Kat Barron and Lara Thoms a.k.a. SPAT’N’LOOGIE a.k.a awesome hybrid performance creators a.k.a Charltons ‘Gangstas Paradise’ Karaoke Champions have quickly moved from their HOLIDAY show during Melbourne’s recent Next Wave Festival to a residency in Rauma, rural Finland.

What are you doing in Finland?

Soaking up the sun. Taking tours of ‘Rauma’s dark side’, inlcuding a date in a car with ‘pussy patrol’ sprayed on the doors. Writing a feature film. Making a cooking show. Hanging out with teenagers. Making videos at the pool. Making paper mache muscle suits and spitting in each others faces. 7 hour dinner parties. Getting into craft – creating heaps of ‘buddies’.

Do the Finns make good conversationalists?
Do you have any Finnish tales or jokes now?

The most popular joke in Rauma is to say ‘Hey, what’s going on in Rauma tonight?’ – funny because nothing is ever going on in Rauma tonight. Also to add a T to the beginning of Rauma. The locals we have met have been pretty good conversationalists, we met two brothers who were satanists and told us they  wanted to make a didgeridoo out of a t-rex bone and come on as guests on our cooking show to cook mock human (soy based). One of them was going to begin a job managing the local nuclear power plant. We are a bit concerned about that.

What’s the greatest thing that’s happened to you during the residency?

Buddies. (shell art). Seeing a young punk with multi colored giant mohawk dive from an 18 metre platform gracefully into the local pool fully clothed. An all-accapella heavy metal band in Helsinki.

Has the constant daylight affected your ability to work or sleep?

In the beginning we were waking up at 2am, thinking it was 2pm, etc. Its getting dark at about 12 now, we still can’t bring ourselves to sleep before 3am.

How did the cooking show come about?

Boredom and hunger and inability to ever eat outside of the house, entertainment for close friends and coconuts.

Have you been to the Finnish outback?

We are in the Finnish outback.  We have seen crop circles in fields nearby. No, Lapland would be nice.

What else are you doing in Europe?

We are planning to visit St. Petersburg and Stockholm during our visit for good times, after the residency we are going Linz to attend Ars Electronica.  Other plans include making a skype video artwork gameshow with you.

Exotic?

Reindeer stew.

Where can I revel in the excitement of candy?

Pick and pay, this is a mall city.

Whats hot this summer?

Roller blading, peroxided hair, sausage dogs, PUA’s