COMPANY
The Center for Everything is a performing arts company founded in 2015. It continues the artistic work previously realised under the names The Lost City Inc. and Experience Parks. The artistic actions of the company emerge from performing arts, but aim to challenge habitual practices of art. At the moment this comes about by creating diverse audience relationships, combining art and science, mixing art and technology and developing artistically challenging game design.
The Center for Everything is supported by Arts Promotion Centre Finland and The City of Helsinki. It’s a part of IETM – International network for contemporary performing arts, Eskus – Performance Centre and Theatre Centre.
Samee Haapa is a producer, director, performer, artistic researcher and a dj. In addition to having degrees in both acting (FIA) and dance they also hold a BA in Cultural Anthropology. They have worked over 20 years as a producer, director and performer both in Finland and internationally, both in institutions and as a freelancer.
They are also a doctoral candidate in artistic research at the Performing Arts Research Centre Tutke in the University of the Arts Helsinki. The focus of their doctoral research is performing in immersive and game performances.
They are the artistic director of The Center for Everything.
Kaisa Kemikoski is a Finnish costume designer and costumer. Her MA graduate collection won “The best of the best” competition at Aalto University in Helsinki. Since then Kemikoski has worked in the performing arts scene over 20 years designing costumes both for traditional and contemporary productions with a focus on contemporary circus and dance. On her list of achievements there are also book and album cover illustrations.
Marko Mäkinen has worked as a photographer and graphic designer in the field of performing arts for 20 years.
Harold Hejazi is an artist from Vancouver Island, Canada whose practice involves being a performer, a game designer, and an educator—all at the same time!
He encourages alternative ways of engaging with art by creating games and participatory performances in collaboration with museums and art galleries. His practice inspires critical thinking around issues and ideas that span a broad spectrum of social life: from race and class to social memory and interpersonal dynamics.
He moved to Finland in 2017 to pursue an MA in Live Art and Performance Studies at the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki.
Arttu Nieminen is a director and media artist based in Rovaniemi. The starting point for his work is arctic nature. Sometimes nature shows itself to Arttu as its own conscious being, sometimes as a mystical interface between seen and unseen. Surrealism, intuition and chance guide his work.
The experimental short films and short fictions of Arttu have been shown on several festivals nationally and internationally. Video installations, performances and happenings all combine into his language of creativity.
Living in the surroundings of Lappish nature has an indisputable impact on all of his works. The serenity, freedom, feeling of space and force of nature is perpetually present. When the weather whips its cold blows, the intimacy of a tiny cabin on a fjell or by a lake extracts such strong feeling of presence that it is hard – or at least much different to aim to reach within a city habitat. To this feeling of now, Arttu leans his work.
There are also seven associate members.