Janne Auvinen

Janne is the CEO of Verkatehdas and the acting theatre director of the subsidiary Hämeenlinna Theatre, as well as a specialist in the development of performance and event facilities. A dissertation on the creating functional performance spaces is currently underway at Aalto University’s Department of Architecture.

Long experience as both a designer and a user of performance spaces provides a perspective on the needs, necessities and values of both performing and communicating. Years and miles have taught that the content always comes first, and the form must always follow, not lead. Art is not decoration, and communication is not just information. Especially the public space should always properly serve not only all its users, but also the community around it, to justify the use of common resources.

Janne Auvinen has worked in the event industry since 1984, and graduated from the Theatre Academy’s Department of Lighting and Sound Design in 1995 with a master’s degree in theatre art.

Photo credit: Tapio Aulu