URB 21 festival

URB festival both outside and online

“URB makes space for incompleteness, enables experiment and connects communities, artists and actors”

The two-year coronavirus pandemic has significantly reduced job opportunities for young artists. That is why we want to organize the URB 21 festival this year – and of course for the joy that the festival spreads around. The festival is planned to be realized in the current pandemic situation.

The festival is mostly online this year, but within the coronarestrictions, we also organize some events outdoors.

URB 21 features new episodes of the URB Talks video series, in a new format. The focus is still on the encounter and discussions of two people, Fiona Musanga and King Sheikki, about culture, art and their important places in the urban spaces.

Choreographer Ima Iduozee reveals his latest works in the field of film and printed media. The festival presents Iduozee’s project called Diaspora Mixtapes, including a short movie Diaspora Mixtapes: Vol.1 and a magazine titled Diaspora Mixtapes: Print Portals.

Swedish Sápmi-queer activist Timimie Märak will give a lecture about art as a tool of activism. The online lecture is entitled 60 minutes of shame (resting is resistence).

The vivid voluntary urban culture is given the spotlight in Ines Särkkä’s documentary film Do it together (2021). The film tells the story of Suvilahti DIY -skate park and its current threat to be demolished under the new event centre.

The festival offers the opportunity to experience art also outside the home, but safely in the open air. Dancer-choreographer Ben Fury (BE/MAR) creates a dance performance X∙over outside Stoa together with five Helsinki-based dancers. In addition, a multiyear project Queer AI by #digiteatteri takes the form of an installation called the Garden in the courtyard of Culture centre Caisa in Kallio.

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Partners

URB festival’s partners are City of Helsinki, Cultural Centre of Eastern Helsinki Stoa, Culture centre Caisa and Suvilahti’s Tiivistämö. URB festival is one of the ten partners in a four-year EU-project BEPART.

Schedule

Saturday 5 June

Online: Ima Iduozee: Diaspora mixtapes

Sunday 6 June

14:00-15:00 Online lecture / Timimie Märak: 60 minutes of shame. (Resting is resistence.)

Monday 7 June

19:00 Stoa’s yard, free admission
X∙over

Tuesday 8 June

19:00 Stoa’s yard, free admission
X∙over

Wednesday 9 June

14:00-19:00 Caisa’s courtyard (Kaikukatu 4), free admission
Queer AI: The Garden

Thursday 10 June

14:00-19:00 Caisa’s courtyard (Kaikukatu 4), free admission
Queer AI: The Garden

Friday 11 June

14:00-19:00 Caisa’s courtyard (Kaikukatu 4), free admission
Queer AI: The Garden

19:00 Stoa’s yard, free admission
X∙over

Saturday 12 June

14:00-19:00 Caisa’s courtyard (Kaikukatu 4), free admission
Queer AI: The Garden

10:00, online: Do it together

Sunday 13 June

10:00-14:00 Caisa’s courtyard (Kaikukatu 4), free admission
Queer AI: The Garden

URB Online

Ima Iduozee: Diaspora mixtapes -film, available during 5 – 13 June until 23:00 at the event’s website.
URB Talks On The Road -video episodes, videos will be available at the event’s website during the festival days.
Ines Särkkä: Do It TogetheInes Särkkä: Do it together (2021) –documentary, available during 12 – 13 June until 23:00 at the event’s website.