Virpi Nieminen
I am a scenographer and visual artist based in Helsinki. I graduated from the University of the Arts Helsinki with an MA in Design for performing arts in 2021 and from Saimaa University of Applied sciences with a BA in visual arts in 2013. I’ve worked in the fields of contemporary dance and theatre, live art, installation, and immersive and site-specific performances.
What I enjoy most about scenography is its diverse and interdisciplinary nature. The relationship between the body and space is central to my scenographic work. In my work scenography doesn’t only function as a background or location of the performance, instead the materiality and aesthetics of the performance are in an active and affective relationship with the corporal experience of both the performer and the spectator.
Above all I consider myself a performance maker. In my artistic work I want to go beyond the limits of my knowledge, to find my way toward something truly foreign and strange to me. This is why I love working in a group with other people, as I get to encounter new perspectives and different ways to think and experience.
In addition to set design, I’ve worked as a costume and lighting designer and as a performer. My latest works have been Down below things shudder (Tanssin talo, 2023), As time goes by (Zodiak, 2023), Armageddon (Espoon Kaupunginteatteri, 2022) and Jeanne d’Arc living — PARASTA ELÄMÄNTYYLIÄ!!!! (Tehdas teatteri, 2022).
