Aalto Media Lab

Aalto Media Lab

The Media Lab was founded in 1994 and is now a part of the Department of Art and Media at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture of the Aalto University.

The mission of the Media Lab is to explore, discover and comprehend the new digital technology and its impact in society; to find and exploit the possibilities it opens to communication, interaction and expression and to evaluate, understand and deal with the challenges it poses to design and creative production.

Aalto Media Lab
Aalto Media Lab Demo Day December 2018

News

The Visentools objects enable people to tell stories with visual metaphors. From left: Thomas Tuominen, Janina Saarnio, Robin Gustafsson, Mikko Illi and Shena Saj. Photo: Susanna Oksanen.
Press releases Published:

A new visual teamwork tool based on metaphors

A typical problem in teamwork is an imbalance in participation – a few team members are active but not everyone's voice is heard. The Visentools project uses visual tools and haptic feedback to make workshops and team meetings more participatory and meaningful. The project is funded by Business Finland and has been piloted since May.
RDM & Open Science training
Research & Art Published:

Register for training in research data management and open science

New topics included! Registrations for autumn 2023 are open.
Riitta Hari by Ville Malja, Ateneum-lehti
Research & Art Published:

Riitta Hari: The exploration of the human brain and mind is captivating

'According to Olli Lounasmaa, ten meters is a distance where half of the information gets lost: the further you are from another researcher, the fewer unexpected conversations arise, and the more refreshing science gossip goes unheard. This is food for thought for remote workers as well.'
Väre klusteriaulan portaat Kuva: Tuomas Uusheimo / Aalto-yliopisto
Appointments, Research & Art, University Published:

New professors at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture

School of Arts, Design and Architecture gets new professors for the departments of Architecture, Art and Media, Film and Design.

Events

Title: How to Share Research Data: Examples from Engineering and Human Sciences
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, Support for teams, Training to support research

How to Share Research Data: Examples from Engineering and Human Sciences, Dec 5, 2023

Learn about publishing data and metadata with Data Agent & University Lecturer Dr. Clemens Icheln and Information Specialist Laura Mure.
Creative Technologies event image
Lectures and seminars

Creative Technologies

The theme of the next seminar is AI for Music and Performance.
The Image is a collage made by Ali Mousavi. The image's background is a Persian miniature that depicts people engaged in various activities such as playing music, dancing, reading poetry and constructing their environment within a garden. A traditional way of life that seems to be developing according to historical and cultural values. In the foreground, there are two images from a contemporary housing construction/materials that are imposed on the traditional way of life that is diminishing.
Public defences

Public defence in Contemporary Art, MFA Ali Mousavi

Acoustemological Investigation: Sound Diary #Tehran
Media Lab Demo Day banner
Exhibitions

Aalto Media Lab Winter Demo Day 2023 (external link)

The Demo Day is an open gathering of the Media Lab's students, alumni, staff and friends. You are all welcome!

Latest Theses

The theses from the Media Lab are on public display at the Aalto University library as well as some of the latest ones also online. First recorded theses are from 1995 up to this date.

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Theses from the Media Lab

Media Lab Demo Days

Already in the late 1990s we adopted the slogan, ‘hands on with minds on’ to explain our work. We also adopted the ‘demo or die’ attitude of other Media Labs and formalised this into bi-annual Demodays, organised at the end of each term.

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Media Lab Winter Demo Day 2018. Work by John Lee. Photograph by Janne Koivisto.

Apply to Media Lab

Media Lab at the Department of Art anf Media offers interdisciplinary studies in design and production of new media, games and sound. Also various areas and amounts of design, arts, computer science, communication, cognitive science, sociology etc. are present during your studies in Media Lab.

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Department of Media Demo Day

Department of Art and Media

The departments of Art and Media at Aalto University School of Arts, Design & Architecture have merged as of 1st January 2022. Professor Harri Laakso has been appointed as Head of the new Department of Art & Media.

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Two people discussing about a scetch they are looking on a computer

School of Arts, Design and Architecture

The School of Arts, Design and Architecture is one of the most prestigious universities in its fields. We educate our students to create imaginative, collaborative, compassionate and unconventional approaches to the most pressing challenges of today.

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Students riding bikes in front of the Aalto University Väre building, photo by Unto Rautio
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