Ana Loureiro
Hello everyone!
My name is Ana Loureiro and I’m a visual artist.
I had the privilege to be selected by BMKOES to attend a residency program at the iconic Cable Factory in Helsinki, the biggest cultural center in Finland, from January until the beginning of April 2024.
HIAP - Helsinki International Artist Programme was the organization that hosted me and I could not have been in better hands.
Their engagement, affection and concern in making us feel comfortable by respecting our wishes and working rhythm had a positive impact on the results of the project I developed during the three months of my stay.
HIAP had a very important role in putting us in contact with Helsinki’s art scene and guiding us during our project development.
In the meanwhile, I had the opportunity to network with other very talented and friendly HIAP residents. The combination of all these factors, made me feel happy and like home even if it was -18 degrees outside and night at 3:30 p.m.
When I saw the open call from BMKOES for the HIAP residency and learnt about the organization, I started to be very curious about the Cable Factory. Then, I started to search about its history and I was mesmerized. I wanted to do a project about that building!
Since my artistic practice is focused on the relationship between spaces and their memories with a strong process of archiving and diving into their history, I felt that the factory would be a good object of analysis due to its past and what it has become nowadays. My studio apartment was inside the factory, which strengthened my relationship with it. At one point, I was feeling a part of it and the community.
When I arrived almost at midnight, I was absorbed by the monumentality and architecture of the building and it was “love at first sight”. As soon as I was exploring the factory, I found a lot of architectural traces and objects. Some from the early 40’s, when the factory was strongly involved in the production of electric and sea cables, some from the time when the factory became part of Nokia and what it is now: a cultural centre.
Since people also have a strong impact on the identity of spaces, I was interested in learning about the past of the previous workers as well as the artists and organizations that are now at the factory.
Long days were spent in the different archives in Helsinki and visiting studios at the Cable Factory. With the help of silicone moulding and drawing, I was able to capture the traces of the passage of time and reproduce them.
The 3-month residency wase rewarding!
With the support of HIAP and the curators-in-residence, it was possible to drive the project into an interesting direction and network with different people not only from the art field.
Helsinki, HIAP and the Cable Factory will be places that I will love to revisit in the near future. However, they will always live in my mind and heart.
| 1. | My stay in one word: |
| Rewarding | |
| 2. | Dos & don’ts in this place: |
| Dos: The Cable Factory is a unique and very special place. It's full of history and life and still preserves elements that belong to the building’s different phases and activities. I recommend exploring the places and corridors of the factory and to enjoy the vast cultural offer. There's no risk of getting bored at the Cable Factory!
Helsinki was a very industrial city and still retains these traces in its architecture, but it is also very orientated towards nature and leisure. Spread throughout the city, there are a wide variety of saunas to try out and it's a good way to get in touch with an activity that is part of the country's identity. As the city centre isn't very big, I recommend taking a walk and enjoying the scenery by the sea. A visit to the fortress island of Suomenlinna, 15 minutes away by ferry, is highly recommended. It's nature’s paradise! Don’ts: When exploring the Cable Factory building for the first time, it's better to go with someone who knows the place. Otherwise you'll get lost in the corridors or live forever in the cellar! In winter, never go outside without ice-appropriate footwear. Yes, because of the extreme cold, the streets and avenues turn into beautiful “ice rinks”. There are times when skates wouldn't be a bad option! |
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| 3. | Things I miss since I am no longer there: |
| I miss all the people I met, especially my fellow residents and the people working at HIAP. I miss the Thursdays coffee meetings where we gather all together in the cosy community room at HIAP’s office on Suomenlinna and discuss different topics.
I miss the Cable Factory and how much its diversity and dynamism inspired me and my practice day by day. It was a privilege to be part of it and to live there. It was a privilege to meet organizations and artists who have their studios in the building. I was certainly very happy there! |
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| 4. | Where to shop great supplies: |
| Tempera Oy is a shop where it is possible to find an array of fine arts and crafts supplies. | |
| 5. | What you should definitely bring with you from home: |
| My experience was during wintertime, so I should bring warm snow boots! Winter in Finland almost lasts forever! | |
| 6. | Concerning art at this destination and where I visited the best exhibitions: |
| First good tip: most museums in Helsinki have free admission on the last Tuesday or Wednesday of every month!
The photography, architecture, design, Amos Rex and Kiasma museums were where I saw the exhibitions I enjoyed the most. In the Cable Factory, there is the MUU gallery which is well worth a visit. In the city centre there is also a wide variety of galleries with interesting exhibitions: Sinne Gallery, Hippolyte, Forum Box, Maa-Tila, etc. |
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| 7. | Around the studio – where I shop, drink my coffee and get the best lunch deal in walking distance: |
| Definitely the best places to have lunch and coffee were the restaurants inside the Cable Factory: at Traba and Hima&Sali the food, coffee and cakes are very good and cheaper than elsewhere in Helsinki. The area where my studio was located has a supermarket very close by where I could find a variety of products and it was open 24/7. |
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| 8. | Where I like to spend the evening (dinner, drinks, best sound and networking opportunity): |
| During the wintertime it is hard to go out because of the very low temperatures and since everything closes very early. However, karaoke bars are very popular in Helsinki!
Good opportunities for networking and gathering with other residents usually were the exhibition openings, which happened late in the afternoon/evening. Also, during our stay some of the residents prepared delicious dinners in their houses. They were very pleasant moments. |
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| 9. | What would have been useful to know before coming here and starting my residency: |
| Everything was well explained and carefully prepared before I arrived. HIAP is a very efficient organization. Everybody is so professional and the assistants are the most beautiful souls I have ever met! |
Website resident: analoureiro.com