps me to see my work in a longer-term perspective, where individual projects fit more naturally into the whole.
What are you working on now and in the near future?
My own interests revolve around interspecies (performing) arts and the collaboration between art and science. In other words, I am interested in exploring how performance art can be made together with non-human species, especially animals.
Together with my colleagues Camilla Anderzén, Aino Juutilainen and Olli-Pekka Jauhiainen, we have founded an art collective called Eliökollektiivi that focuses on multispecies art. We are currently working on a piece that explores the relationship between traditional theatre space and interspecies performance. It will premiere in autumn 2025 at Kanneltalo, Helsinki.
I am also involved in an interdisciplinary project plan which, if realised, would combine performance art, historical research and ecology, among other things. I am also the chair of the performing arts association Circus Maximus. Through this position I can support other artists and influence, at least in a small way, the structures of the field.