Visitor's Guide

The apartments

The residency house has two apartments. The larger one #1 is used by us around the year, while the smaller one #2 is used by the island administration during the summer and by us for the rest of the year. Both apartments have two rooms and a kitchen + bathroom.

We usually accommodate two individual artists / workgroups / families in apartment #1, and single artists / couples / small families in apartment #2.

If needed, both apartments can accommodate up to 4-6 persons temporarily. Therefore you can invite guests, though with permission from your co-artist (in case you’re sharing the apartment with another artist).

Furniture & daily stuff

The residency is entirely self serviced. The residents are expected to clean the apartment and do their laundry. Please note that smoking is absolutely forbidden inside. Please smoke outside and use the ash can located on the stairs.

When moving around the island, it is best to leave the door unlocked and keep the keys in their locker outside. That insures you will not be locked out – there aren’t always service personnel on the island to help. Repeat: Keep the door unlocked and keep the keys in the locker.

The apartments are equipped with necessities for living plus some additional tools and equipment. The rooms have two beds each plus a working table (except the smaller room in apartment 2 which only has beds). Spare mattresses are also available. You are free to arrange the furniture in the apartment as you see fit, but please return the arrangement upon leaving.

The kitchens are equipped with basic kitchenware and utensils, a stove with owen, a fridge, a microwave owen, a coffee pan/maker and a water cooker. Apartment #1 has also a freezer in addition to the fridge. The tap water is drinkable.

Bedding and towels are in the closets. Please wash any bedding and towels you have used before you leave. Cleaning equipment, detergents etc should be stored in the closets in the hallways.

The windows in the bedrooms are equipped with curtains. For complete darkness, you can also use the window boards outside.

Please take care of the furniture and interior. If you do any painting, woodwork or similar, you are required to cover your working area and make sure there will be no spills or scratches to the furniture and interior.

Extra fuses, light bulbs, batteries etc are stored in the storage room in apartment 1 and in the hallway closet in apartment 2. Flashlights should be hanging in the rack.

Bikes, trailers, carts and sleds

We have five bicycles are available for you:

– Two dark blue “Poni” compact unisex bikes
– A black “Kombi” compact unisex bike
– A light blue “Kombi” compact unisex bike
– An older black women’s bike

All our bikes have “ÖRES” marking in the back. Please take care of the bikes. Spare tyres, pumps etc are available.

We also have two black bicycle trailers which are handy for smaller luggage and fetching your grocery bags. All the unisex bikes have an attachment point for the trailer.

For larger  luggage we have two carts:

– one large heavy duty cart (zinc surfaced)
– one smaller cart (painted black)

For snowy winter days when the road has not been plowed we have:

– a smaller sled (black)
– a larger sled (orange patterned)

At least one of these should be waiting for you in the harbour, left there by the previous guest.

Note: Any other bicycles, carriages, tools and equipment elsewhere on the island are private property. You are not allowed to lend, use or move them unless you have an explicit permission.

Books

We have collected a small library of books on the topics of archipelago, maritime history, nature and art. They are available in our bookshelf, located in apartment 1. Feel free to borrow them from your neighbour.

Laundry

There is a laundry machine in the bathroom in apartment 1. If you live in apartment 2, please arrange suitable laundry times with your neighbour. The machine is quite simple to use. Instruction manual should be found in the cleaning closet. Please bring all washed laundry back to your apartment to hang & dry.

Sauna

The residency artists can book the saunas on the island for a reduced fee. Please check the pricing and instructions: Residenssi-hinnat-2022-23.docx

Waste disposal

 

For disposing general waste and sorted materials, please go to the harbour area. There are separate containers for generic waste, paper and metal. Please sort your waste accordingly. For smaller waste, you may also use the smaller bins found elsewhere on the island.

Note: In the winter period the waste management resources are very limited in Örö. It helps greatly if you are able to take some of your sorted waste along when you leave – there are big recycling containers in the Kasnäs harbour right next to the pier, where you can dump it.

For biodegradables, we have a compost behind the house. Please remember to add some dessicant from time to time (in a bag next to the compost, more can be found in apartment #2 storage). Use the small shovel from time to time to stir up the compost. If the compost is full,  open the hatch in the bottom and move some of the well-composted material to the concrete ring next to the compost.

Mail

You can deposit outgoing mail on the ferry/service boat, just remember to put stamps on it. The closest place to buy stamps is the shop at Kasnäs.

If you wish to receive mail, use the following address:

(Your name) / Örön residenssi
Örön Linnake, Pitkä Ikävä
25930 Kasnäs
Finland

Please note that incoming mail and packages are not delivered to your house. You have to go and pick them up from the ferry or service boat when they arrive. No one is obliged to inform you about their arrival though, so please use a tracking service or ask the service personnel.

Internet

The house has a wireless internet connection.

Wifi network: Ores
No password is needed.

The network is provided by a 5G/4G modem in apartment 1, plus three mesh routers (one in apartment 1 and two in apartment 2). Keep the modem and routers plugged in. The modem (the largest unit) should be positioned in the northern windowsill in apartment #1 for the best reception. A green light is lit in the units when they are connected to each other. If one of the mesh units is unable to connect, you can try moving it to another location.

The wifi uses a cellular connection which works quite reliably. Typical transfer speeds are from 50 to 150 mbps, only suffering under heavy rain or snow.

Heating

The house is heated by electric radiators. Use the thermostats on the radiators to adjust temperature. They are a bit tricky to adjust; press the up & down arrows to adjust temperature and the left & right buttons to select mode if you need more adjustment (“day” mode for higher and “night” mode for lower temperature ranges).

To save some energy, please put the radiators in “night” mode and turn the temperature down to around 15 degrees celsius if leaving the island for a few days, and also at the end of your residency period (unless someone is arriving the same day). It is also a good practice to keep a bit lower temperature in places like the hallway.

Food & Commodities

In summertime there is a cafe/restaurant and a small shop in the hotel area and harbour. The cafe might be open during special occasions year-round, but mostly both are closed during the winter period and not will open again until May.

The nearest grocery store, open year-round, can be found next to the restaurant in Kasnäs. Due to the ferry schedules it is not practical to go to Kasnäs for shopping (unless you plan to stay overnight) so ordering food has been the norm.

You can contact the grocery store and have them deliver your order to the Ms Stella ferry twice a week. You can then pick up the delivery from the Örö harbour. Multiple payment methods are available. Please contact the shop at the latest one day in advance (Saturday for the Monday ferry, Wednesday for the Thursday delivery). Please also check with the ferry which harbour they are going to so you don’t miss the arrival.

Kasnäs Handel
Open Mon-Thu 9-16, Fri 9-17, Sat 9-13
+358 40 511 6732  (They also use WhatsApp)
shop@kasnas.com

Please check this PDF with pictures of the store selection, it may be helpful when placing your order:
Kasnäs Butik-Kauppa-Shop.pdf

If you have a chance to visit Dalsbruk, there are two larger grocery stores, a restaurant and a delicacy store. A supermarket and a hardware store are located in the Kimito center, 30 km from Kasnäs.

We advise you to keep an extra storage of food and other necessities for 1-2 weeks. There is also an “emergency food” box/shelf in the kitchen cabinets; you are free to consume from it, but please fill it up before you leave (with vegetarian items if possible).

Getting extra tools and equipment is a bit difficult with the limited connections. It might be more feasible to order stuff from web stores. The packages will be delivered to the ferry for you to pick up (see Mail above).

Upon Leaving

Leave the house in good order and ready for the next resident. Do the dishes, clean the kitchen, toilet and rooms, wipe and vacuum all the surfaces. Yes, you will be in a hurry when you leave so do it all on the day before.

Do the laundry (bedding and towels). You can either do the laundry in the morning before you depart and leave the laundy to dry in the house, or do the laundy earlier and use your own bedding/towels for the last days.

Set the heating to a lower level before you leave if there is no one arriving immediately after you. Lock the door and put the keys back in their hideaway.

You may leave some canned and dry food in the kitchen closet. If you leave any food in the fridge, please use a pen to mark the date on it as we do not want old stuff to accumulate there.

Many artists also like to collect nice looking rocks and sticks to decorate the apartment. Yes they might look nice… But not when they accumulate over time. Please consider this when cleaning up.

Note: When you are finished using our tools/equipment, please put them back in storage in an orderly fashion.

– Put any power tools, drill bits, screws, nail and tape back into their respective boxes.
– Always store the monitors in upright position on the shelf so that nothing is touching the display surfaces.
– Put the loudspeakers back into their packaging.
– Keep all cables in order.

Tools

Basic tools, some power tools and some woodworking stuff are provided. Please notify us if tools are missing and/or broken so we can get replacements. Most tools are stored in the storage room in apartment 1, plus a small subset in the closet in apartment 2.

Printer

We have one printer with scanner – please negotiate with your neightbour about its whereabouts. The printer can be used over wifi. The drivers (Canon I-Sensys MF212w) can be downloaded online. If you need a lot of printing for your project, please order more paper and toner.

Reference loudspeakers

For sound work the residency provides:

– One pair of Alesis M1 studio monitors
– One pair of Genelec 8020 studio monitors

3,5mm stereo jack to 2×1/4″ Y cables are provided. The speakers also accept SpeakON cables. Both speaker should be stored in their packaging in the storage room in apartment 1.

Displays

For video/photo editing we have four monitors and various of HDMI/DVI/MiniDisplayPort/USB-C cables and adapters. They are normally located in the storage room in apartment 1 (one may also be stored in the large closet in apartment 2).

The monitors are calibrated to a SRGB colour space with a white point of 6500K, gamma 2.2 and brightness of 120cd/m2. For most accurate color, please install corresponding color profile from this file: ORES_Display_Profiles.zip and ensure the monitors use the following settings:

Dell U2412M (24″, 1920×1200): Brightness 98, Contrast 50, Custom Color settings: R100, G98, B97.
Dell P2421D (24″, 2560×1440) service tag G5…: Brightness 37, Contrast 75, Custom Color settings: R100, G98, B98.
Dell P2421D (24″, 2560×1440) service tag JB…: Brightness 37, Contrast 75, Custom Color settings: R100, G99, B100.
Lenovo T27p (27″, 3840×2160): Brightness 26, Contrast 85, Custom Color settings: R100, G96, B93.

Please do not adjust the settings from these values or you might lose color accuracy.

Video projector

We have one Xgimi Halo FHD video projector in the residency. It is a portable LED projector with 900 lumens brightness. It has an inbuilt battery so it is easy to do various projection experiments.

Computer accessories

We have some spare keyboards and mice (located in the storage room in apartment 1) if you prefer to extend your laptop to a more desktop-like setup.

Caution

Beware of steep cliffs, which can be very slippery. Always keep your cell phone with you; it is a large island with few if any people around. It is good practice to keep in touch with friends or family daily and let people know where you are heading. If you stumble and get unconsciuous in the forest, it might otherwise be too late when people start missing you.

In the middle of the winter it might be possible to walk on the ice surrounding the island. Do this only if you have experience. Follow old footprints whenever possible and never wander more than a few meters away from the shore, as the currents around the island can be tricky and eat away the ice from below. Our apartment is equipped with ice picks. Always wear the ice picks on your neck as a safety precaution when walking on ice.

There are lot of snakes on the island. The only poisonous snake in Finland is the viper (“kyy”). While a bite is almost never fatal for adults, in can causea nausea, swelling and in extreme cases, anaphylactic shock. We have cortison pills (“Kyypakkaus”) in the residency which can be used as a first aid. However, any viper bite should always be checked by health professionals. Chlidren must be monitored in a hospital. Do not hesitate to call the health service for help and further instructions.

From the spring to late autumn there are also ticks. Ticks may carry two types of disease, borreliosis and TBE. Both are rare but can happen – and can be serious with long-term symptoms if left untreated. We strongly recommend vaccination against TBE. When moving around the island, avoid areas with long grass and thick vegetation and stay on paths, sand and rock. Always check your feet and clothes for ticks (they move slow and are easy to catch when not yet attached).  If a tick has bitten you, remove it immediately with tweezers (to be found on the first-aid-kits in the apartments). Keep a watch for any symptoms and don’t hesitate to contact the health services if needed.

Weather Conditions and Clothing

The climate in the archipelago is rather mild by Nordic standards. As the sea keeps the local climate warmer, the temperatures do not usually go much below the freezing point until the sea freezes, which will usually happen sometime after New Year. In the autumn period some humidity, rain and occasional storms can be expected, but also many crystal clear late autumn days with temperatures between 0 and 10 degrees celcius. In the winter the temperature is commonly between 0 and minus 10 degrees, but can occasionally go as low as minus 25. The spring begins in late March – early April with temperatures rapidly climbing above zero and the transition to a green summery landscape happening in the middle of May.

About clothing: It’s good to have lots of warm and waterproof stuff just in case. Though you might find yourself hiking only with a t-shirt on some sunny autumn day, the next day might bring chilling wind and rain. A windproof and preferably waterproof (goretex etc) jacket is a necessity in the autumn and spring period and a heavier jacket during the winter. Trousers from a similar material would also be recommended as well as a woollen sweater plus a cap and gloves. You’ll also need some kind of hiking or rubber boots with insulation according to the season.

A good online service for checking out the local weather can be found at en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/weather/kemiönsaari/örö.

The National Park: Rules & Limitations

3.2 kilometers long and 1.8 wide, Örö is perfect for daily walking trips. When moving around the island, you are encouraged to use the roads and marked hiking trails, especially during the bird season.

Being part of the Archipelago National Park, there are some limitations as to what you are allowed to do. You are free to explore the island, under the following restrictions:

• It is forbidden to enter military areas (there are still five small, clearly marked areas on the island) and collect military related items and materials.
• No campfires.
• No driving of motorized vehicles on land.
• Pets must be kept on the leach at all times.
• Do not disturb or feed livestock.
• No uprooting or damaging of trees, bushes, or other plants and their parts.
• No capturing or disturbing wildlife and destroying nests.
• Do not interfere with butterfly traps or other research equipment.
• Do not damage the soil, bedrock or collect any minerals.
• Camping is only allowed on designated areas.

Note that any scientific equipment, tools, bicycles, carriages etc you might encounter on the island are private property and must not be touched. Please respect the privacy of the maintenance staff and hotel guests when moving in inhabited areas.

Restrictions on Photography

Though Örö is no longer an active military base, there are still active military structures there and the military is allowed to organize rehearsals on the island. Therefore there are some extra restrictions concerning photography:

• It is not allowed to photograph the active military structures/areas (all five of them are marked on the Örö tourist map).
• It is not allowed to photograph any military rehearsals on the island.
• Drone photography without a permit from the military is forbidden on the whole island. Please check these instructions for obtaining a permit.

In summer the island is filled with tourists (with over 30 thousand yearly visitors). Off-season the chances for social life are limited, though nowadays Örö has a handful of permanent residents, most working for the hotel company.

The large Kimito island, the place you reach Örö from, is rather active in communal and cultural life, though again most if it is concentrated on the summer season with well-known jazz, movie and music festivals happening yearly.

We, the residence organization, are mostly based in Helsinki, so we visit the island only occasionally, but we have a contact person living in Örö who can help with some practical matters. We can also arrange contacts with the local community and artists as well as with people and organizations in our collaboration network and Finland in general.

You are free to do a short trip to the mainland – we are not able to provide accommodation ourselves, but can help you find affordable housing. You are also allowed to invite collaborators, contacts and guests to visit your residency, just please inform us if there are people staying for longer than a few days.

Languages

Most of the coastal area in Finland is bilingual (Finnish and Swedish) with the archipelago having a Swedish speaking majority, Swedish thus being your best choice for starting a conversation. English skills are also wide spread, especially among the younger generation.

Who is who in Örö

The island itself is owned by the Finnish state and managed by the state forest and wildlife administration, Metsähallitus. They run the general services on the island such as plumbing, electricity and property maintenance as well as take care of and enforce the nature protection status. The service personnel you might meet on the island are mostly working for Metsähallitus or their subcontractors.

The boats and ferries to Örö are run either commercially by Wilson Charter Oy (in summertime) or by the state via an operator (Meritie Oy).

The commercial activity in Örö is run by a company managed by Nina Liski-Tirkkonen and Janne Tirkkonen. They run the guest harbour, restaurant and accommodation business, and also live in Örö, as well as our contact person Maria Pick and her husband. There are also other residents you might meet when exploring the island, for example Terhi Julin and Jarmo Vehkakoski.

The Finnish Army and Naval forces are also partially active on the island. They use it for observation and occasional military practice. Although they are not entitled to exclusive use of the island (except the small designated military areas), it is still recommended to stay out of the way of any military game you might encounter, as the noise might damage your hearing.

The residency programme itself is administered by us, the Örö Residency Center association. We are renting the residency house from Metsähallitus and provide the necessary coordination, contacts and tools for artistic practice on the island. We do not have a permanent presence there, but visit periodically for project planning and equipping the apartments.

Being an artist-run voluntary organization we must apologize for any inconvenience our very limited resources and funding might cause. However we are doing our best to ensure that your residency period will be as smooth as possible and wholeheartedly welcome you to the island.

If you need immediate medical attention, call the national emergency service: 112

The Emergency Service will evaluate your situation and send either a helicopter or a boat with emergency personnel to pick you up. The helicopter, used in urgent cases, takes about 15 minutes to reach the hospital in Turku. In a less urgent situation the boat and ambulance take about two hours.

If there is no need for immediate attention, you can visit the local health center by yourself. It can be found in Dalsbruk:

Dalsbruk Health Center
Sjukhusvägen 4, Dalsbruk
+358(0)2 4260 400
Open Mon – Thu 8:00-16:00

There is also a First Aid Kit in the apartment.

Note:

• Be aware of the dangers posed. Avoid ticks, snakes and hazardous places! See Dangers & Restrictions for more information!
• For EU/EEA residents, please bring along your European Health Insurance Card as you are entitiled to free public healthcare services. You should present this card at the health center or hospital.
• For residents outside the EU/EEA we request you to have a Health Insurance covering any need for medical treatments during your residency period (otherwise you need to pay the hefty bill yourself).
• If you need to visit the health center, please use the available no-cost or low-cost transport options whenever possible unless it is an emergency. Otherwise make sure your health/travel insurance will cover extra transport costs such as a taxi boat.
• We strongly recommend TBE vaccination for all visitors.

Help and Questions

For general questions about the residency, or if you have any problems with the equipment/furniture in the house or something gets broken, please contact us:
nuutti.koskinen (at) ores.fi, +358 41 5317 606 (WhatsApp)

Social Media

If you would like us to promote your work and life in Örö in our social media accounts, you can send any pictures and/or (short) texts to be published to our social media assistant Katja Niemi: media@ores.fi

Service

For non-immediate technical issues with the house (such as minor storm damage etc), you may be in touch with the island administration (please also let us know):
Sanja Forsström (sanja.forsstrom (at) metsa.fi), +358 40 5932214
Matti Peltonen (matti.peltonen (at) metsa.fi), +358 40 5292642

In case of immediate/emergency problems such as water shortage, plumbing failure or such you can contact the service hotline:
+358 20 530 5700.

Please note that during storms it is common for electricity to be cut for short periods (<1-4 hours), so no need to report immediately.

Museums and galleries

In case you’re staying in the mainland for a few days, here are some places you might like to visit.

Helsinki

Museum of Contemporary Art
Amos Rex Art Museum
Helsinki Art Musem
Huuto
Muu Gallery
Gallery Sinne
Heino Gallery
Gallery SIC
Hippolyte
Sculptor

Turku

Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art
Turku Art Museum
Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova
Titanik Gallery
Gallery Å
B Gallery

Research

If you wish to research further into topics concerning local environment, you might like to browse through the available online resources in addition to our modest selection of books available on the residency. You might also consider contacting local research faculties for more information about their research projects as the Finnish universities have conducted a lot of research on the Archipelago area.

Online resources

Örö is a part of the Archipelago Sea National Park. Wikipedia gives a pretty through introduction and links on the subject.

Metsähallitus has their own site where you can download publications on the research they have conducted in the archipelago.

Finna is the most comprehensive online resource for finding old photographs and maps. It is also a gateway to books in the libraries.

University archives with downloadable thesis works and other publications:
Ethesis (University of Helsinki)
Doria (Multiple Universities)
Converis (Abo Akademi)

If you’re looking for maps these resources ar handy:
Paikkatietoikkuna (the most comprehensive online map tool with hundreds of information layers, historical aerial photos etc)
Vanhatkartat.fi (for old maps; these can also be found in Finna but here they are more easily accessible)

Research faculties

University of Turku:
Archipelago Research
History
Geography and Geology

Åbo Akademi:
Geology
Maritime History

University of Helsinki:
Finnish and Nordic History
Maritime History
Geosciences and Geography
Tvärminne Zoological Station

National Defence University: Library