An Exceptional Stage Creates New Challenges for Delta Life’s Scenographer

For Oulu-born Maiju Murtola, the world of theatre became familiar at an early age when she got to watch her father work in the scenic workshop of the Oulu City Theatre. Later, she studied at the Department of Scenography at the then University of Art and Design Helsinki (now Aalto University), graduating with a Master of Arts. For the past twenty years or so, she has been involved in numerous art projects, including theatre plays and musicals.

Murtola is working as the scenographer for the Oulu August Festivals’ Delta Life show. What exactly is a scenographer? Scenographer is a general term for an audiovisual designer in theatre. Scenographers include set designers, costume designers, lighting designers, and sound designers. In Delta Life, Murtola’s role focuses on costume design and conceptualizing the visual look of the stage.

"I have never been part of a project where a stage structure of this scale has been designed for a location as exotic as on top of the water," Murtola states.

Due to the exceptional venue, Murtola also has various practical arrangements to consider.

"I'm thinking about how to practically transport all the clothes behind the stage to wait for the changes, so that the performers can access them easily and quickly."

Murtola explains that the vision for Delta Life stemmed from the imaginative and wide-ranging performance script by Artistic Director Jukka Takalo. Through her own work, Murtola's goal has been to shape the performance into something more viewer-friendly and clear.

Three distinct worlds have been identified within the performance, which, in Murtola’s words, will brought to life on stage through the interplay of the performers' costumes, lighting, video, and choreography.

"The first theme reflects what Oulu looked like in the late 19th or early 20th century. The second, more futuristic theme features glowing materials and a somewhat ritualistic aesthetic. The third, on the other hand, is all about unabashed rock 'n' roll attitude," Murtola describes.

Murtola hopes that Delta Life will convey a "make love, not war" spirit to the people of Oulu. Through her work, she wants to be able to offer a moment where people can pause together to experience something.

"There are all kinds of wanderers here, but we can still get along with one another."

Maiju Murtola

• Master of Arts (MA), Scenographer
• Extensive professional experience in set design, costume design, and some video design.
• Most recently worked as a guest scenographer for the play Moominland Midwinter (Taikatalvi) in Oulu, and prior to that, as the costume designer for the musical Kinky Boots.
• Member of the KOKIMO art collective, whose performance installation is on display at the Helsinki Art Museum (HAM) until August 23, 2026.
• Enjoys consuming all kinds of culture, spending time with the family's rescue dogs, hitting the gym with her sister, aqua jogging and catching up with friends, practicing "lazy yoga," and generally marveling at life.