Blue (Live)

The final film by Derek Jarman, a towering figure of 20th-century British art, Blue (1993) stands as one of the most radical and singular works in cinema history: a feature-length film in which the screen is filled entirely with a single, unchanging color—International Klein Blue.

The film will be presented as a unique live performance, as its composer Simon Fisher Turner arrives in Oulu to perform an updated version of the score. Built from piano, ambient textures, and field recordings, the immersive soundscape unfolds alongside Jarman's confessional monologue, originally voiced by performers including Tilda Swinton. In this performance, the text is delivered live by Niko Hallikainen, an acclaimed Finnish writer and performance poet known for his magnetic stage presence.

Blue is a magical meditation on AIDS, mortality, love, and the color blue, moving between the mundane and the fantastical. In lyrical, hypnotic prose, Jarman reflects on his struggle with illness, as his sight gradually failed; by the time the film was completed, he could see only in shades of blue. Without a single cut or movement, the film immerses the viewer in a trance that is both overwhelming and purifying. Jarman's final testament is a masterpiece of experimental cinema—esoteric like the paintings of Yves Klein, and as political as the queer counterculture of Thatcher-era Britain.

Simon Fisher Turner has previously performed Blue in various configurations at venues including Tate Modern, the Pinault Collection, and the Austrian Film Museum in Vienna. The version performed with Hallikainen marks its Finnish and Nordic premiere.

Blue (Live) is a collaboration between OMVF and Cultural Centre Valve, and is part of the Oulu2026 programme.

Artists:

Simon Fisher Turner (b. 1954) has composed the music for several of Derek Jarman’s films, beginning with Caravaggio (1986). He has also collaborated with Mike Hodges, Kamal Aljafari, and Ryuichi Sakamoto, and has released his own music on the renowned Mute Records. Turner is the recipient of the prestigious Ivor Novello Award. His latest solo album, STUFF, was released in April 2026.

Niko Hallikainen (b. 1989) is an award-winning Helsinki-based performance poet and novelist. Hallikainen’s intense and transgressive works observe the ambivalent intersections of class, eroticism and spirituality. His text-based solo performances have premiered, among others, at the Performa Biennial in New York, Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Helsinki and the Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art.

Derek Jarman (1942–1994) was an artist whose work spanned film, painting, writing, stage design, and gardening. A pioneer of the music video form, he directed promos for artists including The Smiths, Pet Shop Boys, Patti Smith, and Suede. Jarman was a key advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and one of the first public figures in the UK to openly address issues surrounding HIV and AIDS.