Mikko H. Haapoja is a media artist, music producer and multi-instrumentalist from Helsinki, Finland. As a selected artist of Finnish Institutes' pARTir initiative, Haapoja is invited to have the 15th anniversary exhibitions of his Helsingin reitit – The Routes of Helsinki soundscape project in Tokyo and Hanno in April 2025. The project is about listening and capturing the sonic image of Helsinki and creating radiophonic pieces, audiovisual installations and multidisciplinary art performances of it.
In addition to bringing his sound art to Japan, Mikko H. Haapoja will tour with his electroacoustic bowed lyre (jouhikko) music. In November 2024 Haapoja had his Unheard Landscapes solo album release tour in Japan, which continues in April 2025. Haapoja is invited to perform at the Osaka World Expo among other venues in Japan. Soundscapes from nature and cities play a key role in Haapoja’s solo music too.
Events
Thursday 2025/4/3 17:00-19:00
Opening of The Routes of Helsinki 2010-2025 exhibition
Gallery TEN, Yanaka, Tokyo – Free admission
Mikko H. Haapoja - bowed lyres & soundscapes
Kira Leskinen - scanner art
Sunday 4/6 14:00-15:30
Soundwalk
Release of The Routes of Helsinki mobile sound art piece (Beeline).
Meeting in front of Tokyo Station Marounochi North exit at 14:00.
Free admission. Own headphones and mobile phone required with GPS enabled in the web browser. Language: English
Saturday 4/12 17:00-18:30
Audiovisual live performance and artist talk
Gallery TEN – Free admission
Kira Leskinen & Mikko H. Haapoja
Sunday 4/13 15:00-16:00
Closing event of the exhibition at Gallery TEN. – Free admission
Mikko H. Haapoja – bowed lyres, soundscapes
To be announced soon:
Unheard Landscapes concerts at the Osaka World Expo & Nordic Pavilion!
Saturday 4/19 15:00-19:00
Opening of The Routes of Helsinki 2010-2025 exhibition – Free admission
Metsä Village, Hanno
Sunday 4/20 17:00-19:00
Mikko H. Haapoja – Unheard Landscapes
Electroacoustic bowed lyre music & soundscapes from the globe
Metsä Village, Hanno – Ticket info coming soon
Saturday 4/26 17:00-19:00
Mikko H. Haapoja – Unheard Landscapes
Metsä Village, Hanno – Ticket info coming soon
Sunday 2025/4/27 14:00-15:00
Closing event of the exhibition – Free admission
Metsä Village, Hanno
Instagram: @mhaapoja
Helsingin reitit – The Routes of Helsinki is a long-term soundscape project initiated by media artist and music producer Mikko H. Haapoja (MMus) in 2010. The project is about listening and capturing the sonic image of Helsinki, Finland and creating radiophonic pieces, audiovisual installations and multidisciplinary art performances of it.
The Routes of Helsinki installations in April 2025 will be the first-ever Finnish soundscape art solo exhibitions in Japan. They will consist of a new multichannel audio-visual installation, in addition to another video piece (The First Route, 2014/2017) and multiple binaural sound works for headphones. There will be also multidisciplinary art performances and artist talks with Haapoja and Kira Leskinen (MA), who together are designing the visual side of the exhibitions.
Along with having the gallery exhibitions in Japan, Mikko H. Haapoja will create a mobile sound work, a generative binaural version of his piece ’Luotisuora’ (Beeline) about summer 2015 in the central Helsinki. The new site specific ’Beeline’ will be experienced in the bustle of central Tokyo using a GPS based mobile web app. The original piece is part of the Helsinki City Museum’s permanent exhibition.
For the 15th anniversary of The Routes of Helsinki project, Haapoja will also release a compilation album Helsingin reitit – Helsinki Soundtrack – a special urban experience collage for ears.
Gallery TEN, Tokyo: April 3-13, 2025
Open daily 11:00-19:00 (Closed on Monday April 7th)
Vernissage on Thursday April 3rd at 17:00
2 Chome-4-2 Yanaka, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0001
Nearest station: Nezu
Metsä Village, Hanno: April 19-27, 2025
Vernissage on Saturday, April 19th at 15:00
Open 10:00-19:00 on Sunday, April 20th
Open 10:00-18:00 during the weekdays
Open 10:00-19:00 on Saturday, April 26th
The closing concert at 14:00 on Sunday, April 27th
327-6 Miyazawa, Hanno, Saitama 357-0001
In his solo project, Haapoja combines new electroacoustic folk music with soundscapes from all around the globe. Haapoja’s debut solo album Unheard Landscapes was nominated at #16 on WMCE global music charts in September 2023. Haapoja plays jouhikko, a Finnish bowed lyre, and its bass version as his main instruments. The many layers of his music feature also electronic beats, singing, Finnish zither kantele and soundscapes from nature and cities like Tokyo, New York, Helsinki and Bamako. While Haapoja has composed the Unheard Landscapes music partly for the contemporary circus pieces Fragile (2022) and Unleashed (to be premiered in 2025), in Japan he tours alone with his bowed lyres, beats and soundscapes.
More info & music links: mikkohaapoja.net/solo
