Erik Vojevodin delves into state as a place. Using a bath as an intervention in public space, he explores immersive experience and poses the question – how to bathe without actually bathing? During the residency in Helsinki, the ExP team was invited to an unexpected urban bathing ritual in the form of a tour. It began with a trip to the Helsinki Olympic Swimming Pool, the oldest public outdoor swimming pool in Finland, built for the 1940 Olympic Games and designed by architect Jorma Järvi, where each participant received a mysterious envelope with the letter a, as well as the first instruction card inviting them to spend time in a public swimming pool without talking.

_{Erik Vojevodin’s experiment in Helsinki ‘Public Bath’. Pictures by Ikko Alaska}

After this unusual bath, the experiment’s group followed the instructions and moved towards the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art through Töölö Park. After a contemplative walk, the team entered the museum space – object a – and with the help of a magic envelope entered the exhibition halls, where another kind of bathing experience continued. After experiencing the works, participants of the experiment gathered to reflect on the experience. After three hours of silence, they spoke for the first time and had a lot to share.

_{Erik Vojevodin’s experiment in Helsinki ‘Public Bath’. Pictures by Ikko Alaska}