Reijo Kela

The Silent People arrive in Kuopio in honor of the city’s 250th Anniversary

Kuopio Dance Festival festival joins the anniversary celebrations by bringing Reijo Kela’s iconic art installation The Silent People to the city.

In honor of the milestone year, 250 figures will be set up near the Syvänniemi manor, and moving parts of the artwork will also be displayed in Kuopio’s city center. The Syvänniemi installation will be unveiled on June 6th, the opening day of the Kuopio Dance Festival, and will remain on display until the snow arrives.

Kela is a long-established dancer, choreographer, and performance artist who has also performed at Kuopio Dance Festival festival many times over the years. Having spent most of his career as a freelance artist, Kela has been awarded the Pro Finlandia medal, the Finland Prize, and the State Award for Public Information, among others.

The Silent People will also come to life in an unprecedented way, featuring performance pieces by Kela, musician Heikki Laitinen, and Kimmo Pohjonen as part of the artwork.

Participation in the artwork’s creation

The Silent People is a well-known environmental artwork consisting of a thousand figures with peat heads. It has been displayed in Suomussalmi since 1994 and has garnered significant international attention.

As with the Suomussalmi installation, residents of Kuopio will also have the opportunity to contribute to its creation by donating clothes and dressing the figures.

Kuopio Dance Festival will coordinate together with the Syvänniemi village association and the Hermanni theatre the collection of clothing and the actual dressing of the figures.

The work is funded by the Saastamoinen Foundation.