Applied Visual Arts in the North coolo o o o o o Edited by Timo Jokela, Glen Coutts, Maria Huhmarniemi & Elina Härkönen Appliedcool Visual Arts in the North ©University of Lapland and authors 2013 Edited by Timo Jokela Glen Coutts Elina Härkönen Maria Huhmarniemi Copyediting Laura Heikkola Glen Coutts Salla-Mari Koistinen Translation Laura Heikkola Lay-out and Design Elina Härkönen Cover Photos: Glen Coutts, Austin Taylor, Satu Jussilla Photo Optimising Elina Hollanti Elina Härkönen Financier The European Social Fund (ESF), The ESF Operational Programme in mainland Finland, Northern Finland subarea, Centre for Economic De- velopment, Transport and the Environment, Ministry of Education and Culture Printer Erweko Oy, Rovaniemi 2013 Publisher Publications of the Faculty of Art and Design of the University of Lapland Series C. Overviews and Discussion 41. 2013 Applied Visual Arts Master’s Program ISBN 978-952-484-638-7 ISSN 1236-9616 Contents 5 FOREWORD 104 THE VILLAGE OF A WATER BIRD : 5 INTRODUCTION Community art as part of a landscaping project Elina Härkönen Contexts 10 ENGAGED ART IN THE NORTH : Aims, Methods, Contexts Community Engagement Timo Jokela 110 THE T OWN IS THE VENUE : A Methodology for the North? 22 APPLIED VISUAL ARTS : Learning for the real world? Claudia Zeiske Glen Coutts 120 JUNK TO FUNK : 32 LAPLAND AS A RENDEZVOUS OF DIFFERENT GAZES A community-based practice of sustainable art AND PORTRAYALS Herminia Wei-Hsin Din Tuija Hautala-Hirvioja 126 ART REFLECTS :Art encounters and art workshops 43 APPLIED VISUAL ARTS AS CONTEMPORARY ART in Rovaniemi since 2010 Maria Huhmarniemi Hanna Levonen-Kantomaa, Ninni Korkalo 54 DESIGNING ENGAGEMENT: The New Edge 133 ON A MILK DOCK JOURNEY : The residents of a retirement Stuart Macdonald home and the students of the neighborhood school on a journey to a common story Tradition to Contemporary Riitta Johanna Laitinen 68 BRAIDING SINEW :Interweaving threads of 139 MAGENTA : Designing visual arts services Inuit qaujimajatuqangit and Sámi duodji Merja Briñón, Salla-Mari Koistinen Suzanne Thomas, Igah Hainnu, Jan-Erik Kuoljuk, Jukeepa Hainnu Applied Visual Arts in Education 74 THE STORY OF KIRKKOKUUSIKKO : 144 MAKING MEMORIES VISIBLE: A photographic exploration New genre public art in the North of cultural sustainability Timo Jokela Ásthildur Björg Jónsdóttir 81 THE SAMILAND PROJECT : The past on display 155 SMARTPHONE FILMMAKING: The implementation of Christa Haataja smartphones in film production for fostering the relationship of a community to a location Applied Visual Arts in Public Places Terhi Marttila 88 MIRRIE DANCERS : Light and Lace in Shetland 158 THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN: Snow-sculpting as an Roxanne Permar interdisciplinary project in Norwegian teacher education 94 HUTTU-UKON JÄLJILLÄ :Place-specific public art at a Wenche Sørmo, Karin Stoll, Mette Gårdvik traffic roundabout 167 RIVERSOUNDS - JOENÄÄNIÄ : Creating new connections be- Timo Jokela tween contemporary art, design and traditional cultures 99 PELLO SNOWPARK AND THE LEVI LOUNGE: Applied Visual Sofia Waara, Katri Konttinen Winter Arts Esther Dorsman 6 7 Foreword The University of Lapland is one of two institutes in Finland applied visual arts in the area. The implementation of Applied engaged in research and higher academic training in the field of Visual Arts Masters’ Program and the cooperation between the industrial arts. The University emphasizes in its research profile Arctic regions’ Art Universities is a major step forward in de- the interaction between arts, the environment, and critical so- veloping art education. In addition, it is compatible with Arctic cial science research. This is a necessity in Lapland and in the socio-cultural and economic life and supportive to the well- Arctic because the economic exploitation of the Arctic region being of the area. is loaded with high environmental risks. In addition, the indus- trial changes will affect the region’s social and cultural situation. One example of an attempt to strengthen the profile of the in- Mauri Ylä-Kotola dustrial arts education in recent years, is the development of Rector of the University of Lapland Introduction The main aim of this publication is to promote debate about development initiatives. AVA should not be seen as synony- contemporary applied visual art as it relates to the North. The mous with already established professions such as graphic de- volume was produced as part of the Applied Visual Arts (AVA) sign, architecture and interior design. Among other things, the project funded by the Centre for the Economic Development, interaction between science and art, environmental engineer- Transport and the Environment. Organised jointly by the Fac- ing, tourism, and the public, social and health care sectors are ulty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland and Kemi- potential spheres of operation. Tornio University of Applied Sciences, the AVA project was as Instead of educating traditional fine artists who exhibit and part of the Institute for Northern Culture. The aims, theoretical try to sell their art, the new programme builds on the increasing foundations, methods and results of the Master of Arts degree trend for artists to be employed as specialist consultants and program in AVA at the University of Lapland (2011-13) are project-workers. In this model, artists act as facilitators for a introduced. This new degree program aims to respond to the community group, public services or business, using their skill challenges posed by the changing needs of higher education, and experiences. For example visual arts and cultural produc- regional business, internationalisation and contemporary art in tions have become an integral part of the tourism-related ‘ex- addition to the socio-cultural situation in the North. perience industry’ in the North. The creative industries, often The program seeks to produce multi-skilled arts profession- characterized by small, flexible and interdisciplinary compa- als with the ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders. In nies, is an increasingly important sector of future economies in addition, they will be able to participate seamlessly in diverse the North. Artists who graduate from the program can serve as A rock instrument / RiverSounds project. Photo: Riitta Johanna Laitinen 8 visual designers and consultants in various everyday environ- function in broadening the field of art education. AVA can thus ments, developers of adventure and cultural environments and be viewed as a seamless extension of community art educa- associated art-related services, and as social actors, as well as in tion and participatory environmental art developed within the organizing tasks in various events. Thus, the artistic work is car- department of art education at the University of Lapland. The ried out in cooperation with cultural institutions, the education working methods and studies of AVA have been refined and de- and social sectors, or business life. Typically, the artistic activity veloped with the aim of launching an international Master of shares spaces with the social, technical, and cultural sectors. Arts program in cooperation with international partners. Inter- The AVA degree is based on experiential, project-based nationalisation will bring a significant boost to the program and learning and communal and place-specific methods of contem- open up new job opportunities for graduating artists, simulta- porary art. Education carried out in project-form has points of neously ensuring international visibility for artistic initiatives reference, among other things, in the latest participatory trends implemented in the North. in contemporary art for example community and environmen- This book is organised in five sections under the main theme tal art. In addition, design thinking informs the program in the of Applied Visual Arts in the North, the volume presents articles shape of environmental and service design, and co-creation based, in large part, on projects undertaken during 2011-13. It methods. Applied visual arts is chiefly characterised by the includes the activities of the Thematic Network of the Univer- artists applying their own expertise and art techniques for pur- sity of the Arctic, Arctic Sustainable Arts and Design, launched poses external to the art world. At the same time, however, the in 2011. Together, they bring a circumpolar perspective to artist can present a production in art exhibits and thus trans- the discussion of the role of AVA in the North. In the first sec- form it into art. tion, Contexts, Timo Jokela opens the discussion by exploring It is a prime aim of the AVA program to integrate artistic the underlying reasons for developing the AVA program. Glen skills with practice-based and scientific knowledge to create Coutts debates the relevance of some aspects of higher educa- ecologically and ethically sound experience environments, ser- tion today and questions whether it has the capacity to meet vices, and art productions that are based on the cultural herit- the demands of a rapidly changing industrial world, is it fit for age and traditions of an area and its people. The studies require the ‘real world’? Tuija Hautala-Hirvioja has taken the art histo- students to include project-based collaboration with cultural rian’s perspective on how the artists have seen northern nature, institutions, public and social sector and tourism companies landscape and people and how the AVA program has offered in Lapland and the North. Students collaborate with public new ways to view and bring forward the nature and people of and private sectors to develop products and services that meet Lapland. specific social and economic needs. During the period of the The concept of AVA in the broader field of contemporary art education initiative, a principal goal was to develop new and is considered by Maria Huhmarniemi. Stuart W. MacDonald innovative forms of cooperation, environments, and products concludes the first section with a discussion on the increasing that can, in a sustainable manner, contribute to the vitality and importance of engagement. He focuses on the space between well-being of the North.