www.transnationals.eu

And there we were, three art27 learners, save and well at the airport in Helsinki. Good timing: 15 minutes waiting on a bus to Forssa. Well organised.

Since we can’t speak Finnish, we tried in English. The bus driver smiled and gave us the right instructions to end up save in Forssa with our luggage.

Bus change: this driver doesn’t understand English, but we understand each other more or less.

Karel takes a lot of photo’s on the way to Forssa.

 

And after 2 hours were at the bus stop in Forssa. It looked all familiar to me … Eliisa, our host was there to pick us up and to guide us to Hotel Makunta..

 

18 o’clock – appointment in the Wahren Opisto building for some classes.

 

20h30 – meeting in the historic music hall / workers centre, with guests and host from Forssa, Berlin and Hasselt. A building with character, just as the people we met. This promises to become a good meeting. 

 

Thursday morning – up to the meeting with the senior citizens and their live stories. Time really goes fast … Forssa is from now on much more than a town in Finland. We learned to know some of it’s citizens, with strong live stories.

 

The power to make Forssa big, came from the water … The water is still there. The textile industry is gone. Waiting for someone who rediscovers the possibilities of the water power and a sustainable project to reinforce Forssa …

 

The other museum brings us back to the times before the textile … Always interesting to see how people deal with their past. Becomes Forssa living heritage or will the heritage project Forssa into the future again? Interesting questions, difficult choices to make … The library gives us some time for reflection. Upstairs there’s an art gallery with work of local artists. The way a community treats its art and artists, can tell you a lot about the society. Arts and especially crafts have their place in this city centre.

 

At 18h Niilo picks us up to visit his home, his books and stories. An interesting man with a strong attitude towards artistic dairies, painting and nature. Next time we surely visit his rock artwork.

 

Back at the hotel, we have a meeting about the website and the stay in Forssa until now. Everybody is satisfied to be here and to learn about the Forssa way … The website … a difficult thing. Different meanings, different inputs … We decide to create the website www.transnationals.eu

 

Friday morning, time to discover the commercial site of Forssa, with its Citymarket in the old textile (weaving) factory. It’s all easygoing … and cold outside! Especially the cold wind …

At 11 o’clock wer’e all together in the textile printing workshop to create our own souvenir. The local newspaper “Forssan Lehti” was interested in our project and the way we appreciate Forssa. The article of this interview you’ll find elsewhere ‘see categories). We forgot time … hurry up to the cityhall for a meeting with the cultural responsible ( nice man, interesting points of view) and than a lunch in an all seventies décor.

 

No time to waste. The bus brings us to “nature” … one of these mystical words Finish people use several times a day. Some interesting Forssa people join us. During the trip we can discuss some ‘unsolved” questions and talk about art and society.

We end up in Torronsuo national park, a real beautiful spot, covered in white snow. The enthusiast guide Tapio tells us everything we wanted to know about this place, and much, much more. Always nice to hear people that really go for it! In meantime others are making a fire; we end up baking sausages above the fire and drinking coffee (and other stuff).

 

Back to the buss, warm up a little and then a quick visit to the Häme visitor centre.

 

The documentary they showed us, was a bit to “old fashioned educational” with a strong focus on the things humans do wrong in nature … Would nature be more beautiful without human beings? And for what course?

In my opinion they should focus more on responsibilities and possibilities we al have … Interesting to see!

 

Back on the bus and up to the hotel. Change clothes and go to church … for a kind of Jazz concert.

 

It was really worth it! Well done Pertii and colleagues! Thanks for letting us enjoy the music. The cd will make us remember …

 

20h – back to Tyykihovi for the final meeting with the senior group and the other learners. Delicious food is waiting with the good company of people we met before. Some talks, some final official words and then time for that others Finnish mystery: Sauna.

 

Doors closed after midnight. Time to say goodbye! See you in cyberspace or in Belgium ?!