Heidi’s latest solo performance, About Whiteness, was originally conceived as a performative speech for the Toiseuden Tottumukset (Habits of Othering) event at the Helsinki City Museum in September 2024. This thought-provoking piece blends personal storytelling with critical reflection, offering an intimate look at the pervasive influence of whiteness and privilege in everyday life.
About Whiteness is an autobiographical exploration of Heidi’s experiences growing up in Finland, where whiteness shaped not only her social environment but also the broader structures of power and decision-making. Through this solo, she examines how whiteness and supremacy, often operating unnoticed, informed her upbringing, shaped relationships, and framed opportunities. The performance dives deep into the ways privilege is internalized and perpetuated, often without conscious recognition, revealing how it affects everyone—not only those who benefit from it but also those marginalized by it.
In this deeply personal work, Heidi interrogates the systems of racial hierarchy that quietly define norms, expectations, and the very fabric of Finnish society. The performance challenges audiences to confront how these ingrained dynamics continue to inform our interactions, our identities, and the choices we make, whether we acknowledge them or not.
The piece is an ongoing work-in-progress, combination of movement, spoken word, and visceral storytelling, which will be developed further in 2024-2025. About Whiteness invites viewers into a dialogue about the unseen forces of racialization that underpin everyday life, and how dismantling these forces requires collective introspection and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.
Photos: Laura Karlin /lkarlin.com
