STUDIO KALLEINEN

MINNA TARKKA LECTURES 3 DECEMBER, 2024 @ HAM, Helsinki

M-Cult is pleased to launch the inaugural edition of the Minna Tarkka Lectures, a new annual initiative focused on discussing and debating the potential of art, media, and technology to participate in and shape current and future democratic societies. These yearly lectures and workshops will celebrate the legacy of M-Cult’s founder and long-time director, Minna Tarkka, honoring her groundbreaking work in Finland and internationally in the fields of media and art and their intersections with social, political, and technological developments over the past 30 years.

For the first edition, M-Cult has invited artists Tellervo Kalleinen & Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, artist Trevor Paglen and artists Julia Nisperos and Wax Roldan from Green Papaya Art Projects to deliver lectures at the HAM Helsinki Art Museum. In addition to these public events, the speakers lead workshops where they will share their working methods and research processes with local artists and other practitioners over cross-disciplinary fields of media and participatory art, activism, and critical research. These workshops are hosted by M-Cult and organised in collaboration with Aalto University and the Museum of Impossible Forms.

M-Cult is developing the Minna Tarkka Lectures as an experimental public forum and learning initiative to showcase critical activities in the arts—facilitating debates on the artistic, social, and technological urgencies of our time. This initiative creates a platform to underscore the roles of art and media as active contributors to civil society amid severe challenges to democratic life. Through this programme, we invite you to join us in reflecting what kinds of media art and participatory practices are meaningful now and in the future.

All events are free and conducted in English. You’ll find accessibility information below.
Please note that registration before November 27 is required for workshops.

If you can not make it in person, here is THE STREAMING LINK

Schedule

2:15 PM – 3:15 PM (EET)

Tellervo Kalleinen & Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen:
Confessions of a Participatory Artist

In this confessional lecture, Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen ask why participatory art remains relevant today. An artist who involves people in the creative process needs a unique palette of tools, as many small decisions influence the dynamics with the participants. In their lecture, Tellervo and Oliver will shed light on their chosen approaches, openly acknowledging what they have learned through their mistakes as well.

Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen work across many mediums from cinema to performance and interactive art forms. They share a deep interest in questions of participation, dialogue and storytelling.
3:20 PM – 4:20 PM (EET)

Julia Nisperos & Wax Roldan from Green Papaya Art Projects:
Artist Collective Practices in the Philippines

In their lecture “Artist Collective Practices in the Philippines,” Julia Nisperos and Wax Roldan explore the history of Green Papaya Art Projects from the perspective of engaged observers. They examine Green Papaya’s community-driven practices and its influence on the broader art scene in the Philippines. Nisperos and Roldan will share insights from their experiences within collectives, connecting past and present to reflect on how these observations shape their approaches to collective work.

Green Papaya Art Projects (GPAP) is an independent, artist-run space in Metro Manila, Philippines, founded in 2000. It has continued its activities despite the fire that destroyed its physical location, along with artworks and historical documentation of the initiative.
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM (EET)

Trevor Paglen:
You’ve Just Been F*cked by PSYOPS

“You’ve Just Been F*cked by PSYOPS” is a lecture-performance by Trevor Paglen. As AI-generated content, social media influence operations, micro-targeted advertising, and pervasive surveillance shape the visual culture around us, we find ourselves in an era of PSYOP capitalism — an age defined by manipulative influences designed to alter our perceptions, senses, and beliefs. This talk explores the history of covert military, intelligence, and technology programs that have laid the foundation for our increasingly surreal present.

Trevor Paglen is an artist whose work spans image-making, sculpture, investigative journalism, writing, engineering, and numerous other disciplines.

MAAILMAN ARVOKKAIN KELLO / THE MOST VALUABLE CLOCK IN THE WORLD, OULU, FINLAND, 2024-2026

Scroll down for English

Oulussa tehdään maailman arvokkain kello

Taiteilijat Tellervo Kalleinen ja Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen kutsuvat oululaiset tekemään kanssaan Maailman arvokkaimman kellon. Sen arvo perustuu paikallisten lahjoittamiin arvokkaisiin hetkiin, joita parimetrinen elektro-mekaaninen kello tulee näyttämään tunnin, minuutin ja sekunnin sykleissä.

Minuuttiviisariin pyydetään lahjoituksena paikallisten henkilökohtaisesti tärkeitä, arjessa toistuvia hetkiä. Mukaan etsitään laajaa näkökulmien kirjoa siitä, mitä oululaiset kokevat arjessaan arvokkaana. Sekuntiviisari koostuu asukkaiden itse videoimista ainutkertaisten hetkien välähdyksistä. Tuntiviisarissa näkökulma vaihtuu ihmisestä muihin lajeihin, sisältäen luonnossa ilmeneviä hetkiä, jotka ilmastonmuutoksen vuoksi eivät tulevaisuudessa ole itsestäänselvyyksiä. Näitä hetkiä valitaan yksi jokaiselle kuukaudelle. Kaikkiin viisareihin valitut hetket dokumentoidaan vuoden 2025 aikana.

Tervetuloa osallistumaan myös Illallinen kahdelletoista -keskusteluihin, jotka taiteilijat järjestävät yhdessä Arctic Food Lab -verkoston kanssa. Kellon fyysisestä rakentamisesta kiinnostuneet voivat puolestaan ilmoittautua taiteilijoiden vetämään kellonrakennustiimiin. Kellon toteutukseen voi ilmoittautua verkkolomakkeen kautta.

Työ huipentuu kesäkuussa 2026, jolloin Maailman arvokkain kello paljastetaan yleisölle. Kello lähtee kiertämään yleisön nähtäväksi Haukiputaalle, Kiiminkiin, Oulunsaloon, Yli-Iihin ja Ylikiiminkiin, ja lopulta lahjoitetaan myöhemmin kerrottavalle paikalliselle taholle.

Taiteilijaparilla on 20 vuoden kokemus osallistavan nykytaiteen parissa. Heidät tunnetaan monimuotoisista teoksistaan, kuten Kiasmassa esillä olevasta Valituskuorosta ja vuoden 2023 Helsingin juhlaviikot avanneesta Katastrofielokuvien loppukohtauksia -elokuvateoksesta. Heidän taidettaan on ollut esillä ympäri maailmaa, kuten Tokion Mori Art Museumissa. Vuonna 2022 heiltä ilmestyi kirja Keskustelupuisto – Peli yhteisestä maaperästä, joka käsittelee osallistavaa taidetta. Heille on myönnetty Ars Fennica- ja AVEK Media Art Award -palkinnot.
Kello toteutetaan yhteistyössä vapaaehtoisten oululaisten, luontoasiantuntijoiden ja kolmen paikallisen STEAM-koulun kanssa.

Climate Clock
Maailman arvokkain kello on osa kansainvälistä Climate Clock –taidekokonaisuutta, jonka kuraattorina toimii Alice Sharp  ja tuottajana Claudia Woolgar yhteistyössä Oulu2026-tiimin kanssa. Climate Clock on yksi Oulun Euroopan kulttuuripääkaupunkivuoden 2026 merkittävimmistä tuotannoista, jossa Kalleisen ja Kochta-Kalleisen yhteisöllisen teoksen lisäksi kuusi kansainvälisesti tunnettua taiteilijaa luo pysyviä taideteoksia eri puolille Oulua. Pysyvät teokset muodostavat julkisen taiteen reitin, joka käsittelee ajan luonnetta ja ilmastonmuutoksen vaikutuksia. Pysyvien teosten sijainnit ja taiteilijat julkistetaan kevään 2025 aikana.

Alice Sharp, Climate Clockin kuraattori sekä taiteen ja tieteen neuvonantaja
Isobritannialainen Alice Sharp Invisible Dust -organisaatiosta on työskennellyt taiteilijoiden ja tutkijoiden kanssa vuodesta 2009. Hän on kansainvälinen neuvonantaja sekä esiintyjä taiteen ja ilmastonmuutoksen alalla, mukaan lukien puheenvuorot Columbian yliopistossa New Yorkissa vuonna 2023, Davosissa vuonna 2020 ja YK:n kehitysohjelmassa vuonna 2019. @AliceWSharp @Invisible_Dust

ENGLISH

We’re making the world’s most valuable clock in Oulu, and we need you to make it happen!

Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen are inviting people in Oulu to co-create The Most Valuable
Clock in the World
. The clock combines 120 personal video moments from residents in the region with 12 precious moments in nature, advised by scientists.

The clock will be unveiled in 2026 and will tour the region, serving as a totally unique reflection on our precious day-to-day moments at different times of the day and during the yearly cycle.

The final “electromechanical-digital hybrid marvel” clock will be created during 2024-25 with local participants, volunteers, and some of the STEAM schools in Oulu. If you live in the region, please join us in this extraordinary project and leave your mark in time! Whether you want to share your moments, engage in thought-provoking dinner conversations, or even help build the clock itself, there’s a way for everyone to contribute.

The Most Valuable Clock in the World is part of Climate Clock, curated by Alice Sharp / Invisible Dust and produced by Claudia Woolgar together with the Oulu 2026 team – read more about the project here

 

HOW TO TAKE PART

There are different ways to participate. Please fill this online form and tell us how you would like to take part:

1. Donate a Minute of Your Day

Would you be willing to donate a minute of your life to the clock? The minute hand will showcase moments that locals in Oulu feel are valuable in their daily lives. Describe a significant moment for you that recurs daily or weekly. Based on your descriptions, we will select 60 one-minute moments to be filmed throughout 2025. What each person considers valuable is personal and subjective, so the clock will feature a wonderful wide variety of moments!

2. Donate a Second

The second hand will display brief glimpses of valuable special moments, filmed by Oulu residents, that elevate everyday life. Write here if you would like to participate with a one-second video – we will contact you!

3. An Hour in Oulu’s Nature

The hour hand will display 12 precious moments from the natural cycle of Oulu – a one hour-long moment for each month of the year. The chosen moments will highlight aspects of nature that may, in the future, no longer be taken for granted due to climate change. What moment would you suggest we should include?

4. Dinner for Twelve

If you would like to reflect on valuable moments together with others, you are welcome to join inspiring discussions led by Tellervo & Oliver over a delightful dinner. During the fall of 2024, we will host five Dinner for Twelve in which the servings highlight the northern ingredients and knowhow according to the Arctic Food Lab programme. Some of the moments documented for the clock will be selected based on these dinner conversations. The dinners are free, but each event is limited to the first 12 registrants. Choose the most convenient time and place for you from the options below.

5. Join the Clock Builders

We are looking for a small, enthusiastic volunteer team to participate in the design and construction of this large mechanical-electronic clock. We will contact anyone interested to join the clock building team with further information.

LISÄTIEDOT / MORE INFO

Taiteilijat / ARTISTS:

Tellervo Kalleinen ja Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen
Sähköposti: 
studiokalleinen@gmail.com

Instagram: @studiokalleinen

Oulu2026-tiimi / THE OULU 26 -TEAM:

Ulla Viskari-Perttu

Vastaava tuottaja / PRODUCER

040 624 8362

Mirja Syrjälä

Osallisuuskoordinaattori / PARTICIPATION COORDINATOR

0405029633

 

(NO) RULES -EXHIBITION / PERFORMANCES @ mp43-projektraum für das periphere, BERLIN, 7. – 25.July 2024

Artists Tellervo Kalleinen & Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, Anett Lau, Sao Sreymao, YKON
Welcome to the opening on Saturday, 6.Juli 2024, 3-6 pm
6.Juli 6 pm – 6:30 pm Tellervo Kalleinen, “Recycling You” (Performance)

As the name suggests, this is a recycling event. Together with Tellervo Kalleinen the audience exchanges their old opinions. An idea you no longer need can be interesting to someone else. Some of the opinions are needed by nobody.

 

Wednesday, 10.Juli 2024, 7-10 pmPerformance, YKON, “PLAY HOUSE” ( A reality game / party performance)

A space filled with people, drinks, food, music… and then what? The event looks like a party from the outside, but there are a lot of parallel games going on. YKON hosts Tellervo Kalleinen, Sauli Anetjärvi, Christina Kral and Milan Braun welcome the guests and give them individual game tasks.  This evening shows how simple, low-tech game mechanics can radically alter how people relate to each other. The ca. three hour event welcomes suspension, deconstruction and reconfiguration with social interactions.

 

Curator: Gisela Wrede
“Everything can and will be calculated. Play is no longer just unintentional activity, it is also a (distorting) mirror and paradigm. Mechanisms, patterns and rules emerge. An interaction between reality and game/image emerges. Game theory enables precise predictions to be made for the behavior of groups of people. In combination with mechanics and cybernetics, it expands the playing field. It can be anywhere.”
Stollberger Straße 73
12627 Berlin

ODE TO Y INVITES YOU TO THE TABLE @ Helsinki, Vantaa, Porvoo and Tampere

On its 35th anniversary, Y-Säätiö Foundation commissioned us to create a public artwork involving its residents. The work, which has been in progress since 2020, will be celebrated in June 2024! 

Y-Säätiö is the largest nationwide non-profit landlord in Finland and an international expert in fighting homelessness. Y-Säätiö promotes social justice by offering affordable rental apartments. 

Ode to Y consists of five mosaic-covered tables – there are two of each of them – as well as an interactive mobile application. The physical tables were donated to two Y-Homes (Taipaletalo and Rukkila housing community) and three M2-Homes. The tables contain a total of approximately 17,400 mosaic pieces. The figure corresponds to the number of Y-Säätiö rental apartments in 2020, when we started planning the work. 

Anyone can download the free mobile app that is part of the work. It allows you to dig deeper into the mosaic: during 2023 we set up a mobile studio in the properties included in the project, and invited residents to add content to the mosaic tiles. By clicking the digital mosaic tiles of the Art Table, you’ll find art made by the residents. To the Table Instrument we recorded sounds produced by the residents. The mosaic of the Game Table archives residents’ memories from playing games around a table. The Common Table gathers residents’ insights and learnings about coexistence in an apartment building. The Ode to Y table, on the other hand, contains the history of the Y Foundation as told by its employees. The organization’s journey from an idea born at the kitchen table to a globally significant homelessness activist greatly inspired us. 

When Juha Kaakinen first contacted us, he emphasized the values ​​of the foundation, especially community spirit. So many communal and meaningful moments are experienced right around the table! Our work invites people to the table, but also creates connections through the stories, pictures, memories and poems hidden in the digital mosaic.

You can see the physical tables in the yards of Taipaletalo (Porvoo), Rukkilan asumisyhteisö (Helsinki), Lyyrapyrstö 2 (Tampere) and Puunhaltijankuja (Vantaa). 

The project was funded by Y-Foundation. It was co-production of Y-Foundation and Firma Oy / Studio Kalleinen. The work was made possible due to AVEK’s Mediarata support for Firma Oy.

EXHIBITION IN HILBERTRAUM, BERLIN, 5-14 APRIL, 2024

WELCOME TO THE OPENING ON FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 6–10 PM

Helsinki-based artist duo Tellervo Kalleinen (FIN) and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen (DE) work in the field of participatory art crossing various mediums: performance, cinema, and socially engaged games. They became known as the founders of the International Complaints Choir project (2005-2014). 

In the exhibition, they show three works of participatory art. Collective Mindscape (2024) is a digital 3D world constructed of the inner mindscapes of eight people who have experienced cancer. The viewer can move freely in the open world, through simple hand movements. Collective Mindscape is a commissioned work for the Cancer Day Care Center in Helsinki. In Hilbertraum the work is shown for the first time outside the hospital.

For the Final Scenes for Disaster Movies (2023), the duo invited residents of Helsinki to imagine a final scene for an imaginary disaster movie. The scene had to take place at Kansalaistori, a square located in the heart of Helsinki. From 105 submissions, 3 scenes were realised, with over a hundred volunteers acting in the film scenes, most of whom portrayed adult zombies. 

People in White (2011) explores the relationship between doctor and patient in mental health care – strictly from a patient’s point of view. In the film, 9 former clients of mental health institutions return to their memories through storytelling and re-enactments.

PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION CONVERSATION PARK ON SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 4 PM
together with  Philip Horst (ZK/U) and Susanne Bosch

Conversation Park is a unique artistic experiment of transforming an abandoned plot of land into a public park in the Finnish town of Rauma. In 2019 thirty residents between the ages of 6 and 89 became players in a two-year-long “Public Space Game”. Their mission was to unify their 30 individual park visions into one urban park. The playful process, designed and moderated by Tellervo and Oliver, progressed through 6 phases. Conversation Park was made possible by the Lönnström Art Museum. In the event at Hilbertraum, Tellervo and Oliver will present the Conversation Park -project, and the book they wrote about it. The duo has invited renowned artists Susanne Bosch and Philip Horst to provide additional commentary and insights with respect to their expertise on participatory art and participatory urban planning.

COLLECTIVE MINDSCAPE @ COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER, HELSINKI

We are very happy to announce that Collective Mindscape is now open for viewers at Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

Eight participants described their two inner landscapes to the us: their personal sanctuary, and the more difficult terrain, which reflects life with cancer. The mindscapes were realized with 3D graphics and combined into one virtual world.

The artwork is displayed on a framed screen, which in passive mode looks like a large slow-moving landscape painting. You can dive deeper by sitting in front of it: simple instructions on how to move in the terrain appear. 

If you want to hear the thoughts and experiences of the participants, you should look for particles of light in the terrain: walking through a shiny cloud makes the participants talk about their cancer experiences and their relationship with their mental landscapes.

Common Mindscape has been realized using the open world game technology. The visualization of the work is made by 3D artists Vilma Ratinen and Katariina Kontturi.

Common Mindscape  is the result of five years of work. The piece is part of a collection of commissioned works for the hospital Encounters – art in Siltasairaala, curated by Taru Elfving. Common Mindscape  is the first media artwork in the collection involving patients.

We first designed the piece for cancer patients, but have later understood that we all belong to target group.

THE BALLOT – PIECE OF PAPER OR TOOL OF POWER @ NORDIC CULTURE POINT, HELSINKI, 6 MARCH – 5 APRIL, 2023

“THE BALLOT” is an exhibition about a small but highly significant artefact: the ballot paper. Taking place during the time of the Finnish parliamentary elections in 2023, the exhibition tracks the evolution of the ballot paper in Finland, the other Nordic countries, Germany, and Lithuania by presenting 60 historic artefacts from 1856 to 2021.

 

Why do the ballot papers look the way they do? Who actually designed them? How come the ballots are so different between countries with similar political systems? How do ballots reflect political trends and events over time? Is the current ballot design the best we can do or is there space for improvement?

 

The evolution of the Finnish ballot started with one of the most progressive electoral laws in 1906, featuring oversized, so-called bed sheet ballots. Starting in 1945 Finland switched to one of the smallest ballots in the world, nicknamed appropriately the miniature ballot, which is still in use today. Even though this ballot paper has passed through the hands of most Finns, it is hitherto unknown who actually designed this innovative ballot. The exhibition can provide a likely answer to this question.

 

The opening event takes place on March 15th at 17:00 at Nordic Culture Point in Kaisaniemi.

Come and check out exciting ballots from Finland, Germany, the Nordic countries and beyond.

 

The opening will also feature an entertaining panel that will deconstruct ballots live on stage. Three experts from different fields of knowledge, such as UX design, democratic governance and art will pass judgement on a number of ballot contestants. Further events are especially catering for young and first-time voters.

FINAL SCENES OF DISASTER MOVIES – OPEN CALL UNTIL 31 MARCH, 2023

 

ENG: Final Scenes of Disaster Movies -project looks forward your input! Please send us ideas of what could happen in the end of an imaginary disaster movie of your choice. The scenes have to take place at Helsinki’s Kansalaistori. We also look for volunteering actors for the film shootings, which happen in the end of May / beginning of June. The results will be seen from a huge led screen in Kansalaistori 17 August 2023, as the kick off event of Helsinki Festival. Read more and contact us here

FIN:Tellervo Kalleisen ja Oliver Kochta-Kalleisen osallistava elokuvaprojekti Katastrofielokuvien loppukohtauksia kerää elokuvallisia loppuratkaisuja todellisille tai keksityille katastrofeille. Niiden tulee sijoittua Helsingin Kansalaistorille. 28.2. avautuvassa haussa voi lähettää ideansa tai ilmoittautua näyttelijäksi: kohtaukset näytellään vapaaehtoisten kaupunkilaisten voimin touko-kesäkuun vaihteessa järjestetyissä kuvauksissa. Lue lisää ja ota yhteyttä Helsingin Juhlaviikkojen verkkosivujen kautta! 

BOOK LAUNCH @ PUBLICS, HELSINKI, 30 AUGUST, 2022

CONVERSATION PARK
BOOK PRESENTATION AND LAUNCH

TUE 30 AUGUST 2022
5–7PM

On 30 August 2022, Lönnström Art Museum and Studio Kalleinenwill present and launch the English version of Conversation Park; a book exploring an in depth overview of a unique artistic experiment in transforming an abandoned plot of land into a public park in Rauma, Finland. The book, which is for sale at the event, is written by artist duo Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, and co-edited by artists, curators and researchers Miina Hujala and Arttu Merimaa.

At the book launch in PUBLICS, Tellervo Kalleinen & Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen will introduce Conversation Park project followed by response from prominent Finnish researchers on participation – Kaija Kaitavuori and Robin Lybeck  – providing additional commentary and insights with respect to their expertise on participatory art and participatory urban planning.

In 2019 thirty residents between 6 to 89 years old became players in a two-year-long “Public Space Game”. The mission was to turn thirty individual ideas for a park into a collective urban reality in 6 game moves. The cooperative park was opened in 2020. Conversation Park is a Lönnström Project and made possible by the Lönnström Art Museum in Rauma.

In the book Kalleinen & Kochta-Kalleinen describe their original intentions when designing the game and share their insights gained whilst working on the Conversation Park for four years. The book touches on core questions with regards to engaging citizens in designing urban public spaces. It is an attempt to open-source the Conversation Park project so it can be analysed, modified, and replicated. It is an invitation to learn about the many factors which have to be considered when designing a participatory project – whether it takes place in art, urban planning or politics.

Helsinki-based Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen are an artist duo whose practice merges the languages and approaches of multiple disciplines, such as film, performance, game design, experimental education, facilitation, social architecture and alternative economies.

Robin Lybeck is a researcher at the sociology department of Åbo Akademi  University. He has studied typologies of engagement in urban planning. His PhD looks at how technology is applied in the context of participatory planning and urban development.

Kaija Kaitavuori is an educator and art historian. Her research focuses on audience participation in contemporary art. Her dissertation “Art of Engagement” discusses participatory processes in terms of democracy and the extent to which participation in art can be understood as ‘democratic’.