Rootings in the Shared Land is a multicultural community project that explores cultural roots and the reshaping of identities through dance, spoken word poetry, documentary, storytelling, and music.
Rootings in the Shared Land is a unique and unprecedented project that unfolds across three dimensions:
1. Immersive performance: Rootings in the Shared Land at the Oulu Art Museum
The audience is invited to listen to and experience the stories of integration and adaptation of a multicultural group of performers, while also exploring their own entanglement in this world and society.
The community project is carried out with participants of different ages, both people who have moved to Finland and those born in Finland, combining dance, autobiographical writing, and song-making elements.
The work will be rehearsed during the summer of 2026, accompanied by open Rooting Jams at Valve’s halls. The full-length immersive piece Rootings in the Shared Land will premiere in November 2026 at the Oulu Art Museum.
The work is directed by dance and theatre artist Nella Turkki, who has realised similar large-scale community works at Zodiak – Centre for New Dance and at international cultural centres.
Sound design is by Janis Heldmann, who gathers stories and coaches participants to perform through music as well.
Costumes are designed by stage and costume designer Una Auri, specialising in interdisciplinary and immersive works.
2. Rootings – a dance documentary film
The film seeks participants of different backgrounds and ages who have moved to Finland and are currently in the process of integration.
The documentary is created using a one-to-one filming method: instead of traditional interviews, the participants’ autobiographical narratives are filmed through dance improvisation.
Filming locations will be chosen according to the participants’ wishes.
From the collected material, the Rootings dance documentary will be produced, premiering in autumn 2026 before continuing its journey in Oulu and internationally.
The documentary is directed by Nella Turkki, in collaboration with photographer and documentary filmmaker Ella Kiviniemi.
Sound design is by Janis Heldmann, with final post-production carried out as agreed subcontracted services.
3. Juurtuma exhibition at Parasrakas Museum, early 2027
Through empowering photography and a sound installation, the exhibition creates a work in which visitors can walk through the space and reflect on their own rooting in the present moment, environment, and community.
The exhibition is realised by Nella Turkki, Ella Kiviniemi, and Iida Kauhanen, and will be prepared during the Rootings in the Shared Land rehearsal period.
In addition, Nella Turkki and researcher Iida Kauhanen will write an academic study during the project, based on voluntary interviews. This artistic research will provide important insights into how community art and large-scale projects of this kind can influence individual experiences of integration in a new environment – and, on the other hand, how multiculturalism is understood within the residential community.
The study is carried out in collaboration with the Mobile Futures research project, and its novelty value is significant in this field.
Nella Turkki
Choreographer, Director, Ideation
Nella Turkki is a Finnish dancer,
choreographer and theatre director
who focuses her work on the connection
with the environment and social questions
in the society. She believes that dance has
the potential to engage people stronger
with their environment and to create
new ways in relating with other people.
Her strong social approach to dance-making
comes from her long background
in the field of applied theatre.
Janis Heldmann
Sound Designer
Janis Heldmann is a sound designer and researcher exploring the intersections of acoustics, immersive technologies, and performance. Based at Aalto University’s Acoustics Lab, his work spans spatial sound, and interdisciplinary projects that merge sonic design with movement and stage art.
Ella Kiviniemi
Videography, Photography
Ella Kiviniemi is a Finnish visual storyteller working across photography and videography. With a background in photojournalism and documentary film editing, she creates socially engaged works on themes such as climate and identity, earning recognition including Finland’s Reportage of the Year (2021).
Una
Auri
Scenographer, designer
Una Auri is a scenographer, designer, and performance artist with a Master’s in Scenography from Aalto University. Her work explores accessibility, collaborative spatial design, and how space can challenge normative thinking and cultural hierarchies.