Metsänhaltijat (=Forest Keepers) - Participatory Art Suitcase:
- multi-level nature walks in the local nature through visual art, body awareness and augmented reality (AR) technology.

Created by choreographer and dancer Maria Nurmela and photographer and filmmaker Vesa Loikas, the Metsänhaltijat art suitcase combines contemporary dance, visual art and film art. It is realised on an augmented reality (AR) platform. The Art Suitcase is part of the City of Turku's cultural services' pop-up art programme. Nurmela and Loikas handed over the commissioned work to the City of Turku on 26.2.2025. The city will own Metsänhaltijat for one year and use the art suitcase for special events related to well-being. The Art Suitcase contains five works, which open up virtual and augmented reality experiences. In addition, the works propose a variety of body-awareness tasks that engage the user in a dynamic movement, supporting the participant’s multisensory experience.

This participatory artwork is designed for everyone, regardless of age and ability - you can do it alone or with family and friends. The Art Suitcase invites you to explore stories of the forest, personal relationships with nature, body awareness and creative movement.

The Participatory Art Suitcase offers a unique opportunity to experience media art at the interface between technology and body awareness. The project allows participants to explore their relationship with the world around them, art, embodiment and movement in entirely new, creative ways. For example, the works challenge the typical duration of AR art: during the process, Loikas managed to adapt the AR programme to include longer video segments. Nurmela and Loikas, who made the dance films, also say they encountered new questions in making the work, such as the question of fluidity, contemporary dance, moving image and performance in works combining virtual and real world.
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