Waiting for explosions...and lights against the darkness

Many people come to see the fireworks competition in Helsinki. It was cold weather, but people were eager to see the lights in the night sky.

The natural light of the night sky. And the olympic stadium.

Minä suojelen sinua taiteelta

This time the blog will be written in Finnish. Next time in English again :)

Vietän viimeisiä iltoja tv:ni ääressä. Ylihuomenna digiaika nielaisee lähetykset ulottumattomiini. Opin kuitenkin olemaan vallan ilman kyseistä lähetintä Itävallassa, joten enköhän pysty elämään asian kanssa jotakuinkin kunniakkaasti. Yle1 lähettää ohjelmaa runoraati. Runoraadin lausuntakaraokessa kuullaan muun muassa Veltto Virtasen näkemyksiä rock-lyriikasta, kuten Suomen putoamisesta puusta ja äsken kuultiin tulkinta kappaleesta "Minä suojelen sinua kaikelta" versiona "Minä suojelen sinua taiteelta". Loistavaa! :D

Ensimmäiset päivät Taik:issa ovat olleet melko info/luentopainotteisia. Tänään aamulla (joku :D) Machiko Kusahara Japanista piti meille luennon taiteen ja kulutustuotteiden käsitteellisestä erosta. Yhdessä pohdittiin sitä, milloin tuote on "designia" ja milloin vain "kulutustavaraa". Esimerkiksi: sama suunnittelutoimisto Japanissa suunnitteli patsaan, joka myytiin yli miljoonalla. Myöhemmin tämä tuote pienoiskoossa levisi ihmisten käsiin purkkapakkauksen leluna. Onko purkkapakkauksen lelu taidetta?

Mielestäni taiteessa kyse on ihmisten luomista arvostuksista. Samat raidat Marimekon paidassa maksavat viisi kertaa enemmän kuin jonkun halvemman ketjun tuotteessa jne. Ihmiset luovat merkityksiä ja arvorakennelmia itse, koska haluavat määrittää myös itseään ostamiensa tuotteiden kautta. Arvostusta voi siis hankkia välineellisesti. Tällaisten asioden varaan rakentunut identiteetti perustuu kuitenkin johonkin muuhun kuin ihmisen itsensä syvimpää olemukseen. Siihen, kuinka lopulta me kaikki olemme taideteoksia omalla tavallamme.

Eilen luennolla Reflecting creative process (taiteellisten prosessien heijastus) meille painotettiin, kuinka meidän tulisi etsiä omaa lahjaamme. Sitä, mitä voimme antaa maailmalle. Ja tämä koskee kaikkia ihmisiä. Jokaisella meillä on jokin vahvuus. Jokin asia, jossa voimme jakaa muille jotain. Kun ihminen löytää lahjansa, hän voi tehdä työtä, joka antaa tekijälleen enemmän energiaa kuin riistää. Työn joka insiroi. Työn, josta saa.

Palatakseni vielä arvostuksiin:

Luin bussissa Uutislehteä, jossa joku oli kommentoinut kapitalismia..ilmeisesti Marxia lainaten. "Kapitalismi on järjestelmä, jossa ihmiset pakotetaan maksamaan mistä tahansa kuinka paljon tahansa." Puuttumatta taloudelliseen järjestelmään sen enempää (koska en näe näitä asioita mustavalkoisesti) heijastan ajatuksen taiteeseen ja identiteettirakennelmiin. On pitkälti kaupallisuuden aikaansaamaa, että tietyistä asioista halutaan tieten tahtoen muokata hohdokkaampia kuin toisista. Joku jossain kirjoitti, että kaupallisuus perustuu tietoiseen manipulointiin, jossa ihmiset opetetaan tyytymättömiksi. Onni on aina jossain asiassa, mikä pitää saavuttaa. Aina tulee uusi ja parempi malli, uusi trendi, "uusi aalto" jne. Aina voisi vielä saavuttaa hieman enemmän. Et voi olla onnellinen jos et omista yhtä paljon kuin naapurisi. Sinulla voisi olla vielä hitusen enemmän. Ja tämän myllyn pyörittäjinä ovat myös monet taideteollisuuden työläiset mainostoimistoissa, uusien tuotteiden muotoilijoina jne.

Onni on kuitenkin lopulta aika pienissä asioissa. Ja melko usein ne ovat aivan ilmaisia...oletko huomannut? :) Monesti onni on toisissa ihmisissä..

...Japanissa sen sijaan kenties roboteissa :D

Luennolla tänään esiteltiin kaikkia hulluja japanilaisten aikaansaannoksia mediataiteen/tieteen saralla. Varsinkin roboteista kerrottiin paljon. Joku oli muun muassa suunnitellut auton takaosaan kiinnitettävän thanks tail:sin (kiitoshännän). Sen sijaan, että kuljettaja heiluttaa kädellä kiitokseksi ja irroittaa kätensä ratista, toista autoa voi kiittää liikuttamalla joystick:iä sormella, joka vastaavasti liikuttaa autoon kiinnitettyä elektronista häntää. Aivan kuten autolla siis olisi koiran häntä...kuningasidea? Enpä usko ;)

Hmm...Tai miltä tuntuisi jos sairaalassa ihmisiä opastaisi oikealle osastolle robotti?...Ei ehkä kovin viehättävä idea meistä eurooppalaisista, mutta Japanissa ilmeisesti jonkun mielestä varteenotettava. Alla kuva vastaavasta tuotteesta.

http://www.fujitsu.com/global/news/pr/archives/month/2005/20050913-01.html

Japanissa voit myös hankkia Hello Kitty-näköisen kissarobotin kotiisi jos olet yksinäinen. Tuote on suunnattu 30-35 -vuotiaille naisille. Kissan kanssa voi jutella muodista, säästä, ravintoloista jne.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/host-in-the-machine/2006/01/26/1138066917730.html

Uusi tapa tehdä musiikkia ja soittaa. Sopii soittotaidottomille! Katso linkki: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SGwDhKTrwU

Terapeuttinen robotti hylkeen muodossa. Tätä käytetään sairaaloissa, vanhainkodeissa yms. tuomaan lohtua. Hyljettä voi silittää ja se ääntelee silloin tällöin... http://www.aist.go.jp/aist_e/aist_today/2002_04/in_brief.html

That's where it is

I should deside what courses to pick at Taik. I think I will be doing some coding and interface design stuff...trying to learn a bit more technichal stuff too and about computer systems. Maybe to avoid situations like below...even if they often are not avoidable and I quess they don't teach so much about engineer stuff in art school. But my intention is good :D

I also would like to take some courses in sound design. I would like to do films with music and also add sounds and "emotions" to web pages.

Talking about music and videos...check this out. It is a sweet and naive Disney bambi thing. ;) But it has something deep too. The song is nice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvBsm9DOink&mode=related&search=

Pro Arte Utili

Today I started officially my studies in Taik, or Uiah: the University of Art and Design (in Helsinki Finland). In my group we have almost half of the people from abroad. The tuition is in English...so no going back now. I have to keep practising. Especially my written English. :D So this blog is now also my practising field for foreign language (adding to yesterday's text of philosophical diary + travel book)


The day begun with historical overview of the school. We learned the quotation of the school...Pro Arte Utili in Latin which means For Useful Art. Hmm...then we had some general info going on. And a group task at afternoon. They divided us into groups of three. In my group we were with this Finnish guy Pekka and a girl from Cyprus.


We had to take one formal and unformal picture of us to the school's intranet. And then we had to shoot pictures for a comic serial telling about us as a group. (That is the reason that we had to bring our cameras today (refering to the last text in the blog)) We had first no idea what to do, but then we started wondering what we have in common.



Pekka said that we all have brown hair. Which we do! But the girl from Cyprus said that I am blonde! And later that also Pekka is blonde.

"it is definitelly brown!"

We started to talk about the different views of defining colors and made our comic about that theme. The result was grazy, but I think ok :D At the end of the day we had to use a comic software to load the pictures and text to a comic screens. I try to put the result here tomorrow. Today I just add some pictures we took.

AND YES...I had to do the traditional handstand photo. For the unformal one.

Growing

One of my friends said that writing a blog is a form of some strange exhibitionism. Well. Might be. Firts this was just a travel book. A way to tell my family and friends about how I am doing in Austria when studying there. But now it seems to be more like a philosophic diary...

Talking about philosophy. I started last week my studies in the University of Art and Design in Helsinki. There is this Finnish philosopher Pekka Himanen and his studies about personality, courage, social situations and society. I did not have opportunity to hear the first two lectures but I hope next week I can go and listen to his thoughts. He is this very personal guy having a beard and kind of a bohemic appearance. He is (or anyway was few years ago if not anymore) the youngerst who made his doctor degree in Finland and I quess a quite witty bloke, but very common look a like man. ;D

Tomorrow I will get to know the people at my curricula. I have seen just few of them. There is 15 Finnish and 9 foreign students taken to study new media this year. I am supposed to take with me a digital camera for tomorrow. Dont know what we do with them.

But the issue today...growing. Life is a journey they say. And growing - getting older and hopefully also wiser - is something that I hope has happened during few steps taken in my thoughts last spring. But anyhow...I have ended up to a place where I actually feel a bit empty. I have gained a lot. But still...

Like in the eye of a storm. Everything is still. But you know it will not last long. And you have no idea where the storm will next fly you to.

I promised to some to write also in Finnish:

Blogistani on muodostunut matkapäiväkirjan sijaan vähitellen filosofinen ja monen silmään varmaankin hämmentävän sekasotkuinen kirjallinen ajatusmylly. Aloitin opiskelun Taik:issa viime viikolla. Opiskelijapastori sanoi esittelyssään, että silloin kun ihminen ei jaksa tehdä mitään ja elämä jotenkin junnaa paikallaan niin aivoissa tapahtuu paljon. Minulla on aina ollut hyperaktiiviset aivot ja nyt tuntuukin, että voisin hetkeksi istahtaa. Käynhän minä toki opiskelemassa, valmentamassa voimistelijoita, teen freelancer-töitä jne, mutta tuntuu etten ikään kuin jaksaisi tehdä mitään. Outo tunne, kun kuitenkin teen koko ajan. Olen kiinnostunut kaikesta ja kuitenkaan en jotenkin nyt mistään...hmm. Intoni on juossut maratonin ja vaikka onkin edelleen on hengissä, se ei jaksa juosta eteenpäin.

Shadows from the sun

Where there is a sun there is also the shadows. Sometimes the good things that you left behind seem to cast shadows at some point.

When you stand in the shadow you really miss the sun. Because not earlier than at that point you really realise where you are coming from. How can you be aware and know about light before you will see the darkness? If you are happy to be born in the sun...how can you ever appreciate it? And probably you can't before you have lost the place in the light and you stand in the shadows.

But in a way the shadows are sometimes good too. Because just by standing in the light it would get quite dull I think. The shadows change the scenery. And without differences, the opposite aspects, without friction there would be no passion nor attraction...

For how long?

When and where...and how long? Many of us are looking for some things. Like we feel that are missing in our lives. They can involve material things, like money, objects or more abstract things: more free time, health, love. A specific person. You name it. I think we all have some.

When will there be the point in your live that you feel that everything is gained?

Where is the place where you truly feel at home?

How long do you have to wait to get there...?

And if you are all the time looking for...will you ever see the point where you stand? Will you realise what you already have?

Life...I am still trying to learn about it and grow as a person.

Days with sunglasses

Mom looking like hip hop artist...

This week there has been some warm days in Finland too. Today I came from my parents new summer home. The summer house is located by a lake in Lahti area. Many of Finns have a summer cottage by a lake, because there is so many lakes in Finland. My parents are propably moving to the place later when they are retired. It is still lot of job to do there, because the yard is very unfinished. They are building a sauna now at the seaside and there is no lawn or anything. There is actually just dry mud on the beach. But it will be nice in year or two. And the scenery is fine.

I was not spending a lot of time looking at the scenery thought. There was much to do. I was washing carpets with my mom like maniac. She has so many of those...really the amount of carpets is crazy!

There is a carpet washing place also in the city of Helsinki. I was there on last Sunday eating icecream and looking people jumping benji at the park of Kaivari at Helsinki.



There were some nice scenery of three brothers looking of boats too. The oldest one...the fourth one, was kissing with his girl friend at the shore. I quess the brothers had to be from a family with many children and the oldest had to take care of the younger ones. What other reason is there to take your brothers with you on your a date?? ;D


I actually once had a friend whose family had 9 children (last time I heard from her it was 11). She had mostly four younger sisters with her when we met. She just had to take them with her to help her mom.

day of sunglasses...it has been few summer days in Finland too...amazing :D

One day I spent with Heke, a friend of mine in car race field. I didn't know where he took me before we were on the place already. He was driving fast...and I was feeling a bit nervous without helmet like the other people in cars had...Guys and cars, what can you say. BUT I have my legs and arms still hanging on my body. So everything is fine!

Marshmellows at the cliff with Hannele

Today I met Hannele! She came to southern Finland with her little sister Susanna and Heidi, Susanna's friend. For those who don't know, I met Hannele in Austria where we both studied last spring in Salzburg. She is also a Finn but she lives in Lappland now. In Rovaniemi...so far far away. In the place where reindeers are as common as mooses here. :D

They had been shopping all day long. But at evening I took them to the cliffs. (I realise that I am nowadays very often at the cliffs.) We made barbecue there with pizza, meat sticks and marsmellows. It was fun. And so nice to see her again.

food

Hannele makes puuf

Hannele with her sister Susanna

Me and Hannele...and shoes of Susanna

Heidi and Susanna

Isn't it shame we both prefer men...we would make such a cute couple :D

Sounds from Rolling stones

I made some changes to my blog yesterday...like the picture up there. I talked with Matthias yesterday in scype and he told me how. I am graphic designer for occupation, but my technical skills are sometimes not so good :D I know the design programs and I am happy with that.

Nothing very special happened today.

I visited my mom. She is nice. And I was working with my computer for a while. I am starting a company, but not yet satisfied with the logo. So I was doing the logo again.

I got a call from some advertising agency. They might offer me some freelancer job. And I have also four other freelancer works now which makes me busy but happy...because when I came to Finland I just knew there is going to be the rent to pay, but no work applied. But good thing...the work came for me anyway :)

At the evening we made a little walk with Teppo to listen Rolling stones outside the Olympic Stadium very near by my home. We also walked by Töölönlahti (the sea) in a park where there is at autumns tens of little rabbits jumping around. ;)