Despite the challenges, the pre-examined artistic component evolved into a pandemic translation, Käännöksiä – Transpositions, which was implemented as an artistic–pedagogical event in the spring of 2021 at the Theatre Academy. In the following outline, I will map the activities of the event and trace their connection to the fieldwork from which they were translated. The images included in this section were sourced from the two pre-examined sessions. The purpose of the images is not to function as supplemental figures, illustrative artefacts, or tools to verify the narrative. Rather, they are embedded within and inseparable from the text, intended to operate as equal forces of narration. (Myers 2019)

The numbering of the activities on the map serves as an anchor, situating them within the temporal and spatial narrative of the event. The red line marks the guided portion of the route through the event space, after which the activities unfolded non-linearly, evolving differently with each encounter. Children’s drawings from the Guest Book are woven into the descriptions of the respective activities, introducing their voices and perspectives into the narration.

A hand-drawn floor plan of the event space, showing the event's activities within the space and routes marked with red arrows. The space features several designated areas, such as “Art Exhibition Under the Bridge,” “Shadowplay,” “Explosion and Balloons,” and “Lines of Flight,” and includes notations for sound, lighting, and video.
Image 5.12 Map of the event Drawing Tuire Colliander

1. Flyer

The image collage depicts a small, hand-drawn multi-page booklet featuring colorful characters. The booklet’s cover is white with a yellow-and-black striped piece of duct tape running across it. The inside pages show the characters’ activities in various situations during the event, such as arriving, following a taped route, putting on their costumes, and dancing. On the back page is information about the working group: Tuire, Miika, Jan, Kasimir, and Nikolas Colliander; visiting hours: April 30–May 5, 2021; location: Theatre Academy Studio 3, Haapaniemenkatu 6, 00530 Helsinki; and that the event has been supported by Tutke and TTOR.
Image 5.13 Flyer drawings Tuire Colliander

I employed drawing as a form of creative writing, together with the Storyboard Method, to translate the concept of the event into a written and illustrated flyer. Prior to the event, all potential participants—specifically, the guardians of the children who had participated in the fieldwork—were provided with a flyer, detailed guidelines on how to enter their child into the lottery used to select participants, and informed consent forms.

2. Meeting point

The event began with a meeting with the participants in the lobby of the Theatre Academy.

The photo shows the area in front of the entrance to the Theatre Academy, where a person with a camera is photographing a researcher in construction gear, as well as a daycare teacher and a preschool-aged child. The individuals are maintaining the recommended social distance of more than two meters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Image 5.14 Meeting Point Jan Colliander
A child's drawing in a square spiral-bound notebook, featuring a light-blue character with the word "TUIRE" written above it in different-coloured letters. The character has long purple hair and looks happy.
Image 5.15 Tuire in Guest Book Drawing Participant

3. Route

I sent the participants off on a route guided by a tape, which was my translation of the insight gained from sharing agency with materials at the daycare centre.

A photograph of a child and an adult walking one behind the other along a path marked with yellow-and-black safety tape on the floor of the Theatre Academy’s lobby, which features a high glass ceiling and metal structures. The subjects are wearing yellow reflective vests, and the space contains tables and chairs.
Image 5.16 Route Jan Colliander

The route also allowed for playful and experimental use of spaces, translated from the idea of shaping spaces through activities.

A photograph of a child and an adult wearing high-visibility vests and face masks indoors. The child is standing on a raised platform, bent over along a path marked with tape; the adult is standing beside them, with empty coat hooks visible in the background.
Image 5.17 Route Alternatives Jan Colliander

For hygienic/safety reasons, the route included a handwashing stop. It also showcased an exhibition on the deconstruction of the government building. This exhibition was creatively placed in an unconventional location on the stage floor, translated from the art exhibition situated under the bench.

The photograph shows a child and an adult examining photographs attached to the floor of the stage at the Theatre Academy lobby.
A photograph of the photographs attached to the floor of the stage, starting with a text: The story of a house being demolished.
Image 5.18 The Exhibition Jan Colliander

The exhibition was titled A House Demolition Story. Significantly, the deconstructed building had also previously housed a daycare centre. The child who participated in the second pre-examined event—substituting for another child who had fallen ill—had in fact attended that daycare centre. This unexpected connection introduced an additional layer to the affective dimension of the demolition and subsequent explosions, as pointed out by the child’s mother, who observed that it was not just any building being demolished, but the daycare centre itself.

4. Preparations

I gave the participants practical guidelines before they entered the construction site. I used a translation of the insight regarding the use of drawings to enhance communication.

A photograph taken outside the studio, with preparations for the event underway, showing three people wearing yellow and white safety helmets and reflective vests. The researcher stands in front of the doorway holding a drawn cartoon-style orange jumpsuit. Warning signs and a closed black door are visible in the background.
Image 5.19 Preparing Jan Colliander

Additionally, the participants wore safety clothing, similar to the vests typically used during ECEC field trips, before entering the studio. Finally, I equipped them with torches and a balloon called Kille[1], which served as a navigational aid. Kille’s elongated tail helped guide them as they moved through the space.

A photograph taken outside the studio, with preparations for the event underway. The photo shows the researcher, a child holding a helium balloon, an adult standing and watching the child, and a person filming the event.
Image 5.20 Preparing Kille Jan Colliander

5. Photos on the Floor

As we entered the space, we were met by dim lighting and a soundscape.

Audio 5.1 Construction-site Sound: Miika Colliander
Description of the audio: A soundscape of ambient background music layered with construction-site sounds, including drilling, hammering, clattering, and vehicle noise.

I had photographed artefacts from the daycare centre yard and surrounding neighbourhoods, which were then placed on the floor under a transparent Marley dance floor, creating inviting points of contact with the daycare environment and offering an engaging entrance into an exploration of the space using the torches. These photographs also provided participants with opportunities for discovery, echoing the experience of a dancing session during the fieldwork, where a Styrofoam ball became a site of exploration and playful engagement.

A photo collage showing, on the left, two construction helmets and two flashlights on the floor of the event space, with photographs and red string attached to them. On the right, a child and an adult, both wearing helmets, are examining the drawings on the floor by flashlight in the dark.
Image 5.21 Exploring the floor Jan Colliander
A colourful drawing by a child showing a figure wearing an orange overall and a yellow helmet, standing in the sun with a torch in hand. At the bottom are wavy blue lines beneath a yellow surface, and in the centre is a pink-and-yellow abstract pattern.
Image 5.22 Exploration reflected in the guest book Drawing Participant

6. Art Exhibition under a Bridge

The art exhibition under a bridge was a translation of the art exhibition under a bench in the daycare centre. The exhibition under the bridge presented a collection of photographs from the original exhibition, expanded with images from the fieldwork, and was designed to invite reflection on the shared experiences of that period.

Image 5.23 Exhibition under the bridge Jan Colliander

7. Video

Video 5.2 Muutostilassa – In Transformation Manuscript and direction: Tuire CollianderDance: Tuire, Kasimir, and Nikolas CollianderChoreography: Dancers and MahamedFilming and editing: Jan CollianderGaming sounds: Kasimir and Nikolas CollianderMusic: Miika Colliander
View transcript

Title: Muutostilassa – In Transformation

Transcript: The contemporary dance video begins with the researcher in a red dress, working indoors at a desk on a computer. The soundscape includes video game sounds and keyboard typing. The computer screen spins, and the researcher is teleported outdoors, next to a construction site fence, wearing construction-site work clothes and a helmet. The researcher begins to dance. The music is electronic and rhythmic. At intervals, the video cuts directly, so the researcher appears to transform into two different children, with the bodies seamlessly changing from one to another. In the end, the researcher finds her red dress hanging from the construction site gate. She throws the coat high into the air, after which the image freezes and shifts to the researcher’s computer screen. The closing credits read: “Käsikirjoitus ja ohjaus – Manuscript and direction: Tuire Colliander”, “Tanssi – Dance: Tuire, Kasimir and Nikolas Colliander”, “Koreografia – Choreography: Tuire, Kasimir, Nikolas Colliander and Mahamed”, “Kuvaus ja editointi – Filming and editing: Jan Colliander”, “Peliäänet – Gaming Sounds: Kasimir and Nikolas Colliander”, “Musiikki – Music: Miika Colliander”, “Työskentelyä ovat tukeneet – Working has been supported by: Esittävien Taiteiden Tutkimuskeskus Tutke – Performing Arts Research Centre Tutke, Taideyliopiston tohtorikoulutuksen ohjausryhmä TTOR – Uniarts Helsinki’s Steering Group for Research and Doctoral Traning”.

The video Muutostilassa – In Transformationwas a translation of the Swan Dance performance and also an adaptation to circumstances, as I was unable to perform live due to my personal health situation. My entire family participated in the collaborative video production process, which was showcased at the event instead of a live dance performance.

A collage of four photographs depicting the video-viewing setup. The first two images show the video projected from a small projector attached to a blue Duplo truck. The screen is mounted on the wall at floor level, with the words “Muutostilassa – In Transformation” projected onto it. The other two photographs show a child and an adult seated on large floor cushions, watching the screen in a dark room.
Image 5.24 Muutostilassa – In Transformation Drawing Participant Jan Colliander and Tuire Colliander
A drawing by a child featuring a researcher character with hair in a bun, wearing a red dress with a brown letter "T" on the front. The character has a simple, smiling face and straight arms.

8. Alternative Choices for Dance Activities

I selected one or more of these activities for each visit:

Bubbles 

Dancing with bubbles was a translation of the use of music as a guiding element for dancing. Here, the theme of re/de/construction was introduced through translation into a small-scale explosion. Participants were invited to craft dances inspired first by bursting bubble wrap and later by bursting soap bubbles during their dance.

A collage of two photographs shows a child and an adult dancing in a room with purple lighting, with soap bubbles floating in the air. On the left, the adult is bending towards the floor, and the child has thrown themselves onto the floor on their back. On the right, the child is trying to catch the bubbles.
Image 5.25 Dancing with the bubbles Jan Colliander

Machines

Transforming our bodies into dancing machines was a translation of the use of music as a guiding element for dancing, brought into the context of a construction site.

A drawing showing a human figure in the centre with a question mark above its head. Four arrows surround the figure, pointing to four different construction machines: a yellow crane, an orange excavator, a blue truck, and a red tiller.
Image 5.26 Machines Drawing Tuire Colliander

Shadowplay

Dancing with shadows projected onto the wall served as a translation of bodily transformations, intended as a playful exploration of the connections between bodies through their shadows without physical contact.

This collage of two photographs depicts a play of shadows in a dimly lit space, where the shadows of two people are cast onto a screen on the wall.
Image 5.27 Shadow play Jan Colliander

Lines of Flight 

The embodied exploration of the philosophical concept of lines of flight (Deleuze and Guattari 1987) through dance emerged from my research interest in engaging the body and attending to embodied knowledge throughout all stages of the inquiry. This practice gave rise to an expansion of the approach of thinking with theory (Jackson and Mazzei 2023) into what I term dancing-with theory (Colliander 2024). The exploration was further supported by my diffractive engagement with drawing in pedagogical documentation and with the theory of lines of flight. During the event, the concept of lines of flight was briefly introduced, and participants were then invited to draw lines of escaping thoughts on paper. These lines were then translated into movement through a collective dance improvisation, accompanied by a live musician playing electric guitar, who simultaneously translated them into sound.

The photograph depicts a scene in which the researcher is sitting on a loft built above the doorway, while the participating child and adult are seated on the floor in front of it. In addition, one person is filming the scene with a video camera, and another is handling the camera equipment. The room features black walls, technical equipment, as well as caution tape and warning signs.
Image 5.28 Lines of Flight activity Jan Colliander

After the dancing, the sheets of paper were attached to a collective artwork on the studio wall, which expanded during the event.

A photograph showing 31 white, yellow, and grey hexagonal pieces of paper connected to one another. Various lines have been drawn on the hexagons, and the hexagons are connected to one another in such a way that the lines from different hexagons intersect.
Image 5.29 The collective artwork Drawings Participants Tuire Colliander

This exploration generated a substantial array of pedagogical and methodological insights. As such, this activity is examined comprehensively through diffractive reading later in this thesis piece.

9. Explosion and Balloons 

This activity entailed translating the methodology of transforming a space into an invitation to move-with a material. During the fieldwork, this objective was achieved by using yarn to create a configuration resembling a spider’s web. The theme of explosion for the transformation of the space was inspired by our daily experiences adjacent to the construction site. The process of creating embodied and material translations of the explosion involved multiple translations, as shown in this video.

Video 5.3 Translations Manuscript and direction: Tuire CollianderDance: Tuire, Kasimir, and Nikolas CollianderChoreography: DancersFilming: Miika CollianderEditing: Tuire Colliander
View transcript

Title: Translations

Transcript: The video opens with a view of a construction site, where a warning signal sounds and a rock blast occurs. On-screen text reads: “The ‘Original’ Explosion at a construction site.” The next scene shows an indoor play sequence in which two children imitate an explosion using toys. On-screen text reads: “The first translation: Play.” The following scene shows the researcher and two children creating an embodied interpretation of the explosion. On-screen text reads: “The second translation: Embodied version.” Next, the video shows a six-step storyboard of the blasting process, drawn together by the children and the researcher. On-screen text reads: “The third translation: The Storyboard and choreography.” The researcher and the children then dance the choreography. After this, the screen reads: “Further translations: Creating explosions.” The video shows slow-motion footage of scissors puncturing an air-filled plastic bag, a close-up of children biting crispbread, a run through newspaper stretched across a doorway, and an empty juice carton exploding when stepped on. The closing credits read: “Working group: Tuire, Nikolas and Kasimir Colliander”.

In the event, the participants were asked to help me with the explosion by pulling away the tarpaulin when they heard the sound signal triggered by a child pushing a ‘demolition button’.

The photograph shows a red cylinder on the floor with a red button for triggering an explosion.
Image 5.30 The demolition button Jan Colliander

The participants were surprised when pulling the tarpaulin released many balloons, similar to Kille, with elongated tails; the aim was to transform the space into an invitation to move with the materials.

The collage features six photographs showing a researcher, a participating child, and an adult in construction gear lifting a large grey tarp, revealing a profusion of silver helium balloons with red-and-white ribbons dangling from them. The photos capture the moment the balloons are released and begin to rise.
The collage features three photographs showing the child running and dancing with balloons, an adult watching, and a person filming the event.
Image 5.31 The explosion Jan Colliander
The collage includes eight drawings, some of which were created by children and others by children and adults working together. They depict various characters, balloons, and text. The drawings feature colourful lines and include dates, names, and short comments such as “The balloons were fun.”
Image 5.32 The explosion and the balloons reflected in the guest book Drawings Participants

10. Sling

The sling was inspired by the common daycare activity of swinging in the yard, as well as the blanket swings that sometimes concluded dance sessions when another adult and I would lift and swing one child at a time. Together with the children, we also created similar swings for their baby dolls during play. I did not include these moments in the fieldwork section, as they initially appeared mundane and did not generate significant stories or a sense of glow (MacLure 2013). They emerged simply as part of our shared being-with in research and play, surfacing here as overspills (Millei and Rautio 2017) of the fieldwork, elements that neither fit within nor attracted attention according to the propositions. By leaving swinging outside the primary fieldwork chapter yet introducing it in this context, I aim to highlight how something meaningful may remain excluded from research accounts but nevertheless be included later as an overspill.

A simple line drawing showing a researcher and a child cheerfully holding and rocking a piece of fabric, with a smaller child lying on it.
Image 5.33 Swinging in the fieldwork Drawing Tuire Colliander

During the event, the sling was designed to encourage playful exploration of piles of boxes while swinging, and to offer a relaxing moment in a safe and supportive environment as the event came to a close.

The photo shows a child knocking over a tower of cardboard boxes. The child is inside an aerial yoga hammock at floor level. An adult is seated nearby and has given the child a push, causing the child to hit the cardboard box tower and knock it over. In the background, a third person wearing a yellow safety vest is recording the scene with a video camera.
The pair of photos depicts a serene scene lit by dark blue theatre lighting, with an aerial yoga hammock at the centre of the room. In the photo on the left, a child lies inside the hammock while an adult sits nearby watching. In the photo on the right, both are inside the hammock.
Image 5.34 Swing Jan Colliander
The photos show pages from the guestbook featuring drawings related to swinging. They include colourful drawings, such as a rainbow and a butterfly, along with the text “What was fun: In the swing.”
Image 5.35 Swinging reflected in the guest book Drawings Participants

11. Guest Book 

After the event, participants were invited to share their reflections by drawing or writing in a guest book placed outside the studio, near the preparation area. This practice provided a concluding reflective moment before they left the event, with each child getting a Kille balloon as a souvenir to take with them.

A photo showing a child and an adult sitting at a table wearing helmets, with a bottle of hand sanitiser on the table. The adult is wearing a face mask. The child has a pen and paper. They are looking at each other and appear to be having a conversation.
The pair of photos shows a child sitting at a black table, wearing a bright yellow reflective vest. In the photo on the left, the child is leaning over, drawing close to the drawing; in the photo on the right, the child is looking at the colourful drawing on the table. Other people and details of the space are visible in the background.
In the photo, a child is showing a drawing they made in the guestbook. The drawing depicts the researcher character wearing a red dress. The child is holding the drawing in front of their face so that their face is not visible in the photo. In the background, a chair, clothing, and colourful rugs on the outdoor floor are visible.
The collage comprises six pages from the guestbook. The first page shows the book’s cover, showing an angular path taped to the grey floor with yellow-and-black caution tape. A child’s bare feet are visible at the start of the path. The second page bears the text “April 29–May 6, 2021 TeaK Studio 3.” The third page displays the date “April 30” and the name “Luukas” in large blue letters. It also features numerous drawings of banknotes by two children, alongside text written by an adult: “Luukas: Can I go back tomorrow? That was really fun!” and “Thank you! Milla.” The fourth and fifth pages contain text written by an adult: “Mom: It was nice, thank you. Wonderful moments with my child. The child got to use their creativity and really got into it. Dancing with the balls was like a fairy tale, as was Hannes’ swinging.” and “Hannes: The swinging stuck with me the most; it was pretty fun. The explosion was also fun; I thought the chair was going to explode.” The sixth page shows a drawing made by a child, featuring two human figures who may be holding balloons.
Image 5.36 Filling in the Guest Book Drawings Participants Jan Colliander and Tuire Colliander

Note

1 Kille was my playful translation of the name Gilles Deleuze. For me, it also visualised and reminded me of the practical guidance of the abstract thoughts of Deleuze in my process.