Sonja Jokiniemi’s workshop Weaving textures and feelings is a conversational piece that proposes a collective narration through the construction of a haptic object. Jokiniemi works with yarns and pieces of fabric and invites visitors to create a collective textile together with her. She asks how stories are told, and what or who can tell a story. She is interested in non-verbal narration strategies and returning to intimacy of storytelling midst manipulation through language.  How can textures be a way to communicate what words can’t grasp?

The idea with this workshop is to collect different stories and voices through threads and textile. This a participatory practice where encounters and collecting take place over the next year, building towards a public artwork. A kind of blanket that has travelled many places, been touched by many people and has traces and voices of many.

Jokiniemi has created this workshop format alongside the performance ÖH that premieres in the frame of Moving in November festival and Zodiak – Centre for New Dance. You can find more about Jokiniemi and her thinking behind ÖH in this link.

We aim to arrange this workshop to be as open and true to an honest encounter with Jokiniemi and the participants as possible. Due to safety restrictions, the workshop is held in small groups so that everyone can attend safely. The same regulations that apply to our festival performances about being together safely also apply to the workshop. You can read about the safety guidelines of the festival in the button on the right.