Eveliina Pasanen and Anna Törrönen spend their Kone Foundation residency writing a TV series about wolves and people

Kone Foundation: In 2025, 24 individual artists, 3 two-person teams and 11 artistic working groups from around the world will be working at Kone Foundation’s international Saari Residence in Mynämäki, Finland.

Kone Foundation has made its decisions on the artists to be awarded a place at the Saari Residence in 2025. Next year, in addition to offering residencies to artists living in Finland, the residence will award artists and artistic working groups from Egypt, the Philippines, Lebanon, Nigeria, Singapore and Taiwan, among others.

The award rate for 2025 residencies was 3.2%. Half of the residency spots have been awarded to artists living in Finland and the other half to artists coming from abroad. The selection represents various fields of art, including both emerging artists and artists with longer careers.

“Ecological, social and psychological sustainability are key principles of our activities at the Saari Residence, and travel grants are one way to implement them. In the evaluation of residency applications, we aim to safeguard diversity and pay special attention to under-represented groups among applicants. Their time at the residence is designed not only to nourish the artist but also to provide them with a break and collegial support in the demanding and sometimes very uncertain world of artistic work,” says Leena Kela, Residency Director at the Saari Residence.

Evaluators praised the artistic quality and appeal of the applications. “They were innovative and used a variety of artistic means to address social and, in particular, environmental issues. Using multidisciplinary approaches, the applicants reflected on the human condition, addressing cross-generational and even traumatic experiences while exploring through art various levels of sensory experience and knowledge,” summarises one of the evaluators.

Art can be used to study issues bubbling under the surface of society and to create new perspectives on the future. Recurring themes in this year’s applications included the global ecological crisis, plants and communication with them, examination of the concept of time, queer issues, family stories, diaspora, and collective insecurity and anxiety amidst ongoing wars. The applications also displayed hope for the future, as many artists believe in the power of art to empower a sense of community in today’s insecure world. They also looked to the future by reflecting on the possibilities presented by new technologies and how they can change the boundaries of artistic expression. Many applications highlighted the ways augmented reality and AI can be used to deepen the connection between the self, the community and different forms of art.

At Saari, work partners Eveliina Pasanen (Film class 2012-16) and Anna Törrönen (Film class 2012-16) will work on writing a television series about wolves and people. They are seeking ways to combine documentary and fictional narratives.

“The Saari Residence is located in wolf territory, which allows us to continue our site-specific preliminary research. During our time there, we plan to meet some locals, wander through the forest and beyond and, of course, write,” they say.

They became friends while studying film at the Turku Arts Academy and have been working together on a wolf-themed TV series for several years. They have carried out background research along Finland’s eastern border and in the wolf territory of the Turku region. In addition to their interest in the wolf itself, they aim to explore the roots of the animosity towards these predators and the need of the wolf pack and humans to control their territory, themselves and others.

“We are working on a long-term basis to explore ways to bring attention to the wolf and to understand the wild animal in humans. The wolf is a fascinating topic due to its contradictions. There is a heated debate about the animal, bringing together different views on the place of humans and wolves in nature, as well as views on social justice. The wolf is probably the most media-sexy animal in Finland,” they maintain.

Eveliina Pasanen is a Turku-based scriptwriter and filmmaker whose short films have toured both domestic and international festivals. Pasanen’s background is in documentary film. She is an alumna of the Turku Arts Academy and is currently studying for a master’s degree in film and television screenwriting at Aalto University. Pasanen has always hoped to meet a wolf in the wild and dreams of this finally happening at the Saari Residence.

Anna Törrönen is a filmmaker and writer who grew up in Lahti and whose roots are in Virkkala. Törrönen is currently studying documentary filmmaking in Aalto University’s master’s programme and is particularly interested in the interface between documentary and fiction.

2025 Saari Residence residencies are announced – Kone Foundation