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 the 1st to the 31st August 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 – 31 August 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
  B IS FOR BLOOD: Nastja Säde Rönkkö in conversation with Gemma Rolls-Bentley, featuring a curated selection of the videos to launch 'Survival Guide for a Post-Apocalyptic Child' at the Live Art Development Agency, London.
• Thursday 14 August, 7pm
  Q IS FOR QUESTIONS: Nastja Säde Rönkkö in conversation with Giulia Casalini, featuring a curated selection of the videos at Quench Gallery, Margate. Free to attend. Book here.
• Saturday 9th August, 1-4pm
  G IS FOR GUIDE: Bushcraft & survival skills with Cormac Martin. Free to attend. Book here.
• Friday 15 August, 7pm - 10pm
  F IS FOR FORAGING: Late night opening + foraged feast with awarding chefs Dr Legumes at Fort Burgoyne, Dover. Free to attend. Book here.
• Saturday 13th  & Sunday 14th  September, 11am - 4pm
  R IS FOR RITUAL: Satelite screening 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.