2.11. Club IV

The fourth night of the Invasive Species Club takes us into exciting and dangerous territory, both philosophically and artistically, as well as physically.

There are strong good-evil attitudes around the themes of holiness, heresy and hypocrisy, although for different people good and evil or holy and unholy represent very different things. The club is held on All Saints Day, formerly known as the “Day of the Holy Men” in Finnish, and although the almanac has since been tidied up to make it more politically correct, the category of ’great works’ in Western art is exclusively made up of white holy men, and this time there will be none of that usual overdose.

Instead, we will enjoy Riina Tanskanen’s incisive observations on the sanctity of capital in the contemporary system, Eugenie Touma van der Meulen’s poems on the unholy nature of bipoc lives in the eyes of white people and societies, and Otto Snellman’s thoughts on the benefits of hypocrisy.

The sacred and the profane are explored also in the music programme. Detritus and Armi Von Vep will present a show combining music composed for the holy Virgin Mary and neoburlesque, which will involve itself and its audience in the problematics of virginity-holiness-pleasure. 

The composer-artist Islaja uses a poetic prayer by the Spanish saint and mystic Ávila Teresa from the 16th century. Marzi Nyman leads us from the sacred to the profane with organ improvisations and artist-activist-nature power Elsi Sloan presents a solo performance of alternative sanctities.

The evening’s programme takes place partly in the church hall, partly in the lobby bar. The programme will move to the lobby bar at around 21 and you can also join at that time if the church feels like too distressing and unsafe a space otherwise. Although the church does not represent a safe let alone inviting space to everyone, we chose the church not only because it as a space that provides additional levels to the un-doctrinal-sanctity approach, but also because (nature and) art are doing poorly, and churches have usable spaces with little use. The widest possible range of deals between different actors will also improve the chances of survival for small-scale arts and culture operators. Hopefully, bringing the likes of the Invasive Species into churches could also turn them into safer spaces for more people.

spoken programme

Riina Tanskanen, speech

Otto Snellman, speech

Eugenie Touma van der Meulen, poetry

music programme

Armi Von Vep, burlesque

Detritus

Kaisamaija Uljas – lutes
Linnéa Sundfær Casserly – vocals
Jaakko Uljas – viola da gamba

– Hildegard of Bingen 1098-1179: O viridissima virga
– Barbara Strozzi 1619-1677: O Maria
– Giovanni F. Sanches 1624?- 1679: Stabat Mater (parts)
– Isabella Leonarda 1620-1704: Ave Regina Caelorum
– Barbara Strozzi 1619-1677: Nascente Maria (one part)

Elsi Sloan

Islaja

Marzi Nyman, organs

accessibility

Alppilan kirkko is located in Alppila, Helsinki, next to Linnanmäki at Kotkankatu 2. You can get there by tram 3 and 4 and bus 23.

Disabled entry is via a stair lift from the glass doors on Kotkankatu. Access to the lower lobby via the ramp from the same door.

Alppila church has an induction loop and a toilet for disabled people.

The club’s programme (speeches and songs) will be translated to Finnish and English. Translations will be made available to the public with separate instructions on site.