Projects

Depth of the origins

This is joined project of the musician and artist Ville Syrjäläinen and the ancestral tradition holder and ecological artist Gabriela Ariana. Together we create and space for connecting with the deepest layers of the body as nature. Our performances intend to hold a timeless space for everybody interest in experiencing an authentic connection with own nature and the nature, own presence, to experience a ritualistic moment where community is born organically. How art can support us, contain us, unite us. Could art hold an space for experiencing equality or social justice?. Could art be the healer?.

Our performances and sessions are born in the moment, from the moment, listening, sensing and being aware of the different aspects, situations, the space where we are and needs of the community to who we create this ritualistic space. We want to encourage and support the audience to be an active part of the ritual: singing, dancing, expressing as each one may need.

We want to give shape, sound and movement to the ancestral wisdom that nature holds. We want to recover music, dance and even the idea of performance’s origin, which was to be a surviving tool to go through life, a ritual of connection, in awareness and with deep respect for the future generations.

In a society where there is so limited spaces for expressing own self authentically, we would like to offer an space, hold by music, voice and dance art, to get embodied, that means, to rise up the knowledge of the cells, the awareness of who we are. This is an action of sovereignty, decolonization and freedom. In our performances and sessions, we combine archaic singing, dance, drumming and technology to create an space of “coming back home”, to your own body, to the presence of your soul and to the presence of our foremothers and forefathers in us.

If you want to be part of this and live the experience check on the events calendar for performances. WELCOME!

This video was made at Lapinlahden bay in Helsinki, Finland. It is part of the documentation of the project Depth of the origins of Ariana & Syrjäläinen yhtye.

 

Over the land of the bear

Is a 10 month project working as an artist in residence in Haltia Nature Center in the forests of Nuuksio in Espoo-Finland. Starting from March and ending on December 2021. The project includes, dance, archaic singing and field art work. Also holding workshops for the community, documenting this journey and creating material for my next peace that will have premier on the Fall 2021. This project is supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation (Suomen kulttuurirahasto).

Research on natural materials for performance work

This is a research we will do during July and august 2021 as a join project between the costume designer Joanna Weckman and the ecological artist and performer Gabriela Ariana. This work is financed by Arts Promotion Center of Finland (Taike).

The Sovereign body

This is a joined project between the chilean artists Leslie Apablaza, Carolina Cifras and Gabriela Ariana (Chile-Finland) where we search for concrete methodologies and practices that can nourish and strengthen the relation body-nature. Our idea is to be able to put this practices in service of our communities, to increase awareness of ecological issues through arts and mainly to recover the sovereignty of the human body: decolonize it, liberate it, empower it. The project will start on the Fall 2021 and will continue during 2022.