Interview with director Minna Lund
Whether it's Rome or Helsinki, people have always gathered in squares around various monuments, such as fountains, to celebrate together. This idea has served as the impetus for the performance Agora – Two Mermaids in an Empty Pool, which will be seen on the stage of the Contemporary Performance in April."I've been really interested in public artworks, which are primarily in squares. I have been particularly interested in the history of Havis Amanda and why the nation gathers around the statue to celebrate, even to tear down the statue," says the director of the performance, Minna Lund. In the work by Lund, one of the most followed directors of the new generation, and the working group have appeared in front of the Helsinki City Theatre an art donation from an unknown artist, which has been decided to be temporarily erected on the stage of Studio Pasila. The work is based on a reflection on what kind of symbols or monuments of the nation could be given the status of a monument. "I've been thinking a lot about what I would dedicate the fountain to. In my opinion, things worthy of monumental proportions would be radical friendship and assistance." Mermaids celebrating friendship rebel against the statue's mission In addition to friendship and the sharing of resources, the work also explores the enchanting power and unruliness of art: the mermaids in the performance refuse to remain in the role of an inanimate object, a statue. Mermaids are insatiably looking for playmates around them. "For me, undiscipline means some kind of playfulness and deviating from the form or asking conventions," says Lund. Indiscipline or the need to poke at the normative way of being and doing crosses Lund's works. His previous works include several overdubs of classics, such as in Message from Tyler – Memento Mori, The Cherry Orchard (2023, Q Theatre), where Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard and David Fincher's film Fight Club meet in an intense and sweaty way. Communality and the basic questions of life at the heart of the works At the same time as Agora, Lund's second directorial debut, Diptyk, which deals with a good death, will be seen at the Viirus Theatre. At first glance, the performances seem to be each other's extremes: in one, joy, celebration and friendship splash overboard, while in the other, the story moves slowly and steadily forward to the rhythm of Chopin's Mourning March. Even though the works are very different in terms of atmosphere and tempo, the director still sees a lot in common with them. "In many of my works, I ponder the importance of community and some fundamental question about the continuation of life – that is, how to be together, how to stay together and how to stay alive. And if at some point in your life you don't have much left, how to spend the remaining time," Lund ponders. "However, the style and way of telling the story of the presentations is different. What you couldn't put in the Diptyk, you can see in the Agora. At the beginning of the year, I've been gathering a kind of energy kit for this performance, which will be an insatiable spring rejoicing."The enchantment of mermaids Water that is important for the existence of mermaids and other species is also an important part of the work. "Personally, I am interested in the vital importance of water and how festive and sacred water was once perceived. Water, which is also considered magical, has been used to carry out various rituals, rebirths and purifications. And at the same time, water is an element that connects us continentally to each other," says Lund. Above all, the director hopes that the performance will move people in one direction or another. In other words, it would do what art at its best would do – make things something other than insignificant. "I hope that the performance will invite the audience to participate in some magical game and encourage them to trust that when you give, you receive, and when you go along, wonderful things can happen. I hope that people would dare to join in the enchantment of mermaids," says Lund. Agora – Two Mermaids in an Empty Pool will premiere on 29.4.2025 at 6.30 p.m. at the Helsinki City Theatre's studio Pasila. The performance season will continue until 10 May.
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