Life on a Leaf

Niina Tanskanen
Residency coordinator
info@lifeonaleaf.fi

Ida Taavitsainen
Ombudsman / secretary
leaf@lifeonaleaf.fi

The Life on a Leaf building is located in Hirvensalo, about 6 kilometers from the centre of Turku. It is located on a spacious plot that borders a natural forest. The living area of ​​the Life on a Leaf house is 147 m2. The artist’s spouse or older children may live in the residence, but the house it not suitable for small children. Pets are not allowed. The house shares a yard with another house (Kuusi-o) designed by Jan-Erik Andersson and Erkki Pitkäranta, which is the current home of Andersson and Marjo Malin. The Life on a Leaf building has good public transport and bicycle connections from central Turku. The rent is €630 / month (including electricity and internet) + a monthly water fee of 20 € per person.
The residency is not accessible for people with reduced mobility (the building’s second and third floors can only be reached via narrow stairs).

The residence is run by Life on a Leaf Association, which aims to engage in and promote collaboration between art, architecture, academic research and business, with the aim of creating an urban environment conducive to imagination and creativity. The association is responsible for the maintenance and the preservation of this unique site, together with Life on a Leaf Ltd, in which the association is majority shareholder. The activity is non-profit.

Both artists and researchers, whose work focuses on urban space or the built environment can apply for the residency. The fields of art are not limited. Possible areas of research include, for example, art research,
architecture, urban planning, urban studies, cultural studies, etc.
The residence is intended for self-directed work. For artists, the residence is mainly suitable for smaller projects, planning creative work and working on a computer. There is a room in the house that can be used for drawing and planning, but not for painting, sculpting or building.
The length of the residency can be 2–6 months. The residency does not include economic support for the artist’s or the researcher’s work. Life on a Leaf`s residency coordinator can help the resident with practical matters and to create additional contacts among artists and academics in Turku and Finland if necessary.

Open call for the artist and researchers residency annually in April-May.
Application information can be found on the residency’s website.