Helsinki City Theatre’s Taidetta koteihin concept named Audience Engagement Initiative of the Year 2025

The Vuoden yleisötyöteko recognition award is presented to a project, initiative or achievement in the field of culture and the arts that has been active during 2025. The award highlights outstanding audience engagement initiatives in culture and the arts and raises public awareness of audience engagement. Presented by the Horisontti working group, the award was given for the third time this year. The award jury assessed the nominees from perspectives including accessibility, equality, inclusion, innovation, scalability and their potential to inspire professionals in the field. 

Helsinki City Theatre’s audience engagement concept Taidetta koteihin 

Taidetta koteihin brings art into people’s own living environments, transforming ordinary homes and residential settings into stages and venues for artistic events. In the project carried out in Malmi, anyone living in the area could offer their home as a venue, and each event was planned together with the residents. The events were planned and produced by the artists of the Pääroolissa Malmi project: Laura Ikonen, Jenny Jumppanen, Aleksi Kinnunen and Janne Puustinen. Depending on the content of the event, other arts professionals could also be invited to take part. The events brought together people who had never met before, as they were open to everyone. The project also reached participants who may not feel at home in traditional theatre spaces or who face a higher-than-usual threshold to attending cultural events. In 2025, a total of 11 free events were held in private homes, attracting 260 local residents. 

The Horisontti jury particularly praised the project’s approach to building trust and a sense of community at the local level. According to the jury, Taidetta koteihin demonstrates that, at its best, audience engagement can be a collaborative process in which audiences are not merely recipients but active participants and co-creators of content. At the same time, the project offers cultural organisations an inspiring model for taking art into new settings and reaching new audiences. 

“When developing the Taidetta koteihin concept, I felt that its significance stems above all from planning each event together with the resident. The event reflects and makes visible something essential about the resident and the character of their home. This creates a personal connection with the art and opens up new possibilities for encounters around it. It is wonderful that this very idea has now been recognised with the Vuoden yleisötyöteko award,” says Laura Ikonen, the project’s lead artist.  

Taidetta koteihin events were also held in 2019 as part of Helsinki City Theatre’s Valokeilassa Koillinen project. In addition, the Taidetta koteihin Kalasatama project was carried out in 2020–2021, bringing together stories from local homes in an art installation at shopping centre REDI. 

A photography exhibition featuring the events held in private homes will be on display in the Studio Pasila foyer until the end of 2026. Taidetta koteihin – valokuvanäyttely esityksistä olohuoneissa presents the atmosphere, homes and encounters of the Taidetta koteihin events held during the 2025 season. The exhibition offers those who were unable to attend the intimate performances in person a glimpse into these unique events. 

Taidetta koteihin was part of the Pääroolissa Malmi project, funded by the City of Helsinki. The regional Pääroolissa Malmi arts project aims to offer local residents a variety of opportunities to participate in theatre and the arts, while supporting cultural activities in the area and creating new forms of urban culture. Using the means of theatre, the project explores and brings to light the district’s history and evolving identity. Its activities are planned, carried out and developed in collaboration with local organisations and residents, as well as other participants in the Helsinki Model.  

@paaroolissamalmi @hkt_yleisötyö @hktfi #pääroolissamalmi #taidettakoteihin  

Press release photo: Sonja Tolonen  

Further information: 
Project artist Laura Ikonen, paaroolissamalmi@hkt.fi, 050 475 8701