Jónbjörn. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Nordic Bridges Celebration
Toronto, Ontario
Presented by
Harbourfront Centre
Celebrate the spectacular finale of Nordic Bridges, a year of exceptional Nordic–Canadian arts and culture collaboration.
The celebration includes Nordic culinary delights from A Movable Feast, dance music from Icelandic DJ Jónbjörn, unique vocal performances by special guest Tuuletar and visual art exhibits to explore on-site including Fuglakvæðið (The Bird Ballad) by Faroese artist Edward Fuglø, Kjøt (Meat) by Faroese artist Heiðrik á Heygum, and Eyes as Big as Plates from Norwegian–Finnish artist duo Karoline Hjorth and Riitta Ikonen.
We encourage you to dress for the weather, as there are activities to explore both indoors and outdoors. If you’re up for a sauna, also pack your swimsuit and towel.
Presented as part of Harbourfront Centre’s Festival of Cool.
Event Supporters
With fierce energy, beatbox rhythms and other-worldly harmonies, Tuuletar take Finnish music abroad with a novel approach. The band’s virtuoso singers create a sonic landscape where beatbox rhythms and Finnish poetry tradition meet global influences. With freshly invigorating original music, Tuuletar enchants audiences globally with its heartfelt, tribal and captivating spirit.
The band’s debut album Tules Maas Vedes Taivaal, in 2016, was a huge international success and won the prestigious EMMA award (the Finnish equivalent to the Grammy Award) for the best ethno album of the year. The following year, their song Alku sold to HBO for an episodic spot on Game of Thrones.
Their second album Rajatila / Borderline gained rave reviews and has been playlisted on radio shows worldwide. Their second album’s raw and fragile sound draws inspiration from trip-hop, art pop, ancient spells and folktales.
Tuuletar has toured worldwide, with major tours across Asia and performing at festivals in New Zealand, India and Budapest. In 2022, Tuuletar celebrates its 10th anniversary with a unique, retrospective live show filled with warm friendships and memories from tours worldwide.
Edward Fuglø is a Faroese artist with strong ties to Denmark, a graduate of the Danish School of Art, Crafts and Design in Copenhagen and has shown his work in the country extensively and throughout Europe. He works in various media, including installation, set design, costume and graphic design.
Fuglø routinely works with Danish authors as an illustrator, creating cover art and illustrations for writers like Jan Cortzen, Lisbeth Nebelong and Høgni Debes Joensen.
Heiðrik á Heygum graduated from the Danish Independent Film School Super16 and the Academy of Art of Iceland. á Heygum is called a renaissance man whose work encompasses film, art, and music and often combines all three art forms. He is one of the leading artists from the Faroe Islands, producing art, music, award-winning films and music videos for acclaimed Nordic singers and acts. He hails from a conservative background in the isolated Faroe Islands, and growing up in a religious and patriarchal society significantly impacted his childhood. á Heygum’s art is divided into two different worlds: a world of the surrealistic and fantastical to the quiet and private world questioning identity, social heritage, sexuality and adulthood. In 2021, he presented a solo exhibition at the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands. Harbourfront Centre presents Kjøt (Meat) from November 25 to January 8, 2023. It is his first solo exhibition outside Europe.
Riitta Ikonen is a Finnish artist whose collaborative work reinforces humanity’s connection to the natural world. Ikonen received her BA from the University of Brighton and her MA from Royal College of Art in London. She lives and works in New York City and London.
Karoline Hjorth (b. 1980) is a Norwegian photographer, artist and writer. She completed her BA Photographic Arts and MA International Journalism at the University of Westminster (London) in 2009. Her photographic work has received the Deloitte Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London and has been exhibited and published internationally.
Riitta Ikonen & Karoline Hjorth have collaborated since 2011 on publications and projects including Eyes as Big as Plates (ongoing), The World in London (2012), Time is a ship that never casts anchor (2014–18), Signal, Lights, Connected for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics (2018), TEDMED Talk 2020, and Finnskogen Understories (ongoing). Finnish artist Riitta Ikonen received her MA from the Royal College of Art in 2008. Norwegian photographer, artist and writer Karoline Hjorth received her MA from the University of Westminster (London) in 2009.
Jónbjörn is an Icelandic DJ/Producer based in Reykjavík. He is the Founder of the record label Lagaffe Tales, with releases on D.KO Records, FALK, Neo Violence, Lagaffe Tales and pompon records.
