Hosts

Hanna Manninen

Hanna Manninen is a gallerist and communications consultant. She owns and runs Galleria MABD. Her background is in technology PR, and she has worked with global technology and media giants, as well as innovative international and Finnish startups. Nowadays, she combines her technology background with PR and marketing skills to market and sell contemporary art.

Manninen Art, Branding & Design (MABD) and Galleria MABD are part of the official Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme. 

www.mabd.fi

Blair Stevenson

Blair Stevenson (Ph.D.) is an educator, researcher, and administrator with a broad range of experience in the fields of education, culture and technology. Currently, he is Principal Lecturer and Team Leader in the Research, Development and Innovation Unit at the Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Oamk). In this role, he has founded a series of globally unique programs bridging education, innovation and the creative industries, supported the City of Oulu’s successful bids to be European Capital of Culture in 2026 and UNESCO creative city, and is now supporting the expansion of the new Arts Innovation Research Program at Oamk. 

Thursday 21.11.

Speakers and Sessions

Dawn Prescott

Dawn Prescott is the Director of Lime, the arts and health team based at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. She is a printmaker and visual artist as well as the strategic lead for all art and music programmes at Manchester Foundation Trust, including the NHS Staff wellbeing project, Create+, art and design within the built environment projects and the Adult Participatory Art and Music programme. She has over twenty years experience of arts and health work and is an innovator in embedding the arts into healthcare settings.

About Lime Arts:
Lime is MFT’s multi award-winning Arts and Health organisation  with global recognition for excellence in the delivery of art + wellbeing projects in hospital and community healthcare settings. Each year Lime enables over 25,000 staff, patients and visitors direct access to the arts in all their vibrancy.  Founded in 1973, Lime boasts a portfolio of projects spanning 50 years and has gained international recognition for its commitment to diverse artistic commissioning and inclusive, process driven, modes of engagement. Lime, over 50 years old – is the oldest, continually producing, hospital based Arts and Health team in the UK and continues to deliver its visionary arts programme to innovate and embed arts into healthcare across Greater Manchester.

www.limeart.org 

Antti Ikonen 

Antti Ikonen started his career as a composer and sound designer already in the early 1980’s. His work covers music and sound design for a wide range of different kind of media, performances and works of art, including contemporary dance, theatre, short films, radio plays, art installations and new media. His current research and production work, the Soundscape of New Children's Hospital in Helsinki, was awarded with Grand Prix in ISA2019, Hamburg.

Ikonen has been a keyboard player in various bands, including Juhlavammat, Cartes Art Machine and Stratovarius. He has been a visiting teacher at the Sibelius Academy, Theatre Academy and a part-time teacher at Helsinki University Dept. of Musicology.

Since 2001 Ikonen has been working as a (2022-> Senior) University Lecturer of sound design and music, being in charge of Sound in New Media Master's studies in Media Lab Helsinki, Aalto University, where he is also a member of SOPI (Sound and Physical Interaction) research group.

Andy Browning

Andy Browning, Interim Director of Innovation EIT Culture & Creativity

After over 15 years working in the pharma and biotech industry, Andy moved into an innovation support role at Uppsala university in 2008. As well as working with entrepreneurs and start-up companies, Andy helped establish a number of large strategic partnerships. As a member of the team that established the consortium that is now EIT Health, Andy built the foundations of the business creation activities before switching to being Director of Innovation based at EIT Health’s headquarters in Munich. On returning to Uppsala, Andy became involved in the ICE consortium which won the bid to build EIT Culture & Creativity in 2022 and has served as the KIC’s interim director of innovation for over 12 months. In addition to his innovation support roles, Andy has teaching responsibilities on a number of workshops and courses on innovation ecosystem development.

Ville Pellinen

Ville Pellinen is the CEO of Lapinlahden Lähde Ltd. Lapinlahden Lähde is a Centre for Mental Well-being, Science, Arts, Culture and Micro Entrepreneurship in the oldest psychiatric hospital of Finland, Lapinlahti hospital in Helsinki. Mr. Pellinen is also Vice President of the Lapinlahti Foundation and Chairperson of the Lapinlahti Community Steering Group.

Taru Koivisto

Taru-Anneli Koivisto is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of the Arts Helsinki, Sibelius Academy, where she focuses on cross-cutting educational and social development in the fields of arts, music education, culture, sustainability, and well-being. Her expertise also includes music therapy, ethics, and entrepreneurship in creative and educational fields. She is currently working on the project “Performing the political: Public Pedagogy in Higher Music Education” (2023–2027, Research   Council of Finland).

Marie le Sourd

Marie Le Sourd is since 2012 the Secretary General of On the Move, the international cultural mobility information network. Prior to this position, Marie Le Sourd worked in Singapore for the Asia-Europe Foundation (Cultural Department) from 1999 till 2006 and directed the French Cultural Centre in Yogyakarta-Indonesia from 2006 till 2011.

On the Move regularly commissions researchers to investigate different themes closely related to the network’s activities and the work carried out by its members. Reflecting on transversal concerns and key areas of artistic and cultural mobility, the network tries to establish a clearer picture of the current movements and trends whileformulating policy recommendations. On the Move's latest report deals with the impacts of international cultural mobility of artists and culture professionals on their wellbeing and mental health. 

www.on-the-move.org

Alberto Sanna

Alberto Sanna, graduated in Nuclear Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Director of the Research Center for Advanced Technology in Health & Well-Being at the San Raffaele University Hospital in Milan, Italy. Sanna is deeply involved in European Research Framework Programs, and he has presented his research in 200+ top level international congresses and is constantly active in academic teaching in different disciplines. At present, he is contract professor in Health Informatics in Psychology at the San Raffaele University. He is co-founder and mentor of startups ( memooria.org, xtramarine.com ) patent inventor, author of edutainment videogames & formats, and avant-garde photographer investigating the role of visual arts in socio-technological ecosystems ( neffie.eu ). He is President of the Innovation Hub in the Italian Observatory for the Protection of the Sea to promote Well-Being and Sustainability in the Blue Economy.

neffie.eu

Workshops and Clinics

1. Helsinki XR Center: Urban Stories for Community Wellbeing: AI as a Partner in Creative Exploration (KUDOS project cooperation) (R)

In this workshop, participants will explore how AI-empowered storytelling can enhance community wellbeing, social identity, and belonging while also strengthening city branding. Drawing from the KUDOS project, a collaboration with Helsinki XR Center's Immersive Sustainability Lab, where Jyväskylä youth used AI to bring local stories to life, the workshop demonstrates how AI tools can act as creative partners to help businesses connect with their communities, foster a sustainable urban identity, and promote social cohesion. Participants are invited to collaboratively develop an urban story using generative AI tools, sparking creative ideas for a sustainable, connected future.

Facilitator: Janset Shawash

Janset Shawash

Janset Shawash is an Architect, Urban Planner, and Researcher, who blends innovative design with cutting-edge technology in her role as a PhD Candidate at Tampere University and researcher at the Gamification Group. Her focus lies in harnessing advanced tools such as extended reality to redefine our interaction with built environments. Shawash is a strong believer in the power of collaboration who has built her career around multidisciplinary interactions and international partnerships. As a forward-thinking professional, she is passionate about driving innovation in computational design, actively contributing to the architectural education landscape, and making a significant impact within the international academic community.

2. Come as you are - Music and movement as a resource for perceived well-being
(in cooperation with Tassu project) (R)

This workshop explores the potential of music and movement to support well-being, both individually and in community settings. Focusing on the theme of “coming and being as you are”, participants from all backgrounds are invited to engage with these practices at their own pace and rhythm, recognising that the relationship between creativity and well-being is complex and contextual in today’s rapidly changing and digitalising societies.

Through collaborative music-making, listening and embodied presence, we will reflect on how music and movement can support social sustainability, while acknowledging their limitations in diverse settings. In this space, participants will be encouraged to engage with their own experiences of creativity and well-being, and to critically consider how these intersect with broader cultural, social and personal factors that shape our daily lives.

Facilitator:  Taru Koivisto

3. Arts Promotion Centre Finland:

From Idea to Project Workshop: Cultural Wellbeing Project Concepts (R)

What challenge related to cultural wellbeing needs a solution right now? How can actors in the cultural sector, municipalities, and wellbeing regions collaborate to build sustainable projects that strengthen wellbeing?

In this joint workshop by the Arts Promotion Centre’s Creative Net (ESR+) and Art, Health and Wellbeing Advisory Services, you will develop and shape project ideas from the perspective of cultural wellbeing. The workshop will delve into current themes in cultural wellbeing and co-create concrete project concepts.

Register for the workshop here: https://link.webropol.com/ep/FromIdeatoProject

Facilitators: Heli Kauhanen, Venla Korja, Milla Minerva Mertanen

Heli Kauhanen

Heli Kauhanen (MA; jewelry designer; brain health expert) works as an Arts Advisor in the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. She has worked for 15 as an entrepreneur in the field of creative industries, and has been teaching jewelry design in different educational institutions. At the Arts Promotion Centre Finland Kauhanen works in the Art, Health and Wellbeing Advisory services. 

Venla Korja

Venla Korja (MA) works as an Arts Advisor in the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. Earlier she has been working as a theatre pedagogist, director, performer and a scriptwriter. Korja has focused in enhancing communal and participatory approach in her art. She has been a visiting lecturer ia. Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences.

Milla Minerva Mertanen

Milla Minerva Mertanen works as a planner officer in the Creative Net coordination project. Mertanen has a master's degree in social science, is a director of theater expression and a teacher who views life as an eternal learning opportunity. Mertanen is interested in skills development, art and culture. In the Creative Net coordination project Mertanen uses design thinking methods to design materials that support the applicants, as well as spars, trains and develops!

4. Funding for international collaboration - Nordic Culture Point & Creative Europe (R)

Nordic Culture Point funds Nordic co-operation and mobility in the field of arts and culture. Creative Europe is EU’s funding programme that offers organisations and professionals in the cultural and creative sectors opportunities for European cooperation. In this workshop organized by the Nordic Culture Point and Creative Europe Desk Finland you will get a short introduction into both funding programmes and develop your international project ideas together with other participants.

You don’t need to have an established project to discuss. Just tell us about your ideas, and we’ll help you create a framework to apply for a grant. The workshop provides a platform for sharing ideas and connecting with potential project partners.

Facilitators: Riikka Koivula, Hanna Hietaluoma-Hanin, Sidsel Eskesen

Hanna Hietaluoma-Hanin, Creative Europe Desk FinlandHanna Hietaluoma-Hanin has worked with EU funding programmes and initiatives for the past 20 years. Currently she works as the programme manager and head of desk at the Creative Europe Desk Finland. Creative Europe Desks offer free consultation to applicants, help cooperating with organisations in other countries and facilitate participation to EU's Creative Europe programme in all participating countries.

Riikka Koivula, Creative Europe Desk Finland
Riikka Koivula works as a senior programme advisor at the Creative Europe Desk Finland. Before joining CED Finland in 2010 she worked for several years in the cultural field, also in EU funded projects. Creative Europe Desks offer free advice to applicants, help cooperating with organisations in other countries and facilitate participation to EU’s Creative Europe programme in all programme countries.

Sidsel Emilie Eskesen, Nordic Culture Point 
Sidsel Emilie Eskesen is an advisor at Nordic Culture Point, where she manages funding programs that support cultural, social, and artistic projects across the Nordic region. With a focus on youth-led initiatives, Sidsel is dedicated to creative solutions to cultural, social, and political challenges through active engagement. She holds a Master of Arts in Modern Culture from the University of Copenhagen and has collaborated with various organizations in the Nordic region to promote artistic mobility and innovation

5. AWAKE project
Arts & Wellbeing: Livelihoods and entrepreneurial opportunities for artists and cultural workers. Introduction about AWAKE project. (R)

Video: Roundtable: Arts & Wellbeing: Livelihoods and entrepreneurial opportunities for artists and cultural workers.

The AWAKE roundtable explores practical experiences, skills needed for sustainability, and access points for arts and culture practitioners into the health sector. 

Roundtable speakers:

• Kornelia Kiss, Head of Research and Development at Culture Action Europe
• Angelica Postu, lead advocate of music therapy in Romania
• Tine Van Goethen, Head of Audience Engagement Department at Bozar, Brussels
• Isto Turpeinen, Senior Specialist at Art, Health and Wellbeing Advisory Service in Art Promotion Centre Finland
• Julie Läderach, a cellist and Co-director of Collectif Tutti
• Sylvain Méret, a dance performer, choreographer and Master Somatic Movement Educator/Therapist
• Moderator: Inga Surgunte, Culture Programme Director at the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO

After the roundtable, we will have an informal discussion where participants can express freely their insights about the contents of the video.

Facilitor: Jennifer Raminez/Lapinlahden Lähde

Jennifer Raminez

Jennifer Ramirez is a communication specialist for Lapinlahden Lähde Oy and Pro Lapinlahti Mielenterveysseura. Entrepreneur and Artist.    

Friday 22.11.

Speakers 

Harold Hejazi
Harold Hejazi is a Canadian artist and game designer based in Helsinki. With a background in art education, theatre, and game development, Harold explores new forms of public involvement in the arts. Since 2015, he has been creating games and participatory performances in collaboration with museum educational departments, pushing the boundaries of how visitors interact with exhibitions.

Diversity and inclusion are central to Harold’s work, which blends museum games, playable theatre, and experimental curatorial methods to engage audiences with social issues. His current performance practice uses video games to address themes of race, marginalisation, and multiculturalism in Finland. Whether designing for museums or theatres, Harold is always interested in how game forms can enhance the ways we learn, connect, and tell stories. http://haroldhejazi.com/

The Adventures of HarriHarri, Episode three

This video game performance chronicles the life and times of Harriharri living in virtual Helsinki. Harriharri is a newcomer who arrives with high hopes of being welcomed into the culture. Despite his sincere efforts, he faces continuous obstacles in pursuit of integrating into Finnish society.

The game is performed in a live gaming video format and narrated through rap and song. In this multiplayer experience, the audience’s decisions influence the narrative—making each performance unique. Join Harriharri on a hyperpop fantasy adventure as he battles bureaucracies and systemic forces of social exclusion!

This performance was originally produced by Stage for Contemporary Performance and supported by Arts Promotion Centre Finland.

Follow @harriharrigame to stay updated.

Content Warning: This performance explores issues of race and immigration and uses strong or coarse language that may be considered offensive to some viewers. The on-screen visuals include flashing lights and colours that may trigger seizures.

Credits:
Creator and Performer: Harold Hejazi
Game Developers: magu & Rolands Tīss
Composer and Sound Designer: Eliel Tammiharju
Video Technician: Jokke Heikkilä

Jaakko Kemppainen

Through their forty years of history, digital games have been despised, deplored and underrated as "just games". But as the gamers and players grow older and mature, also games mature. Nowadays games are a meaningful form of art, which can give us escapistic entertainment, but they can be used to handle environmental and societal issues, show us the lives of others and let us express our thoughts and emotions. Games can change us, they can do good.

Jaakko Kemppainen is a long term game designer, with more than 20 years and almost 30 games of experience on game development, research and education. He was the first regional artist of games in 2019-2023. He has written three books about game design and games. His latest book, "Games Do Good" (Aviador, 2024) handles the art form of games through its importance and potential uses in well-being.

Michael Bergmann

Michael F Bergmann is an artist and Associate Professor in Performance at The Creative School of Toronto Metropolitan University. Their research-creation work explores the integration of AI and robotics into performance and storytelling, fostering post-humanist and post-anthropocentric thinking through improvisational collaboration with synthetic intelligences. Designing and building systems to explore technology as a foundational element, their works pose open questions rather than providing definitive answers.

Michael holds an MFA in Design from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Critical Studies in Improvisation at the University of Guelph. Their work has been presented at academic conferences and artistic exhibitions in Toronto, Guelph, Kingston (CA), London (UK), Dublin (IE), Prague (CZ), and Reykjavik (IS).

Michael Mondria

Michael Mondria is the Managing Director of Ars Electronica Solutions, a new division of Ars Electronica. AE Solutions creates customized solutions for interactive exhibitions, events, products and services. 

Previously he founded and managed Memetics GmbH, a Berlin based company in the field of media art and creative technologies. Prior he co-managed Ars Electronica Futurelab. During the eight years at Ars Electronica Futurelab he realized international art projects, cooperation projects and third party projects with the focus on art and cutting edge technologies. Previously he worked as software engineer and manager for the multinational software company Fabasoft AG. He started his career by studying computer sciences at Johannes Kepler University, Linz.

KooPee Hiltunen

In his twenties, KooPee Hiltunen swore that if there was one thing he would never touch, that would be entrepreneurial business. However, over the three decades that followed, he (unwittingly) ended up being a founding member of one co-op, two registered associations, three limited companies, a Swedish ekonomisk förening and a Danish foundation. So it goes.
KooPee’s career in digital media began in 1994. He has worked at Neogames since 2004, and as its director since 2006. When Neogames Finland Assn. was founded in 2012, KooPee was one of the founders. In addition to Neogames, KooPee is a founding member and a member of the board in EGDF (European Games Developer Federation) and NGI (Nordic Game Institute), and runs the activities of the Finnish Game Developers’ Association. His academic background is in literature, though he has successfully avoided an actual degree for nearly thirty years now.
KooPee’s taste in games is as archaic as the man himself. His powerful PC mostly runs first-person shooters, and he takes up mobile games less frequently.

Petteri Ikonen

Petteri Ikonen (PhD) has been working as an independent artist since 1988 and has produced national and international exhibitions since 1989. He has been working as a teacher in the field of culture since 1989 and as an expert in various regional and national organizations since 2004. Ikonen has held dozens of individual and group exhibitions both in Finland and abroad since 1987.

Workshops and Sessions

1. Capital of Game Art Showcase: Trickle Down

Trickle Down is a fun, fast and strategic board game where you fight to see who collects the most money for their own giant corporations. The game works with three players, but when a bigger group of players appears, you can make the game stretch out to fit six players as well.

Facilitator: Annika Salmi

Annika Salmi

Annika Salmi has worked as the project manager of the Capital of Game Art project at South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, where she currently also works as a coordinator in various positions. Salmi is also an artist and the developer of the new award-winning Art Sonique Art Speaker.

2. "Creating Tomorrow” Art, Nature and innovation in a sustainable future

"Art Game Oceanaia - Bloom of Synthesis" is an Artistic ecosystem simulation set in a futuristic ocean planet setting blending visual art, science, and technology, designed for two formats: Exhibition version featuring interactive touchscreens, videos, and projections and a Personal version that people can run on their computers to interact with the ecosystem at their leisure.

The game aims to simulate believable and at the same time futuristic and sustainable marine ecosystems. Through its needs-based behavioral simulation, it offers a glimpse into what well-being could look like for beings living in the far future. The project is multidisciplinary, combining visual arts, digital media, and scientific data. It integrates photography, video game design, and scientific exploration

Link to Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ocean.aia/

Vimeo link

https://vimeo.com/user/209832012/folder/21837219

Olli Uikkanen

Olli Uikkanen is a freelance finnish game developer specializing in game design, with 7 years of experience in the industry.  He has worked on a wide range of projects, from game jams to customer collaborations, including content creation for various user-generated content (UGC) platforms. He has studied Game development in Kajaani University of Applied Science

Christelle Mas

Christelle Mas (b. 1984 in Paris, France) is a French photographer and mixed media artist living in Finland, exploring the human connection to technology and other species. Her work focuses on themes of species co-existence and human interaction with technology in utopian future scenario and alternative fictions. Her creative process involves a synthesis of scientific and artistic methodologies, using soft materials, installations, video, and photography. Her latest project, the video game Oceanaia: Bloom of Synthesis, developed with game designer Olli Uikkanen, incorporates her artworks in  a Aquatic ecosystem simulation with  scientific data.

3. ANSEL PROJECT: Unlocking Creative Potential of Low Latency Technology (R)

Welcome to the ANSEL Access the North with a Speed of Light project workshops! We'll showcase how low-latency technology can unlock new possibilities in arts and culture through inspiring keynotes and case examples. Engage with stakeholders from various fields to explore collaboration opportunities and leverage this technology in Oulu, and in Northern Europe!

Our mission is to increase the accessibility of culture through digitalization. By promoting new digital opportunities and fostering innovative collaborations, we aim to enhance cultural accessibility and education in the North, benefiting the daily lives of people in the region.

The ANSEL project works across borders with partners in Nordic countries, offering diverse cultural experiences and educational opportunities. Join us in fostering stronger collaboration, developing new business models, and providing peer support for cultural professionals. Let's explore and brainstorm the future of digital culture together!

Facilitator:

Mårten Fröjdö
Mårten Fröjdö is the Project Manager and co-creator of the low-latency network Remote North.At the moment he is running the Archipelago Remote Access (ACROSS) which will connect  8 islands in the Stockholm and Åland archipelagoes to the existing Remote North network. He was instrumental in creating Kulturnett 3.0 in Norway connecting four culture schools and the universities in Trondheim, Otta, Hamar and Lillehammer.

Mårten has initiated the ANSEL project in which the city of Oulu is one of 7 partners.

These projects are a continuation of 15 years of Nordic low-latency projects and development.

4. Ars Electronica: Deep Space workshop (R)

Ars electronica Solutions will introduce the creation and ongoing development of its immersive room: the Deep Space. Ars electronica will present technical specifications and content strategy of the Deep Space, as well as the many years of practice in regards to visitor experience and engagement. As the Deep Space family is growing with forming a community all over the world, the various use cases in international locations will also be described. 

During the workshop content development for the Oulu Deep Space, involvement of local creatives and developers, cooperations with scientific and cultural organizations will be encouraged, to investigate all possibilities of the Oulu Deep Space and define and establish its role and purpose in the Oulu creative and cultural scene for the 2026 cultural year and beyond.

Facilitators: Michael Mondria, Kati Romics

Michael Mondria

Michael Mondria is the Managing Director of Ars Electronica Solutions, a new division of Ars Electronica. AE Solutions creates customized solutions for interactive exhibitions, events, products and services. 

Previously he founded and managed Memetics GmbH, a Berlin based company in the field of media art and creative technologies. Prior he co-managed Ars Electronica Futurelab. During the eight years at Ars Electronica Futurelab he realized international art projects, cooperation projects and third party projects with the focus on art and cutting edge technologies. Previously he worked as software engineer and manager for the multinational software company Fabasoft AG. He started his career by studying computer sciences at Johannes Kepler University, Linz.

Kati Romics

Kati Romics holds a BA in Economics, an MA in Arts and an MBA, and has worked 10+ years in business development in the private sector, mostly in the energy industry, before transferring to the humanitarian sector, where she took on long term large scale field missions in the areas of logistic and consulting, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. She joined Ars Electronica Solutions in 2022, where she is responsible for content and project management of international Deep Space projects.

Installations

Toronto Metropolitan University
AVARA 2024 x Performance at The Creative School Travel Intensive with OAMK

This is the next phase of a new partnership with Oulu University of Applied Sciences and The Creative School. Guided by Associate Professor Michael Bergmann, and in collaboration with the OAMK team, students will develop work(s) over the semester, and then present them in person as a part of the AVARA festival in Oulu, Finland.

Explore the intersection of arts, innovation, emerging technologies, social impact, and wellbeing through your experience in Performance at The Creative School, in collaboration with partners in Oulu. This exploration will culminate in a presentation at AVARA, which can take the form of a performance, installation, workshop, artwork, or another creative expression.

Creators:

Eli Young
Alice Nguyen
Alex Grozdanis
Jason Ramos
Evelyn Rensing
Winnifred Blair
Shuha Mukherjee
Lindsay Fang

Line Wobbler 

Line Wobbler is a one-dimensional dungeon crawler with a custom controller made out of a spring and a five meter long LED strip display. It is an award-winning experiment in minimalism in game design, use of novel input mechanics, and the incorporation of physical space.  

Event image: Jenina Bomström / Design Inspis
The image features the artwork Sigma (2004) by artist Jaakko Mattila.