SIDEWALK 3rd Edition-2026
How to Apply
Complete the application form here:
APPLY HERE:
https://forms.gle/GWEVNEm9VXjv93eV7
If you are unable to access Google Forms, you may submit your application by email.
Application Questions
Which city in the Capital Region do you live in?
Do you have any prior studies or experience in art? If yes, please tell us more.
Have you ever attended a live performance art event? If so, which ones left a lasting impression on you and why?
How do you usually use photography in your daily life? For example, do you document routines, capture spontaneous moments, preserve memories, or tell stories through images? What interests you about turning an action or moment into a photograph?
Everyday skills, hobbies, and routines can inspire performance art. What aspect of your daily life, whether meaningful, exciting, ordinary, or even boring, would you like to explore through an artistic project?
What motivates you to participate in Sidewalk?
What do you hope to gain from this experience?
Do you have any questions or concerns about participating?
OPEN CALL
Turn Inspiration into Action
Applications are now open for Sidewalk 2026, a free educational art project organized by The Other Side Performance Art Platform in collaboration with the Finnish Museum of Photography.
We invite residents of the Capital Region who are curious about creativity, self-expression, and contemporary art to join the third edition of Sidewalk.
No previous artistic experience is required.
Sidewalk is designed for people who are interested in exploring new ways of thinking, creating, and engaging with the world around them. Through workshops, mentoring sessions, discussions, and collaborative activities, participants will learn about performance art, develop their own artistic ideas, and create an original work that will be professionally documented and presented in a public exhibition at the Finnish Museum of Photography.
This year's edition focuses on the relationship between performance art and photography. Your experiences, interests, routines, memories, and observations are the starting point. What matters is curiosity, commitment, and a willingness to explore.
Participation is completely free.
What is Sidewalk?
Sidewalk is an eight-session educational program that introduces participants to performance art and supports them in developing their own artistic project from idea to realization.
Working together with professional artists and educators, participants will:
Learn about performance art and contemporary artistic practices
Explore different creative methods and approaches
Develop an original performance concept
Receive mentoring and feedback throughout the process
Realize and document a performance work
Participate in a public exhibition at the Finnish Museum of Photography
Sidewalk is rooted in the belief that artistic expression is not limited to professional artists. The project creates a space where personal experiences, everyday actions, and individual perspectives can become material for artistic exploration. See the previous editions HERE.
Meet the Mentor
Leena Kela
We are proud to announce Leena Kela as the lead mentor for Sidewalk 2026.
Leena Kela is a performance artist, curator, and Doctor of Fine Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts, Uniarts Helsinki. Her artistic practice explores structural changes in society, environmental crises, and relationships between human and non-human bodies through site-specific and duration-based performances.
She is the artistic director of New Performance Turku Biennale and has presented her work extensively in festivals, museums, and art institutions across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
As an educator, her work focuses on horizontal learning, the dialogue between corporeality and materiality, and performance as a tool for political agency and critical reflection.
What Are You Signing Up For?
Participants selected through the open call will take part in workshops led by performance artist and educator Leena Kela.
During the workshops, participants will:
Be introduced to the history, foundations, and language of performance art
Explore the relationship between performance art and photography
Participate in creative exercises and artistic experiments
Develop their own performance concepts
Receive feedback and mentorship throughout the process
We are also delighted to welcome distinguished performance artists and educators Essi Kausalainen (FI), Annette Arlander (FI), and Henrik Vestergaard Friis (DK) as guest lecturers.
Following the workshop period, each participant will have individual meetings with the mentor and The Other Side team to develop their ideas further and discuss production needs.
Once the concepts are finalized, participants will select a date to realize their work. A professional production team will support the execution of each performance and provide the necessary equipment for documentation.
The Other Side team will then edit and prepare the materials for the final exhibition, which will open at the Finnish Museum of Photography in January 2027.
Beyond the project period, The Other Side remains committed to supporting artists throughout their artistic journey by facilitating additional opportunities for performances, exhibitions, and professional development.
Who Can Apply?
Open to all residents of the Capital Region aged 18 and above.
No previous experience in contemporary art is required.
We especially encourage applications from people who are curious about art but have not previously had opportunities to participate in artistic projects.
This program is intended for non-professional artists.
Unfortunately, we cannot accept applications from:
Professional artists
Current university-level art students in the arts
Individuals holding an academic degree in art
Project Timeline
Phase 1: Workshops & Ideation
Workshop Dates:
8-9 (SAT-SUN) August 2026
15-16 (SAT-SUN) August 2026
22-23 (SAT-SUN) August 2026
29-30 (SAT-SUN) August 2026
Time: 13:00-16:00
Location:
The Finnish Museum of Photography
Cable Factory
Kaapeliaukio 3
00180 Helsinki
Recommended Event
15 August 2026
Participants are encouraged to attend One-Day Stand No. 7, a live performance art event presented by The Other Side at the Finnish Museum of Photography.
Phase 2: Production & Documentation
15-30 September 2026
Participants will select their preferred production dates during the workshop period.
Phase 3: Exhibition
January-February 2027
The exhibition featuring the documented works will be presented at the Finnish Museum of Photography.
Language
All workshops, lectures, mentoring sessions, and project activities will be conducted in English.
Important Dates
Application Deadline: 22 July 2026
Selected Participants Announced: 27 July 2026
Participation Confirmation Deadline: 1 August 2026
Workshop Period: August 2026
Production Period: September 2026
Exhibition Opening: January 2027
Selection Criteria
Participants will be selected based on:
Motivation to participate
Curiosity towards performance art and creative experimentation
Commitment to attending workshops and project activities
Creating a diverse group representing different backgrounds and municipalities within the Capital Region
There are no interviews, auditions, or external juries.
Learn More About Performance Art
Performance art is a contemporary art form that uses actions, presence, movement, objects, sound, images, and audience interaction as artistic material.
No previous knowledge is required to participate.
Useful links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_art
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmMTKdUAokM
Terms & Conditions
📍 Participants must be 18 years of age or older and reside in the Capital Region.
📍 All workshops and project activities follow safer-space principles based on respect, inclusion, and mutual care.
📍 Participants may not engage in actions that pose risks to themselves or others. The mentor reserves the right to reject, modify, or interrupt projects that raise safety concerns.
📍 Workshops and project activities will be documented through photography and video.
📍 The Other Side retains the right to present the produced works in future exhibitions, screenings, publications, and artistic events, with full credit given to participants.
📍 Participants remain free to present their works in other contexts, provided appropriate credit is given to the Sidewalk project and its collaborators.
Be Part of Sidewalk 2026
Join us in exploring how actions, images, memories, and everyday experiences can become artistic material.
We look forward to discovering what you will bring to Sidewalk 2026.
Please read the Terms & Conditions carefully before submitting your application.
