[diss] Taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu / ARTS

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  • Shimmering Wood – Experimenting with nanocellulose-based structural colour
    (2025) Yau, Noora
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (article-based) | Defence date: 2025-06-18
    Structural colour refers to the colouring that arises from the interaction of light with nanostructures. For example, the vivid, shiny, metallic-looking blue colour on the surface of morpho butterflies’ wing is created when light interacts with nanostructures, resulting in the perception of colour by the human eye. Shiny and glittery colour effects are linked to structural colours; however, they are often produced using materials made from metals, plastics, minerals or their combinations. The need for renewable, environmentally friendly colourants is growing, and in this context, the possibility of making bio-based structural colours has also received attention. This thesis researches nanocellulose-based structural colour (CNC SC) through the Shimmering Wood material development case. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between design and materials science. CNC SC has been studied since the 1990s, but the research has mainly focused on the colourant’s technical properties and applications, such as developing various optical sensors. Meanwhile, the aesthetics and appearance of the colourant have not received the same attention. In this thesis, CNC SC has been developed through collaboration between design and materials science, focusing on the aesthetics and appearance of CNC SC, as well as its potential as a future colourant for designers and artists. This collaboration aims to examine CNC SC comprehensively, considering both its technical features and sensory aspects, such as aesthetics and appearance. The main research questions of this study are: ‘What kind of material experiences can be designed for CNC SC?’ and ‘What new insights can design bring to the material development process? The thesis is based on three studies. The first study focused on framing relevant terminology for structural colours and introducing the topic to the realms of design and art. It also highlighted the problematic nature of the colour terminology related to structural colours, with particular attention being given to the term iridescence and its related issues. The second study detailed the practical process of the Shimmering Wood project and how new knowledge was constructed in the thesis by combining traditional materials science methods (such as laboratory work) with design methods (like material tinkering and prototyping). Lastly, the third study focused on developing the aesthetics of CNC SC in order to bring out the visual features that are characteristic of its colour appearance. The core findings of the dissertation involve making the terminology related to structural colour accessible to designers and artists, as well as introducing a more holistic perspective onto the material development process at a practical level. Introducing researchthrough-design methods into material development, particularly through the use of concrete design ‘things’, was found to facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation. These design ‘things’ were especially helpful in fostering interdisciplinary dialogue. In addition, CNC SC aesthetics and colour theory were framed in this study.
  • Exploring Colour in Contemporary Art – Epistemic Boundaries and Artistic Practices
    (2025) Arnkil, Harald
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (monograph) | Defence date: 2025-05-30
    This thesis is the result of exploring contemporary artists’ approaches to colour and comparing those approaches with notions of colour in colour philosophy, philosophy of art and artistic colour theories. Since the 1960s, artists have used colours in an ever-increasing variety of media, materials and spatial and temporal contexts. The postmodern crisis of grand narratives as described by Jean-François Lyotard is evident in their attitudes towards universalist and transcendent notions of colour. From the 1990s onwards, the globalisation of the art market, the launching of the Internet and the availability of cheap air travel have granted artists access to ways of using colour that challenge the abstract and normative rules which continue to dominate traditional colour theory. My main research questions are: 1) How do contemporary artists use colour in their works and artistic actions? What governs or guides their choice of colours? 2) What is the relation of colour theories to contemporary art praxis? The research is in six parts. Part 1, Nine conversations, presents interviews that I have made with nine contemporary artists, Kristi Kongi, Jussi Goman, Vesa-Pekka Rannikko, Inka Kivalo, Lois Swirnoff, Nathalie Miebach, Douglas Breault, Ann Veronica Janssens and David Batchelor, about their ways of using colour in their art. Part 2, Epistemology of colour, is an overview of current ontology and epistemology of colour. Part 3, Philosophies about colour in art, is a discussion of texts about colour in art by the French philosophers Mikel Dufrenne, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Gilles Deleuze, Jean-François Lyotard and Michel Henry. Part 4, Guidelines, rules and theories for artists, is a review of recent texts and theories about colour which have been written specifically for artists by artists and art pedagogues. Part 5, Contemporary colours, takes a look at approaches, methods and applications of colour by contemporary artists, beginning with examples from artists of the groups Gutai and Nouveau réalisme and ending with present-day examples. The thesis ends in Part 6 with final conclusions and a discussion of unanswered questions and some further thoughts. The research revealed a marked epistemological gap between current colour theory and contemporary art praxis. Rather than basing their strategies and decisions on available theories of colour relationships, contemporary artists prefer to invent new approaches and applications of colour which diverge from or challenge these theories. Another important finding was the marked difference in knowledges and styles of speaking and writing about colour in the three epis¬temes of colour philosophy, philosophy of art and colour pedagogy. The visually and poetically informed “figural” language of the philosophers discussed in part 3 was found to be closest to the way contemporary artists view and use colour.
  • Creative Learning Agents: Computational Co-Creativity and Relational Artifacts in Education
    (2025) Lim, Jeongki
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (article-based) | Defence date: 2025-05-27
    Creativity, as the ability to develop new and useful ideas and solutions, is considered an important learning outcome of 21st-century education. With the recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) research, many educators are interested in adopting AI applications in the arts and design education. However, its ability to easily generate texts and images poses a risk. While statistically novel, the computational outputs are inherently derivative and absent of the pedagogical opportunities to examine its creative process. Relying on the generative capabilities of AI indiscriminately can hamper the students’ opportunity to develop their creative capacity. In this thesis, I make contributions by developing a theoretical system that art and design educators can use to integrate AI into their pedagogies and a conceptual AI model that can be adopted across academic domains and industries. The thesis is based on three original mixed-method experimental studies. In Publication I, I designed an experimental model where AI was situated as a relational artifact in creative learning. The model captured the phenomenon of students perceiving relational artifacts when the AI was situated like their peers and found the presence of AI could lead to an increased likelihood of creative learning. In Publication II, I iterated on the model with the analytical methods using the cultural-historical activity theory. While the presence of AI led to increased incidents of associative action for creative learning, they were not as effective as having an engaging peer student because AI had an objective different from the students. In addition, the actions of storytelling and the teachers' direction are critical for creative learning. In Publication III, I refined the model in a virtual environment where AI learned directly from the students’ actions using reinforcement learning. I found the emergent relational dynamics in co-creative learning constantly in flux based on their perceived commonalities and the difficulty level of the task. By synthesizing the insights from the publications, I developed the Creative Learning Activity System, a theoretical system that arts and design educators can use to examine the impact of automatizing learning activities and relational dynamics with AI in their classrooms. For future research and development, I developed Creative Learning Agent, a conceptual AI model designed to increase the number of associative actions in creative learning. I discuss these contributions and their limitations from practical, empirical, methodological, and theoretical perspectives. The thesis contributes to discussions on the meaningful integration of AI in art and design curricula and the development of an AI system whose focus on creative capacity development can make an impact by being adopted across academic domains.
  • Elävä suhde väriin – Värin uudelleenajattelua posthumanismin viitekehyksessä ja taidepedagogiikassa
    (2025) Laaksonen, Nina
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (monograph) | Defence date: 2025-05-23
    This doctoral thesis on “A Living Relation to Color. Rethinking Color in Posthumanism’s Frame and Art Pedagogy”,” knowledge of color is created by a new kind of evolving ontology taking into account other species apart from that of the humans, as well as the diversity of nature. This study on color challenges us to rethink color as a process-like substance creating relations with natural elements such as plants, wind, water, natural pigments, animals, and with technology. This study is a theoretical and experimental opening on color. The aim of the study is to widen the discourse of color to a multidimensional subject surpassing the traditional discourse on color. A living relationship to color has evolved in the course of the study, and within it, performative color brings forth corporeal materiality, is strange and lives in relationships with others. Color was studied in the context of three experiments, out of which two were carried out with an artistic angle in Benin, West Africa, and Bugøynes, Northern Norway. The third experiment was carried out within art education at Aalto University. In the study color was approached with the help of post-qualitative research methodology, various visual materials, and methods of nomadic writing. The methodology of my thesis relies on examining the ontological bases of color using post-humanist concepts and philosophical interpretations, of which Rosi Braidotti’s critical approach is an important starting point. Artistic thinking has guided my subject along the way. Rethinking color is an intervention in the possibility of art pedagogy and color education to evolve into a multidisciplinary learning content that creates connections with other disciplines and various agents. Color education has long relied on the knowledge of color as a physical phenomenon, and within art, the focus of color education has been on primary colors, hues, values, and color circles. This doctoral thesis asks, whether this knowledge is sufficient today, and whether the diversity of nature and environmental issues challenge us to adopt a new kind of color ontology. Thinking of color in relation with post-humanist ontology broadens the concept of color as an active agent in our world, participating in it and producing knowledge about it. The study proposes to include color in multidisciplinary research, cultural well-being, and a pedagogy of hope.
  • You see a lock anywhere? - Elusive architectural boundaries of home detected through cinematic frames
    (2025) Kajaste, Helmi
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (monograph) | Defence date: 2025-05-23
    Creating boundaries can be seen as one of the main functions of architecture. Discussion about boundaries, however, is often limited to a superficial level, noting only the boundaries between, say, inside and outside or private and public – and even equating them. Every line in an architectural drawing may end up influencing social situations, and political or ideological implications may stay hidden if they are not commonly discussed. The present study delves into the functioning and meanings of architectural boundaries in human relationships. The focus is on the boundaries of the home during the period of post-World War II modernism, when widespread societal changes made it possible to rearrange people’s way of life. To examine the mechanics of architectural boundaries, the study asks a number of questions. How do architectural boundaries contribute to the concept of home? How do architectural boundaries operate as vehicles in shaping dwelling, social situations, and culturally shared expectations of domestic life? What happens if those boundaries are unclear? To look beyond the conventions of the architectural discipline, the study approaches architectural boundaries through six fiction films. The film analyses investigate why boundaries of home are needed, what situations follow from unreliable boundaries, and how boundaries can both provide stability and be open to change. In addition to the films, the research material also includes reallife architectural examples and an interdisciplinary selection of literature. Through the notion of cinematic frames, the study detects how architectural boundaries influence social situations and how they can embody assumptions of dwelling and life courses. The study introduces the concept of elusive boundary to describe ambiguous spatial boundaries that can be difficult to grasp or place, but which are detectable due to their effects on people. The film analyses show that architectural boundaries both produce and reflect spatialized longing. Moreover, the way architectural boundaries function as a measure of success in human lives becomes especially clear through the recurring characters of the widow and the widower in the case films. Housing design often assumes the family lifestyle that has been inherited from previous generations, although a misfit would be free to arrange their lives in a different way. The situation of the widow entails a break from previous life and the possibility to rearrange one’s living situation and social relations after the demise of the nuclear family narrative. The study argues that architectural boundaries are far more complex than the simplified ways they are often presented in architectural discourse. Architecture can, with its temporal logic, create expectations for the future which are based on the assumptions of the past. Boundaries create stability but can also act as tools for change, and films from the past can show how change has been reacted to and how it has been built previously. The methodological setting of the study, that parallels the expressive languages of film and architecture, shows that the internal narratives of architecture cannot necessarily be grasped with the traditional methods of representation. Detecting the stories connected to the architecture may require methodical experiments, an outside perspective and the possibility to follow the progression of situations over time and in use.
  • Fostering creative well-being: Theoretical models of collaborative partnerships in developing arts-health practices for older adults
    (2025) Lee, Dohee
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | G5 Artikkeliväitöskirja | Defence date: 2025-03-21
    Population aging has become a major global issue, increasing the need for research that examines aging-related societal challenges, such as care services that provide for personal growth and development of older adults in later life. There is also a need for identifying ways of maintaining the dynamic social connections of older adults – which they tend to value – and assisting them with remaining active members of society, instead of becoming passive recipients of public care. There is, however, a prevalent “deficit” view of aging in modern societies that overshadows older adults’ contributions and reduces life opportunities they encounter as they age, which in turn increases their social isolation. Taking these issues into consideration, it is vital to provide better services and support systems for older adults in many rapidly aging populations worldwide. In relation to this, both the arts and health sectors have become more proactive in taking advantage of different forms of arts-health practices, because of the positive impact of the arts not only on healthy and creative aging but also on social well-being of older adults, as evidenced by existing research on the links between the arts and health. Despite this, there are relatively few studies of arts-health practices for older adults in the public and private sectors, which results in challenges for practitioners and facilitators of such practices due to the lack of theoretical and practical frameworks for guiding their work, particularly when interdisciplinary collaborations are required. To address this knowledge gap and the lack of practical guidance, the primary aim of this thesis is to expand our understanding of the diverse challenges that aging societies increasingly face, and to explore creative ways in which arts-health practices can mitigate such challenges through collaborative efforts. As such, this thesis attempts to explore the value of synergetic collaborative actions in arts-health practices and to provide general structural support for designing and operating arts-health practices for older adults, thus enabling better implementation and delivery of such practices within a more inclusive and interactive environment through genuine partnerships between all the stakeholders involved. The thesis research is divided into two parts: Part 1) consisting of interview studies with older adults, and ractitioners and facilitators involved in a range of arts-health practices in Finland and South Korea, and Part 2) consisting of theoretical frameworks based on the results of the studies conducted in Part 1. Through these two parts, the thesis research identifies the vital elements necessary for the development of arts-health practices for older adults, with the aim of promoting long-term holistic care services in different communities and across cultures based on collaborative partnership among various stakeholders involved. The findings of this thesis highlight the importance of older adults’ active involvement as valuable partners and co-decision-makers in arts-health practices, and the need for developing practical frameworks for supporting the late-life creativity of aging people by helping them to redefine their own creative competences in older age through such practices. To facilitate these, the thesis proposes two theoretical models for arts-health practices for older adults that center on the significance of collaborative endeavors toward the better delivery of such practices. It is hoped that this can ultimately lead to fostering interdisciplinary partnerships between different stakeholders, and enable them to not only create active and open communication based on mutual trust but also to develop a creative mindset around common goals to achieve, while taking responsibility for different roles in a power-balanced environment, which would eventually lead to a co-production environment leveraging on co-creativity.
  • Kohtaamista odottamassa - Kuntien kulttuuriympäristöohjelmat maisematiedon, osallisuuden ja elinkeinotoiminnan näkökulmasta
    (2025) Lahdenvesi-Korhonen, Leena
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (monograph) | Defence date: 2025-02-28
    The dissertation examines municipal cultural environment programs, focusing on how participation, landscape knowledge, and business perspectives are integrated into the processes. Based on the Swedish model the creation of cultural environment programs was initiated in Finland in the early 1990s. To date, more than a hundred municipalities have drawn up such programs. They are utilized in land use planning and municipal building regulation. They are expected to raise public awareness of the cultural environment and strengthen local identity, while also serving as a source of ideas for products and services for enterprises. Over the years, programs have evolved in many respects, however, there remains significant room for improvement. The thesis seeks answers to questions regarding how the programs facilitate participation, particularly the involvement of businesses, and how they engage with and manage the landscape. It also examines how businesses perceive the processes and landscape knowledge, and what opportunities they identify. The work combines two levels of research strategies, action research and case study. The aim has been to develop program work by monitoring processes and compiling program design guidelines in cooperation with program stakeholders in two cycles, over a 20-year period. The thesis focuses on the program work of 24 Finnish municipalities and the experiences of more than 70 interviewees. The participation of the program participants has been analyzed using the participation model of the Association of Finnish Municipalities. The Finnish programs are also compared with the cultural environment programs of six Swedish municipalities, regarding how they treat the landscape. In addition to the interviews, the views of entrepreneurs have been collected through an open online survey. The results show that the cultural environment program is poorly known among businesses and that entrepreneurial participation in the process is rare. Entrepreneurs in the tourism sector would like to see more extensive involvement in the development of the sector and forms of participation targeted at them. The study has identified and categorized the various ways in which the programs characterize the landscape. The programs emphasize the cultural heritage values, but do not explain the connections and meanings between the different elements of the cultural environment, which would create a broader awareness of the landscape and promote a holistic perception of it. The knowledge is also not automatically translated into products by the enterprises. Strengthening entrepreneurs‘ process ownership and developing the way landscape data in the program is presented and the analytical approach could increase entrepreneurs’ landscape awareness. Targeted coaching and co-creative processes can facilitate the creation of sustainable landscape products and identify key stakeholders in the business sector for the management of cultural environment. The thesis provides new insight into heritage programs and their stakeholders, landscape knowledge and their relationship with the business community. It also provides a broader picture of the evolution of program design. National strategies for cultural heritage have increased interest in exploring, as public finances tighten, how business can provide new opportunities to maintain and improve the condition of cultural heritage sites. This work demonstrates how increasing business involvement in the development of the sector and raising their awareness of the landscape can also contribute to achieving this objective.
  • Contextually responsive interaction design - Design ideation for dynamic contexts
    (2025) Pejoska, Jana
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (article-based) | Defence date: 2025-01-31
    Digital tools for remote social interaction have become an integral part of our daily lives. Interaction design, which considers context when shaping user experiences, is critical for creating these tools. Remote interactions are dynamic, occurring across varying contexts and influenced by physical movement, so interaction designers need to account for these changes to design quality user experiences. The main challenge is to understand how to design for dynamic contexts while also considering for the socio-technical layers that influence individual user experiences. Traditional usercentric design methods lack methods for including broader social, cultural, and business contexts, resulting in a narrow focus on user needs that overlooks larger-scale implications. One way to ensure that context is proactively considered in the design process is to consider the human factors that hinder designers from grasping the big picture that affects individual experiences. The research presented here investigates how interaction design can become more contextually responsive, especially in dynamic environments. This study seeks to unpack the concept of contextually responsive interaction design and investigate ways to make it more meaningful in practice. The goal is to combine insights from various disciplines to address design ideation challenges in dynamic contexts, improve designers' contextual awareness, and challenge the standardization of user experiences. The study takes a research through-design approach, combining qualitative and exploratory methods. The research is divided into two studies. The first study investigates design considerations for remote interaction tools, while the second focuses on a method for gaining a better understanding of the overall design context. Both studies use design cases and co-design workshops to help inform the research process. The results provide theoretical and practical contributions to the field. The theoretical findings shed light on the design considerations for remote interaction, as well as the significance of considering nuanced contextual factors. The practical contributions include a design prototype for remote interaction and a novel design method for diversifying artifact associations during design ideation. This dissertation presents valuable findings for interaction designers, digital product designers, and design researchers by providing tools and methods for improving design ideation in dynamic contexts. The findings can support designers to anticipate the complexities of dynamic contexts, allowing them to create more responsive and effective interactive tools. The practical applications of this research support design teams in overcoming the challenges of developing contextually responsive technologies in a variety of contexts.
  • Wicked problems and the welfare state: Segregation in Finnish urban planning policy
    (2024) Rosengren, Katriina
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (article-based) | Defence date: 2025-01-10
    Segregation is a relatively new research topic in Finland. Levels of residential segregation are growing, presenting a problem for the welfare state ethos. This thesis investigates how urbanplanning policy deals with the 'problem' of segregation in Finland. The four articles study the interrelationship between the social, the physical, and the perceived city and each dimension's role in the segregation cycle. The first three articles concentrate on the Helsinki metropolitan area, analyzing the social dimension of institutionalized urban policies such as transit-oriented development and social mixing. The last article examines how segregation is recognized in the twenty largest Finnish cities. Perceptions are of interest to urban planning, as they are linked to selective moving patterns, which are one driver of the segregation process. The first article finds interlinkages between neighborhood satisfaction, socioeconomic status, and the share of social housing in neighborhoods. The second article finds differences in neighborhood satisfaction by tenure status, with municipal tenants reporting lower neighborhood satisfaction, quality of life, and perceived safety than homeowners. The second article concludes that while social mixing seems to have bridged the gap in spatial justice among different tenure groups, it has not managed to equalize neighborhood perceptions in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The third article concludes that while the segregation trajectory in the Helsinki metropolitan area is perceived as alarming and needing intervention, governance capacity is lacking: segregation is poorly articulated and yet to be institutionalized. The fourth article concludes that acknowledging segregation depends on city size and urban policy framework. Where segregation is named as a goal, it is often not translated into explicit actions in local policies. Segregation is mostly targeted with housing and land use policies, cornerstones of the local autonomy. This model works poorly in a situation where segregation is a regional issue. Governance capacity is also lacking on the state level, where housing policies affecting segregation are volatile. Insufficient governance capacity carries a risk: spatial inequalities may eventually become structural and cemented.
  • Turning the Tables: Emerging practices of Pedagogic Architect
    (2024) Kauppila, Toni
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (monograph) | Defence date: 2024-12-13
    The fields of architecture and design, and their respective higher educations, are undergoing paradigm shifts, where both their processes and outcomes are under dispute, due to ever-complicating operating environments. Transformative design processes within these fields include social negotiations with diverse actors, cultures and agendas. In this thesis I query whether complementary practices for the professions could be more apropos to address the related socio-spatial concerns, partially shifting the emphasis towards the need for a new kind of polymath whose expertise is the disposition to learn from those manifold professional encounters. I bring forward the design discipline of interiors, and its education, as providing a peculiar entry point to comprehend the spatial qualities, the interiorities, of those social spaces. My research is motivated by the following questions: How can the pedagogical practices within interiors, as encounters in spaces of learning, inform the interiority of the spatial practices themselves? Could these provide new agency to address contemporary and future challenges within the expanded fields of the profession? I approach the processes of learning from a design educator’s perspective. In this thesis I consider practice as research, where my pedagogic activities are seen as part of my artistic practice. My research material are the live pedagogical situations (spaces of learning) within MA studies of interiors over the past 10 years, which I use to examine and disseminate the diversity of spatio-pedagogical conditions. Through my diary-like writings (novellas), I have processed and reflected in action the qualities of those situations. With my drawings, as architectural notations, I further distil and analyse the emerging findings, and present for scrutiny a live design installation, ‘a table’. I contextualise and bring my practices into reciprocal discourse with the relevant historical and theoretical constructs of the key concepts on spatial interiority and dialogical learning. I propose in my findings a complementary professional agency, a pedagogic architect, who has the will to appreciate the inherent ambiguity within the practice, as to empower oneself to adapt and alter the unpredictable socio-spatial conditions. With this thesis I wish to contribute into discourses of spatial practices with auxiliary perspectives to teaching and learning, providing awareness of responsibilities and power structures and opening potentially expanding fields. The proposition is to offer students to envisage designers’ alternative professional futures, complement broader pedagogical debate and challenge the conventions of professional practices.
  • Tasapainoa tavoittamassa - Lavastajan ammatillinen asiantuntijuus fiktioelokuvatuotannon ennakkosuunnittelun valtakäytännöissä
    (2024) Rantama, Marjaana
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (monograph)
    The study examines the professional expertise of the set designer in the production culture of fiction film by applying the autoethnographic method. The filmmaker should create a world in which the events of the story are convincing. The scenic elements, landscapes and spaces tell the story of the world's culture, values, ideals, emotions, past and possible futures for its actors. To do this, the set designer has to find out for herself what the story is about at its deepest level. What is the meaning of the story? In this study, the researcher-designer explores the power practices of production from the standpoint of first-hand experience of repetition and silencing. The research aims to reveal and understand the hidden beliefs, expectations and assumptions of both the set designer and the power holders who define the set designer. Five recurring 'narratives of truth' are presented as research findings. They are found to permeate film culture and influence the choices of the filmmakers. However, the truth narratives are found to be paradoxical in relation to actual making and acting. The analysis contextualises public narratives and embodied authorial knowledge in relation to the wider phenomena of power from the individual to the group, culture, society and the material environment. Power practices will be examined from the perspective of the expectations of both the designer-researcher and the needs of those defining the staging process. The research material consists of a working diary of the designer-researcher's set design and interviews with the director, producer and other set designers conducted for the purpose of the research. Publications from selected film funding and training bodies have been used as ancillary material. Interpretation is based on three key paradigms of systems theory and Niklas Luhmann's theory of ecological communication. The study finds that power practices in film emerge from social phenomena of power and are symmetrical with their paradigmatic models. In the light of this study, it seems that the practices of film making reproduce paradigmatic models of power in the narrative of the movies.The research aims to raise awareness of the hidden paradigms that influence the culture of filmmaking. Drawing on systems thinking, the research argues that through awareness, new choices and more flexible, multi-polar paradigms open up.
  • Dressing poetics: The Costume-Image in Soviet Poetic Cinema
    (2024) Ovtchinnikova, Alexandra
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (monograph) | Defence date: 2024-12-11
    In this thesis I focus on the films of Soviet poetic cinema to explore the encounter of costume with the medium of film. The term ‘Soviet poetic cinema’ refers to the work of a small group of Soviet filmmakers who operated in the regional studios of the Soviet Union in the period between the early 1960s and late 1980s. Their work is characterised by bold experimentation, ethno-national motifs and, an element that has frequently been underplayed, a prominent use of costume. The thesis’ primary focus is on how costumes shape the vivid visual worlds of these highly imaginative films. My discussion centres on three films in particular, which exemplify in various ways how costumes define the formal and figurative aspects of the mise-en-scène in these films: Sergei Parajanov’s The Colour of Pomegranates (1969), with costumes designed by Elena Akhvlediani, Iosif Karalyan, Jasmine Sarabyan, and Parajanov himself; Tengiz Abuladze’s The Plea (1967), with costumes designed by Tengiz Mirzashvili; and Yuri Illienko’s The Eve of Ivan Kupalo (1968), with costumes designed by Lidiya Baykova. I frame the analyses of these three films within a wider inquiry into costume design in Soviet poetic cinema, a singular cinematic phenomenon emerging during broader shifts in the Soviet film industry as part of the second wave of modernism that emerged worldwide in the 1960s and 1980s. By turning its attention to costume as a pronounced aspect of Soviet poetic cinema, this thesis sets itself two goals: first, to reveal and highlight the importance of costume in the fabrication of Soviet poetic cinema; and second, to position costume at the centre of the then-radical modernist redefinition of the film image. Specifically, I draw attention to how costume-focused perspectives can expand existing debates around these films on three key subjects: creative ownership and auteurism; a preoccupation with ethnic and historical themes; and a destabilisation of the classical narrative structures that characterized mainstream Soviet cinema at the time. Building on previous studies on Soviet poetic cinema and Soviet cinema, as well as scholarship on film costume, this thesis provides a conceptual and historical framework for an image-focused approach to costume that is central to Soviet poetic cinema. Key to my case studies and contextual analysis is the concept of costume-image – a concept I use to refer to the costume-as-image that spectators encounter when they experience a film. Rather than a physical costume, then, the focus is on the coming together of the sartorial and the cinematic within the film frame. Here, the costume-image is presented as a methodological tool for style analysis, and a theoretical lens that positions this research within current discourse on mise-en-scène and film style. With its emphasis on contextual analysis and a close reading of the three films, this thesis contributes to current debates on Soviet poetic cinema and costume design for film. It does so in three principal ways: first, it positions a costume-focused approach as a valuable lens for the study of Soviet poetic cinema. While there is a considerable body of literature on Soviet poetic cinema, relatively little has been written about costume as its key component. Yet costumes play an instrumental role in shaping the look and the aesthetic identity of these films. Second, it foregrounds Soviet poetic cinema as a film phenomenon that exemplifies the affective power of costume as a cinematic form. In this way, this research expands on existing scholarship on film costume by engaging with the production of the Soviet ethno-national periphery as part of a broader shift that shaped European cinema during the second wave of modernism. And third, it puts forward a novel methodological approach for the analysis of costume in film, by proposing the concept of costume-image. While there have been earlier scholarly analyses that approach ‘costume- as- image’, in this thesis I present a concrete methodological model that can be used for the investigation of costume within the medium of film. Soviet poetic cinema, perhaps more than other cinemas, offers itself for such analysis. Yet, rather than being limited by this historical, cultural, or artistic context, this thesis proposes that the concept of costume-image can be used for engaging with other forms of cinema as well.
  • Understanding Game Work Migration: Game Expats in Finland
    (2024) Park, Solip
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (article-based)
    This dissertation explores the experiences and creative work practices of migrant game developers ("game expats") in Finland, focusing on the factors that motivate them to move to or leave the country, as well as the cultural adaptations they encounter in their work practices. Additionally, the study includes methodological and pedagogical explorations aimed at enhancing multinational game development work. There has been a significant growth in the number of game expats in recent years. In Finland, game expats now occupy nearly one-third of the nation's entire game industry workforce. However, academic inquiries into game expats' work, life, and migration experiences have been overlooked. As of writing, this dissertation is the first scholarly attempt to study the microscopic landscape of game work migration, by asking: (i) What are the factors that affect game expats' migration and settlement intention?, (ii) How do those factors affect the game expats' practices of game development?, (iii) How could one improve the multicultural practices of game development? My research methodology focused on capturing the experiences of game expats, using qualitative longitudinal research combined with arts-based research methods while engaging with the participants for four years. Semi-structured interviews collected from the participants were analysed using thematic analysis and grounded theory, supplemented by inductive visual abstractions and research popularisation through comic art making (a web-comic series titled "Game Expats Story"). My research offers three key contributions. First, it highlights the multifaceted nature of game development and its influence on game work migration, including globally shared technical skills that motivate game expats to relocate, locally distinctive practices that encourage settlement, and the role of the occupational community in bridging global and local boundaries. Second, it exposes the worrying talent import tactic of "cultural fit" normalised in the Finnish game industry, and the precarious nature of the game industry that pressures game expats to achieve immediate productivity at work promptly upon relocation. By profiling expats based on "cultural fit", the industry forces rapid assimilation, hindering game expats' natural integration and requiring them to abandon their established development practices to quickly demonstrate adaptability in Finland. Third, to address these challenges, the dissertation introduces a pedagogical exploration designed to enhance the cultural competencies of future game developers and calls for industry-wide collaboration to rethink talent import strategies. Further interdisciplinary research is essential to deepen the scientific understanding of game development practices globally, fostering a game industry that is culturally diverse, inclusive, and equitable.
  • Building (with) Pictures: The Confusing Fluency of Architectural Photorealism
    (2024) Hyvönen, Hanna
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (monograph) | Defence date: 2024-11-29
    This study explores the practice of photorealistic architectural visualization with regard to its technical underpinnings and cultural implications. In recent decades, pictures that mimic photographic documents have become a standard way to present architecture projects to the lay public. In critical and academic contexts, by contrast, photorealistic visualisation is customarily bypassed as a form of superficial illustration that has no significant bearing on truly architectural ideation. Through my study, I argue that photorealistic architectural visualisation should not be embraced as fluent communication nor dismissed as trivial pictorial representation. It is shown that both attitudes rely on questionable assumptions about pictorial realism as the straightforward imitation of visual reality. I develop my interpretation of photorealism by analysing the graphical user interfaces of common architectural software. On current 3D platforms, architecture is habitually inspected through operations that simulate photography: it is through an imaginary camera that architecture is made visible for the software user so that it can be assessed and worked on. I argue that the aim of photographic veracity is thus built into the digitalised toolkit of present-day architecture. Hence, instead of being a stylistic feature of pictures, architectural photorealism is better understood as a pivotal way of working on architecture – a common sense of digitalised architecture. Drawing on philosophical and art historical critiques of pictorial realism, I argue that the apparent naturalness of photorealistic operations cannot be accounted for in terms of visual imitation. Instead, the practical fluency of architectural photorealism builds on simulations of entrenched pictorial and architectural conventions. It is argued that as an artificial conglomeration of realist techniques photorealism ingrains largely held assumptions about the relationship of visual perception, pictures, and architectural space. Therefore, photorealistic architectural visualisation can be studied as a reserve of both pictorial and architectural ideals that implicitly guide the current production of built environment. It is under the cover of its seemingly trivial verisimilitude that photorealism can assume such an instrumental, and, frequently, misleading, role in architectural culture. Through my exploration, I challenge architects to develop new techniques of visualisation that would depart from the conventional commitments of photorealism. At the same time, however, my study underlines the vastness of the challenge: pictorial realism is more deeply rooted in architectural culture than the recent critics of photorealism have been ready to admit.
  • Thinking with people and pots: A practice-led design study of sociomaterially distributed thought processes
    (2024) Vega, Luis
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (article-based) | Defence date: 2024-11-15
    One of the main interests of practice-led design research is to advance scholarly thinking through creative acts of making. While this form of research offers a unique epistemic sensibility facilitated by direct engagement with materials, knowledge production in the field tends to concentrate on the creative practices of individual designer-researchers. Collaborative and distributed design situations bring the potential to expand this epistemic sensibility beyond the individual, particularly by reconfiguring the social and material boundaries of one’s creative practice. The present thesis addresses this potential in an introductory summary and four peer-reviewed publications. Informed by theories of distributed cognition and sociomateriality, the summary and the publications comprise a practice-led design study illustrating how to account for the epistemic role of thinking with materials beyond the scale of individual acts of making. Publication 1 introduces the term distributed thinking through making to outline the thesis topic and the framework to investigate it. Premised on decentering the figure of the designer-researcher, the framework recalibrates the onto-epistemological dimension of ‘practice’ in practice-led design research. This refers to maintaining the site of knowledge production within one’s creative practice while expanding the nature of such practice beyond individual modes of practicing. Publication 2 presents a method to analyze shared acts of making as sociomaterial entanglements, drawing insights from a pottery-based design practice I followed as a non-participant observer. Publications 3 and 4 incorporate the framework and the method through practice-led research examples in which I engaged in the collective prototyping of two additional pottery-based design practices. The prototypes consisted of designing a co-located workshop and a remote collaboration project, each affording a distinct empirical setting to elicit processes of distributed thinking via more-than-individual acts of making. In both examples, the object of thinking was the prototype, whereas the things we made to enact that thinking were not just pots but shared modes of practicing. My original contribution to knowledge is thus a methodological approach to conducting practice-led design research. In addition to presenting a new method of data analysis, the contribution extends established data generation methods from subjective elicitation and reflection to intersubjective sensemaking and diffraction, and it proposes a theory-methods integration to navigate the entanglement of research and practice intersubjectively. In this vein, the findings delineate the entangled becoming of thinking and making, individuality and collectivity, and sociality and materiality in collaborative and distributed design situations, elucidating how to draw meaningful boundaries when studying such forms of entanglement from within. The thesis targets design scholars, designer-researchers, and doctoral students interested in tinkering with the philosophical foundations of design research led by practice. Yet, it holds relevance for a wider community of researchers grappling with the challenge of being constitutive and co-productive of their objects of inquiry.
  • Accelerating the energy transition toward zero-emission district heating systems through policy codesign
    (2024) Auvinen, Karoliina
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (article-based)
    Achieving zero-emission energy systems is necessary for mitigating climate change. This requires replacing fossil fuels with energy-saving measures, low lifecycle-emission primary energy sources, energy storage, and smart control systems. A significant portion of fossil fuels is consumed in district heating systems in cold climate regions worldwide. The main research question in this thesis is: "How can the energy transition toward zero-emission district heating systems be accelerated with policy codesign?" My research intersects with literature on socio-technical transitions, energy system decarbonization, transition management, and codesign. My research was conducted in collaboration with four research groups in Finland. The research methods included a triangulation of qualitative and quantitative approaches, such as interviews, energy system modelling, and prototyping. In the context of transition management, we designed and developed a mid-range pathway creation toolset and a transition arena process, which we then experimented with high-level influencers. Furthermore, by engaging with investors and other key stakeholders, we investigated socio-technical barriers and formulated policy proposals aimed at decarbonizing district heating systems. Finally, we proposed a transition pathway model for Helsinki, incorporating heat auctions to promote third-party access to the local district heating network. Our research in Finland confirmed the presence of numerous barriers to energy system decarbonization. Our research experiments indicated that mid-range transition arena processes, along with other policy codesign events, have the potential to produce effective policy suggestions for accelerating zero-emission energy transitions. Achieving energy system transformation requires wide-range policy interventions. However, implementing these in formal policy decision-making processes is contested and challenging. Transitions produce uneven costs and benefits across society. Transforming energy systems requires destabilizing the existing regime, and incumbent actors often resist this change due to path dependency. In conclusion, I propose a transition management model to accelerate the zero-emission energy transition, aiming to achieve emission reductions within district heating systems that are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement's timeline. Transition management and codesign approaches need to evolve toward institutionalization in order to create societal impact, and they must develop further in order to handle the related tensions and conflicts. However, given the current paradigm and system complexities, achieving a rapid energy transition appears improbable.
  • Experiencing urbanity in the making - Embracing uncertainty in design for social diversity and rich public realm
    (2024) Kholina, Anna
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (article-based)
    This thesis looks at urbanity, a quality reflecting cities' ability to attract diverse people and translate a concentration of differences into active public life, creating possibilities for social interaction and contributing to the richness of urban experiences. Social encounters in public spaces have been proven to benefit human wellbeing, promote longevity, improve safety and create positive economic effects. While often linked exclusively to city centres, urbanity is crucial for peripheries of cities which frequently lack qualities that attract a diverse pool of people and businesses, resulting in sterile or homogenised environments. In the context of polycentric development, one of the strategic goals of Finland's capital region, urbanity could support the development of multiple active centres in a decentralised suburban periphery, enhancing economic vitality and living conditions in the region. Despite its significance and many benefits, the concept of urbanity is understudied and is often reduced to vague terms like vibrancy or equated with dense and compact form. This dissertation challenges the idea that public life is a consequence of good design or policies alone and suggests shifting the focus from the properties of the environment to the process of its production to recognise and cultivate the unique potential of the urban periphery to create urbanity in alternative forms. The research uses a case study of Otaniemi, a suburban area in the capital region of Finland which is evolving into a research and innovation hub, to investigate the emergent forms of urbanity. The case study, conducted over four years, employs ethnographic methods and a framework based on Henri Lefebvre's production of space. The results of the study surfaced several conflicts and tensions which threatened to flatten emerging differences, such as the contradiction between supporting student guilds with private rooms and the need for inclusive spaces for social encounters, the densification of the centre and the emergence of backstage urbanity on the periphery, or the renovation projects for commercial use which produce sterile environments and lose their role as places for ad-hoc activities and interactions. The implications of the study are two-fold. First, it clarifies the definition of urbanity as a place where differences evolve and engage in productive exchange, which can be instrumental in guiding suburban growth and supporting regional economic development. Second, this research has brought together an analytical framework based on Lefebvre's production of space and several ethnographic methods, which could be added to the toolbox of planners, architects or participatory designers who want to engage with the messy process of tracing urbanity in the making and embrace the uncertainty of designing for public life.
  • Beyond the Craft — Three Perspectives on the Creative Process in the Innovation of Television Formats
    (2024) Morney, Elisabeth
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (article-based)
    The invention of new television formats is vital in the ever-changing world of media to maintain and gain the interest of the audience. The innovation of television formats leads to an overarching question: What does the creative process encompass when innovating new television formats? And that question leads to three sub-research questions: 1) Which elements belong to the creative process when innovating new television formats? 2) What is quality across genres in television? and 3) What are the prerequisites for creativity in group collaboration in the context of television format development? To answer these questions, this research consists of three published peer-reviewed articles. The first article, a case study of the Fenno-Swedish television format, Strömsö, identified 14 elements in the creative process:1) ideas, 2) brainstorm, 3) research, 4) benchmark, 5) toss ideas, 6) temporary input, 7) formulate, 8) concretize, 9) pilots, 10) rest, 11) analyze, 12) make mistakes, 13) chaos, and 14) inspiration from an unexpected source. The second article reflects on the result of such a creative process and assesses quality across genres in television through interviews conducted with television professionals in the U.S.A. and Finland, as well as board leaders of the Emmy and Peabody Awards. The third article is a case study of the genesis of the Norwegian television format Slow-TV, examining circumstances influencing creativity in team collaboration, with a special focus on the genesis of the format. This practice-led research clarifies the inherent mechanisms in creating new and original audiovisual programs and offers an emerging theory on the innovation of television formats. The practice-led approach leaves the viewer experience to a minimum, while instead focusing on gaining new knowledge for the field of television and contributing to the implementation of creativity theories in the audiovisual media field. The research also contributes with case studies to the field of creativity research. To gain a deeper understanding of the process and the outcome of creating television formats, creativity studies were employed, including those related to the creative process, the creative product, and press, which is the environment influencing the creative thinking and behavior. The research is a triangulation of different qualitative methodologies; hermeneutics, phenomenography, case studies, constructive grounded theory, and practice-led research. This doctoral thesis is intended to aid practitioners in the audiovisual field and is practice-led in the sense that I am the researcher and also a practitioner interpreting the data through this professional lens.
  • Helsingin yliopiston päärakennuksen laajennuskilpailu 1931, edeltävät vaiheet ja toteutus – Kysymys yliopiston asemasta ja tyylistä
    (2024) Merenmies, Eija
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (monograph)
    The thesis deals with the 1931 architectural competition for the extension of the University of Helsinki’s Main Building, the period preceding the architectural competition, the implementation of J. S. Sirén’s winning proposal in 1935–1937, as well as the repairs to the building in 1938–1940 and 1944– 1948. The main question posed in the thesis is how the Main Building, designed by C. L. Engel and completed in 1832, influenced the 1931 architectural competition and the implementation of the extension in 1935–1937. Other important questions concern the stakeholders that influenced the evaluation of the competition proposals, and the role the Finnish Association of Architects, the university’s administration and the public debate played in it. What political or cultural values did the competition’s winning proposal and its implementation encompass? What factors influenced the post-competition changes in Sirén’s implemented design? The above questions are linked to various phenomena related to the architectural style of Sirén’s extension, in particular the stylistic features of the building and their relationship to Engel’s architecture. When distinguishing stylistic features alongside the classicism and functionalism of the 1920s, the focus falls on pastiche features and quotations. The pastiche features of the extension were regarded as taboo by the supporters of functionalism, who felt that the formalistic historicist solution weakened the value of the authenticity of the original building. In their opinion, the external character of the extension should have been clearly distinguished from the original part. Because of these features, the Sirén extension was ignored in later assessments made during the following decades. The 1931 architectural competition was exceptional in Finland, because the university’s main building that was to be extended is part of the nationally valuable site comprised of the Senate Square. That fact, and the organisation of the competition during a period of transition in Finnish architecture were the reasons for the fierce debate that arose after the competition between the supporters of the classicistic closed-block proposals and the functionalist open-block proposals. Among the competition proposals were also some mixed forms combining styles and block structures. The functionalist proposals included strip windows, shell structures and tall glazed atrium spaces made possible by new types of concrete structures. A special feature of the competition was that even though the functionalist proposals differed in appearance from the old buildings surrounding them, their authors defended the preservation of the Empire-style cityscape. The decision to implement J. S. Sirén’s classicist competition proposal was made in 1934. Sirén’s extension as built forms a closed block with the old main building. In the extension, a zone of motifs quoted from the Engel building continues in the facades, thus connecting the new part to the whole. The architecture and refined furnishings of the interior of the extension are characterized by an abundance of features of 1920s classicism. Like Engel, Sirén employed columns and pillars in the most prestigious spaces. Sirén’s extension also includes several spatial typologies adopted from Engel’s building. Since the competition proposals and Sirén’s design for the extension are compared in the thesis to Engel’s design for the main building, Engel’s University building provides the context. The thesis also examines the renovations of the Engel section designed by Sirén, first in 1938–1940 and then in 1944–48 when bomb damage in the Engel section during the Continuation War (1941-44) was repaired and the large festival hall was extended. This renovation work marked the completion of one of the last public buildings in Finland that was visibly classical in style. The central research material in the thesis has been drawings, photographs, and other archive material as well as periodicals. The competition proposals and implementation are analysed with the help of, among other things, drawings and diagrams prepared specifically for the thesis. The thesis is a case study analysing the architectural, stylistic and functional properties of the building. The designs for the extension to the university’s main building are also analysed in relation to other architecture of the period.
  • Advancing Sustainability Transformations - Co-design for Sustainable Development Policies
    (2024) Lähteenoja, Satu
    School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral thesis (article-based)
    We are living in an era of multiple environmental and social crises. Sustainability transformations are needed since no country has reached sustainability as yet and none are on the way to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Multiple challenges with SDG implementation have been identified, such as the integration and coordination of cross-sectoral topics, policy coherence, institutional capacities and local contextualisation. There is a call for new mechanisms with which to guide nations towards sustainability. Co-design for transitions, or transition co-design, is an emerging area, bringing together the scholarships of collaborative design and transition management. More empirical studies are needed on what transition co-design actually means and what it can offer for sustainability transformations, especially in the governance and policy contexts. This dissertation contributes to this research gap by empirically studying sustainable development policies and the possibilities for co-design to advance them. The research consists of four case studies approaching the topic from different angles, ranging from national to local SDG implementation, as well as from broad, systemic sustainable development topics to the narrower target of increasing renewable energy production in housing companies. The research is based on qualitative methods, including document analysis, interviews and co-design workshops. It consists of five interrelated articles. The findings of the research highlight the role of small wins in sustainability transformations. While sustainable development policy that is only based on small wins can be too incremental and slow to meet the sustainability challenges of our time, the small wins seem to pave the way for more transformative policy changes. However, to achieve sustainability transformations, small wins need to contribute to a shared ambition at a higher level. The research introduces a policy edition of the transition arena, wherein some of the earlier assumptions have been readjusted to cope with policy realities, thus enabling the tools' closer integration into official policy processes. The policy edition was developed and tested during the creation of the national sustainable development strategy, led by the Prime Minister's Office, Finland. According to the results, this method can provide a safe space for facilitated discussion on difficult topics with conflicts of interests. After co-designing positive future visions and mid-range transition pathways, the participants of transition arenas experienced increased understanding of complex systemic changes and better understood the agency of different actors in sustainability transformations. The final strategy raises difficult, transformative topics as being important for further work. While there is a need for more empirical studies on the topic, the research recommends utilising transition co-design methods in the agenda-setting phase of complex sustainability-related policy processes.