French Balloons in Helsinki Sky, Weird Sounds Underwater
The French street theatre troupe Plasticiens Volants perform the centrepiece of this year's Night of the Arts, the climax of Finland's biggest arts festival.
Meanwhile an English group will set up an underwater art gallery at the Olympic Pool as part of the Helsinki Festival's Night of the Arts on Friday, August 21.
That evening, the skies over central Helsinki will serve as the stage for an underwater drama called "Pearl". Most of the tale will be told by enormous inflatable puppets floating above a procession from the Esplanade to Senate Square. The helium-filled characters will be controlled by some 30 puppeteers.
The wordless, all-ages show will feature music composed by Phillippe Bonnet as well as improvised live music by the Helsinki-based Bad Ass Brass Band. The group includes current and past members of Alamaailman Vasarat, Ultra Bra and Hanoi Rocks.
The 90-minute spectacle begins near the Swedish Theatre at 9 pm.
Plasticiens Volants, established in 1976, performed a more modest show in Helsinki nine years ago. Since then, the ensemble has gained international acclaim, putting on massive outdoor shows around Europe and North Africa in recent months.
Underwater Surrealism
Another imported art project for Night of the Arts is the 'Wet Sounds' urban art installation, to be set up at Helsinki's Olympic Pool. Wet Sounds has been presented to great acclaim around the UK. The Helsinki installation marks the beginning of its first Nordic tour.
There will be three sessions between 1 pm and 10 pm, featuring music by the Tampere-based collective Kemialliset Ystävät and underwater dance by Jutta Aalto.
The full schedule for the Night of the Arts will be released on Thursday.
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