Isa Hukka
I am a freelance writer, artist, facilitator, and educator. I am based in Helsinki, although parts of me always reside in Pohjois-Pohjanmaa, Copenhagen and Tiohti:áke/Montréal.
I have graduated from the Practical Philosophy program at the University of Helsinki (B.Soc.Sc.). My crip philosophical thesis “Cripping the Disabled Identity” studied identity and disability in contemporary feminist philosophy. I also teach philosophy.
Various magazines have published my award-winning poetry, and I have had the opportunity to perform my work on many stages. My literary work explores crip writing, including working with crip mythodologies, vocabularies, and methods.
I make performances in local contexts of feminism, disability politics and what I call comprehensive accessibility. I am a skilled facilitator and director, working to create more sustainable, fair, caring, and accessible working environments, particularly for disabled artists. What is cripping in performing arts, and how is it done?
I have collaborated with over 10 cultural institutions in Finland and abroad, e. g. University of Helsinki, Baltic Circle, Urbanapa, Academy of Arts Architecture & Design in Prague, Frame finland, Helsinki Poetry Connection, Turku Poetry Week, and Seta.
In 2022-23, I worked as a facilitator in a crip performing arts project that was part Baltic Circle’s multi-year Coming Stage -project, funded by Kone Foundation. Our piece ‘Inviting precarious perspectives’ was awarded with the Theatre Act of the Year 2023 -award.
Since 2020, I have actively taken part in crip grassroot organizing in Helsinki, including founding collectives such as Just Another Crip Group (2020), Crip Care Network Helsinki (2021), and Crip Student Organisation (2022). I have been developing, translating and creating crip / ‘rampa’ language and vocabularies in Finnish.
Wherever I work, I am guided by professional ethics and values such as accessibility, care, multiplicity, transparency, fairness, and open communication.