The Garden of Earthly Delights – Halina’s residency journey

It was that day when you looked at your phone and saw an email with a subject line like “Confirmation Required.” Instantly, energy and adrenaline surged through me — I knew something exciting was on the horizon. That happened in May 2023, when my phone buzzed, and there it was. From that moment on, I started preparing for my trip to Turku.
The residency took place at Turku UAS’ Arts Academy from August to September 2024, focusing on Social Impact, Environmental Sustainability, and Equality. Along with four other artists—Hannah Carberry (playwright, arts facilitator), Jena Jang (vocalist, experimental musician), Filip Jaśkiewicz (director, collage artist, stage designer), Panagiotis Laganas (dance artist, performer, educator)—and myself, Halina Mihutskaya (performer and acting teacher), we explored these issues from an artistic perspective.
The most significant aspect of this residency was how each artist brought a unique approach and skill set. Our different talents complemented each other in unexpected ways, allowing for a cross-pollination of practices. This two-week creative process took place in a space designed for adventurous discoveries.
The process was deep and multi-layered. Our schedule included daily meetings where we shared exercises, discussed topics and introduced objects that later became part of our final performance. These objects, along with references and materials (drawings, pictures, poems), shaped our work. I brought a gas mask because I had long wanted to explore the theme of Chornobyl. To me, Chornobyl is not just an environmental disaster; it represents a political crisis, the collapse of communism, and the exploitation of people and nature as mere resources for those in power—connecting directly to our themes of sustainability and equality. It also highlights nature’s resilience in the face of catastrophe and the invisible forces of radiation, paralleling totalitarianism and dictatorship.


Each day, from morning until evening, we immersed ourselves in performative practices, discussing ideas and proposing new approaches. But our work wasn’t confined to the rehearsal room. To expand our emotional intelligence, inspiration, and creativity, our curator, Maiju Tainio (director, puppeteer, and visual artist), led us into the Finnish forest. This was one of the most valuable and meaningful experiences for me. Having grown up near forests, I have always felt a deep connection with nature. The experience reminded me of my studies at the Grotowski Institute and my time at the Brzezinka forest base, beautifully captured in one of the scenes from My Dinner with Andre (Louis Malle, 1981).
In the forest, we gathered materials and props and experimented with scenes and movement sequences. That trip was a turning point, sparking new inspiration and pushing our research forward.
The first week of the residency was dedicated to creating and collecting materials and concepts for the performance. The second week was all about structuring, planning, and assembling scenes for the final presentation. Of course, the second week was just as challenging as the first, but in a different way. We had collected so much material that we had to go through a rigorous editing process—keeping only the essentials. This was the hardest part for me. Imagine creating scenes, writing texts, and developing movement sequences, only to keep 20% of it! It was a real challenge.

As we prepared for the final performance, we visited the costume department at the Turku UAS Arts Academy. Stepping into that world of past performances was both thrilling and inspiring. Trying on costumes and masks, incorporating unconventional or non-biodegradable props, and allowing these elements to spark fresh ideas made the experience even more exciting.
With five multidisciplinary artists from different backgrounds and artistic perspectives, the challenge was to merge our research into a cohesive performance. But I promised myself to trust the process, and step by step, everything started to come together. We refined the structure, continuously shifting and connecting scenes. Montage became a significant part of our work, ensuring that the most important pieces from each of us made it into the final presentation. Ultimately, we decided to unite our five distinct ideas under the theme of The Garden of Earthly Delights, creating a magical forest where the audience encountered different creatures and thought-provoking “sins.”
The most valuable lesson I learned from this experience was to trust the process, the environment, and the space—to let things unfold naturally rather than forcing them. This was new for me, but I am learning because it reduces stress and makes the process more creative. When you trust the process, it gives back. Some scenes, like Death Meditation, were created spontaneously yet became integral to the final performance.
The second week was dedicated to montage and rehearsing. We worked on structuring the performance and finding connections between scenes, refining them with each run-through. What made our performance unique was how the audience could choose their own focus—deciding where to look, what to follow, and how to experience the piece.
And then, suddenly, the day of the demonstration arrived. The room was filled with people. The magic began. From the start, the audience was not passive. The magical inhabitant of the forest (played by Filip) explained the rules and invited everyone to enter The Garden. The audience could touch things, follow the path, sit on the floor or chairs, stand and observe, or interact with us. If you turned your head to the right, you saw an indescribable, strange creation (played by Panagiotis) or Panagiotis creating his sculpture. Looking left, you found me delivering a monologue on the life cycle. Another direction revealed Hannah guiding spectators to Filip’s pocket travel agency. Or turn your head and see the butoh performance of Jena with the scalp.

I am incredibly grateful to have been part of the residency with Theatre in Palm. This experience enriched me with new insights, techniques, and ideas that I have already incorporated into my teaching and performative practices. More than anything, it reaffirmed my love for artistic collaboration and the boundless possibilities it offers.
Text by Halina Mihutskaya-Tsikhamirava, Artist/Film Festival Producer, Theatre in Palm Turku residency participant