Fern Orchestra’s Whale Farmer -project brings together performers from Southwest Finland to dance in support of the Archipelago Sea. Keijunta is a community dance performance in which the performers, under the guidance of Fern Orchestra’s artists, create a lyrical dance essay. The performers, who signed up through an open call, are united by their love for the seas.

Drifting is the movement of phytoplankton—that is, microalgae—as they float freely with the water currents. They don’t float or hover; they drift. Microalgae are photosynthetic organisms that form the basis of the marine food chain. They absorb the carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis from the atmosphere, mitigating the effects of global warming while producing oxygen. Marine phytoplankton produce half of all the oxygen on Earth.

The largest inhabitants of the oceans — whales — mix the water masses when they rise to the surface to breathe. As the climate warms, the temperature of surface waters rises, and the water layers no longer mix naturally due to the temperature difference. This leads to a situation where the foundation of the marine ecosystem’s food chain — phytoplankton production — will collapse within a hundred years. No phytoplankton → no fish. Within a hundred years. 

Proceeds from the Keijunta performance will be donated to nature conservation. There are four ticket categories, and everyone can choose the one that suits them best; free tickets are also available.

No language skills are required to enjoy the performance; the content is suitable for a multilingual audience.

The performance lasts approx. 40 minutes. The audience watches the performance standing.

Performances:
Fri 12.6. at 6:00 p.m. (premiere)
Sat 13.6. at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Whale Farmer -happening
8.-14.6.2026, The Old Great Square, Turku

Working Group

Collaborators

SOS - Centre for Sustainable Ocean Science, Åbo Akademi, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, The Baltic Sea Challenge, The Regional Dance Centre of Western Finland, Turku City Theatre, City of Turku and Old Town Celebration