Special Projects

Award-winning Finnish video artist Nastja Säde Rönkkö presents her thought-provoking installation Survival Guide for a Post-Apocalyptic Child at the historic Fort Burgoyne in Dover, from 1 August to 14 September 2025.

The exhibition features 26 cinematic HD-videos at its core, accompanied by a series of sculptures and a captivating soundscape. Together, they explore practical and emotional survival strategies for the future, inviting viewers to engage with a world at the brink of environmental and societal breakdown. The videos range from guidance on finding food in the wild, surviving a heartbreak to speculative visions of life on other planets. Each piece touches on personal and global crises, blending abstract, poetic narratives with urgent, practical considerations.

Presented by University for the Creative Arts, with support from Arts Council England, The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland and FRAME, this marks the UK premiere of Survival Guide for a Post-Apocalyptic Child, following its successful production by Lönnström Art Museum in 2022 and presentation at Helsinki Art Museum (HAM). The exhibition will be shown at Fort Burgoyne, with additional satellite screenings and events at The Live Art Development Agency (London), Quench Gallery (Margate), Prospect Cottage (Dungeness), and Folkestone Triennial Fringe.

Rönkkö, a Helsinki-based artist known for her work in media art, performance, and writing, has received numerous accolades, including Young Artist of the Year in 2019 and the Below Zero Art Prize in 2023. Her art explores the foundations of humanity, social relations, and radical change in today’s era of transformation.

Dates: 1 August – 14 September 2025, Thursday to Sunday 10-5pm  
Opening night: 1 August 6-9pm   
Venue: Fort Burgoyne, Dover, UK

Satellite screenings and events:

• Wednesday 16 July, 7pm – Artist Talk Artist Talk + screening of select videos at the Live Art Development Agency, London
• Thursday 14 August, 7pm – Artist Talk + screening of select videos at Quench Gallery, Margate
• Friday 15 August – Late Night opening + Foraged Feast with Dr Legumes
• Friday 12 – Sunday 14 September – Installation of select videos inside Prospect Cottage, Dungeness

For more information, press inquiries, or to request high-resolution images, please contact:
 
Arly Bean, UCA Galleries Curator – arly.bean@uca.ac.uk
Leighanne Murray, Atelier Public Relations – leighanne@atelierpublicrelations.com
Sara Kärpänen, Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland – sara.karpanen@fininst.uk

Find us:

Fort Burgoyne Road, Guston, Dover, Kent CT15 5FN

We encourage audiences to travel sustainably using Southeastern trains and bus routes 80A, 80B, 81 & 93. There is parking available onsite.