We wanted to offer a place for collegial meetings and peer conversations about issues important to each artist.
These times have been hard and demanding for everyone, but especially for people working with performing arts and other art forms based on meetings between people. We wanted to start conversations by going back to the core of making, experiencing and loving art. This felt important especially now when the world around is chaotic and uncertain in many ways.
We asked the artist these questions, among others:
- Why do I do what I do?
- What is the core reason for me being an artist, and a dance artist in particular?
- What are those fractions in time or around me, that have created a guiding spark for my artistic activities, both now and in earlier phases of my career?
- Towards what have I travelled, and towards what am I gravitating at this moment and in these times?
The dialogues will be published on Thu, Feb 4, 2021. They will be available until Feb 21.
Amanda 007, Lydia Gucci & Lola Gucci
Amanda 007
Performance artist, dancer, trans activist Amanda 007 started dancing hiphop when she was 14 years old. Later she found voguing and ballroom culture. The aesthetics of her movement are mostly based on vogue femme elements. She uses also drag and burlesque in her art.
As a dancer, Amanda has worked solo and with several groups in large productions with Finnish artists such as Jenni Vartiainen, Olavi Uusivirta, Robin and Kaija Koo.
Currently Amanda is a part of two Vogue based performance art groups called Gorgeous House of Gucci Finland and Amanda & Lydia. The latter is known for outstanding performances in the Finnish Queer club scene. They have performed abroad and also in large music festivals with artists like Princess Nokia, Alma and Leila K.
Lydia Gucci
Lydia Ofi Teresia is a transfemme burlesque and performance artist and a member of an international Ballroom-house called The Gorgeous House of Gucci.
In her work Lydia combines drag and burlesque to voguing and Ballroom-aesthetics. In her career Lydia has also worked as a dancer in large productions with artists such as Princess Nokia, Alma, Krista Siegfrids and Jenni Vartiainen.
In addition to her solo numbers, Lydia also performs as a part of Amanda & Lydia -performance art duo and with her sisters in The Gorgeous House of Gucci Finland. Amanda & Lydia have performed at an international queer art festival IPAF in Copenhagen in addition to performing at various events in Finnish queer club scene. The Gorgeous House of Gucci Finland (also featured in an award winning documentary KELET) has performed in various Finnish festivals such as Querelle, Cirko, Ruisrock and Flow. In 2020 The Gorgeous House of Gucci Finland was awarded with Academic Arts Award by the students union of The University of the Arts Helsinki.
Lola Gucci
Lola Lorenzo Gucci is a makeup artist, a social media influencer and charismatic performer from Helsinki. She has been member of the international House of Gucci since 2017 and part of the finnish (Vogue) Ballroom scene since 2013.