The North as a Meaning in Design and Art jointly organized by Art and Cultural Studies, University of Lapland, and Rovaniemi Art Museum in collaboration with the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation.

Call for papers

“The North as a Meaning in Design and Art”

International Conference on the History of Design and Design Culture

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Tapio Wirkkala and Rut Bryk

Dates: 30–31 October 2015

Venue: Korundi House of Culture, Rovaniemi, Finland

Organizers: Art and Cultural Studies, University of Lapland, and Rovaniemi Art Museum in collaboration with the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation

The year 2015 marks 100 years since the birth of Finnish designer and artist Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985). Wirkkala and his spouse, ceramic artist Rut Bryk (1916–1999), had a special relationship to the North and Lapland. The nature, tranquillity and people of Lapland offered them inspiration for their work and a reprieve from what were often hectic international careers.

As Wirkkala said in the journal Domus in 1981, “Lapland has become a place where I can charge my batteries. It has become a lifeline that I seize when I feel like I am drowning. When I become distressed at seeing Europe’s opulence and all of its side-effects, the sweaty smell of selfishness and ambition…when I feel like I am drowning and the pain is intense, I leave it all behind and go to Lapland. This has become a means for me to concentrate and survive… My world of art… it is my way of life and the quality of my work. It has grown through the experiences that people in the North have every day. The nature and the people there share the same continuous process of development. It is a recurring process – winter, spring, summer, autumn – yet always new and surprising.”

“The North as a Meaning in Design and Art” will offer an opportunity to explore the significance of the North, drawing on the example of the work of Tapio Wirkkala and Rut Bryk. The focal question is: What has the North meant to design and art – to individual artists and their art and to national and regional design and art cultures? During the conference an exhibition presenting the art of Tapio Wirkkala will be opened in the Korundi House of Culture, part of the Rovaniemi Art Museum. The exhibition is being arranged by the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation.

The conference will consist of keynote lectures and discussions of working papers. It will also offer an optional one-to-two-day programme, including excursions, dealing with northern design and art. Details of the programme will be made available later.

The conference will focus on the meaning of the North in industrial arts, design or visual arts, probing the significance of the North for artists and designers and their work. On a broader level, it will examine the importance of the North in conscious efforts by national or regionally identified industrial arts or art to distinguish themselves in the field of Western industrial arts, design and visual art.

Proposals are invited for presentations (20 min.) focusing on individual designers and artists, such as Wirkkala and Bryk; individual works and production; publicity in the media for fields of art; the image that has been formed of a designer or artist and his/her art; and interpretations of design and art.

Contributions may deal with topics such as the following:

– What significance has the North had for designers and artists? Examples: Lapland as a source of inspiration, a place to work, a place to spend free time, a home

– What themes, phenomena or events have created the link between the North/Lapland and design/art? What specific elements does this link entail? Examples: northern nature, landscapes and people

– What is the relation between the publicity for design or art and Lapland and the North, for instance, when writing about Finnish design? Example: Finland as a northern design country.

– Has the North been a necessary element in building a design identity or mental images specifically in the field of international design?  Or has it been significant in the national context as well?

– How have the North and/or Lapland been experienced or produced in design and art in concrete form or as a mental image? Examples: publicity, exhibitions, the media

– Scandinavian design and the North

– Tourism, design and art in the North

– Ethnicity, periphery, exoticism, otherness

Please submit an abstract (150 to 300 words) of your presentation by 28 February 2015 in the form of an e-mail attachment to Maija Mäkikalli, at maija.makikalli@ulapland.fi

Additional information: Maija Mäkikalli, maija.makikalli@ulapland.fi

CIRRUS express:
Hackathon Garage 48, organised jointly by Estonian Academy of Arts, Tartu University and Garage 48.
Avilability for scholarships: 2 CIRRUS express grants based on short motivation letter:  (330 travel/Iceland 660 + 70 EUR accommodation and subsistence cost)
Application deadline: November 25, 2014
ECTS: 1
Application form online
Once granted mobility, students must fill in the CIRRUS grant and forward to sandra.sule@artun.ee
There is a registration fee 25 EUR to every student taking part in this event (not only CIRRUS students) that is to be covered by the CIRRUS students as well.
Two seats have been reserved for CIRRUS students especially, so they don’t need to register at the web site of the event now, but after they have been granted a scholarship through CIRRUS.
Everyone, who wants to join the event anyway (with-or without grant) is welcome to register already now at the event web page below.

HDK – School of Design and Crafts is announcing a doctoral student position in third-cycle education (doctoral level) in the subject of crafts beginning 1 February 2015. The application deadline is 30 November 2014

http://www.hdk.gu.se/en/nyheter/2014/doctoral-student-crafts

HDK recruits three professors in Design

http://www.hdk.gu.se/en/nyheter/2014/hdk-recruits-three-professors-design

INVITATION to Finnish-Japanese symposium

Welcome to a Joint Finnish-Japanese symposium titled Innovation and Well-being through Multidisciplinary Dialogue held at the University of Lapland on 5th to 7th November 2014. The symposium is part of the Sustainability Weeks event collaboration between universities from Finland and Hokkaido since 2005.

The symposium focuses on well-being and communities using the design thinking approach. The key issues address relevant global challenges.

The first two days will consist of individually themed workshops. Symposium will conclude with a panel discussion on the workshops’ results.

Service Design Workshops

Theme 1: Health Problems in an Aging Society with a Harsh Winter Climate

Theme 2: Snow and Design Thinking in Regional Development

Theme 3: Service Design Methods in Designing Digital Healthcare Concepts

Theme 4: Community Design through Tourism – Challenges of Community Based Heritage and Tourism Management

Theme 5: Designing and Planning the Built Environment for Human Wellbeing– Challenges of Shrinkage and Growth in the Northern Regions

Theme 6: Architecture and Home Healthcare in Northern Regions

Keynote Speeches

Title 1: Everyday Well-Being in Later Life

Title 2: Connected Health – The Role of ICT Based Services in Renewing Health

Title 3: The Current Conditions and Issues of Space Design for Shrinking Communities in Northern Regions

Title 4: ICT Tool Development for Home Healthcare in Remote Areas

For more information visit: http://www.ulapland.fi/SW2014-JPFinSymposium

”SCREEN & SENSES / DIGITAL WEAVING”

Programe for CIRRUS Meeting 2014
October 21 – 23, 2014

Hosted by: Konstfack
(Scroll down for directions)
Registration form here

October 21, Tuesday
Afternoon separate meetings for project initiators and leaders (own initiative)
19:00-23.00 Guided tour and Food Walk at Fotografiska

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October 22, Wednesday
Konstfack
09.30  Registration
10.00 – 12.00 Joint meeting for leaders and coordinators
10.00 – 10.45 Welcome and Presentations
10.00 – 10.20 Survey from 2013-2014 mapping process (Kolding School of Design)
10.20 – 10.25 Lego Cirrus Design Camp (Kolding School of Design)
10.25 – 10.35 Traditions and Innovation, intensive course 2014/15, EAA, LHI, University of Lapland
10.35 – 10.45  Ways of Drawing, intensive course 2014/15, Aalto Arts!
10.45 – 11.00 Coffee break
11.00 -12.00 Konstfack presentation
12.00 – 13.00 Lunch
13.00 – 14.30 Tour in Konstfack

14.30 – 17.00 separate meetings for:
a) LEADERSHIP (rectors/deans/heads)
Microbrands and Entrepreneurship, Lylian Meister
Craft vs Design, Jeff Kaller
Design Research, Stein Rokseth
How can we proceed with the Kolding mapping survey? What is next step? Lone Dalsgaard Andre
Discussion

b) Coordinators
14.00 – 15.15 Update from each school
Homework:
Trends in mobility (briefly what’s hot and what’s not for mobility)
Alumni relations (overview how or if each school deals with alumni who have participated in mobility)
Important notices (if any)
15.15 –  15.30 Coffee break
15.30 – 15.50 Information on Nordplus and CIRRUS funding (Sandra Sule)
15.50 – 16.10 Kolding survey. Can we use it? What is missing? (Anette Flinck)
16.10 – 16. 40 ERASMUS+ strategic partnerships. Presentation showing that it’s doable.
(Alma Ragnarsdottir)
16.40 – 17-00 AOB, questions, answers.

19.00 Dinner at Junibacken

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Thursday,  October 23, 2014

10.00 – 12.00 Separate meetings continue
a) Leaders/Rectors. Project planning (intensive courses, summer school)
b) Coordinators. Project planning (intensive courses, summer school)

12.00 – 13.00 Lunch
13.00 – 15.00 Joint network meeting
Conclusions from previous meetings
Lapland University, CIRRUS next meeting’s presentation
Departure

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INSTRUCTIONS ON:
HOW TO GET TO KONSTFACK

Sub-way; From T-Centralen, take the red line to Fruängen, get off at Telefonplan. Konstfack is the big white building behind the black house right opposite of the sub-way station.

HOW TO GET TO FOTOGRAFISKA

Fotografiska is located by the seafront on Stadsgårdshamnen, between Birka Cruises and Viking Line boat terminals. You can easily walk along the water from Slussen or Gamla Stan.

If using public transportation, there are several options. The nearest subway station is Slussen, which is accessible by both the green and red subway lines. Exit Slussen at the bus terminal, take a right then walk past the bus terminal to a pedestrain crossing. Cross the street, take a right and continue walking straight on (past the Birka Cruises terminal) till you reach Fotografiska.

HOW TO GET TO JUNIBACKEN

Junibacken is situated on Djurgården in Stockholm. Just behind Nordiska Museet, next door to the Vasa Museum. From the Central station it will take about 30 minutes to walk.
Bus/trams;
Tram 7 leaves from Sergels Torg
Bus 69 leaves from T-Centralen
Bus/tram stop – Junibacken/Nordiska Museet/VAsamuseet

For 2014/15 CIRRUS network received 109 340 EUR for project, network and mobility from Nordplus Higher Education prorgamme. Hurray!!

Aalto University is a new university with over a century of experience. Created from a high-profile merger between three leading universities in Finland – the Helsinki School of Economics, Helsinki University of Technology and the University of Art and Design Helsinki – Aalto University opens up new possibilities for strong multidisciplinary education and research. The university has 20 000 students and a staff of 5 000 including 350 professors.

Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture is one of the most prestigious international universities of art, design and architecture in the world. The school has a strong role and influence within society. Key areas of research are design, digital media, audiovisual representation, art, visual culture, welfare architecture, and urban design and planning. The school’s history dates back to 1871.

Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture invites applications for Tenure Track or Tenured position for a

Professor in History of Art and Culture

Job description

The focus of the new professorship is on art and culture history with a possible emphasis on the contemporary era. Knowledge of Finnish and Nordic history of art and culture is required.

The new professor will serve the entire School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The position is located at the Department of Art in the Centre for General Studies (YoYo). The Centre is responsible for organising general studies at the School of Art, Design and Architecture, on all levels of studies (BA, MA, DA). http://taide.aalto.fi/en/yoyo/

The tasks of the Professor of History of Art and Culture include teaching and research in the field as well as development and administrative work within the department and the school.
Requirements

Applicants are expected to possess appropriate scientific merits and professional competence. The evaluation of candidates is based on the level of accomplishment and merits gained within research, teaching, academic leadership and other relevant activity in academic and professional communities.

Applicants are expected to have doctoral degree in a relevant field. The candidate should have a proven track record of publications in international refereed journals. The candidate should have demonstrated ability to operate in international educational networks and to teach and supervise students. Additionally, we value multidisciplinary networks. We expect the candidate to have excellent language skills in English.

Throughout their careers, those in the academic tenure track system are expected to exercise and guide scientific research, to provide related higher academic education, to follow the advances of their field,  to participate in service to the Aalto University community, and to take part in societal interaction and international collaboration in their field.

Level and salary

On the basis of their experience and competence, applicants will be placed within one of the levels of the tenure track system: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Full Professor. The position is full-time and depending on the level, either temporary or permanent.

Aalto University follows the salary system of Finnish universities, but applicants may also provide salary requirements.

How to apply

The applications for the tenure track position are to be addressed to the President of Aalto University. Please submit your application with the attachments through the “Apply for this job” link below no later than on the 3^rd of July 2014.

The application material for the position must include

• An application letter addressed to the President of Aalto University
• A Curriculum Vitae including also a summary of teaching experience
• A complete list of publications and other past research activities and 3 most significant publications in pdf-form (the absolute maximum size of one PDF is 10 MB)
• A Letter of Motivation, including the applicant’s vision for the development of research and teaching in the field of History of Art and Culture

All material must be submitted in English using the electronic recruitment system. The applicants may be asked to supplement their application materials at the second phase of the application process, including contextualizing work if written in other languages than English.

Please follow the guidelines on the application material and its delivery as described above.

Aalto University may perform a bibliometric data analysis of the applicants’ scientific publications based on the applicant’s CV and list of publications unless the applicant declines the analysis. This information is used to measure scientific activity and it will be collected and analyzed based on information available on public databases.

From amongst the applicants in the first phase, Aalto University will select those who will be asked to supplement their application materials. Supplemented applications are submitted for review by external experts (the second phase of the application process).

General instructions for applicants including language requirements and guidelines for compiling CVs and teaching portfolios (at the second phase of the application process) are given at http://www.aalto.fi/en/about/careers/tenure_track/for_applicant/

For more information

For more information, please contact Professor Kevin Tavin tel. +358 50 4342 961, firstname.lastname@aalto.fi and for recruitment process –related questions, HR coordinator Päivi Niemi, tel. +358 50 449 9349 firstname.j.lastname@aalto.fi.

Aalto University reserves the right for justified reasons to leave the position open, to extend the application period and to consider candidates who have not submitted applications during the application period.

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Tenure track in Aalto University

The tenure track is open to talented individuals who have excellent potential for a scientific career. Individuals placed on the Aalto University professorial tenure track have the possibility to advance in their career through regular performance assessments, which take into account their merits in all areas of their scope of duty. Launched only in 2010, the tenure track has attracted a wide range of international applicants, giving Aalto University the possibility of recruiting top experts and young research talent to join the Aalto University community. Read more about the Aalto University tenure track system at www.aalto.fi/en/tenuretrack.