In the international alumni interview series Christy Ma interviews Nicolina Stylianou, a performer with a strong background in visual arts and design.
Dear readers,
Following on the blog post about the insights we’ve gained from the Boost Your Future event, Elle and I are motivated to get to know more about the art scene here and perhaps gain some useful tips to integrate to Helsinki through alumni’s sharing and experience. As I have just graduated from the Comparative Dramaturgy and Performance Research(CDPR) programme from the Theatre Academy in June, I am personally very curious about how fellow international artists are doing after graduation. Which has driven me to connect to a few alumni and organize interviews. The way I am writing this blog also includes my personal thoughts as I am navigating my life here as well. I hope you will enjoy it.
I interviewed two alumni from the Theatre Academy in June and it was an interesting coincidence that we all decided to have the interviews at the Tori (meaning ‘the square’ in Finnish) at the Theatre Academy. I think we are all emotionally attached to this place in a way. It is also a great place to mingle before the performances and get to know what projects fellow students and artists have been up to.
Nicolina and I met on a sunny afternoon, we have never met in person before so it was a bit difficult for us to find each other at the Tori. Nicolina was wearing a very cool looking purple and green jacket, I really liked how the colors match with her makeup too. The reason why I am mentioning this is because apart from being a graduate from Live Art and Performance Studies (LAPS) Master’s degree programme, Nicolina has a strong background in visual arts and design. I definitely admire her sense of colors and style and it is shown in her daily outfit too. Nicolina works at the intersection of live performance and various disciplines, her interests cover body movement, behavior, psychological ways of approaching the body, as well as sound and sculpture. She breaches these worlds by creating wearable musical instruments which she calls —body-sculptures.
I asked Nicolina what brought her to Finland. She said that she was attracted by the content and approach of the programme. It is one of the very few courses that incorporates critical theory, history, artistic and curatorial practice. Nicolina expressed that “I feel grounded the first day I arrive, although I do not know the language or anyone.” The city really has its own charm even before the working network grows. The programme also supports the development of the students in many ways. Nicolina expressed it was the way she has developed as an artist, a thinker, and a person that made her finally decide to stay. She has been here for six years already.
We also discussed artistic practices and how they are incorporated in research. The ways artists approach research varies, depending on the areas of practice and influences from the society and zeitgeist. What Nicolina has experienced in the LAPS programme is that the programme “encourages students to think and to question, to be critical and to research”. The way research is positioned in the programme is not to value research over artistic practice, but more like an encouragement of thinking through the practice itself and delve deeper into the possibilities of experimentations.
Read the full interview here: https://blogit.uniarts.fi/en/post/interview-with-nicolina-stylianou/