One night of slow music in the dark, lying down.
Ambient Birds Nest is one night of slow music in the dark, in the Gallery at ODDspace in Vallila, on the Saturday at the end of Slush week.
It comes out of Helsinki’s club nights and turns the other way: off the dance floor, onto the floor. Nobody faces a stage. A hundred and fifty people lie on mattresses, wool and sheepskins in a ring round a nest of branches, feet to the middle, and the music comes from all four corners, played low.
Rave or sofa: on a Saturday night that’s usually the choice. Helsinki lost its chill-out room. For one night, the Gallery is one.
The night
- 18:00DoorsLand.
- 18:30First setWarm up.
- 20:00The long, slow setDrift.
- 21:30Antti Hevosmaa, live trumpetListen.
- 22:30ONCHI, last setGo home and sleep.
- 02:00The music ends.
Names go in when they are signed.
The Gallery
The Gallery is the big room at ODDspace: white columns, a curved wall, windows on one side. For the night it is one room.
- The landing
- Shoes off.
- The tea house
- Tea at low tables.
- The nest
- A glowing egg in a ring of branches, in the middle.
- The beds
- Round the nest, feet to it, and under the windows.
- The edges
- The quiet corner and the sofa shore.
- At the back
- Dark sensory rooms, a small infrared sauna, a shower.
- The sound
- A speaker in each corner, every bed inside the square. Sound by Genelec.
- The light
- Five lights through the night, from blue to indigo.
Sound, scent, spheres
- Sound
- In partnership with Genelec: four points of sound, a speaker in each corner, every bed inside the square. Built by the best, for the best Lintukotians. That’s you. genelec.com
- Scent
- Smell The Art and SHAMAL. Scent is part of the night too: Nordic, and from the future. shamal.fi
- Spheres
- The new scented spheres by Koje Studio, in colour for the first time. kojestudio.com
Finding it
ODDspace, Teollisuuskatu 9D, Vallila, Helsinki. In through the Aula, onto the landing.
Tickets
A hundred and fifty places. Early birds, ten euros.
On Venga. No refunds.
Questions
Do I have to lie down?
No, but that’s the idea. Beds, not chairs: mattresses, wool and sheepskins round the nest. If you’d rather sit, there are sofas on the shore.
Shoes?
Off at the door, on the landing.
Is there a bar?
No. Tea instead of a bar, at low tables in the tea house. There is nothing to buy.
Is there really a sauna?
Yes, a small infrared one at the back, three at a time, next to the shower and the dark sensory rooms.
How loud is it?
Low. Sound by Genelec from four points, one in each corner, and every bed inside the square.
Who plays?
Antti Hevosmaa of Virta, a solo ambient set with live trumpet at 21:30, and ONCHI, last set at 22:30. Two more names go in when they are signed.
Why the name?
When the cold came, the old Finns said, the birds flew to Lintukoto, a warm place at the edge of the world. They found the way along Linnunrata, the Milky Way. This is a small Lintukoto in Vallila.
Is it accessible?
We are still checking the building’s access. Write to hello@oddfest.co before you come and we’ll tell you the current route, lifts and toilets.
Can I get my money back?
No. Tickets are not refundable.
Who makes it?
New Nordic Way rf, the Helsinki non-profit behind ODDspace. With Genelec on sound, Smell The Art and SHAMAL on scent, and the spheres by Koje Studio.
Didn’t find it? Write to hello@oddfest.co.