@didihakkarainen

Afrodite “Didi” Hakkarainen is a character created by composer-librettist Heinz-Juhani Hofmann and singer-performer Annika Fuhrmann, who made her debut in August 2024 in the multidisciplinary opera Myself/Myself/Myself at the Helsinki Contemporary Opera Festival. Myself/Myself/Myself is the first part of a multi-year & multi-stylistic work series titled The Public Life and Death of Afrodite “Didi” Hakkarainen. This series, combining opera, theater, social media, video art, and performance art, explores the experiences of a neurodivergent individual in today’s complex society.

At its core, the series focuses on a woman struggling with the challenges of neurodiversity in her personal life and in the broader societal context. At the same time, it presents a multidimensional fresco that encompasses the entirety of this challenging world, fearlessly addressing also the darker and more brutal aspects of humanity and the human condition. Each part of the series features a unique audiovisual identity and functions as an independent work that can also be performed separately.

Starting in autumn 2024, Didi Hakkarainen will regularly publish video content on her own social media channels (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads). Alongside Didi’s personal reflections, her content will touch on current, hot-button issues and news headlines, and she will also respond to comments on her videos. Social media as a platform offers an exceptional opportunity to react quickly to current events and engage in dialogue with followers. Didi’s social media presence serves as an exploration of new expressive possibilities in experimental, socially engaged musical theater. Additionally, the videos form a narrative arc that organically leads to the next parts of the series.

The second part Kaikki tai Ei mitään (All or Nothing) will take place in autumn 2025 on the streets and in public places in Helsinki.

@didihakkarainen social media channel´s artistic team:
Heinz-Juhani Hofmann: music, text, concept design
Annika Fuhrmann: performer, concept design
Eetu Lipponen: director, concept design