In recent years I have worked as the director of the Saari residence, which is maintained by the Kone Foundation. Leading the residence for artists and researchers is wonderful work, and I’m worried how I will ever be able to give it up when I reach retirement age. The best day of the working week is Tuesday, when both artists and researchers take turns in presenting their own work and the discussion continues over brunch together.

Artists and researchers come to the Saari Residence to develop their own work, and they are often surprised by how important meeting and sharing with the other guests is as a component of their residency experience. “I feel that my time at the residence was one of the most significant events of the last ten years, both in terms of my artistic work and my personal life. The interaction and discussions with other artists in which I was involved at the residence widened my perspective and thoughts on art and also strengthened my identity as an artist,” said one guest.

At the Saari Residence, we compare interaction based on trust and reciprocity to a well. A well assembles those who have come to draw water to share their thoughts, ideas, problems and their solutions. The Saari Well is an opportunity for artists and researchers to meet, share ideas and generally leave their own distinctive impression on each other’s thinking, work, and on the residence itself. “The Saari Residence Well gave me a special present. I got to know the Japanese composer Aki Ito; we talked a lot, became friends and became interested in each other’s work. After reading my poems, Aki grew interested in their French translations and wanted to set them to music,” said the writer Eira Stenberg. The work is now ready and will premier in September 2015.

Last year the well concept was also adopted at the Kone Foundation’s office in Helsinki.