Explore the fairy tale landscapes of Kirsi Kunnas during Children’s Culture Week at Annantalo

During Children’s Culture Week, Annantalo will be filled with the joy of reading, storytelling and adventures in magical fairy tale worlds. The week will kick off on Monday 13 May with the opening of the Kirsi Kunnas 100 Years Poetry Lounge, which brings the beloved author’s stories to Annantalo for the whole summer.

Children’s Culture Week, which is held annually in May, will be celebrated in various ways throughout Finland from 13 to 19 May 2024.

Annantalo's Children’s Culture Week programme is built around the Poetry Lounge, which will be hosting storytelling sessions throughout the week. In addition to this, poetry and literature will also be explored through workshops and lectures. Annantalo will also be hosting a preview of dance theatre Glims & Gloms’s Tii-tii-tiitiäinen performance for the whole family and KATVE [blind spot] Company’s dance performance Lamppukärpänen.

The week will culminate in a day of events on Saturday 18 May, during which Kirsi Kunnas’s animal-themed poems and other other animal-themed children's literature will be taking many forms of art in open workshops. Meanwhile the Hall will be serving as the venue for Teatteri ILMI Ö’s performance Maalarikissat (The Colour Kittens), which combines theatre and visual arts.

Annantalo’s entire Children’s Culture Week programme is free of charge.

The Poetry Lounge is an interactive exhibition about poetry and stories

This year marks 100 years since the birth of Finnish author Kirsi Kunnas (1924–2021). The celebration of the national centenary is centred around Finnish children’s poetry, play, the joy of reading and the cultural agency of children. The Poetry Lounge is part of the Lasten runovallankumous (‘Children's Poetry Revolution’) centenary project coordinated by Cultural Centre PiiPoo, which, inspired by Kunnas’s life’s work, invites all municipalities in Finland to explore children’s poetry and celebrate the joy of reading, which belongs to everyone.

The Poetry Lounge is based on Kunnas’s poetry for children and the illustrations of illustrator Jani Ikonen. In addition to poetry and illustrations, the exhibition is built upon poetry exercises designed jointly by children and artists. The exhibition concept will be touring children's culture centres, libraries and other cultural facilities around Finland in 2024–2025.

After Children’s Culture Week, the Poetry Lounge at Annantalo can be visited during Annantalo’s opening hours. The Poetry Lounge will remain open until 24 August.

Enquiries

Piia Latvala | Communications Planner | piia.latvala@hel.fi | +358 40 529 1675

Anna Rosendahl | Cultural Producer | anna.rosendahl@hel.fi | +358 40 541 1574

Children’s Culture Week at Annantalo Mon 13 May - Sat 18 May

Children’s Culture Week is all about celebrating the joy of reading and literature! The Kirsi Kunnas 100 Years Poetry Lounge will be hosting storytelling sessions throughout the week.

Monday 13 May
Kirsi Kunnas: Poetry Lounge 10 May–24 August An interactive exhibition about poetry and stories.
Opening at 17:00
17:05–17:15 Dance theatre GLIMS & GLOMS: Tii-tii-tiitiäinen
17:15 Satupuu, non-stop workshop
18:45–19:00 Dance theatre GLIMS & GLOMS: Tii-tii-tiitiäinen

Tuesday 14 May 
Tuesday's programme is in Swedish and includes a dance performance and a workshop.
10:00 Dance My Baby Workshop, Dance Theatre Auraco
17:00 Katve [blind spot] Company: Husfluga, ljusfluga
17:30–19:00 Råttan Bettan och Masken Baudelaire workshop

Wednesday 15 May
10:00 Dance My Baby Workshop
16:30–17:00 Katve [blind spot] Company: Lamppukärpänen
17:00–19:00 Satupuu, non-stop workshop

Thursday 16 May
10:00 Dance My Baby Workshop
17:00–17:10 Dance theatre GLIMS & GLOMS: Tii-tii-tiitiäinen
17:15 Satupuu, non-stop workshop
17:30–18:15 Tiitiäisyyksien kintereillä: Kirsi Kunnaksen runomaailma
Lecture on the poetry of Kirsi Kunnas by Senior Lecturer Sakari Katajamäki, PhD (in Finnish)
19:00–19:10 Dance theatre GLIMS & GLOMS: Tii-tii-tiitiäinen

Saturday 18 May IKI-TIK TIKI-TAK event day
Workshops and performances throughout the day.
12:00 and 13:30 Theatre ILMI Ö: The Colour Kittens
13:00–13:10 and 14:00–14:10 Dance theatre GLIMS & GLOMS: Tii-tii-tiitiäinen
13:30 Christelle Mas: Supernature exhibition opening