Reality Research Center is a new kind of 'performing arts garage' in Finland. It is run by theatre/performing arts professionals who are devoted to question the prevailing concept of reality. What is reality? How can we observe, experience, describe, define, reflect, discuss, present or represent it? In Reality Research Center we confront these questions foremost by searching for new innovative ways of creating performances. The performances are the tool as well as the fruit of our research.

Reality Research Center is a follow-up project to the communal Theatre of Kallio (1997 - 2000), which was an attempt to combine artistic theatre with community theatre and thereby create a single, local stage. In 2001, after three years and 20 performances, we wanted to expand our view from Kallio to include any aspect of reality and all the tangible and intangible ways of describing it; thus Reality Research Center was conceived. At present Reality Research Center has thirty two members; directors, dramatists, actors, dancers, musicians, choreographers, visual artist, sound and light designers. In addition to the actual staff 15-50 guest co-workers from different lines of profession participate in our projects yearly.

The core of our work is artistic research. It requires persistence, the ability to be open to the phenomena of our environment and an innovative attitude towards the art form itself, namely performing. Art entertains, but in addition it widens our view of life and works as a mirror of society and humanity. To redeem these high expectations art - in this case performing art - and artists have to stay open-minded. We try to be all this, but often we are confined by our own conventions and personal limitations. We are smaller than we dream to be. But we know how to dream big.

Even though many of us are rooted in theatre, which is evident, our research by the means of performing arts often leads us to no-mans-land. In the sphere of art it means the grey area between contemporary theatre, dance, performance, community theatre, visual arts and what ever is needed. In a wider perspective we move on the borderlands of art, philosophy, politics, science and therapy. In effect, we are engaged in active co-operation with other performance artists, with theatre groups and institutions, and with research workers who explore reality from extra-art viewpoints.

Reality Research Center has no stage of its own, except the reality itself. Hence the performances are situated in varied environments: in common city space, private apartments, theatres, art museums, virtual reality, even inside the mind of the spectator.

Our goal is to awaken curiosity towards reality. We are convinced that the world is not ready. We think that art should always create space for thinking, acting and being: it should enhance the spirit of questioning the society, the existence, as well as re-think the conventions of art itself. We strive towards art and society where dreams and new possibilities would exist.