The City Sets - Discover the Design Paris exhibition (from 31 May to 31 Aug 2012) introduces the Aalto University's MA and doctoral students' talent side by side with experienced Finnish media artists in the context of Designer's Days, one of the biggest yearly design events in France. The exhibit initiates the metaphor of “city as stage” in order to critically investigate urban design, the multimodality of human action within it and the narratives embedded in the urban landscape. "It gives audiovisual forms to the human experience of urban design," say the City Sets project's academic and artistic directors Marja Seliger and Mika 'Lumi' Tuomola.

The City Sets exhibition showcases the video and photographic productions of two collaborative workshops between the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture (Finland) and L'École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (France), as well as the latest media art installations by the Finnish artists Heidi Tikka, Andy Best & Merja Puustinen.

The exhibition venues will open on Thu 31 May 2012 as a part of the 1-2-3-Helsinki: Design en Seine event in the Paris Designer’s Days:

May 31 - August 31: At Hand by Heidi Tikka at the Europe metro station, and the young talent photography exhibit in the selected displays along the metro line 14. Also performances of RE/F/r.ACE by Best & Puustinen will be held at Petit Bain by the river Seine.

June 1-30: At Hand interactive touch installation in the Institut Finlandais street window, and the video installations from the City Sets workshop productions in the lobby and first floor.

All the university workshops’ material will also be presented online in the City Sets Media Player, developed particularly for the audiovisual ethnographical study of urban environment by Palash Mukhopadhyay and Teemu Korpilahti. The workshop process paper "Narrative Eye to Urban Design" will be presented in the Cumulus Helsinki Conference 24-26 May 2012:  http://cumulushelsinki2012.org/

Further information: http://citysets.net

Press images: http://crucible.mlog.taik.fi/productions/city-sets/citysets-press-images/

Aalto University: Producer Tania Rodríguez García, tania.rodriguez.garcia@aalto.fi , +358 50 431 6622;

Artistic director Mika ’Lumi’ Tuomola, mika.tuomola@aalto.fi, +358 40 516 2371, http://crucible.mlog.taik.fi/;

L'École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (EnsAD): Anna Bernagozzi, anna.bernagozzi@ensad.fr; Rémy Bourganel, remy.bourganel@ensad.fr

City Sets sponsors and partners: Aalto University, École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Paris Institut Finlandais, the Paris public transport network RATP, Aalto Living+ and World Design Capital Helsinki 2012

Exhibiting City Sets WS participants: Photographic works by Gregory Gilles, Mari Huhtanen, Louise Lazzari, Cyril Quene, Melissa Raffin, Johanna Rotko, Sébastien Tardif, Charlotte Thon & Heidi Uppa; video works by Mina Arko, Anais Di Luccio, Ben Dromey, Kinky Cheung, Gregory Gilles, Thomas Guillemet, Ursula Heinikoski, Satoko Hinomizu, Mari Huhtanen, Päivi Keränen, Anu Koski, Paula Lehtonen, Jian Li, Constance Marraud, Nina Martin, Suse Miessner, Heikki Nuutinen, Anna Nyyssönen, Camille Pichon, Melissa Raffin, Johanna Rotko, Sébastian Tardif, Charlotte Thon, Cedric Tomissi, Heidi Uppa, Mathilde Vello & Teresa Winter utinen 

Photo: Aki-Pekka Sinikoski

– Working on the Design Capital Pavilion has been a unique and special experience for the Wood Studio, says Professor Pekka Heikkinen.

The architectural design of the pavilion is by student Pyry-Pekka Kantonen. Other Wood Studio students belonging to the working group include Markus Heinonen, Marko Hämäläinen, Janne Kivelä, Wilhelm Kosonen and Inka Saini.

– Studying at the Wood Studio is a team work oriented experience, says Kantonen.  It is rewarding to see the entire design and construction of the project from start to finish, from the first sketches to the commissioning of the building, all happening during the study period. Wood is a familiar material to the Finns that connects people, explains Kantonen.

An open space with many uses

The Pavilion is designed to be an open and easy to approach building. It enables the organisation and integration of numerous functions and events.

The construction is formed of a roofed terrace and two triangle-shaped premises. The smaller triangle has a kitchen and an outdoor café counter. The larger triangle hosts a media space, which can be expanded onto the terrace. During the summer, the media space transforms, for example, into a movie theatre. The cafeteria’s kitchen and serving facility, as well as the media space can be closed off and are semi-heated indoor facilities.

– The openness of the triangle-shaped grated roof allows light to playfully sweep over the terrace as the day passes. The roofing consists of triangle-shaped grating with beams and a transparent covering. The beams are made from veneered laminated wood, similar to the pillars, with an 18 mm beach veneer surface and structural timber studs. The covering consists of a transparent polycarbonate cellular board. The total covered area is 470 sq m.

The Pavilion consists of four main elements: The base and terrace, the premises, the pillars and the roofed area. The pillars of the roofed area are set on thick plates placed on the gravel base. Each pillar is a six-pointed veneer plywood box structure. The pillars are fixed together horizontally with rods. The box structure consists of core lattices made of structural timber, and 18mm plywood with birch veneer surfaces.

The building is set on a levelled gravel base. The terrace structures will be made almost entirely of timber and the platform from birch veneer surfaced laminated planks. The premises, which can be closed off, will be built out of prefabricated laminated elements.

The Wood Studio tutors are Professor Pekka Heikkinen, engineer Hannu Hirsi, architect
Risto Huttunen, designer Mikko Paakkanen, architect Karola Sahi and by project coordinator Ransu Helenius.

The terrace benches are designed by architect Philip Tidwell from Aalto University. The furniture is designed and manufactured by Martela and Trash Design. The Pavilion’s events programme is coordinated by Demos Helsinki.

Further information:
Pekka.heikkinen@aalto.fi; ransu.helenius@aalto.fi; pyry.kantonen@aalto.fi

The Pavilion will have a program every day of the 105 days it will be open. The programme can be accessed on the Pavilion web page at http://wdchelsinki2012.fi/en/pavilion. The new architectural meeting point is located between Design Museum and Museum of Finnish Architecture, Ullanlinnankatu, Helsinki.

Aalto University’s World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 programme, Living+ available at living.aalto.fi/en 

eEemeli competition is a respected Finnish competition in the area of digital learning environments and solutions.

The Apps4Learning winner TeamUp is a new media reflection tool for teachers to form teams of students based on interests, and for students to record one minute audio updates about their teamwork progress, challenges and next steps.

(The original news item in iTEC Scenarios, Design and Prototyping blog)

Go to see TeamUp:  http://teamup.aalto.fi/ 

The list of accepted students can be found here: http://studies.aalto.fi/en/admissions/admissionresults/

Please note that the list contains the names of only those applicants who have given the permission to publish their admission decision on the web pages.

The applicants can also check their own admission result in the online application system https://apply.aalto.fi.

A Letter of Acceptance will be sent to the admitted students by mail.

More information: Aalto University Admission Services, admissions@aalto.fi

The theses and participants of MoA’12 have now been announced at moa.aalto.fi. The almost 100 Aalto University graduates have decided to conquer the challenges of the future.

The common theme in the projects presented in MoA’12, is creating a better, more equal and more functioning world.

The topics discussed at the theses include everything from architectural structures supporting peace mediation to building wells in Burkina Faso, and from bicycles made of recycled materials to knitting as a user interface.

Jätkäsaari hosts 30 seminars, project presentations and workshops from different fields of Aalto University

MoA’12 offers a wide variety of events in Helsinki, in May. The international seminar Zombie innovations or true development organised by UNICEF Finland on 11 May, discusses effective ideas for global wellbeing.

The event presents results from the co-operation between UNICEF Finland and Aalto University about their project of developing sanitation systems for schools in Uganda and tells us more about the department of innovation at UNICEF in New York. Aalto University is UNICEF’s first partner university in Europe.

The seminar Designing for a Sustainable Future on 29 May, showcases how to design more liveable and sustainable living environments. Among the speakers addressing the seminar will be Toshiko Mori, architect and professor at Harvard University.

MoA’12 is supported by the City of Helsinki, Unigrafia, Antalis, Biolan, BMW, RGB, SubTV, Suomen Kuitulava, UNICEF, Viking Line, Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, Iittala, Hjelt Foundation, Martela, Sato, Sitra and StoraEnso.

MoA’12 is open daily from 9 May to 3 June 2012 in Jätkäsaari, Helsinki (Harbour warehouse L3/Tyynenmerenkatu 6). Free entrance.

Check out the participating masters and the programme for MoA’12 at moa.aalto.fi. Online you can also curate your personal MyMoA event calender.

MoA’12 is part of Aalto University’s Living+ programme to celebrate the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012.

Further information:
Producer Katri Winqvist
tel. +358 50 591 4314
katri.winqvist@aalto.fi

Producer Tarja Peltoniemi
tel. +358 50 532 3817
tarja.peltoniemi@aalto.fi

As a joint Assistant Professor for the Department of Media Technology in the School of Science and for the Department of Media in the School of Art and Design, Doctor of Science and Master of Arts, Perttu Hämäläinen started his five-year appointment on March 29, 2012.

The research field of computer games will inherently bring together the key areas of expertise of the two departments, from programming to visualisation of information and from user interface design to animation. During his time as Assistant Professor Hämäläinen aims to combine the strengths of the School of Science and the School of Art and Design and foster research of which game design companies can make use.

– By combining technology and design, one can be the first to discover completely new experiences, applications and emotions, summarises Hämäläinen his vision.

Programmers of embodied games: off to modern dance classes!

In both his research and in his job in the game design studio Virtual Air Guitar Company, Hämäläinen has specialised in embodied user interfaces between human and computer. In embodied games the player controls her character with the movements of her own body without any control devices. The movements are transferred into the game via camera. This computer vision Hämäläinen has been developing for the past years in fighting and action games.

– Now the improvement of computer vision is only a matter of maximising performance capacity. For my own research the most interesting thing is taking the interactivity in embodied games further, tells Hämäläinen.

Believable interaction is not only based on realistic modelling of the player’s movements or on the lifelike audiovisual clues constructing the game world. Hämäläinen is convinced that artificial intelligence and machine learning will soon revolutionise the game industry.

– Artificial intelligence is needed to make the interaction as authentic as possible. The characters in the game should know how to improvise, to act in ways that the designers could have not anticipated.

Game designers and programmers should also feel the movements they convert into code in their own bodies. At the same time they can also discover the limits of normal human beings and be able to transcend them in the virtual world.

– Just like actors need courses in gymnastics, programmers of embodied games should be made to practice modern dance, breakdance, yoga, Pilates – whatever that would deepen their bodily sensations, encourages Hämäläinen.

Hämäläinen himself has been active in several forms of marshal arts and has danced for years, and he believes the experiences can be seen and felt in the user interfaces he has created.

An animating programmer?

There is an obvious bottleneck in the process of game development according to Hämäläinen: creating test versions of games takes a lot of time and work. For example character animation is arduous and while creating prototypes, new animations are required instantly, not with a days’ lag. Hämäläinen wants to come up with content production tools, which would enable programmers in design studios to create 3D animations of adequate quality for the test versions of games.

– Studying and researching 3D modelling in the Department of Media surely repeatedly raises the frustration of not being able to do things more easily. Recognising and knowing your way around the bugs in software should not be a part of the job prescriptions of animators and 3D modellers, says Hämäläinen.

Innovations in content production tools for games would tremendously cut down the amount of unnecessary work. The computer games education in Aalto University strives to achieve this by seating programmers, designers and artists at the same table and encouraging them to study and try each other’s work.

Companies necessarily still won’t see the benefits of strenuous basic research; ready-to-use products and marketing on the other hand are rarely the primary goals of academic research. Hämäläinen however believes that a common interest can be found.

– Through the years I have grown ever more critical when it comes to corporate collaboration. Researchers have to understand the underlying logic of the corporate world in order to make collaborations work. If scientific knowledge can be inserted into companies, for example as novel software products innovated by researchers, game design studios can achieve an unprecedented competitive edge, believes Hämäläinen.

Companies not always have the scientific know-how or the time to focus on developing single features that may demand, for instance, heavy computation.

– Creating new genres is the job of universities. Then again, games have to be made so that new research problems can emerge.

Further information:

Perttu Hämäläinen
perttu.hamalainen@aalto.fi

The competition is arranged in two phases. Phase 1 of the competition takes place between 5 April and 10 August 2012. It focuses on producing a functional, overall plan of the central campus of the university. The competition jury will select approximately six entries for further development in Phase 2. Phase 2 competition task is to produce a more detailed design. The competition jury announces Phase 2 of the competition in early 2013. The competition is conducted following the rules of the Finnish Association of Architects.

The objective is to find new concepts and create a lively and interactive environment for research and learning activities wherein work, studies, leisure, and living are interwoven in a natural way and create the foundation for a university city of the future.

What is sought is a new functional model: the university’s and the whole Otaniemi science and research community’s ’mental core’, a dynamic centre which allows people to move freely in and out, stops and attracts them, awakens curiosity, and – most importantly - inspires to study. The campus shall communicate a dynamic approach and orientation towards future as well as incorporating novel technical and ecologically sustainable solutions.

The purpose of the competition is to find a high-quality urban landscape solution in which the new buildings in the urban structure engage in a dialogue with the existing buildings.

- We are looking for brave, visionary and ground-breaking ideas that will respect the principles of the university, its architecturally outstanding environment and the unique natural setting. We hope to see solutions that demonstrate both a pioneering spirit and a profound understanding of the functionality of the new premises, describes Tuula Teeri, President of Aalto University.
  
The Otaniemi campus is an internationally important campus area. Architecturally, the area is exceptionally harmonious. The buildings designed by Alvar Aalto, Reima Pietilä, and Heikki and Kaija Sirén give the area its characteristic individual appearance.

Metro traffic in the Helsinki Metropolitan area will be extended from Helsinki to Espoo by the end of 2015). The main entrance of the Otaniemi metro station will be situated in the competition area with connection to the new buildings.

The amount of floor area to be located in the competition area is between 48 000–52 000m2 (gross floor area). The principal user of the new facilities will be the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture.

Aalto University, Finland, began its operation as an independent, foundation-based university in 2010. The university was established on the initiative of its three founding universities (the Helsinki University of Technology, the University of Art and Design Helsinki, and the Helsinki School of Economics) with the objective of supporting the success and prosperity of the entire nation.

Aalto University consists of six schools: the School of Arts, Design and Architecture; the School of Economics; the School of Chemical Technology; the School of Engineering; the School of  Electrical Engineering and the School of Science.

The aim of Aalto University, the meeting point of science, art, technology, and business, is to become one of the world’s top universities by 2020.

Links:
Competition website campus2015.aalto.fi
Competition Programme

The main prize in the Over 30 Minutes series was won by Burden of My Heart (2011). The documentary, which tells about people who survived the Ruanda civil war, was directed by Iris Olsson and Yves Niyongabo.

- This film takes us into the heart of darkness and shows a side of us that we would not want to see. It is a powerful documentary about survival, hate and forgiveness, said the jury when announcing their selection.

The Under 30 Minutes section of the National competition was won by Hypermarket Nation (2011), a documentary about a shopkeeper in a Vantaa village shop directed by Paula Korva. According to the jury, “the documentary describes friendship, family values and old-style business traditions touchingly and warmly”. The documentary Äidit (2011), directed by Elina Hyvärinen was awarded a Diploma of Merit and Mikko Myllylahti’s Pyramidi (2012) took the Student Prize.

Korsoteoria attracted the attention of the public and the jury 

Antti Heikki Pesonen’s fiction film Korsoteoria (2012) won a special prize in the Under 30 Minutes section of the National competition.  The film is about Elli and her dreams of a better life. Elli is played by Armi Toivanen, known for her part in the television sketch series “Putous”. Screenings of Korsoteoria were sold out, and it was also awarded the Youth Jury's Diploma of Merit.

Pesonen’s film also took the Risto Jarva prize. The members of the jury were Jan Ijäs, Maria Leskinen and Liisa Penttilä.

- This film makes you laugh, but it also hurts. As the old saying goes: ‘You have to laugh even while your heart is breaking.’ Or to borrow freely from the film: The prize-winning film hits like a train hitting a cow, as the judges put it.

Finnish film is enjoying a period of strength

The success of the cinema students is the result of long-term developments in teaching, which all teachers in the Department have been committed to and motivated by.

- The fiction section, for its part, gives testament to the firm commitment of Professor Jarmo Lampela to teaching and the development of teaching. The success of the documentary films is also the product of long-term, persistent and determined efforts which are now being continued by Professor Susanna Helke, commented Mika Ritalahti, Head of the Department of Motion Picture, Television and Production Design.

The success of the Department’s students gives hope for the future of Finnish film. The films attracted excellent audience figures in Finnish cinemas as well as critical acclaim. However, concern about the position of documentary and short films is a major part of the everyday life of film-makers

- As the result of the state of the market, the Department has had to finance the students’ work itself, whereas commercial markets have provided funding in the past. The actions of an important source of funding, YLE, the public service broadcasting company, will be extremely significant if we want to safeguard the vitality of documentary and short fiction films, said the Head of the Department, Mika Ritalahti.

The winner of the main prize in the Under 30 Minutes series in the National competition of the Tampere Film Festival  will also compete for the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar® Short Fiction award.

The prize-winning films from the Tampere Film Festival will be shown in Helsinki in the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art on 17^th March at 14.00.

First Vice Dean Professor Pekka Korvenmaa will continue in the position until 31 July 2013. Ossi Naukkarinen has been appointed second Vice Dean also up until 31 July 2013.

The Vice Deans will assist the Dean: Pekka Korvenmaa will be responsible for research, Ossi Naukkarinen for education.

Pekka Korvenmaa is Professor in Design and Culture at the Department of Design, Aalto University School of Art and Design. He is also is Docent at the University of Helsinki (History of Art). Having gained his PhD at the University of Helsinki and been first a researcher and then visiting professor in the United States, he became Head of Research at the School of Art and Design in 1991. In 2000 he assumed his current position as professor and in 2008 was made Vice Rector. Besides holding official posts within the School and University, Korvenmaa holds a number of positions of responsibility, both in Finland and internationally. He is, for example, a member of the Executive Board of the Finnish Institute in Japan and Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for the Museum of Applied Arts (Design Museum). His written output focuses mainly on the history of Finnish architecture and design.

The new Vice Dean, Ossi Naukkarinen, has worked in various positions at the School of Art and Design full-time since 1998, and as Head of research since 2001. In 2011 he became Head of the Unit for General Studies, and he will continue in this position alongside his duties as Vice Dean.

Naukkarinen is a Doctor of Philosophy, gaining that qualification in aesthetics at the University of Helsinki in 1998. He also lectures on the subject there, having specialised in visual and environmental art and the study of everyday aesthetics. Naukkarinen has published several books, such as Kulkurin kaleidoskooppi – suomalaisen mobiilikulttuurin anatomiaa (The Kaleidoscope of the Tramp - an Anatomy of Finnish Mobile Culture) (2006), Art of the Environment (2007) and Arjen Estetiikkaa (Everyday Aesthetics) (2011), as well as numerous articles both in Finland and in international publications, such as Contemporary Aesthetics, The Nordic Journal of Aesthetics, Synteesi (a journal of interdisciplinary art research) and Tiede ja edistys. He has also led Academy of Finland research projects and is involved with organisations in the field of aesthetics, such as the internationally active Finnish Society for Aesthetics.

Additionally, professors may be appointed Aalto University Professors of Practice. These positions facilitate the transition of practical skills to university studies.

Perttu Hämäläinen, PhD (Technology) and M.A., has been appointed to a fixed-term position as Assistant Professor. He will work jointly for the School of Arts, Design and Architecture Department of Media and the School of Science Department of Media Technology. Mr Hämäläinen will act as Professor of Computer Games, the first such position in Finland. Mr. Hämäläinen is known, for example, for his work in the development of the Kick Ass Kung-Fu game.  His doctoral thesis, which he completed at the former Helsinki University of Technology, explored human-computer interfaces.

Teemu Leinonen, PhD (Arts), has been appointed an Associate Professor. Mr. Leinonen’s field of expertise is New Media Design and Learning.  His fixed-term position as a professor will at the Department of Media. Mr. Leinonen has specifically examined questions related to new media design and learning, computer assisted social learning, cooperation via the internet, the design of leaning and study software, education planning and education policy.

Tere Vadén, PhD (Philosophy), has been appointed to take over Vice President Martti Raevaara’s position at the Department of Art for the length of Mr. Raevaara’s term as vice president. Mr. Vadén’s professorship will be in research and evaluation of web teaching.

New Professor of Practice appointments

Nora Sternfeld, M.A., has been appointed a Professor of Practice at the Department of Art. Ms. Sternfeld’s field of expertise is curating and communication.

Artist Petteri Nisunen has been appointed Professor of Practice for Contemporary Art at the Department of Art.

Sofia Pantouvak, PhD (Philosophy), has been appointed a Professor of Practice at the Department of Motion Picture, Television and Production Design. Ms. Pantouvak’s fields of expertise are Costume Design as well as Scenography and Production Design.

All PoP appointments are for a fixed-term.

Aalto University will strive to answer these questions in a seminar organised on the 6th of March 2012

The international Designing for New Realities! -seminar challenges us to re-consider the significance of design in society. The seminar opens up the historical and current trends of responsible design through real-life projects and creates perspectives into the future.

The event crosses boundaries between countries, age groups, nationalities, and different sectors of the economy by including contributions from students, researchers, professors, overseas university partners, and experts. Aalto's partner universities (Tongji University, China and MIT and the Stanford University, USA-originating Embrace Global) will take part in the seminar and provide concrete examples to be displayed in the DesignWorld exhibition at the Design Museum.

The seminar is by invitation only. You can follow the live streaming at goodmood.fi/aalto/ from 10 am to 4 pm.

Seminar program

10.00 Opening words by President Tuula Teeri

10.15 Papanek's heritage – Design for a Real World
Professor Yrjö Sotamaa

11:00 Aalto Global Impact, Presentations and Discussion
Alastair Fuad-Luke, Professor, moderator
Andy Clutterbuck, Aalto-Unicef collaboration
Minna Halme, Professor
Turkka Keinonen, Professor
Sujil Kodathoor, Creative Sustainability student
Olli Varis, Professor
Inari Virkkala, Architecture student

12.30 Lunch

13.30 Designing for New Relationships
Researcher Tuuli Mattelmäki

13.50 A Design Driven Sustainable Community
Project Professor Lou Yongqi, Tongji University

14.10 Embrace Global,
COO Linus Liang

14.30 Break

14:50 Copenhagen Wheel,
SENSEable City Lab Eric Baczuk, MIT

15.10 Cape Town Calling,
Professor Mugendi M'Rithaa, Cape Town University

15.30 Panel Discussion
Professor Alastair Fuad-Luke and Cindy Kohtala moderators
Senior Researcher Tuuli Mattelmäki, Aalto University
Professor Lou Yongqi, Tongji University
COO Linus Liang, Embrace Global
Designer, Architect Eric Baczuk, MIT
Dr, Mugendi M`Rithaa, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Professor Turkka Keinonen, Aalto University
Professor Martin Steinert, Stanford University, Centre of Design Research

16.00 Closing Words
Dean Helena Hyvönen

The exhibition showcases the thesis projects of nearly 120 Master’s Degree graduates from the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, the School of Economics and the schools of technology, all presented in Jätkäsaari in a 100-year-old waterfront warehouse designed by Lars Sonck.

The entire MoA’12 venue will be built by students who are responsible for the architecture, visual identity, marketing, social media presence and photography of the event. The working group is very international, including members from India, Mexico, and Japan.

Maaretta Jaukkuri who is a Professor in the degree programme Art and Common Space at the NTNU University in Trondheim, will curate the exhibition. Jaukkuri has also worked as an intendant at Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, and has acted as a curator or jury member in several international exhibitions.

– While preparing for MoA, I have seen that nearly everything done at the Aalto University is future-oriented, Jaukkuri says. – In other words, everything focuses on how small changes can be used to make daily life and the world better, more functional and more beautiful, but also to raise awareness and consciousness.

The MoA theme is the future: Our future is (a) present. Aalto University graduates look to the future with confidence. After all, those who will build it are already present.

In addition to the exhibition, in May MoA invites visitors to participate in public events, seminars, film screenings and workshops.

MoA is part of the Aalto University Living+ programme for the World Design Capital year.

Follow MoA at www.moa.fi

Further information:
Producer Katri Winqvist katri.winqvist@aalto.fi, tel. +358 50 5914314

– The Floating EcoCity concept offers an alternative to land reclamation islands made by suction dredging, says Aaro Söderlund, architect and lecturer of environmental history at Aalto University.

Land reclamation islands have mostly been built in parts of Asia, where land is scarce. According to Söderlund, the technique is problematic because the artificial islands show signs of receding and sensitivity to earthquakes. Not to mention the problem of dying sea beds.

Söderlund has recently exhibited the new FEC concept in Singapore, where suction dredging cannot be continued endlessly. In fact, the small and densely populated country has provisionally indicated a site both for smaller scale test building and for a full-sized Floating EcoCity.

– Cruise ships are essentially floating eco colonies, too.

The FEC also uses materials and working methods borrowed from the shipyard industry. Seven of the world's latest ten large cruise ships have been manufactured in Finland, which is why the country is now leading the global FEC concept's development.

Aalto University's R&D role

The eco city will essentially have to be built like a ship. Specifications for the center of gravity must be made, for example. Söderlund has exhibited the concept at Aalto University's Department of Applied Mechanics and, if the project advances, the department's maritime technology lab could conduct scale model testing. This would ensure the structure's flotation even during extreme circumstances such as tsunamis.

– Singapore gets three-meter tides twice a day. With functional anchoring, the eco city could extract more energy from this movement than it would find time to use.

The eco city is modular in structure, meaning that research could easily be shared with the Department of Architecture, as well.

Energy efficiency from the sea

An FEC structure could collect wave power as well as tidal and sea current power. Warm surface water and cool trench water could also be utilized, reducing energy consumption used to adjust indoor temperatures.

– The floating structure guards against earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, because the ocean offers liquid suspension. A floating island will not be left under a tsunami. It will rise above it.

What will a floating eco city look like, then? The concept consists of six caissons, each 65 meters in diameter, carrying a 250 m platform lined with 18-story buildings, surrounding a central park covered by a so-called mega tent. The mega tent protects inhabitants from extreme temperatures and weather phenomena such as typhoons, monsoons, acid rain, sand storms and air pollution.

The FEC will act as a biosphere, meaning that it's as self-sufficient as possible regarding clean energy, nutrition, air and farmland. In this biosphere, buildings' green roofs, outer walls, balconies, terraces and a central park will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and cleanse air, water and organic waste.

Demand rises as the sea level rises

Floating cities are already in demand when it comes to Asia's growth centers. In the future, trouble will spread to coastal areas like the industrialized and densely populated deltas of larger rivers, where land is typically sinking due to over-pumping the groundwater, and the sea level is rising due to climate change.

Climate refugees will become a worldwide problem. If the sea level rises two meters by the year 2100, 500 million people will be under threat along with the best residential, industrial and farming areas worldwide.

– A new kind of world is emerging, and it will require a new kind of construction, Söderlund notes.

The floating solution is expected to cost around 60% that of an equivalent ballast island. Despite its promising qualities, the concept's future is still undecided. Decisions about test-building the first FEC are now in the Singaporeans' hands. FEC developers wait in suspense.

Text: Vuokko Aro

Results of Department of Media Reserach 2011 are now published here in Mediatutkimus blog https://blogs.aalto.fi/mediatutkimus/publications/

The 4-part lecture series, which gathered nine international speakers and also included two workshops, explored the role of artists and designers in developing future human bodies.

- We use design to shape the imagination. It's all about providing alternatives and something we might not otherwise imagine, Fiona Raby said.

The designer's own Evidence Dolls project (from 2005), for example, made shoppers confront genetic manipulation in a real "Would I buy this?" sort of way.

- Design asks questions that allow others to get involved. This is particularly important in the science context, where complex details are difficult to see and understand. The speculative process of imagining things is important because technologies are complicated — not black and white. There are trade-offs, and design lets us see that, Raby concluded.

Raby described her work as being about strategic thinking more than research or a final product. Design makes it possible to scan what kinds of directions could things take.

From simulation to tolerance

Professor Riitta Hari from Aalto University School of Science's Brain Research Unit also talked about simulation: seeing handwritten letters, even if written by someone else, activate the brain's motor cortex.

- We can understand each other because our brains aren't as private as we think.

Smell artist and designer Sissel Tolaas discussed similar issues in her talk. Tolaas works with smell that "conveys information about navigation, tolerance and awareness". For Adidas she researched new and used sneakers to create a smell logo for the brand.

- My projects are always about adding information beyond what you see. It's never just a perfume added on top. With me customers see that you don't have to hide reality. You can use it, Tolaas noted.

Wired and hacked bodies

The lecture series ended with a talk by Stelarc, an artist most famous for having an extra ear implanted on his arm. The third ear will eventually be connected to wifi in order for people to be able to listen in on Stelarc wherever he is.

- Increasingly people are becoming portals for others over the internet. This opens interesting possibilities, but of course, a wired body can also be a hacked body.

According to the artist, things small enough can soon be incorporated into our bodies to detect tumors, for example. Nanoscale sensors and machines will be able to colonize the body.

- We don't have an adequate internal system for the body at the moment. Currently bodies are infected by micro-organisms, and if they don't breathe for a few minutes they die. How are we going to design future bodies? Or do we just accept this very inadequate body?

More information at http://humandesign.mlog.taik.fi/

Text: Vuokko Aro

Students Marianne Huotari, Laura Merz and Pauliina Varis and textile artist and art pedagogue Laura Isoniemi, the leader of the project, got to choose their sources of inspiration from the top ten Kalevala Jewelry best-sellers. According to Isoniemi, the project sparked great enthusiasm among textile artists. The project had a tight and intensive schedule as the commission was received in mid-December and the exhibition was opened already on 9 February. Nevertheless, the artists created more works than are on display in the exhibition.

“We have so much material that we are planning to hold a larger exhibition in the autumn. Commissions from companies are rarely this artistic and unlimited,” Isoniemi says gratefully.

Jewelry tells a story

The works in the exhibition convey, on one hand, aspects of the Finnish culture, melancholy and Northern conditions; on the other hand, they portray myths, storytelling and mythology. Three of Laura Isoniemi's designs on display are based on the Halikko necklace: the patterns in her works are the same as those in the jewelry. Isoniemi thinks that jewelry can inspire a textile artist in many ways.

 “What Kalevala Jewelry and textile art have in common is decorative patterns, ornamentation and storytelling. Each piece of Kalevala Jewelry is based on a small story.”

Isoniemi says that Kalevala Jewelry and Aalto University began their cooperation already in 2009 when students of fashion and clothing design designed clothes that go well with Kalevala Jewelry.  In addition, last spring the partners carried out a service design project in which a store concept was developed for Kalevala Jewelry.

The textile art on display now was made using the traditional method of serigraphy and digital printing. The selected artworks are on display until 3 March at the Kalevala Jewelry shop at Unioninkatu 25, Helsinki. The shop is open on weekdays from 10 am to 6 pm.

Text: Tea Kalska
Photos: Matti Pärssinen

The eight-and-a-half-minute film will be shown at a large exhibition presenting the works of Akseli Gallen-Kallela opening on February 7 at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

The film takes its viewers on a journey in time to see the Finnish Pavilion at the Paris World Fair in 1900. The makers of the film have used 3D modelling and animation and connected archival materials with computer generated imagery in order to render a simulation of the Finnish Pavilion and the 1900 World Exposition in Paris. The digital reconstruction is based entirely on written, non-experiential material. In order to be able to create the reconstruction, the team built an interactive scale model. When viewers watch the film wearing 3D glasses, they feel as if they were inside the original pavilion.

3D technology provides new opportunities for vivifying museum experiences.

- 3D technology makes history accessible to people and enables experiential museum visits. Using 3D technology in museums is still rare in Finland, but elsewhere in the world it is gradually becoming more common, says Professor Lily Díaz who is responsible for the project at the Media Lab Helsinki of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture.

Among the key contributors to this production are Lily Díaz, producer and researcher; Toni Enström, 3D modelling; Derek Fewster, content advisor; Mikko Hovi, 3D modelling, photography and rendering; Cvijeta Miljak, editing and graphic design; and Markku Reunanen, 3D modelling, photography and research.

The production is part of the Finnish Pavilion at the 1900 Paris World Fair research project conducted by the Systems of Representation research group of the Media Lab. The project has received Tekes funding as part of the MASI modelling and simulation programme. 

Further information:

Professor Lily Díaz, tel. +358 40 725 6925, lily.diaz@aalto.fi
Coordinator Markku Reunanen, tel. +358 50 539 3321, markku.reunanen@aalto.fi

Systems of Representation: http://paviljonki.mlog.taik.fi/ and http://sysrep.uiah.fi/

Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865–1931). Une passion finlandaise exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay from February 7 to May 6, 2012. http://www.musee-orsay.fr

The award ceremony took place at the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 gala in Lahti on 2 February 2012. The gala was one of the WDC year’s signature events.

The Estlander Prize and Medal are a distinction instituted by the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design / Design Forum Finland in recognition of significant achievement on behalf of Finnish design. They are named after the Society’s founder, Professor Carl Gustaf Estlander (1834–1910), and are awarded in the spirit of his life’s work and Finnish design.

Reasons for the Silver Medals were:
“Operating in an open-minded manner that stands out from academic traditions, the recipients of the Silver Medal have implemented a cross-disciplinary program for the encounters of discourses of various disciplines to provide opportunities for a new kind of creativity. Over the course of a dec­ade, modes of operation and realization have been shaped and continue to be, thus establishing new conditions for learning in this field. The awardees have been actively involved in creating a system combining expertise across disciplinary boundaries and significantly influencing the creation of Aalto University.

Professor Kalevi Ekman is director of the Design Factory of Aalto University. He has been successfully involved in developing several cross-disciplinary programmes aimed at bringing studies closer to the business community. Ekman was also one of the main architects of Aalto University.

Professor Raimo Nikkanen has taught for many years at the Aalto University School of Art and Design and its predecessor, training and inspiring students of industrial design to become professionals in their field. Nikkanen has a broad international network, within which he has also promoted the inter­nationalization of the School. He is an internationally popular lecturer who has supervised students in Europe, Asia and North America.

Professor Markku Salimäki is head of the International Design Business Management programme of the Aalto University School of Economics. Since the mid-1990s he has constructed a multidiscipli­nary research and learning environment intensifying cooperation between design, technology and the economy, while training skilled actors for key positions in international business.”

More information from Design Forum Finland.

The anniversary gala continues the festive traditions of the former School of Art and Design as part of which distinguished and successful professionals are honoured for their work and new professors give their opening lectures. 

Mika Ripatti is 2012 Alumnus of the Year

Each year, the School of Arts, Design and Architecture selects an alumnus of the year in recognition of pioneering or outstanding work in the field of design and architecture.

This year the award went to animator Mika Ripatti, a graduate of the Degree Programme in Graphic Design. Already during his student days, Ripatti was a pioneer in computer animation and later taught the subject in the Media Laboratory. He also worked on the development of the brand of the Nelonen Media television company in which he was able to make use of advanced and extremely sophisticated animation graphics. In the year 2000, Mika Ripatti managed to get a job at Blue Sky Studios in New York where the production of the film “Ice Age” was about to start.

Since then Mika Ripatti has become one of Hollywood’s top animators and millions of viewers around the world have been able to enjoy his graphics in a large number of successful films and other programmes. Mika Ripatti’s career is a fine example of an international success story and the School hopes that its students will emulate him, using their talent and the skills that they have developed in a creative academic environment.

Five new honorary members

Personalities who have actively supported the School of Arts, Design and Architecture or distinguished themselves in the fields it represents and other cultural activities are invited as honorary members of the School each year. At this year’s anniversary gala, five persons were bestowed with an honorary membership.

Elena Kolovskaya, director of the Pro Arte foundation based in St. Petersburg, has been actively working in a number of fields to strengthen cooperation between education and research in arts and design in Russia and to make them more internationally oriented. She has been instrumental in developing cooperation between the School of Arts, Design and Architecture and the Saint Petersburg State University, one of the top universities of Russia. At the same time, she has established a successful partnership with Cumulus International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media, in which the School of Arts, Design and Architecture acts as a coordinator.

Industrial designer Jussi Ahola worked as a professor of industrial design at the School of Art and Design in 1987-1993 and has also taught in a number of other design institutions in Finland and other countries. Jussi Ahola’s career as a teacher of an analytical and research-based design approach and his pioneering efforts to make design research a reality formed a basis for design research that is now, two decades later, recognised by Aalto University. Ahola wrote the first Finnish-language textbook on industrial design, which was published in 1980, and he has also received wide recognition for the functional design that his design office has produced since 1986.

Kari Moilanen, Architect SAFA, has played a central role in Finnish architecture and urban planning as the Head of Espoo City Planning. During his tenure, Espoo City Planning has developed into an ambitious and dynamic institution. Kari Moilanen has played a central role as an organiser and jury member in a number of important and groundbreaking architectural competitions. Under his guidance, the area around Otaniemi is in the process of developing into an amazing combination of technology, gardens and services. Kari Moilanen is a visionary in a post where one is expected to take creative risks so that the world can be changed in the spirit of Aalto University.

Workshop master Jussi Laasasenaho started at the School of Art and Design as a caretaker in 1966 and then moved on to take up the post of workshop master. Throughout his long career, Laasasenaho worked in customer service duties. He was known as a helpful and active staff member who enjoyed the trust of all those working with him. He made an exemplary contribution to the smooth running of the day-to-day affairs of the School. Possessing a great amount of expertise and an excellent sense of humour, Laasasenaho worked as a contact person for different events and helped both students and other staff members in practical problems.

Meri-Helga Mantere, Licentiate of Arts, worked as a lecturer in art education for many years. She initiated art-based environmental education, an area of specialisation that was unique in the world and many years ahead of its time. For Mantere, an art-based approach means active embracing of nature, observations by artistic means and the attitude of non-interference: the aim is to understand nature as an entity of its own and art as an activity that does not impose its will on nature. Methods developed by Mantere are used in many countries.

Three new professors, Alastair Fuad-Luke (Emerging Design Practices), Sampsa Hyysalo (Design and Design Cooperation) and Eero Miettinen (Design and International Product Development) gave their opening lectures at the anniversary event. The decorations awarded by the President of the Republic on 6 December 2011 (the Finnish Independence Day) were also presented during the event. The recipients were: Development Manager Pekka Saarela (Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland), Mikko Tuori, Workshop Master at the Department of Motion Picture, Television and Production Design (First Class Medal of the White Rose of Finland with golden cross) and Timothy Persons, who has made the photography of Helsinki School known around the world (Knight of the White Rose of Finland).

Opening lecture: Alastair Fuad-Luke
Design as Consensus Dissensus Openness.pdf

The new school began operations on 1 January 2012.

Professor Helena Hyvönen acts as Dean of the school. Hyvönen was Dean of Aalto University School of Art and Design.

A special jury consisting of the management of Aalto University and the new school, experts, students and a representative of the alumni decided on a new name for the school with the help of suggestions from a name competition organised in the autumn. The English version of the school’s name is Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, and the Swedish name Aalto-universitetets högskola för konst, design och arkitektur.

"The new school is a wonderful opportunity for Aalto University to strengthen its profile and international interest," states Dean Helena Hyvönen. "Combining teaching and research related to humanistic and cultural traditions and the environment in the same school is also important for society. At the same time, it will help to strengthen the status of architecture, art, media and design in the Finnish culture and economy and society at large," outlines Helena Hyvönen, Dean of Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture.

The website for the new school will be updated between January and February.