Plan 884 (Kaava 884) is a participatory performance that involves walking through and spending time in a changing city. The artwork examines the power of urban planning, the overall feel of the area and its possible futures.
”The purpose of this town planning amendment is to examine the possibilities of changing the locomotive depot and the surrounding workshops previously used for rail traffic and industry into an area with offices and public buildings. The railway traffic area will remain unchanged where necessary. The needs and use purposes of the area will be clarified during the town planning process.” – The urban structure committee of Kuopio, minutes 16 June 2021/section 117)
The city is in constant transformation. It is born, alive and disappearing one decision at a time.
The first train arrived in Kuopio in 1888. The clatter of metal filled the locomotive depot, the scent of railway sleepers was in the air and smoke was burning your eyes. Now, 135 years later, the locomotive depot sits empty. Cars and their sounds are swirling outside the depot. Houses originally built for railway workers are now inhabited by people employed elsewhere.
The purpose of Town Plan 884 is to reshape the future of the area. The park once used for recreation, dating back to tsarist times, will be renovated. The trunks of the trees in the area bear urban planning numbers. New buildings are planned for the area, to serve new inhabitants, a new kind of work. New purposes are planned for the old buildings or they will be demolished.
What will life at the railway yard be like in the future? How does tree number 82 feel about the new town plan? What kinds of experiences do the jackdaws guarding the yard have, spanning generations?
Plan 884 is a participatory performance that involves walking through and spending time in a town under transformation. The artwork examines the power of town planning, the feeling of the area and its possible futures.
Plan 884 is a continuation of the Työmaa (‘Construction Site’) artwork by Sebastian López-Lehto, Maarit Utriainen and Riikka Vuorenmaa carried out in the period 2020–2023. The series examines topical sites of new construction and areas subject to town plans at the performance locations.
Plan 884 is a part of Kulkue project. Kulkue is a joint project of three major art festivals. ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival (Kuopio), HangöTeaterträff (Hanko) and Baltic Circle Festival (Helsinki) are carrying out an exceptionally broad series of joint productions from Finland and a tour built around the works. The key goal of the project is to promote the accessibility of festivals and extend the artwork lifecycle. The project is funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union through Future DiverCities project..
