Kone Foundation Annual Report 2020
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KONE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2020 1 OSIO Established in 1956, Kone Foundation is cally sustainable and socially equal Fin- an independent and unaffiliated organi- land. They are valuable in themselves and sation. Its aim is to make the world better constantly challenge prevailing percep- by advancing free and diverse research and tions. Research outputs are part of public the arts. The Foundation awards grants for debate and influence decision-making. academic research, culture and art, and for Kone Foundation is a vigilant, bold and popularisation of research. The Founda- flexible organisation that cares about tion also maintains the Saari Residence its grantees and works towards building in Mynämäki for artists and researchers, a healthy work community. and the Lauttasaari Manor Residence in Helsinki. Our vision is for free research, art and culture to flourish in an ecologi- koneensaatio.fi/en Otavantie 10 | 00200 Helsinki www.koneensaatio.fi Editor: Joel Haapamäki / Kone Foundation facebook.com/koneensaatio Graphic design: Dog Design twitter.com/KoneenSaatio Printed by: Grano Oy instagram.com/koneensaatio Cover photo: Daniel Schreiber 2 INDEX Review to 2020: Hanna Nurminen 6 Review to 2020: Anna Talasniemi 8 Review to 2020: Leena Kela 12 The year 2020 in numbers 16 Support for research and arts: the highlights of 2020 18 A new strategy leads the way for vigilant funding of research and arts 20 Over 40 million euros for research and arts 30 At-home residency with Noah Kin 38 Language programme supported multilingualism in Finland in many ways 40 Vuoden Tiedekynä academic writing award: What can the Moomins teach us about the loneliness? 42 Is money enough on its own? We now know what grantees expect from the Foundation 46 The coronavirus pandemic changed how Saari Manor residencies work 52 REVIEW Ecologically sustainable residency programme started in Saari Residence 56 Sustainable Lifestyles Accelerator in Mynämäki 58 Extensive renovation of the main building started at the Saari Residence 60 Two new communication initiatives helped make research projects visible 62 TO Linguist Ulla Tuomarla appointed acting director of Kone Foundation 64 Finances 66 2020 REVIEW TO 2020 KONE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2020 den with colleagues and friends in the the year under review appears to be work- autumn and winter, and, in recent weeks, ing superbly. Ulla Tuomarla, who recent- the sight of drifted snow glittering in ly began deputising for Anna Talasniemi the spring sunshine and the cold of the when her period of study leave began, has late-winter air have given me moments quickly found her feet as the Foundation’s of encouragement to look forward to a Director, bringing some fresh new per- brighter future. My discussions have some- spectives on the Foundation’s activities. times touched upon the central values of A new ecological residency programme is the Foundation’s new strategy: scientific in the works at the Saari Residence, and and artistic freedom. the aim is to make the Saari Residence a Scientific and artistic freedom are at pioneer of sustainable operating models in Hanna Nurminen, Chairperson of the Board. issue in the recent demands by universi- the international residency field. Photo: Otto-Ville Väätäinen ty students for equality to be integrated With a new strategy in place, Kone more thoroughly into university studies Foundation is seeking to tackle the many and the other activities of educational challenges of the future on a stronger foot- HANNA NURMINEN: institutions and for structural discrimi- ing. The pace of change in the world is nation to be broken down. The media has accelerating, and the changes are becom- TALKS IN THE GARDEN framed these demands as a threat to sci- ing less and less predictable, so we will entific and artistic freedom. Of course, it continuously assess whether our strategy must be possible to broach difficult, -un is appropriate and update it regularly. comfortable topics in both science and the arts. However, these young people have grown up in a global society plagued by The year 2020 will go down in history as June among the blossoming burnet roses, racism, inequality and disinformation, and the time that made us come to terms with is particularly memorable. I take optimism from their endeavours to the vulnerability of our global society. As Thus, despite the ongoing crisis, the overhaul the status quo. Some of the de- the year went by, we learned to work in Kone Foundation’s strategy for 2021–2025 mands put forth have undoubtedly gone new ways and got used to living farther was prepared as planned in 2020. I would some way past the mark, and, at times, the away from each other. The pandemic gave like to thank the Foundation’s Board and rhetoric has recalled the language used by rise to a feeling of detachment that made staff, the Advisory Board of the Saari Resi- protestors who were active back when we every face-to-face encounter feel excep- dence and our stakeholders for their com- studied in the 1970s, but the world will tionally valuable. For that reason, the mitted and insightful contribution to our not improve unless the young demand it! strategy meeting with the Board of Trus- strategy. Once again, it has been a pleas- Kone Foundation’s prospects also give tees and the managing committee, which ure to work with this team. cause for optimism. The new organisation- we held in my garden on a sunny day in Since then, I have held talks in my gar- al structure that was introduced during 6 7 REVIEW TO 2020 KONE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2020 through the home residency period, we long-planned series of events under the asked our residents how they were doing, moniker “Totuuden rakennuspalikat” was and we were delighted to learn that the moved online, as were many other events. opportunities to share and work alongside Fortunately, we just had time to publish others – defining characteristics of resi- the evaluation of the Foundation’s lan- dency working – had also come to fruition guage programme at a packed seminar with the help of remote working tools: a held at the Paasitorni conference centre. sense of community, discussions and feed- Communality remains one of the Foun- back from others were among the most dation’s core values in line with the new common responses, and the importance of strategy, which was completed in the year peer support and taking inspiration from under review. The Foundation also con- Anna Talasniemi, Executive Director. others were later confirmed in the final tinues to use the water-well metaphor. Al- Photo: Ilkka Saastamoinen reports submitted by people involved in though we continued operating while the the home residency. The home residency pandemic unfolded around us, it is clear experiment showed that people also had that there was less contact with grantees ANNA TALASNIEMI: wells in their own homes. and less of a community spirit among The pandemic coloured the year, but we grantees than before. This challenges us WELL AT HOME continued operating: We made progress to develop remote forms of communality on the development of our strategy and in addition to meetings in person, home Grants+ activities, and we renewed our or- wells instead of and alongside interactions ganisational structure. Sanna Tirkkonen at the manor. The experience we gained won the 2020 Vuoden Tiedekynä academ- running home residencies will help us in In March, just about everything changed. ists, and we responded to this need with a ic writing award for her timely article on this development – in fact, it has already On Thursday, 12 March 2020, a group of home residency beginning on 27 March. feelings of loneliness. Renovation work proven its worth as the Saari Residence practitioners in the field of art convened Looking back, it is amazing how quickly began in the main building of the Saari periods took place in hybrid form. Some at Lauttasaari Manor for the Smart Art everything happened. Residence, and the development of the of the artists and researchers worked Funding meeting over coffee. Later that At the Foundation, we use the wa- ecological residency programme received from home, and some worked at the Saari day, Finland’s government announced its ter-well as a metaphor to describe the a boost when a new coordinator was re- Residence. recommendations to curb the spread of encounters, sharing and interaction cruited. In conjunction with the autumn The pandemic is profoundly affecting coronavirus. The following week, we con- between people in different fields. Our application round, the final theme-based our lives – and also the arts and scienc- ducted a survey to find out how scientists home residency plan made use of the application round was organised under es, which the Foundation is tasked with and artists would like to be supported practices we have created at the Saari the Changing “Neighbournesses” of Fin- promoting. Above all, the performing during the pandemic. A substantial pro- Residence, such as weekly meetings to land programme, and the Foundation’s arts are now in a more precarious posi- portion of the respondents proposed an give artists the opportunity to talk to grantees had the opportunity to apply for tion, and the pandemic has accentuated expedited grant application round for art- each other about their work. Mid-way supplementary coronavirus support. A the weak structures and inequality in art. 8 9 REVIEW TO 2020 KONE FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2020 There has been much debate in the field of science over whether the pandemic will cause funding to be directed towards more solution-based work in the future. The Foundation’s new strategy emphasis- es scientific and artistic freedom, which means – among other things – that science and art should be allowed to develop on their own terms rather than being driven by financial, political or other interests.