Entangled Fibres: An examination of human-material interaction
Doctoral defence in the field of Design, MA Bilge Aktas: 26.11.2020 12:00–16:00.
Soil Laboratory
The Soil Laboratory is a collaborative space situated in the Soil Matters exhibition form September 4, 2020 to January 10, 2021 at the Design Museum in Helsinki.
Reading Circles
In Empirica, theoretical discussions and experiential knowledge form the two pillars of research by intertwining reading and making. To build a shared understanding of design and craft research we have been reading and discussing together through reading circles. The Matter Reading Group is organized around the topics of materiality and material engagement.
Traces of Care: Exhibition by the students of the ‘Personal Exploration’ Course
Traces of Care is a virtual exhibition of 15 Master’s students of the Aalto ARTS Contemporary Design program under the course Personal Exploration. The presented works were made using different techniques from various viewpoints under the subject of care.
Nature of Process: Exhibition by the students of the ‘Personal Exploration’ Course
Nature of Process is a multi-material exhibition of 14 Master´s students of Aalto ARTS. Presented works are made using different techniques from various viewpoints under the subject of nature. The works present the ways in which we understand and interact with nature. Our interpretations are affected by our own experiences and cultural backgrounds.
Utilizing local reindeer bone waste from Lapland in ceramics
The number of reindeers in northern Finland reaches over 200,000 each year, which is even greater than the population of people in the region. While the meat, leather, fur and antlers of these animals are consumed, most of the reindeer bone remain as waste material and a by-product of the industry. Taking the concerns about sustainability into account, recycling of such waste material can create new possibilities and collaborations in the Lapland region.
First Expedition to Venice for the ‘Traces from the Anthropocene’ Project
After three months of preparations, we start our first trip to Venice to meet with the people that our web of contacts has found us. We also pack our gear; rubber boots and containers for sediment sampling. Ironically, we are on an expedition to a destination where more than thirty million tourists visit each year. All the same, we are constantly learning something new. It feels like being on the verge of discovery as the story formulates through our experiences.
Soil Laboratory
The Soil Laboratory is a collaborative space situated in the Soil Matters exhibition form September 4, 2020 to January 10, 2021 at the Design Museum in Helsinki.
Ceramics 3D printing skills developed through an international workshop
The international two-day workshop organised at Aalto ARTS on 4-5 February 2019 created a great space for learning and sharing information on the ceramics 3D printing technique. The workshop gathered together different stakeholders interested in the subject from inside Aalto, as well as from international universities and interest groups.
Shaping the Future Exhibition Opened in its Seventh and last Venue: The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
The seventh and last venue of the Ceramics and its Dimensions: Shaping the Future exhibition is at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague (Uměleckoprůmyslové museum v Praze / UPM). The exhibition is open in Prague between September 4th and November 11th 2018.
Shaping the Future Exhibition: Touring Around Europe for Two Years
For two years, the Ceramics and its Dimensions: Shaping the Future exhibition has toured around Europe, it has offered a great opportunity for visitors to vision the future of ceramics together with the works of the exhibition artists. The exhibition is currently on view in Prague, which is the last stop of the eventful journey of the exhibition. This is a great chance to look back and reflect on the experiences of the tour.
Matter Seminar
Recent endeavours have brought researchers and thinkers into questioning the propagated human-centredness in design in order to articulate new perspectives, knowledges and questions. Decentralizing the attention from the human actions, these approaches distribute the agency among other participating entities in order to better understand the field and its practices.
Interactive Clay Pit Workshop Organised at Aalto ARTS
On Tuesday February 13th 2018 the interactive Clay Pit workshop was organised for the first time at Aalto University. Empirica member Priska Falin has been developing the workshop together with community and engagement programme manager Dena Bagi from British Ceramics Biennial (BCB).
VI Art of Research Conference: Catalyses, Interventions, Transformations
The theme of this sixth Art of Research conference addresses the agency of the artist-researcher as a catalyst that challenges established ideas and produces new thinking through artistic and practice-led research.
V Art of Research Conference: Experience, Materiality, Articulation
The fifth Art of Research Conference was held at the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The Conference aimed at sharing an understanding about the ontological, epistemological and methodological issues of practice-led research, and to offer an academic framework for discussing the special themes of this year, experience, materiality and articulation.