Lecture room 4319 every morning at 10:00!

1. Objectives of the course

The objective of this course is to initiate a dialogue with graduate students based on the conjecture that design is a tradition of inquiry and action that shares many attributes with science and art but is not a median point between them or an applied version of either. It is proposed that design is its own intellectual and professional tradition with its own postulates, forms of logic and modes of inquiry. The intention is to explore the consequences of such a postulation in order to build a schema of design scholarship and praxis. The foundations, fundamentals and metaphysical thinking that inform this dialogue are based on the ideas presented in the book— The Design Way by Nelson & Stolterman, 2^nd edition, to be published by MIT Press in 2012. The students will be asked to develop their own design schemas in support of their professional or research interests in design.

2. General description of the topics covered

Topics to be covered include (from table of contents for The Design Way, 2^nd Edition):

Prelude; Creating a Culture of Design & a Design Culture

I. The First Tradition; Design Postulates & Context

II. Foundations of Design

1. The Particular; Ultimate Particular Things

2. Service; Design Agency

3. Systemics; The Logic of Design

4. The Whole: Composition & Emergence

III. Fundamentals in Design

5. Desiderata; Design Intention

6. Interpretation and Measurement in Design

7. Imagination and Design Communication

8. Judgment as Design Decision Making

9. Composing & Connecting; Ordering & Organizing

10. Production & Care Taking; Design Skill & Mastery

IV. Metaphysics of Design

11. The Evil of Design

12. The Splendor of Design; Function & Ensoulment

13. The Guarantor-of-Design (g.o.d.); The Guarantor-of-Destiny (G.O.D)

V. A Drawing Together of Foundations & Fundamentals

14. Becoming a Designer; Design Scholarship & Education

15. Being a Designer; Design Praxis

Forward; Inferences for the Future

3. Learning outcomes

Students will acquire a broader and deeper understanding of design as a culture of inquiry for intentional change. Through readings and discussions, students will gain insight into an approach to seminal design issues that emerge as design expands beyond its normative boundaries of the material design culture. They will participate in a design dialogue as part of a collective, scholarly inquiry focused on academic approaches to the field of design. Students will develop their own schemas for design scholarship and practice, in relationship to their own professional interests or research

4. Recommended literature and resources

• Draft text of The Design Way; 2^nd Edition

• Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePfZeLCwc6U

Detailed schedule here:

nelson_schedule_aalto_17_2110

Sign up: heikki.nuutinen@hnd.fi

Associate Professor of Music Todd Winkler will give a lecture of his work on Thursday November 3 in Aalto University School of Art and Design. The lecture will take place 15:00-17:00 in lecture room 857 (8th floor).

Winkler is a composer and multimedia artist on the faculty at Brown University, where he is Co-Director of Multimedia and Electronic Music Experiments (MEME).

Todd Winkler’s work explores ways in which human actions can affect sound and images produced by computers in multimedia dance productions, interactive video installations, and concert pieces for computers and instruments. He is the author of Composing Interactive Music, a book and CD-ROM about the theory and technology of interactive music and performance. His recent work uses motion sensing devices to allow dancers creative input into computer music and digital video systems. (Sources: web sites of the Brown University and Todd Winkler )

Todd Winkler will also be the opponent in Juhani Räisänen’s public dissertation defence on Friday November 4, 2011, 12:00 in School of Art and Design.

More information on the Brown University web site:
http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Music/people/facultypage.php?id=10320

Arki Group got a software development team from TKK’s Software Development Project (T-76.4115). This team will develop an open source Android application, which allows users to browse and annotate digital media stored on the device, create new media (photos, video, audio) and send the files and metadata to a web server.
The full topic proposal is here:
http://www.soberit.hut.fi/T-76.4115/11-12/topics/rista.html

If you think this this kind of application could be useful in your project or you have any other interest in this kind of application, please don’t hesitate to contact me ASAP: You may have some useful suggestions to the functionality. The requirement specification is in a GoogleDoc, I’ll share it with you if you are interested in it.

I’ll be in TaiK at least on Monday (9:30-12) if you want to discuss with me about the application, and e-mail will reach me every weekday. The kickoff meeting with the team will be on Thu 22.9. evening.

PS. at least the Arki group’s Urban Mediator and FamilyFeed are potential users for this application.

—
Aapo Rista

1. Introduction

The Internet is full of social media sites (Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter etc.) which allow their customers to post digital media, status updates and other stuff to their cloud servers.

The problems is here: users cannot be absolutely sure who really can access their data after it is sent to the cloud.

One solution could be a simple, private web server for limited number of users (e.g. for a family, a group of friends, a class of school kids etc). Group members can securely send and share data using this private web server, which can be located on an ordinary computer at home (e.g. PC, Mac), physical server in some server room, virtual server in the could or whatever).

The server needs mobile clients and at this point your Software Development group joins the game.

2. Project goals

The result will be an Android application which should support features listed below:

– Open native camera or audio recorder application to capture photos, video and audio

– Browse the digital media files which are already saved in the device

– Annotate digital media files in the device. This means that user can write e.g. a title, caption, tags to the image and application saves this data in some kind of local database

– Write location and time stamped text notes (status updates, private memos)

– Record user’s location by user-defined frequency and accuracy (both GPS and network location)

– Send files and metadata, location information and all other data that the application gathers from the device to a user-defined server using HTTP requests. Server implements partially (at least Authentication and Content-Upload parts) OpenSocial API Specification 2.0:

http://opensocial-resources.googlecode.com/svn/spec/2.0/Core-API-Server.xml

– It should be also possible to export all files and metadata e.g. to device’s memory card

– i18n user interface (support for multiple languages)

– Show geotagged objects (pulled from the server) on a map (optional feature)

Use cases:

1. A family members (parents + kids under 13-years) share their daily events and plan the near future. (“I’m late!”, “To the library after school”, “Home at 4 p.m.”)

2. A group of friends go to country side for a weekend by car. They share their location with this app, use “status messages” to coordinate coffee breaks and post photos/videos to create collaborative diary of the trip.

3. A class of school kids have a nature walk in Nuuksio. They are divided in several groups which all have one Android device equipped with a good camera. App records their GPS track, they take photos of nature objects and write notes. Later in the school all data is transferred to the server. Teacher can export it in various formats to show it in Google Earth or other visualization application.

4. A local neighborhood community is interested in documenting traffic safety issues in their neighborhood. They want to take pictures and record noise samples of traffic noise. They might want the data to be available on a custom application (e.g. the Urban Mediator) or Google maps. They also want to be able to analyse and edit the data before presenting it to the city authorities.

3. Tools and technology

Development environment is Android-SDK, programming language is Java.

4. Requirements for group

The group members should know Java programming and basic Android programming skills would be a great boost. Topic’s difficulty level is from easy to moderate.

5. Legal Issues

The results are published under open source license MIT and signing an NDA is not required.

6. Customer

The ARKI is a multidisciplinary research group that is part of the Media Lab Helsinki at the Aalto University’s School of Art and Design. The focus of Arki is in the co-evolution of digital technology and the practices of everyday life with a design perspective. Our work draws on experiences and practices of collaboration, participation and open modes of design and production.

Contact person in ARKI is Aapo Rista, a software developer who is focused on server side development. He has 0.5-1.0 days per week to use with this project.

Software Development Group members should have at least a few Android phones themselves.

Customer representative(s)

Organization: Aalto University School of Art and Design, Media Lab

Role: Web server technology expert

Name: Aapo Rista (software designer)

E-mail: firstname.lastname@aalto.fi

Telephone: –

Address: Hämeentie 135 C, 00560 HELSINKI, Finland

7. Other

(Photo by Andy Ryan)

The newly appointed director of the world-renowned MIT Media Lab, Joi Ito, paid a flying visit to Aalto TaiK’s Media Lab on Wednesday 14th September. Joi Ito has been a leading light in the movement for openness and de-restrictions in intellectual property. He was recently listed by Businessweek as ‘one of the 25 most influential people on the web’. Amongst his many ongoing responsibilities he is chairman of the Creative Commons organization.

During the 90 minute visit, hosted by Media Department and AMF director Prof. Philip Dean and Prof. Teemu Leinonen, Joi met with staff and students of the unit. Discussions were held towards increasing strategic collaboration between the two Media Labs in areas of shared research interest, especially in research related to open data and its exploitation within new services for citizens. It was agreed that a team from Aalto’s Media Lab will travel to MIT to continue the discussions on collaboration later this academic year. Joi was also very happy to hear that the Aalto Media Factory in its new premises on the Arabianranta campus will be opening its own Fab Lab this year, a digital fabrication facility and member of the global network of fab labs coordinated by MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms.

Marko Ahtisaari attended the meeting on behalf of Nokia and the discussions also resulted in an idea to join forces within some of the events planned by Nokia within the World Design Capital 2012 program.

Joi Ito is also known as a keen scuba diver as well as portrait photographer. He was presented with the 3rd Edition of the Helsinki School (Young Photography by TaiK) photographers in memory of his visit. His own photographs from the meeting have already been published on his photo blog on Flickr. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/sets/72157627671631862/with/6148356200/

Philip Dean
15.9.2011

by Prof. Sarah Pink

As part of the integration activities, in the Department of Media, the Doctor of Arts Seminar at Media Lab is pleased to offer a general lecture and workshop on the topic of visual and sensory ethnography. Prof. Sarah Pink, from the University of Loughboro in the UK will lead the activities. Dr. Marja Seliger will be the faculty person throughout the course.

Objectives:

1.     To present the idea of Visual Ethnography as a route to knowledge

2.     To present the method of The Moving Camera

3.     To invite participants to engage in a research task that involves them to use the method of the Moving Camera

4.     To invite participants to present the images they have produced as part of the research task and reflective commentary on their use of the method, and to generate discussion through this

5.     To present examples of uses of the Moving Camera in applied research and to generate discussion about the potential of this method in design and arts research

Learning outcomes:

1.     An introductory overview understanding of Visual Ethnography

2.     An understanding of the method of the Moving Camera

3.     Knowledge of uses of moving camera methods in existing research

4.     Experience of applying the Moving Camera method to a research task and insights gained through this and through discussion of the task with the group

5.     A basis from which to consider the potentials of the application of the Moving Camera method in design and arts research.

Number of credits: 1 ECTS

Audience: The workshop is targeted to Doctor of Arts students. Students from the Department of Media (Graphic Design, New Media, and Photography) will be given priority. There is a maximum enrolment of 14 students. Students are expected to participate in ALL the activities of the course, including the general lecture and final presentations and discussion.

Monday afternoon:

Session 1 (Open lecture): Visual Ethnography as a Route to Knowledge (Sept. 19, 13:00-15:00, lecture room 4319)

This lecture introduces the idea of Visual Ethnography. I first set out the methodological principles that inform doing visual ethnography. I then focus on some of the ways that the visual is part of the ethnographic context such as: as part of a local and global ‘visual cultures’; as multisensory material artefact and digital text; as representation; and as a process of exploration whereby researcher and participant co-produce knowledge by using existing images or by making images together; and as part of a scholarly way of knowing and presenting work to other scholars and wider publics. The lecture will last for approximately one hour and will be followed by an opportunity to ask questions

Tuesday morning:  Session 2 (Workshop): The Moving Camera (Sept. 20, 10:00-12:30, lecture room 4319)

This workshop will explore how the Moving Camera method might be engaged as a way of (audio)visually exploring the environments and experiences of our everyday lives.

1.     Introducing ourselves and our research projects and objectives.

2.     Presentation of the method of the Moving Camera, which might involve walking, or otherwise moving through the environment with video or with a stills camera. This presentation will take the form of an informal lecture during which participants will be welcome to ask questions and develop discussion

3.     Presentation of the research task. Before Wednesday’s session participants will be invited to undertake a short research task. This will involve using a camera to explore the experience of an environment, artefact or practice in movement. The next day participants will be asked to present short reflexive narratives to represent and discuss what they have learnt from this research experience, using the images recorded.

4.     Discussion of and questions about the research task.

Tuesday afternoon: participants undertake the research task independently.

Note: There will not be any instruction on technical matters related to photography or video. It is expected that each of the students can independently produce their own audio-visual materials. Students will be responsible for securing access to a server where they can upload their materials in order to show them as part of the workshop activities. Students will also be responsible for also backing up their materials into suitable media such as a memory stick or DVD so that, in the event that there is a problem with the server, they can still be accessed by the faculty in a timely manner for class discussion. If you are a student at Media Lab and you need to make these arrangements, please speak with Mr. Ilpo Kari in the library.

In order to receive the credit for participation, you need to be sure that you sign in the attendance sheet every day. Dr. Marja Seliger will be responsible for keeping attendance.

Wednesday: Session 3 (Workshop): Building Insights. (Sept. 21, 10:30-12:30,  lecture room 4319)

In this workshop we will present and discuss the results of the research task produced by participants. As we go along we will seek to develop a series of insights about how doing visual ethnography in movement can offer us routes to knowledge about the environments, ‘things’ and practices that we are seeking to research.

The session will conclude with a short presentation and discussion of the potential of such techniques in applied research. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on how such methods might inform the making of interventions in design and arts contexts.

Sign up:
heikki.nuutinen@aalto.fi

Recommended reading and on-line resources:

Coover, R. (2008) Outside / Inside: Virtual Panoramas of Independence National Historical Park, available online at http://www.unknownterritories.org/APS.html.

Ingold, T. (2010a). Ways of mind-walking: reading, writing, painting. Visual Studies, 25(1), 15-23
> Available now in Arabia Campus Library, ask Sarah Pink file!

Ingold, T. (2010b), Footprints through the weather-world: walking, breathing, knowing. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 16: S121–S139.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9655.2010.01613.x/abstract

Irving, A. (2007), Ethnography, art, and death. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 13: 185–208.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9655.2007.00420.x/abstract

O’Neill, M. and P. Hubbard (2010) ‘Walking, Sensing, Belonging: Ethno-Mimesis As Performative Praxis.Visual Studies 25(1):46-58
> Available now in Arabia Campus Library, ask Sarah Pink file!

Pink, S. (2007) Doing Visual Ethnography: images, media and representation in research London: Sage.
Available at Media Lab Library!

Pink, S. (2007) ‘Walking with Video’ in Visual Studies 22(3).
> Available now in Arabia Campus Library, ask Sarah Pink file!

Pink, S. (2008) ‘An Urban Tour’ in Ethnography, 9(2).
http://eth.sagepub.com/content/9/2/175

Pink, S. (2009) Doing Sensory Ethnography, London: Sage Pink, forthcoming
Available at Media Lab Library!

About Sarah Pink: Dr. Pink is Professor in the department of Social Sciences at the University of Loughboro in the UK. She is a widely respected authority in visual and sensory ethnography and the author of several books on the topic. http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ss/staff/staff_biog/pink.html

Posted by Heikki Nuutinen
One Comment

The works in the exhibition are products of the Sormina project. Sormina is a new electronic in-strument for creating sound art and moving images. The Sormina project is part of Juhani Räisänen’s doctoral dissertation for the Aalto University School of Arts and Design. The public examination of the dissertation will take place in the beginning of November 2011.

In the videos, color fields are moving and changing into each other. The space is filled by red and green until they make room for black and blue that are flowing in. Every now and then the solid color fields become friable and dim. The sounds are from the same landscape, and sometimes they are missing altogether. (Source: Muu gallery)

MUU gallery
Open Tue-Fri 12-5pm, Sat-Sun 12-4pm
Tel +358-(0)9-625 972
muugalleria(at)muu.fi

Department of Media welcomes Professor Sammye Johnson, who will spend the Fall 2011 semester in School of Art and Design. She has received a Fulbright Award from the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Professor Johnson will be teaching a graduate course based on her book, The Magazine from Cover to Cover. She will also work with graduate students to develop professional magazine projects and research dissertations focusing on magazine theories, methods, and applications.

Professor Johnson will collaborate with Maija Töyry, professor of magazine journalism in the media department at Aalto University School of Art and Design on a project titled “Audience Construction in International Magazines.”

Sammye Johnson is a professor in the Department of Communication at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where she holds the Carlos Augustus de Lozano Chair in Journalism. Prior to joining the faculty at Trinity, Johnson was an award-winning magazine editor and writer for more than a decade. She continues to freelance; since 1985 she has published more than 350 articles in a variety of magazines and newspapers and received 19 writing awards. Johnson’s research focuses on magazine content and history, particularly the depiction of women on the covers and editorial pages of such magazines as Time, Cosmopolitan, Maxim, Sassy, Glamour, and Vogue. Her work has been published in the top refereed journals in the journalism and mass communication field, including Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, Journal of Magazine and New Media Research, and Journalism Studies. She has contributed 14 chapters to books about magazine publishing and presented more than 50 refereed research presentations at national and international conferences. (Source: Trinity University)

Theory course for doctoral students and advanced MA students. There is still place for some participants:

Fundamental questions of media aesthetics

The notion of medium constitutes a challenge for media research and philosophy as well as for artistic thinking. Medium is not simply a tool or format. Nor is it just an abstract mediation or a material mediator. At the same, the notion of medium encompasses all these aspects. Mediality is a theme that urges us to think of mediation and media in regard to the senses, technics and signification.

Samuel Weber’s writings deal with the theme of mediality in a multi-faceted way. Often the strating points of his analyses is made up by questions raised by thinkers such as Hölderlin, Kafka, Heidegger, Benjamin or Derrida. One central aspect of Weber’s media theoretical writings concerns the structure of time and space. The notion of virtuality constitutes another central topic for him. Third crucial notion that Weber ponders is ‘theatricality’. In this course, these notions, among others, will be studied in light of Samuel Webers writings.

The course functions as a preparation for the three-day -research seminar with Samuel Weber in week 50. All those who actively take part of this course are welcome to participate to Weber’s seminar.

Course status: Optional course for MA and doctoral students
Teacher in charge: Mika Elo, doctor of arts (together with Miika Luoto, lic. phil.)
Period: Autumn 2011
Time table: Session I: 23.9. 10-17; Session II: 28.10. 10-17; Session III: 15.11. 10-17
Learning outcomes: Philosophical insights concerning challenges of media theory
Content: Course consists of three whole-day sessions. Each of  them is a mixture of lecutres and text seminars. The focus in on fundamental questions of media aesthetics and on Samuel Weber’s writings.
Language of instruction: English
Grading scale: OK / –
Workload: 2-4 points

Further information and registration: mika.elo@aalto.fi

Dear network participants,

We are fast approaching the final activities in our Nordic research network. At the end of this week, a good number of us will have been in Stockholm to participate in the third seminar at KTH (http://ubiquity.nu/?p=170), and immediately afterwards the editorial group behind the third journal issue to be published (http://ubiquity.nu/?p=204) will set to work on their call for papers and the proposals arriving from those of you interested in contributing.

In November we will hold our final seminar (http://ubiquity.nu/?p=169), and this will form the basis of the publication of our final book-length anthology (http://ubiquity.nu/?p=205). We have a very strong set of confirmed speakers, and an equally promising set of very early expressions of interest to participate from at least twenty of you. This already appears the right kind of platform for a very interesting final publication project. This mail thus also to inform you that the call for papers is the same for the November seminar and the book publication. Proposals in the form of abstracts via email are welcome prior to September 1. So, please have a look at our website and let us hear from you within the next two weeks or so if you wish to contribute to the seminar, the book, or both!

Sincerely,

Jay David Bolter
Lily Diaz
Maria Engberg
Lars Nyre
Lin Prøitz
Morten Søndergaard
Mette Ramsgaard Thomsen
Ulrik Ekman