Essi Kausalainen is the first residential artist for ANTI. Kausalainen spent four weeks in Kuopio preparing her work for the 2009 festival. During the spring Kausalainen explored shopping centres, a hospital, a youth centre, the university, a library, a school, Kuopio Club House, a bank and several everyday spaces. For her new work for the festival Kausalainen returns to the Valkeinen hospital where she previously worked with patients in the dementia ward on her Travelling Garden project. “I spent the first two weeks in May roaming around Kuopio with my Travelling Garden. The reception for my project exceeded all my expectations: 195 people became involved, giving me more than 200 drawings. While drawing, we had conversations about growth, creation and loss – miracles, wonder and light. Every drawer received some seeds to take away. It is my wish that these seeds will over the summer grow into a garden where we can reunite in the autumn.”

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  Photo by Pekka Mäkinen 2009