Walk Me Talk Me is a walking project that examines urban space, its conventions, and the ways in which we embody the unwritten rules of public space. Public spaces are culturally specific, and the boundaries of what is permitted can shift even within the same city, from one neighbourhood to another. Certain phenomena and things catch our attention, even when their wish is to blend into or disappear within their surroundings.
The project has two parts and began in 2018. Its components are Acts of Daring and Sharing. As a side path, during the pandemic, I created a Hundred Days Project in collaboration with Pia Lindy. It also took place in public, but without a spectator following the restrictions on gatherings.
In June 2023, Walk Me Talk Me made one more appearance at the Askel Tanssiin Community Dance Festival in Savonlinna. During the festival’s first day, it felt as if the circle was closing: the walk led us to cheer on the runners of the Savonlinna City Run in sunny summer weather. The very first of the Walk Me Talk Me walks had also taken place during Helsinki’s City Run, where we likewise ended up applauding the passing competitors. To me, it felt like the right moment to conclude the project. It received the ending it deserved.
Acts of Daring
How many unwritten rules govern our behaviour in public? What happens if we break them? Where is my place within this space? Acts of Daring is a participatory walking performance for one (or sometimes two) participants at a time.
Public space acts both as a stage for action and a performance platform. In the work, the spectator becomes a performer alongside the performer, while the performer becomes a spectator, an observer beside the spectator. What kinds of encounters and emotions do these shifts create?
Acts of Daring was presented in 2018–2019 at festivals including Festival of Instant Choreography, VanDance, Itä, Kehä, and Tampere Dance Current Contemporary Dance Festival.
Sharing
The second part of the project, Sharing, correspondingly invites people to come together and share the everyday acts of walking, cooking, and eating with one another. It is about collectively pausing in silence and becoming attuned to the presence of others, as well as moving together, drifting without confrontation—neither for nor against anything.
Sharing was presented in 2018–2019 at events including the Paikallismaisemat Festival (Zodiak – Center for New Dance), Malakta Art Faktory event, Kokkola Winter Dances, and the Pori Festival (Porin juhlaviikot)
Updated 19 Sep 2025
