Throwback Thursday

Since our last project in Finland has now been completed, I will be sharing images from past events that took place as part of our project series PRESERVED at irregular intervals from now on.

Today is about an intervention we presented while being Artists in Residence in the city of Monheim am Rhein (Germany). PRESERVED // Schwemmland / Monheim am Rhein was realized in 2021 and explored how the land on which the city of Monheim was founded had developed over centuries of interaction with human activity. It investigated which plants grew and have been cultivated, which species have shaped the cultural identity of the region, and what traces of them could still be found today. The focus lied on creating a bridge between the past and present.

We visited Monheim in spring, summer and autumn. In our „harvest“ chapter we presented an intervention to honour the Rhenish German coldblood, a horse which has played an elementary role in the development of the Rhineland region. The Reuter family which still breeds Rhenish German horses at Haus Bürgel provided us with Eberhard, a back then 11-year old chestnut. We took a ride with him in the "Berliner Viertel", the former "Neue Heimat", right through the pedestrian zone. We recalled that until recently the area was used for agriculture.

The project was realized within the frame of Kunst-Camp at Kunstwerkstatt Turmstrasse in Monheim am Rhein.

#art #contemporaryart #zeitgenössischekunst #performance #performanceart #monheimamrhein #kunstwerkstattturmstrasse #hausbuergel #rheinischeskaltblut #pferd #berlinerviertel #scheibeundgüntzel #preserved #participartoryart #partizipativekunst #künstlerresidenz #artistresidency #turmstrasse #pferde #horses #kaltblut #eberhard #reddress #roteskleid #reiten #horsebackriding #artinpublicspace #kunstimöffentlichenraum

Art meets Finnish grainfarming or It takes a village to plant a rye field.
The Grand Finale (Part 2): Beer at the fire (burning the hut).

On the very last day of our project we gathered the people from the village to collectively burn the hut construction we had built as a place to meet on the rye field. The autumn storms had already knocked over one wall and now the old beams and other parts were piled up and then burned down while we all drank Finnish beer (#Sahti) made of our own rye. (The beer had been brewed by the Westphalian experimental beer brewer Ludger Schweer who has helped us in many previous projects).

Almost exactly 3 years ago we visited #Abramsgården for the first time. That visit was followed by several research stays and in August 2024 the field had been sown. And since then we returned regularly to perform, cook, bake and learn. We can´t thank the village enough, especially Per Johan Grannas and his wife Annika Grannas from #GrannasLandbruk - our farming consultant and the biggest support we could have wished for - for the tremendous backing during all the stages of the project, Sanna and Tommy Antill for the tractor, the help, the tools and for being such great neighbours, Abbe Berglund for his great harrowing job. All the other neighbours and villagers for teaching us so much about the Ostrobothnian culture and rye and especially for the participation in the project itself and our performances. We thank our hosts Dorothee Schulte-Basta and Peter Lüttge for the great trust they have placed in us. It was a wild ride!

The wood that has not burned will be used next year at the same spot for the Easter fire. Then the whole village will come together again.

LE FIN!


With the support of:
#Finnland-Institut
#Finnlines
#Vöråsparbankaktiastiftelse #harryschaumanstiftelse

#art #participartoryart #preserved #contemporaryart #finland #beer #ostrobothnia #rye #grainfarming #sahti #andkil #vöra #vöyri #scheibeundgüntzel #finnland #österbotten

Meet us tonight at 6 p.m. at Bystugan i Andkil.
We will bake bread in the wood burning oven and serve beer brewed from our rye. Apart from that you can take home your own rye flour.

#preserved #art #participartoryart #conceptualart #iivo #rye #beer #ipa #andkil #ostrobothnia #finland #byastuga

The autumn storms were faster than us (cat edition).

The autumn storms were faster than us. Now the hut has collapsed. We hoped it would last a little longer. At least until we were back again. But in the end, it doesn't matter. In November, we will build a fire. With the wood from the hut. To close the project, together with the village. We will drink beer brewed from the rye grown in our field. And then it will all be over. But until then, there's still a lot to do.

[PRESERVED // Rågens rike / Finland 2024-25 deals with the question of the identity-creating significance of rye for Finland - especially in the region of Vörå, resp. Ostrobothnia - and how this relationship can be reflected artistically ("Rågens rike" means "Kingdom of Rye" and describes this very region - Finlands granary) The project is hosted by Abramsgården in Vörå (Vöyri) in the Swedish speaking part of Finland, a cultural center in the countryside run by Dorothee Schulte-Basta and Peter Lüttge. Scheibe & Güntzel = Jan Philip Scheibe and Swaantje Güntzel].

Fotos: Dorothee Schulte-Basta

With the support of:
Finnland-Institut in Deutschland für Kultur, Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft GmbH
Mikko Fritze
Finnlines

#preserved #ragensrike #art #participartoryart #finland #finnland #vöra #vöyri #storm #herbststurm #hut #hütte #catsofpixelfed #cats #kunstprojekt #abramsgarden #roggen #rye #granary #roggenfeld #ryefield #holzhütte #Vöråsparbankaktiastiftelse #harryschaumanstiftelse #grannaslantbruk #perjohangrannas #tommyantill #abbeberglund #finlandinstitut #finnlines #mikkofritze #österbotten #ostrobothnia

Website finally out!
Our project is now represented on the website of our host Abramsgården in Vörå (Vöyri) Finland!

Check it out: https://www.abrams.fi/projekt/preserved/

If you want to be part of the grand finale of the project join us in November:

November 19th, 2025, 7-8.30 p.m. ARTIST TALK (Abramsgården)
November 22nd, 2025, 6-8 p.m. BYN BAKAR (Andkil byastuga på Torrkulla)
November 23rd, 2025, ATT BRÄNNA (Abramsgården/Plaza del Råg)


[PRESERVED // Rågens rike / Finland 2024-25 deals with the question of the identity-creating significance of rye for Finland - especially in the region of Vörå, resp. Ostrobothnia - and how this relationship can be reflected artistically ("Rågens rike" means "Kingdom of Rye" and describes this very region - Finlands granary) The project is hosted by Abramsgården in Vörå (Vöyri) in the Swedish speaking part of Finland, a cultural center in the countryside run by Dorothee Schulte-Basta and Peter Lüttge. Scheibe & Güntzel = Jan Philip Scheibe and Swaantje Güntzel].

With the support of:
Finnland-Institut Berlin
Mikko Fritze
Finnlines

#Vöråsparbankaktiastiftelse #harryschaumanstiftelse #grannaslantbruk
#perjohangrannas #tommyantill #abbeberglund

#art #participartoryart #contemporaryart #rye #grainfarming #vörå #vöyri #finnland #finland #österbotten #ostrobothnia #roggen #granary #baking #finissage #preserved #abramsgården #harvest #performanceart #andkil #winter #bread #backen #artisttalk #scheibeundgüntzel #grandfinale #rågensrike #plazadelråg #finnlines

From now on, autumn will settle over our field.

The fields have been harvested. We have ground the first grain, baked with it, made offerings to the grain spirit and appeased it. Now autumn is settling over the land. And we are taking rye flakes to brewers, flour to bakers and continue to think about what to do with the remaining 500 kg of rye that was harvested.

We will return once more in November. For the last time in this project, which has now been running for over a year. Then, together with the village, without which none of this would have been possible, we will consume what the field has given us all.

[PRESERVED // Rågens rike / Finland 2024-25 deals with the question of the identity-creating significance of rye for Finland - especially in the region of Vörå, resp. Ostrobothnia - and how this relationship can be reflected artistically ("Rågens rike" means "Kingdom of Rye" and describes this very region - Finlands granary) The project is hosted by Abramsgården in Vörå (Vöyri) in the Swedish speaking part of Finland, a cultural center in the countryside run by Dorothee Schulte-Basta and Peter Lüttge. Scheibe & Güntzel = Jan Philip Scheibe and Swaantje Güntzel].

Drone image: Scheibe & Güntzel

With the support of:
Finnland-Institut Berlin
Mikko Fritze
Finnlines

#Vöråsparbankaktiastiftelse #harryschaumanstiftelse #grannaslantbruk
#perjohangrannas #tommyantill #abbeberglund

#rye #grainfarming #finland #harvest #participartoryart #finnlines #finnlandinstitut #finnland #österbotten #ostrobothnia #partizipativekunst #autumn #herbst #abramsgarden #ragensrike #preserved #scheibeundgüntzel #nebel #fog #summerisover #grainspirit #cornspirit #drone #vöry #vöyri

Finnish-Lippish crossover (part 2 of a bread trilogy)

After harvesting 620 kg of rye, we now have to start thinking about what to do with it. Having already baked Finnish round bread and offered it to the corn spirit (the rest is currently drying on a pole at Abramsgården), we decided to complete a bread trilogy. Using Finnish flour and straw from our field, we additionally baked Lippe straw rolls from Philip's hometown of Lemgo and a speciality from Peter's hometown of Mönchengladbach, an Onjeschwedde (more on that in a separate post soon).

The Lippische Strohsemmel, also known as Lemgoer Strohsemmel, is a culinary speciality from the town of Lemgo, although it is not only produced there but also in other places in Lippe. The recipe for the Strohsemmel is said to have been brought to Lippe by a soldier and baker's apprentice from the Napoleonic campaign against Russia in 1812. He had baked rolls as provisions for the troops and, in accordance with Russian custom, blanched the pieces of yeast dough to ensure a longer shelf life. As he did not have a baking tray, he used a layer of rye straw for baking. The Lemgo master baker Kracht succeeded in acquiring the recipe and the manufacturing rights. Initially, the recipe was kept secret, but by the middle of the 19th century, Lippe straw rolls were being sold in several towns. Even today, the Lemgo straw roll is still very popular, not only in Lippe, and is eaten with Mettwurst sausage, ham, honey, jam or butter. (Wikipedia).


With the support of:
Finnlandinstitut Berlin, Mikko Fritze, Finnlines
#Vöråsparbankaktiastiftelse #harryschaumanstiftelse #grannaslantbruk #perjohangrannas

#art #participartoryart #preserved #rye #strohsemmel #roggen #ernte #harvest #finnland #finland #österbotten #abramsgarden #vöra #vöyri #stoppelfeld #ryestraw #lemgo #lippe #lemgoerstrohsemmel #backen #baking #brühstück

Art meets Finnish grainfarming or It takes a village to plant a rye field.
The first bread belongs to the corn spirit.

For various reasons, the harvest of our rye field had to take place without us. So we were all the happier when we arrived in Vörå and were handed the first few kilos of flour, ground from the rye grown on our very project field. Philip, who always carries all kinds of ovens with him, set up his mobile baking oven and, together with Peter, our host, they baked traditional rye bread, which will later be hung up to dry. We offered the first loaf to the corn spirit*. For a good harvest in the coming year. It is now hanging on a pole in the field and we are waiting for the spirit to come and take it.

* see also: Sir James George Frazer: The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (1890)

[PRESERVED // Rågens rike / Finland 2024-25 deals with the question of the identity-creating significance of rye for Finland - especially in the region of Vörå, resp. Ostrobothnia - and how this relationship can be reflected artistically ("Rågens rike" means "Kingdom of Rye" and describes this very region - Finlands granary) The project is hosted by Abramsgården in Vörå (Vöyri) in the Swedish speaking part of Finland, a cultural center in the countryside run by Dorothee Schulte-Basta and Peter Lüttge. Scheibe & Güntzel = Jan Philip Scheibe and Swaantje Güntzel].

Fotos: Scheibe & Güntzel

With the support of: Finnland-Institut in Deutschland für Kultur, Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft GmbH, Mikko Fritze, Finnlines
#Vöråsparbankaktiastiftelse #harryschaumanstiftelse #grannaslantbruk
#perjohangrannas #tommyantill #abbeberglund

#art #participartoryart #contemporaryart #performance #cornspirit #abramsgarden #österbotten #ostrobothnia #finnland #finland #rye #grainfarming #granary #harvest #ernte #harvesttradition #korngeist #thegoldenbough #dergoldenezweig #erntetradition #brauchtum #backofen #roggenbrot #backen #roggen #preserved #vöra #vöyri
#finnlines

Of corn spirits and other creatures

In our last performance as part of our project in Vörå (Vöyri), we explored the significance of the so-called corn spirit (or: grain spirit) in harvest traditions. In both Central and Northern Europe, people were afraid of upsetting the corn spirit and thus risking poor harvests. After the harvest, sacrifices were made to appease the spirit.

No one had ever seen it, but people were certain that it roamed the fields in various animal forms. We reinterpreted these images and made the corn spirit friendly.

Also see:
Sir James George Frazer: The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (1890)

Fotos: Kim Blåfield

[PRESERVED // Rågens rike / Finland 2024-25 deals with the question of the identity-creating significance of rye for Finland - especially in the region of Vörå, resp. Ostrobothnia - and how this relationship can be reflected artistically ("Rågens rike" means "Kingdom of Rye" and describes this very region - Finlands granary) The project is hosted by Abramsgården in Vörå (Vöyri) in the Swedish speaking part of Finland, a cultural center in the countryside run by Dorothee Schulte-Basta and Peter Lüttge. Scheibe & Güntzel = Jan Philip Scheibe and Swaantje Güntzel].

With the support of:
Finnland-Institut in Deutschland für Kultur, Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft GmbH, Mikko Fritze, Finnlines
#Vöråsparbankaktiastiftelse #harryschaumanstiftelse #grannaslantbruk
#perjohangrannas #tommyantill #abbeberglund

#art #participartoryart #contemporaryart #grainfarming #rye #roggen #ernte #harvest #harvesttraditions #jamesfrazer #thegoldenbough #cornspirit #dergoldenezweig #brauchtum #traditions #customs #finland #finnland #vörå #vöyri #animals #masks #abramsgarden #kimblafield #preserved #scheibeundgüntzel #österbotten #ostrobothnia #stoppelfeld #korngeist #grainspirit

Nordic heat waves, a rushed harvest and a harvester from Westphalia

We didn´t make it back on time to Finland. Due to the recent heat wave in the north, our rye ripened so fast that it was ready before the originally calculated date and had to be harvested as soon as possible. Fortunately, the village and our hosts were there and the harvest already took place on Wednesday. Our agricultural advisor arrived with his brand new (!) combine harvester, which had just been delivered to him from Westphalia, and our photographer Kim was available to document everything for us which was a great relief.
We were connected live via video. At least that was something.

The rye was so dry that it no longer needed to be taken to the drying facility.
We now have 700 kg of rye.

Next week we will also be back.

[PRESERVED // Rågens rike / Finland 2024-25 deals with the question of the identity-creating significance of rye for Finland - especially in the region of Vörå, resp. Ostrobothnia - and how this relationship can be reflected artistically ("Rågens rike" means "Kingdom of Rye" and describes this very region - Finlands granary) The project is hosted by Abramsgården in Vörå (Vöyri) in the Swedish speaking part of Finland, a cultural center in the countryside run by Dorothee Schulte-Basta and Peter Lüttge. Scheibe & Güntzel = Jan Philip Scheibe and Swaantje Güntzel].

Thank you, Kim Blåfield, for the great images!

With the support of:
Finnland-Institut in Deutschland für Kultur, Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft GmbH Mikko Fritze
Finnlines
#Vöråsparbankaktiastiftelse #harryschaumanstiftelse #grannaslantbruk
#perjohangrannas #tommyantill #abbeberglund

#art #conceptualart #participartoryart #preserved #scheibeundgüntzel #vörå #vöyri #rye #grainfarming #claas #harvester #grainfarming #finnlines #finnlandinstitut #mikkofritze #kimblåfield #finland #finnland #heatwave #westfalen #westphalia #abramsgården #ostrobothnia #österbotten #roggen #roggenfeld #ernte #erntezeit #climatecrisis