Avaruuden Nurkka
Set, Light and Video Design
Avaruuden nurkka
Set, Light and Video Design
By Bonsai Kittens at Viirus Theatre, Helsinki
ABOUT
A satire on end-of-times phenomena
“I have a feeling I’m gonna drop something really big this year”
What do food couriers, estranged spouses and billionaires have in common? They are all part of a big game that has already started.
Avaruuden nurkka (a corner in space) is a stage performance inspired by the aesthetics of video games and social media, that offers an overview of modern day power structures. In an episodic performance, NPCs (non playable characters) seek their own agency.
We are invaded by floods, the stimuli of advertising and by trends that change at an ever-increasing pace. It’s no longer easy to distinguish whether humans are in control of their own lives or NPCs. But who is programming us and can we even survive the game?
ABOUT THE SET AND LIGHT
"The Corner of Space" is a theatre performance by the working group Bonsai Kittens, which began with a collaborative workshop period in 2024. Each member of the group contributed their own vision and content to the piece. From this material, Liila Jokelin created the script.
In the set and video design, I was interested in continuing the thematic exploration of my exhibition Squares and Chairs, where I investigate Kazimir Malevich’s Black Square and the visual language of the De Stijl movement. I was particularly fascinated by the relationship between video and stage design — how the physical space of the set could “extend” into the artificial world of the video, and vice versa.
Light played a central role in achieving this goal. It became a tool that allowed the lighting conditions of the 3D-animated video landscapes to continue seamlessly into the stage space. For instance, the bluish hue of the cityscape in the infinite pool sequence was extended into the physical space through lighting alone. The role of light was subtle — often it was perceived as if it were coming directly from the video itself.
It’s compelling how video, where light can be manipulated in ways impossible in the real world, can still have its artificial world expanded through real-world lighting. The mere play between video and physical space creates an immersive and emotionally resonant imaginative landscape for the viewer.
CAST
The performance has English subtitles.
Bonsai Kittens:
Director and manuscript: Liila Jokelin
On stage: Emma Castrén ja Inkeri Raittila
Lighting and scenic design: Veli-Ville Sivén
Video design: Veli-Ville Sivén & Timo Tikka
Sound design and music: Janne Masalin
Costume design: Riikka Mäntymaa
Language: Finnish. Subtitles in the Subtitle Mobile application
English subtitles: Sarka Hantula
Lenght 90 minutes, no intermission
Age recommendation 12+
Content warnings loud sounds and music, theatrical smoke, blinking lights, stylized violent imagery and sexual references
Supported by: Jenny ja Antti Wihurin rahasto, Suomen Kulttuurirahasto, Taiteen edistämiskeskus and Svenska kulturfonden
REVIEWS AND ARTICLES