Finland’s internationally known designer and visualist, Mikki Kunttu, is being honored in his home country with multiple events to celebrate his 50th birthday.
The In The Light festival will take place in and around Tampere Hall, a performance and events venue, in Tampere, Finland’s second-largest urban area which is about 100 miles north of Helsinki.
The festivities begin on September 26 with the opening of Lucid Dreams, a photo retrospective, and continues with a one-day seminar, Light & Shadow, which brings together industry icons including:
- LeRoy Bennett (Paul McCartney, Prince, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Rammstein, The Weeknd)
- Mikki Kunttu (Cirque du Soleil, Nightwish, Apocalyptica, Boston Ballet, Tero Saarinen, Finnish National Opera)
- Christopher Bauder (WHITEvoid, Dark Matter Berlin)
- Ola Melzig (Eurovision Song Contest, American Song Contest)
- Ralph-Jörg Wezorke (Lightpower)
All levels of designers and creatives are invited to attend the event which takes place on Wednesday, September 28 at 9am, at Tampere Hall, Tampere, Finland. Tickets are available here.
The celebrations continue on September 30, when the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Gustav Holst’s most famous work, The Planets, with lighting design by Mikki Kunttu.
The last event takes place on the night of October 1st, with a gala evening featuring performances from an international collection of artists that Kunttu has collaborated with. The two-hour performance will be lit by up-and-coming lighting designer Alex Hautamäki.
Below, Kunttu describes his collaborations with the artists who will appear at A Night Of Light.
Westward Ho! – Tero Saarinen Company (Finland)
Westward Ho! for me marks the beginning of my collaboration with Tero Saarinen. I consider this piece to be the beginning of my professional career as a lighting and stage designer. Meeting Tero was a wonderful stroke of luck as I was introduced to the magical world of dance. Dance in many of it’s forms has always been very central to my work and it has largely shaped the way I see and experience the stage and space. This special evening Westward HO! will be danced by its original cast Tero Saarinen, Yuval Pick and Henrikki Heikkilä.
Chisu (Finland)
Chisu is a magical live performer and it’s very special to have her perform in A Night of Light.
Michael Monroe (Finland)
Michael is a living legend of rock’n‘roll. I have had the pleasure of working with him a number of times and it’s an honor to call him a friend as well. The man is a wired detonation of pure energy on stage.
Alexis Vigneault (Canada)
Back in 2017 Alexis performed his fierce aerial lamp in a Cirque du Soleil production Stelar in Andorra. Aerial lamp is a true signature piece and truly unforgettable. I loved the way we were able to collaborate with Alexis and I believe his performance and lighting together created a very special moment in time and space.
Carmen, pas de deux – Boston Ballet (USA)
In spring 2020 we were working on Jorma Elo’s “Carmen” for Boston Ballet as the pandemic hit and the opening night was canceled. I have had the pleasure of working with Mikko Nissinen’s Boston Ballet a number of times and it’s a great honor to have them take the stage here.
Kimmo Pohjonen (Finland)
Kimmo’s artistry has been described as the re-inventor of accordion, which is very much to the point. I have always admired his fearless drive for creation and the artistic freedom that Kimmo represents. Kimmo’s live shows are always on the edge of the unexpected and he is one of the artists I admire the most.
Mizuki Shinagawa (Japan)
Sometimes you see an artist on stage and the energy, the spirit, and the skill are just unbelievable, out of this world. Mizuki performed her mind blowing aerial silk number in a Cirque du Soleil production Vitori in Malta that we were both involved in. There is this cool elegance to her, her stage presence is poetic in an almost violent way, absolute beauty contrasted with fearless sharpness. One of the best circus acts I have ever seen.
Adam Read (Australia)
I met Adam back in 2017 as we were creating a Cirque du Soleil production Stelar in Andorra. Adam is an amazing performer and I think of his character as “The Protagonist” of the gala evening who will guide us through the night.
Duo EmYo (France)
Emeline and Yoann are two French artists who form Duo EmYo. In Tampere, these former top gymnasts will perform their trapeze dance duet which tells their story to the audience and releases the energy between them.