Faravid’s Land

The performance Faravid’s Land, which intertwines theatre, contemporary circus and contemporary dance, is set in Oulu’s legendary Raksila market area, which at its heyday even surpassed Helsinki’s Stockmann in grocery sales. Now the Eka-market building has reached the end of its useful life; it is to be demolished, and the area will eventually be home to a long-awaited new source of happiness and pride: an experience arena, a centre promising bliss and vitality for all of northern Finland. So does the source of Oulu’s happiness lie hidden in Raksila? Is this where it was buried? Faravid’s Land is a journey from the remains of the market to ancient North Ostrobothnia, and a myth about seekers and keepers of happiness. What is happiness, really? In this dreamlike experience, possible guides include Akka-Queen, who commands old and new spells; Kärppä, the local power animal; or Kaamos itself. The work’s mythological fiction and fascinating creatures are brought together with a market building that has seen better days, where the history of Sale, Alko and flea-market activity also echoes. Faravid’s Land invites audiences not only to marvel at the skills of 14 actors, dancers and circus artists, but also to conjure happiness, banish misfortune, say goodbye to the Raksila market and welcome the offbeat experience arena that comes before the experience arena. Eternal questions and mythical landscapes unfold throughout the emptied building in this immersive performance, where audiences are free to choose their own path towards fulfilment—a goal they pursue cunningly, conjure powerfully and are quietly ashamed of. A myth is a story or belief that explains things for which there is no first-hand knowledge or whose truth cannot be proven. Happiness is a wondrous thing, and according to statistics there is a great deal of it in the city of Oulu. Faravid’s Land is written by Eira Virekoski and directed by Alma Lehmuskallio and Pirjo Yli-Maunula. The production is a co-production by Oulun teatteri and Flow Productions, in collaboration with Oulu2026 and still still (NED).