Esteetöntä community art piece

Esteetöntä is a performance that offers a new way of thinking and a fresh perspective on urban space: what is it like to experience a city from a wheelchair and to be assisted? The piece is created by theatre professional Hilkka Hyttinen originally from Oulu, photographer Susanna Lyly originally from Haapajärvi, and sound artist Esa Nissi from Oulu. 

Participants in this free event will experience the city while sitting in a wheelchair, accompanied by an assistant. They will have the opportunity to empathize with the experience of a person with reduced mobility and to observe urban space and its challenges from a wheelchair user’s perspective. During the journey, participants will document the city under guided instructions. The event will also include wheelchair users acting as experts by experience. 

After the wheelchair tour, participants will be interviewed about the challenges and successes they encountered. Based on these experiences, the sound artist and photographer will create a new piece combining photos taken during the journey and an audio composition. This media artwork will be available for the public to experience both during the event and online via Northern Cultural Stream channels. 

Community art piece wheelchair tours: 

• Tue, August 19, 17.00 and 19.00 

• Wed, August 20, 14.00 and 16.00 

• Thu, August 21, 12.00 and 14.00 

Advance registration for wheelchair tours will begin on Sunday, August 10, 2025, at 10.00, and registration instructions will be available at that time. 

Partners: The Threshold association, Oulun Invalidien yhdistys ry., Oulun Vammaisneuvosto ry 

Esteetöntä performance is carried out in collaboration with the Oulu Cultural Events Association's Saavuta – Equal Access to Cultural Events for All Project. The project is funded by the North Ostrobothnia ELY Centre through the European Social Fund, as well as by the municipalities participating in the project: Oulu, Ii, Kuusamo, and Raahe. The project is part of the Oulu Cultural Events Association's Oulu2026 Delta Life Project.