The Association of Finnish Sculptors, together with Welsh collaborators, is organising a sculpture symposium in June 2025 bringing together sculptors from Finland and the UK for a week in the Welsh village of Llansillin to create burning sculptures.

Five member artists will be selected through an open call. The jury members are Maija Helasvuo and Marja Bonada, curators of the project, together with Jonathan Powell, director of Elysium Gallery in Wales. Bonada will be responsible for coordinating the Welsh participants.

During the symposium, burning sculptures will be made from safe waste material. One of the major issues in sculpture and spatial art is the environmental impact of materials. The symposium will explore sustainability issues through artist led co-creation.

The week will culminate in a large public event, where the works will be burnt in the dark of the evening accompanied by live music. The event will be documented in high quality. The symposium will also include visits to local art spaces and one of Britain’s top foundries (Castle Fine Arts Foundry).

The symposium is supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

How to apply:

The call for applications is open from 27 February to 23 March 2025 at 23:59 for all members of the Association of Finnish Sculptors who have paid their membership fee.

Please submit your application via this online form. In the form you will be asked to

• Tell us why you are applying (longer text field)
• Whether you have previous experience of symposiums
• Whether you are willing to travel by land
• Link to your website or online portfolio

Should you prefer to submit your portfolio as a PDF file, please email it to sculptors@sculptors.fi Decisions will be made in April.

Further information:

The symposium will be held at the Nant Hirwen Course Centre, a farm with facilities for workshops and accommodation. Nant Hirwen is located in the village of Llansilin, approximately 1.5 hours drive from Manchester and Birmingham. The nearest town, Wrexham, is about 30 minutes’ drive away.

Participants’ travel, local transport, accommodation in shared rooms, working space, materials and half board (breakfast and lunch) will be covered.

Travel reservations and other arrangements will be made by the Sculptors’ Association.

We strongly recommend slow travel, which is made possible with the support of the Finnish Cultural Foundation. We offer information on slow travel and are happy to answer any questions you may have. For travelling by land, a €200 fee will be paid to cover the cost of meals.

Selected artists must have a valid passport and travel insurance. From 2 April, those travelling to the UK must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling.

To assess and measure the impact of the event, we will conduct a survey of participants before and after the event and interview 1–2 artists.

A parallel folk music symposium is planned to be held at the same time as our symposium should the partners receive funding for it.

Preliminary programme: Symposium in Wales 23–30 June

Monday 23.6. Travel, settling in, initial interview and start preparing the works

Tuesday 24.6. Preparation of the works

Wednesday 25.6. Visits to local foundry and art spaces in the area, workshopping

Thursday 26.6. Workshopping

Friday 27.6. Workshopping

Saturday 28.6. Grand evening, burning of sculptures with live music, open to the public

Sunday 29.6. Finishing touches, cleaning and packing, feedback

Monday 30.6. Travel back home (starting from)

Jury and working group

Marja Bonada, Curator and Jury Member

A Welsh visual artist, Bonada graduated with a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Wolverhampton in 2010. Bonada’s multi-technique work is nature-based and inspired by nature. Bonada has been involved in many art projects in Wales and has worked actively with local people. Together with Helasvuo, she has been working on international relations between Finnish and Welsh artists for over 11 years.

Maija Helasvuo, Curator and Jury Member

Ms Helasvuo holds a Master of Arts degree from the Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts, Finland (2016). Her work explores the fragility of life through a variety of materials including wood, bronze, glass, ceramics and aluminium.
Helasvuo’s works are in the art collections of Jenny and Antti Wihuri, Hyvinkää Art Museum and the State Art Collection. Helasvuo has been awarded the Dukaatti Prize, the William Thuring Grand Prize, the City of Hyvinkää Art Prize and the Pro Finlandia Medal. She is an honorary member of the Association of Finnish Sculptors.

Jonathan Powell, Jury Member

Founder and Director of Elysium Gallery, visual artist. Mr Powell holds a Master’s degree in Fine Art from Swansea College. He is an active participant in the Swansea art scene and believes in the transformative power of art.

Enquiries: Executive Director Karoliina Korpilahti, karoliina.korpilahti@sculptors.fi, 050 360 1182

Photos: Maija Helasvuo