CREATE A PERSONAL SPACE - THE SIZE OF THE PRESIDENTAL PALACE - AND SPEND A NIGHT THERE

Place: Outside Galleria Augusta, Suomenlinna
Happening: New Art Contact, performance evening
Time: 8 pm 28.08.2010 - 8 am 29.08.2010

The setting up of the space evoked less problems than I had thought. As Suomenlinna is an island, there was wind, but the rain that was promised for the evening didnt appear. The exercise the audience saw was a repetitive exercise of hammering the sticks into the ground, putting a "police-band" with Exercise of Freedom #25 written on it and setting up the tent.

During the night the heavy rain came and while I heard the thunders I was for a moment afraid that the lightning would hit my president palace, since it was in the middle of a big field. At 7:36 a car drove into the grass field and a security person opened up my tent zipper. He said that it is strictly not alowed to camp here as this is a protected area. I told him that I was doing an exercise of freedom and that it was part of an art happening. I was lucky to meet a nice guard who said that since it is in the name of art, it is ok for this time. I was not fined for having as much space as the president for a night.

GO TO A PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE FELT MOMENTS OF FREEDOM. RECREATE THESE MOMENTS AND ETERNALIZE THEM

Time: 21.11.2009 at 5pm
Place: Black box in Rådstua Teaterhus, Tromsø

This exercise was an announced performance at the Minifest performance festival in Tromsø. The exercise was to happen inside the black box where I have done numerous amateur performances in my youth. Because of this I have felt many moments of hapiness in this place and I wanted to recreate these moments with the audience.

PUT ON HEARING PROTECTION OR BLINDFOLD AND LET SOMEONE TAKE YOU TO AN UNKOWN PLACE

This exercise was performed as the opening of Minifest, performance festival. I lead around 60 audience through the city of Tromsø with a long rope. Half of them wore hearing protection and half of them were blindfolded.

Time: 19.11 at 5pm
Place: Start from Rådstua Teaterhus, end by the park behind Domkirka, Tromsø

DANCE ON THE TABLE AT A PARTY

This is a classic, but last Saturday I did it for the first time as a planned gesture. And it actually worked. After that other people where dancing on tables and chairs.

Where: The 2nd year anniversary for the "Esitys" magazine

When: 01.11.2009 at 00.12

Duration: 15 minutes

ASK THE AUDIENCE TO MANIPULATE YOU

Place: Fluxee club, Turku
Time: 25.10.2009 at 00:30
Duration: 25 minutes

USING SOMEONE ELSE'S PROJECT IN A PERSONAL PERFORMANCE PROJECT WITHOUT ASKING PERMISSION FOR IT

Christian Bujold 

Place: ?

Time: ?

Duration: ?

WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK WITH A TWO YEARS OLD ON A SUNNY JUNE DAY

Christian Bujold performing this exercise in Canada, June 2009

GO HOME AND SLEEP INSTEAD OF TURNING UP TO YOUR SOLO-PERFORMANCE

The performance was part of the Live Art Festival at the Theatre Academy in Helsinki. The picture of me sleeping is taken in my bed two minutes after my performance started. The next day I went to clean up after the performance, and the space and the shirt are the remains of the performance and audience. I heard rumors that the audience had enjoyed the exercise as well;)

GO TO THE HAIRDRESSER AND ASK THEM TO CUT YOUR HAIR SHORT

Place: Hairdresser in Pihlajamäki
Time: 3rd of June, 16.37
Duration: 15 minutes

The hairdresser told me that she had just seen a TV program about how the Hindus cut their hair bold as an offering to the gods when there has been a major problem. Since I have lived a year in a Hindu family I knew this, but what I didnt know was that the hair that they offer to the gods, other people come to pick up and ern money on the tradition by selling the hair as hair extension.

FIND A PICTURE WHICH REPRESENTS FREEDOM, RECREATE THIS IMAGE

The found picture is called "Iranian Freedom",  I guess the recreated picture is then called "Nordic Freedom".

SEE HOW FAST YOU CAN ROLL DOWN A HALLWAY IN A WHEELCHAIR

BRING AN OBJECT THAT MEANS SOMETHING FOR YOU, DIG A HOLE IN THE GROUND, PUT THE OBJECT THERE, COVER IT AND LEAVE

Time: 30.5.2009 at 7 pm
Place: by the river bank in the old town in Helsinki
Object: a DVD of my Grandmother used in the performance which ended last week

To get rid of your things is maybe the most effective and most used way to exercise freedom in personal life. The cd is unfortunately not material which is very ecological to dig down to the earth, but now it is not with me anymore.

DRAW A ROUTE ON THE MAP AND WALK THE TOUR BACKWARDS

Place: from Liusketie to Kevätkatu Link to the map over the route walked
Time: 31.5.2009, 12.35 - 13.42
Duration: 67 minutes
Distance: 3 km

It took me less then half the time to walk back again. Reading the map while walking backwards was not very easy, but since I walked so slow, I managed to walk the right direction all the time. A few people smiled to me and another asked me if I was ok. By the time I had answered "Thank you, I am fine", he had already left. A good exercise if you want walking meditation and to see known places differently.

WEAR A "CRAZY" HAT AT A PARTY

Time: 30.4.2009, 13:30
Place: Food court at Käpyrinne old folks home
Duration: 1,5 hours

1st of May in Finland is the day to party and wear hats. Since I was invited for a "crazy" hat party, I took what I had; my bike helmet. On the way there I found some wood anemone, the white spring flower, and put it in my helmet. I won the prize for the best hat because I brought the spring into the old folks home. Happy mayday!

PS: Before I had time to take pictures of me at the party, the battery went out, so I glued the picture of me and the hat on, afterwards.

GO FOR THIS YEARS FIRST SWIM IN THE SEA

Place: Lauttasaari, by the polices' sauna
Time: 24.04.2009 between 7 and 9 pm
Duration: 2 times 1 minute

Sweating in the sauna and chilling in the water is probably the most common way to exercise freedom in Finland. The water is cold. I like that.

RAISE UP AND SIT DOWN FOR TWENTY MINUTES ON THE SAME BENCH IN A PARK

Time: 20.04.09 at 6:06 pm
Duration: 20 minutes
Place: Park in front of the Helsinki School of Economics

This is an exercise from Aikido, which should help you create your own space and become more free. The bench was low and so I decided to do it in top of it. A dog walking two older men came over me, while his masters just ignored me.

MELT SNOW

Time: 4.4.2009 11 am
Place: Outside my home, Pihlajamäki
Duration: 1 h 20 min
Material: Snow, cooking equipment

Neighbours stopped and wondered what I was doing. My answer "melting snow" didn`t seem to give an accepting answer. In Tromsø, my home town in Northern Norway, all of our neighbours will every spring go out and melt snow in order to get rid of it. I guess two meters snow in the beginning of May justifies it.

MAKE A PHYSICAL BORDER AROUND YOUR BODY AND WEAR IT IN A PUBLIC SPACE FOR AN HOUR

SPRAY YOUR MESSAGE ON A PUBLIC WALL WITH A SPRAYBOX CONTAINING WATER

Place: Pihlajamäki, Helsinki
Time: Sunday 22.03.09 at 16.15
Documentation: Stein Arnesen

ENJOY A NAP IN A PUBLIC PLACE

Place: University of Helsinki, outside library
Time: Friday 13th, 6:12 pm
Duration: 40 minutes

Didnt seem like anybody noticed, so I had a pleasant nap.

PLAY WITH CHILDREN NON-STOP FOR AN HOUR AND LET THEM DECIDE THE RULES

Time: 8th of March
Place: House yard
Duration: 2 hrs
Participants: Me, 5 year old, 8 year old, 10 year old and numerous snow creatures.

It happens by itself if you let it, and the rules are all the time changing according to the mood of the participants.

CROSSDRESS

GO TO A PLACE YOU USED TO PLAY AS A CHILD AND TURN AROUND AND AROUND UNTIL YOU FALL

When I was nine years old I started in a theatre group. At the time the black box felt as a place for playing where almost no restrictions occured. Nothing could break. Turning around made me feel nauseas.

ENJOY A PICNIC ON THE BORDER BETWEEN TWO NATIONAL COUNTRIES

Time: 12.02.2009, Finnish time 13:48/Norwegian time 12:48
Place: Border between Enentekio, Finland and Kautokeino, Norway
Duration: 20 minutes
Weather: - 25 celius, sun

I am the owner of two passports, I am the citizen of two countries, Norway and Finland. Am I at home when I am on the border? At least it was cold, so I sat inside the car, ready to push the gas pedal and drive into my homeland either forward or backword.

STAND STILL FOR ONE HOUR IN A LIVELY PLACE

Time: Saturday 07.02.2009, 12:20
Place: Department store, Helsinki
Duration: 53 minutes
Documentation: Maria Ruostepuro

Seven minutes before I had stood still for one hour, one of the department stores authorities came over to me and asked me to stop:
Authority: You have to stop what you are doing!
Me: Am I not allowed to stand still here?
Authority: No, it is not customary behaviour for this place. You have to ask for permission first.