A lecture performance at Puoli-Q Theatre, Helsinki.

There were two starting points for the performance lecture A year as a professor. First, I was interested in bringing everyday and personal observations into the context of the performance, onto the stage. Second, the performance was part of my artistic post doc research, where I reflected on my personal experience of the institution and its presentation.

The performance was an hour-long performance lecture, which I gave at the Puoli-q theatre in September 2019. The lecture consisted of personal storytelling and embodied experiences and moods. For example, I was interested in what being a professor ‘sounds like’: there is a hum that gets louder and louder. I was curious how being a professor feels like: blowing up a balloon over and over and letting it deflate. I showed the audience photos that I had taken from the window of my office, which opened up to the view of Merihaka. Time passes, the weather changes, sometimes not even that. The ordinary becomes strange when the light begins to flicker in a way that was not expected, or when objects begin to slowly fall from the table. A fog rises from somewhere and covers the office.

Concept, script and performance: Pilvi Porkola

Light design: Mia Kivinen

Photos: Pate Pesonius