This month we are pleased to hear from Mikko Myllykoski, Director of Heureka - The Finnish Science Centre, our host for the 2023 International Directors Forum. Let's find out what keeps Mikko inspired:

Listening to – podcasts, every single day. My favourite is Aristoteleen kantapää (‘Aristotle’s heel’), a fascinating blend of humor and various, often surprising aspects about language. That would be in Finnish, but Euroopan valot (‘Lights of Europe’) offers fascinating popular music in all European languages. – Still very funny, but serious: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver about colonial museums.

Reading – Tiina Raevaara’s Minä, koira ja ihmiskunta (‘Me, dog and the humankind’) is research-based, but personal account on how we would not be the humans we are without the domestication of the wolf. While you need to wait for it to be translated into English (I wish), you might meanwhile try Pat Shipman’s books that Tiina is referring to. – Or you might enjoy River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West by Rebecca Solnit, as I did.

Following – visually inspiring, fascinating and disturbing sites like brutgroup on Instagram and Stephen Ellcock on Facebook.

Things keeping me up at night - right now the International Directors Forum that we will be hosting in November. But then I put another carefully selected podcast on – and fall back to sleep.

Somewhere I’ve been recently – Napoleon’s ex-bedroom on his Russian campaign in Kaunas, Lithuania. I was invited to lecture for Arts and Management students in this renovated historical space. As the capital of culture, Kaunas offered a set of wonderful exhibitions: by Yoko Ono, by William Kentridge and by Ukranian contemporary artists. And the most bling-bling Christmas tree that I have ever seen.

Somewhere I’m planning to go – Venice. I will be attending the 26th International Dialogue in the Dark meeting in March and “reconnecting for fortitude and inspiraction”, as the theme of the venue puts it.