I was on the RAF (Rapid Art Force) tour from July 26th through August 4th. RAF is an avant-garde, multidisciplinary music collective that consists of artists from various fields, such as music, theatre, circus, dance, and visual art. It has been touring around some unusual, interesting places for site-specific, improvised concerts, mostly during summer.
I’ve performed as a RAF member for a few years now, and it is one of the very special projects, where I learn and enjoy improvisation in extreme circumstances, crossing the borders of art. And I get to do it with highly skilled and generous artists from across the globe. It’s creative collaboration so thrilling and wonderful.
This year’s tour felt especially potent for two reasons. One is professional; a physically intense performance schedule really challenged my stamina and ability to concentrate. 12 concerts in 9 days. Moreover, each concert was at a different place, and the program was also different each time. It was overwhelming. But each place gave me a lot of inspiration for improvisation, and I tried my best to explore all that.
The second reason is personal; I am so grateful to my fellow RAF artists for their friendship during the tour. I often feel like the odd one out in social situations, but never had I felt alone when I was touring with the RAF members. Some of them I’d met for the first time for the tour, and yet they ended up being the ones who celebrated my birthday (August 3rd) in such a beautiful way. I was deeply touched by their kindness and love. It was truly a happy birthday for me.
Now the tour is over, and I’m feeling fatigue and profound growth sizzling inside me. I don’t yet know what the growth would mean in my life, but maybe I don’t have to know… just like in improvisation, I only need to stay present and curious.. and act with courage.
RAPID ART FORCE summer tour 2023 members
– Timo Kinnunen, accordion
– Paul Roe, clarinet
– Sara Catellani, dance
– Yuko Takeda, theatre
– Antti Ohenoja, percussion
– Anne-Marie O’Farrell, harp
– Mikko Perkola, viola da gamba, electronics
– Maria Chifu, bassoon
– Lotta Rautakorpi, acrobatics
