TRAINING FOR DEATH

TRAINING FOR DEATH (KUOLEMAHARJOITUKSIA) is a multidisciplinary performance that explores mortality.

The work explores death on many different levels:
1.
Confronting one's own death and the deaths of loved ones.
2.
Confronting the mortality of the human species—no species is eternal, nor is the solar system eternal.
3.
Death caused by violence or indirectly by violence, such as in wars or as a result of wars.
4.
The extinction of nature—the sixth mass extinction caused by humans, which can also be viewed as humanity's war against the rest of living nature.


There are numerous versions of the work, but the following four basic elements are always included:
1) spoken segments (a mini-lecture and poetry), 2) live music, 3) dance, and 4) participatory (and voluntary) physical exercises.

The first version of the work was performed at Pispala Church in Tampere on All Saints' Day, November 2, 2024, as part of the Kuolevainen / Mortal project. However, the work is not religious; rather, it is equally suitable for atheists, believers, and anyone who ponders death or is interested in the arts.

I conceived and wrote the script for the performance and assemble a working group for each performance. The work is flexible and easily adaptable and scalable to different situations. I wanted to create a performance that is as versatile and adaptable as possible—one that can be performed just as easily on a theater stage as in a church, an elementary school, or a senior center.