First week in Aalto & the first course


Exciting to start my masters studies at Finland’s best university for arts and engineering! The Orientation program for Master students was on Monday 22.08. U2 Hall, Otakaari 1 and Tuesday 23.08. Hämeentie 135 C, Helsinki. The weather was clear and sunny for the 2 day program and the feeling up in the clouds with presentations from inspirational figures in Finnish society, group photos and after parties to get to know your peers. All info found here!

Also had some fun talking to Aalto Venture program and they asked to make a short introduction video for them that can be found here.

Table of Contents

  1. Assignment: first course
  2. The Exhibition Theme: ERROR
  3. The Team
  4. Others Projects

Assignment: First Course

DOM-E0000 Understanding Media, Art and Design, 4 cr

  • Status of the Course:
    Compulsory course for MA students in the Department of Media
  • Level of the Course
    Advanced studies
  • Teacher in charge
    Rasmus Vuori, Hanna Weselius, Zach Dodson, Niko Luoma
  • Teaching Period
    0 - I ( Autumn 2016)
  • Workload
    3x27h
  • Learning Outcomes
    Students will get to know the spirit, working methods, tools, working environments and people in the department. Students will get to know their fellow students and their skills.

The Course Theme: ERROR

Schedule

Wed 24.8.

  • Welcoming words
  • 9.15-10.15 Anna & Sara practical info for new students
  • 10.15–11.00 Introduction to the MA program in New Media (New Media 15 min / Sound 15 min / Games 15 min)
  • 11.00–11.30 Introduction to the MA program in Visual Communication
  • 11.30–12.00 Introduction to the MA program in Photography
  • Lunch break
  • 13.15-16.00 Course introduction
  • Assignment & creating teams

Thu 25.8.

  • 9.15–12.00 Visual Communication lectures + visitors:
  • 9:15 Zach Dodson
  • 10:00 Rupesh Vyas
  • 10:30 Kasper Strömman
  • lunchbreak
  • 13.15–16.00 Photography lectures + visitors: Maija Savolainen (Photographic artist) and Tuomas Nevanlinna (Philosopher)

Fri 26.8.

  • 9.12–12.00 New Media lectures + visitors
  • 13:15-16:00 Brainstorming workshop for the groups

Mon 29.8, Tue 30.8, Wed 31.8

  • 9:15-16:00 Tutoring all groups at Miestentie 3

Thu 1.9.

  • 9:15-16:00 Building the exhibition

Fri 2.9.

  • 10:00 - 17:00 Critique
  • 19:00?? Opening of the exhibition

Exhibition open for one week.

Fri 9.9.

  • all day - closing the exhibtion, moving things back

Our Project: Perfect Person (group 4)

When the team got together for the first time we had no idea of what to do. Then ideas started popping up from Plato all the way to defining the definition of error. In the end we wanted to focus on the very clear scientific meaning of an error where it can be clearly said to be one in terms of comparing to a perfect model. We defined it as:

An error is a deviation from a standard, specification or model. It is a calculable, observable or otherwise difference from what is defined as being perfection.

This definition goes back very strongly to Plato’s idea of “Theory of Forms” that states forms to be “archetypes or abstract representations of the many types of things, and properties we feel and see around us, that can only be perceived by reason” wikipedia - Theory of Forms.

With this starting point we took the human form as a starting point and wanted to express the “errors” we observe in ourselves. To make the art work interactive we allowed anyone anonymously the freedom to speak their flaws/errors out into a sound cloud and place a sticker where they perceive the error to be.

The team split up to collect materials for the project and the hunt for a mannequin began. In the end we found a perfect one from tori.fi that was a white, tall, slim, ripped, male. This fit perfectly as an “perfect person” as in todays society perfection is to be all of that. Now all we needed was input from the visitors to cover our perfect person with imperfections!

The Team

Derek Holzer - Derek Holzer (1972) is an American instrument builder and sound artist, whose current interests include DIY analog electronics, the relationship between sound + space, media archaeology and the meeting points of electroacoustic, noise, improv and extreme music. linkedin profile & personal website

Hanna-Maija Matikainen - linkedin profile

Laura Koivunen - linkedin profile

Marie Kumpulainen - linkedin profile

Rita Anttila - Photography student at Aalto University

Somar Salloum - New Media Design and Production student at Aalto University

Others Projects

All together there was 10 teams all with unique ways of looking at error. There where tons of ideas and some of there where: cultural errors, scientific error, optical illusions, mutations, curated error, evolution, miscommunication, technical errors, behavioural errors, subjective behaviour, subjective idea of error (is it possible to actually have an error), etc.

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Me in My Night Studio

The projects that i've done, planning on doing and all in between