For teachers
For teachers
Dear teacher/instructor! Looking for services for your group? Here you can find information on our guided tours, exercises for independent visits, and details on art workshops for deepening the exhibition experience.
Welcome to Amos Rex!
You can use the form below to subscribe to our mailing list for schools, so you’ll be among the first to know about programmes designed for schools and informational events for teachers. The newsletter is in Finnish.
P.S. We want to make Amos Rex a great place for school groups to visit, to create memorable experiences for pupils and support teachers in their work. We welcome all feedback – please send it to us via email at museum@amosrex.fi Thank you! <3
Ryoji Ikeda
Ryoji Ikeda is the first solo exhibition of Japanese composer and artist Ryoji Ikeda in Finland. The exhibition is on display at Amos Rex from 27 September 2023 – 25 February 2024.
Inspired by the museum’s unique architecture, the exhibition consists of five installations that explore the invisible dimensions of the universe and the limits of perception. Two new works based on the artist’s direct experience of the space will also be on display.
Born in Gifu, Japan, Ikeda was trained as an electronic composer. Currently, he is working with data visualisation, scientific imagery, rhythm, light and sound. The artist processes all his materials in the manner of a composer. Whether a sound frequency, a pixel, a data point or a pulsating light, for Ikeda they are all part of the compositional process, which acts as a kind of research method. What is the universe made of, from the smallest particles to infinite galaxies?
Some of the works on display at Amos Rex are based on massive datasets collected by NASA, the Human Genome Project and CERN, among others. Ikeda interprets the scientific way of classifying data, but gives a dramatic arch and rhythm to the data sets. Blending opposites and infinities with almost mathematical precision, Ikeda creates hypnotic spaces that sharpen our senses and expands the way we perceive reality.
The exhibition is curated by Terhi Tuomi.
The artworks feature rapidly flickering images, the first artwork of the exhibition contains rapidly flashing strobe lights.
There are loud and high-pitched sounds in the exhibition.
It is dark in the exhibition.
Actvities and tasks
Here you can find some varied tasks and activities you can do either before or during your visit.
Before your visit
Sharpen your senses before visiting the museum! This activity can be done anywhere, for example in the school yard.
1. You will need paper, a pad, and a pencil. Find a comfortable place to settle down and close your eyes.
2. Listen to your surroundings. What sounds do you hear? Are they moving, changing or continuous, big or small? Can you locate them?
3. Keeping your eyes closed but still listening, trace all the sounds you hear with your pencil and draw a map of them. What shape do they sound like? Are they hard dotted lines, or is the pencil just barely touching the paper? Don’t think about what the drawing will look like.
4. Open your eyes and study your map. You can also swap drawings with a friend, and try to follow or interpret each other’s maps.
Additional task: If you also sense something else during the task, for example smells or wind, you can include them in your map. You could use a different coloured pencil for this purpose.
On site
We can think of Ryoji Ikeda’s artworks as a series of experiments in which the artist tries to trace the constant changes of the universe. Of course, the universe is not some separate place “over there” – we are all part of its vastness. For example: your coordinates, that is, your location on planet Earth provide ever-changing information. That’s because nothing is ever completely still, neither you nor the celestial bodies. As you speak and breathe, your body causes particles in the air to vibrate with varying intensity. The colours, light and shadows we see around us also change all the time, because the objects and surfaces around us reflect light differently from even slightly different angles. And so on.
If the constant cascade of different impressions gets too overwhelming, you can always settle into your own body to find calm. What is the rhythm of your heartbeat or breathing right now? Find out by placing your hand on your chest or stomach for a moment. How do you feel? Close your eyes if that feels good. Once you have found a rhythm in your body, direct your attention outwards to your surroundings again. What other rhythms can you find?
On site
The Sigurd Frosterus collection hall has a very different atmosphere from the main exhibition. Choose your favourite artwork (alone or as a group) and find out how old the artist was when creating the artwork.
All art has once been contemporary art. In what ways does the Modernist style (as displayed in the collection hall) differ from today’s visual arts? What have the artists in this room been interested in exploring? And do you find any similarities between their and Ikeda’s works?
On site / after your visit
I just wanted to understand, what is nature.
– Ryoji Ikeda
Sometimes, the work of an artist is guided by a very simple question or wonder, to which there simply is no plain answer. What’s left on your mind after visiting the exhibition? What do you wonder about? When you leave the exhibition hall, write down at least one question that occured to you during the visit. The question can be related to any thought, memory, sensation or feeling you had in the exhibition. Perhaps something about an image you just saw or a sound you just heard.
When you return to school, you can exchange questions with each other and take a moment to dig up answers to each other’s questions – to the extent that it’s at all possible. Can we find answers to everything, and should we even try?
After your visit
Data can be generated almost indefinitely, about almost anything. Data can be used to measure, calculate, track, visualise and predict. What kind of data do you produce?
Use ten minutes to write down as much data as you can think of about yourself. Data can be numbers, like your age or shoe size, but also the colours of your clothes or eyes, or other facts about yourself – like your favourite movie.
When you run out of time or can’t think of anything anymore, take a good look at your list. Think of a way to create a self-portrait from the data you have collected using only the things on the list (if you haven’t written down that you have 2 nostrils, you don’t get to use them in your self-portrait, etc.). Remember that a portrait can be much more than simply a representation of your appearance – you could also express a certain feature or characteristic of yourself, your state of mind or a personal object that is of special importance to you. The technique and style is free, the teacher can also decide on the tools.
Groups
Hosted visit
Suitable for all ages, also kindergarten -and primary school groups
What is the universe made of? A hosted visit to the Ryoji Ikeda-exhibition is a deep dive into the work of a unique artist who sharpens our senses, exploring the limits of perception. After a brief introduction, one of our guides will lead your group through the exhibition. Finally, we will gather in the museum’s art workshop space to share our experiences and hear more about the artist. We will also delve into the exhibition’s key themes through various sound and image experiments in the workshop space.
Before you book, please note, that it is dark in the exhibition. The exhibition contains loud sounds and the artworks feature flashing lights and image.
| Duration | ca. 1 h |
|---|---|
| Languages | English, Finnish, Swedish |
| Group size | max. 25 students per guide * |
| Price | 60 € (only on weekdays) |
| N.B. | Amos Rex is closed on Tuesdays. The museum always opens at 11 am. |
* = One adult per 15 children
Intro
Suitable particularly for secondary -and upper secondary school groups
Our intros give a brief insight into the background of the artist and his work. Your guide will give you tips for experiencing the artworks and then send your group to experience the exhibition independently. Afterwards, you are welcome to share any questions or thoughts with the museum staff. Due to the soundscape and darkness in the exhibition halls, the intros are held in the Studio Rex artworkshop space.
Before you book, please note, that it is dark in the exhibition. The exhibition contains loud sounds and the artworks feature flashing lights and image.
| Duration | ca. 20 min |
|---|---|
| Languages | English, Finnish, Swedish |
| Group size | 25 students per guide * |
| Price | 30 € (only on weekdays) |
| N.B. | Amos Rex is closed on Tuesdays. The museum always opens at 11 am. |
* Daycare and 1-6th grades: it is dark in the exhibition and for safety reasons, the group needs to be accompanied by one adult per 5 children
Self-guided Visit for Groups
Suitable particularly for secondary -and upper secondary school groups
Always book your group visit in advance so that we can best serve you when you arrive. If the museum is crowded, we give priority to pre-booked groups. If you have not announced your arrival in advance, be prepared for a possible wait, or to return at a later time when it is less busy.
Please keep your distance from any guided tours that may be in progress in the exhibition space.
Before you book, please note, that it is dark in the exhibition. The exhibition contains loud sounds and the artworks feature flashing lights and image.
| Group size | Max. 25 pupils and 1 teacher per 15 children* |
|---|---|
| Price | Free admission to the museum (through secondary education) |
*Daycare and 1-6th grades: it is dark in the exhibition and for safety reasons, the group needs to be accompanied by one adult per 5 children
Museum rules
These rules exist so that both the artworks and the visitors can enjoy the museum. The mission of art museums is to present valuable artworks to the delight of people in a way that ensures their survival for the future too!
- No drinks, backpacks or large bags are allowed in the exhibition space.
Even just a single spilled drop of fluid can ruin an artwork. Large bags and backpacks, on the other hand, can scratch the works if in contact with them by accident. - Please take photos, but without flash.
The works are sensitive to light, and for example drawings and paintings fade in the light. - Works should not be touched unless otherwise mentioned.
They may be damaged or become dirty, or move away from their original position. - Please consider other groups during your visit.
If you are visiting without a guide, please make space for guided groups in the exhibition space. - The teacher is responsible for the group during the visit.
Remember also
- A few lockers have an outlet for charging cell phones.
- Unfortunately, the museum does not have a separate space for eating snacks. If the weather permits, we recommend a snack break on the domes of the museum courtyard! There are also cafés next to the museum.
