SICK! Festival's Artistic Director: "The world’s facing big challenges, but we’re also seeing people come together and support each other."

A partnership for 2024–2026 between the Finnish Institute and SICK! has been initiated. What kind of expectations have you had for this partnership?

We’ve been genuinely excited about this partnership as it’s a chance to do something deeper than just delivering a programme. With the Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland, we’re hoping to build lasting connections between North Manchester and Finland, rooted in shared values like care, resilience and sustainability.

Through our Beyond Survival framework, which this partnership will launch, we want to spark meaningful exchanges between artists and communities, creating bold, socially engaged work that speaks across cultures. This is about people, not just projects. It’s about building a living, international network that supports new ways of working together.

Can you give us a sneak peek of what’s going to happen over the next year?

Absolutely! Over the next year, we’ll be exploring the shared post-industrial stories of Oulu and North Manchester, asking how solidarity can be built across places and identities. This journey will shape new work for SICK! Festival 2026 and Oulu’s European Capital of Culture programme.

Along the way, there’ll be artist residencies, exchanges, community-led research, and digital collaborations connecting people across health, education, and the arts in both countries. It’s all part of our wider goal to connect local lived experiences with global themes, building work that is both rooted and far-reaching.

SICK! and the Finnish Institute have previously collaborated. Can you tell us how it all began?

It all began with shared curiosity and values. One of our first collaborations was Mindgames—a youth-led project where young people from Finland and North Manchester co-created a video game about mental health.

It was a powerful experience that went beyond the final product. It built trust, empathy, and real connection across borders. That project left a lasting impact, not just in the communities involved, but in how we think about international collaboration and laid the groundwork for what’s now becoming a much more sustained and ambitious partnership.

Why is it important for SICK! to work with the Finnish Institute and Finnish/Finland based artists?

Because we connect on a deeper level. Finnish/Finland based artists are often rooted in community and aren’t afraid to engage with complex social issues. That fits perfectly with how we work at SICK!

Places like Oulu and Manchester share histories of deindustrialisation, economic change, and cultural resilience. Working together lets us reflect, learn, and bring fresh energy to our work.

And the Finnish Institute? They’ve been a thoughtful, generous partner, offering not just support, but a shared belief in meaningful, long-term collaboration.

What’s the essence of SICK!? What makes you unique?

At SICK!, we bring art and real life together, tackling issues like health, inequality, and identity through bold, creative work made with communities, not just for them.

What makes us unique is our commitment to co-creation and cross-sector collaboration. We work with artists, researchers, healthcare workers, educators, and local voices to deepen understanding, broaden impact, and build lasting legacies.

Our new Beyond Survival strategy takes this further, supporting collaboration and mobility across borders and sectors. For us, creativity is a tool for care, resistance, and reimagining the future together.

Anything else you'd like to share?

Just that we’re proud to be doing this work now, at a time when international collaboration feels more vital than ever.

The world’s facing big challenges, but we’re also seeing people come together and support each other. This partnership is a chance to keep that momentum going.