Aalto ARTS Annual Review celebrated the highlights of 2019

The Aalto ARTS Annual Review is an event of looking back at the past year and the achievements that made us all proud. It’s about giving thanks to our community who made all of the success happen. This year’s Annual Review was also about inspiring ideas for the future and discussions around the ways that we can make our community even better — and further excel at our work.  

As a continuation of Aalto University’s strategy launch and the Future of ARTS community events, the dialogue was continued at the Annual Review using a method called Timeout, developed by SITRA, the Finnish Innovation Fund. This method allows extra time for discussions, and breaks the traditional pattern between audience and performers.   

As part of the programme, several ARTS community members were acknowledged for their astounding work in the year 2019.

Dissertation award  - Taneli Luotoniemi
Taneli Luotoniemi’s dissertation Hyperspatial Interlace. Grasping Four-dimensional Geometry Through Crafted Models is an interdisciplinary work combining artistic and art-educational insights with mathematical intuitions. Crafted models about four-dimensional geometry are simultaneously impressive and hilarious. Luotoniemi has done the work in ways that can also introduce the general public to insights that are quite remarkable.  

Dissertation award  - Khalil Klouche
Khalil Klouche’s, thesis is called Explorable Information Spaces: Designing Entity Affordances for Fluid Information Exploration. In it, he explores the growing power of search and recognition (AI) technologies that have the potential to provide a new basis for user experience leverage through the entity affordance synthesis.

Research award - Perttu Hämäläinen
Perttu Hämäläinen is assistant professor in the field of computer games. His research interests include exergame design and gameplay innovation through technologies such as AI, procedural animation, and computer vision. Perttu Hämäläinen has shown evidence of impact through publications, by securing significant external funding, and producing results that successfully translate into business ideas.

Artistic activity award – Julia Lohmann
Julia Lohmann is Professor (Artistic Practice) in Contemporary Design. She focuses on critical practice and transition-design, bio materials and collaborative making. Her work speaks for saving the oceans, making actions for saving the ecosystem. Julia Lohmann has made great impact  through her art pieces and performances in top venues.

Success enabler: Anna Heiskanen
The Head of Department of Film and Scenography, Anna Heiskanen, has played a crucial role in the positive development of the atmosphere and working culture of the department - and the field - after the #meeto campaign.  Thanks to Anna Heiskanen’s work, both student and faculty & staff perceive the atmosphere as emotionally safe.

Teaching award: Jenni Reuter
Jenni Reuter is associate professor at the Department of Architecture.  As an award-winning architect, she has successfully concurrently been an active participant in managing and developing the education at both our school level, and especially in her specific professional field. Jenni Reuter has taken care of BA teaching in architecture and she been especially interested in students' wellbeing. She has also been active in inviting international guests to Aalto University and connect education to professional field in her popular Architecture speaks lecture series.

Teaching award: Oscar Person
Oscar Person is an associate professor at the Department of Design. He has been a critical player in building up a brand new English language Bachelor programme across two departments. The success of pioneering work like this requires taking on great responsibility, as well as creating and maintaining mutual trust between all parties.

Alumnus of the year: Verstas Arkkitehdit, Jussi Palva
The goal of Aalto University campus development is to mix valuable history and new ways of planning.  Through Väre, the Otaniemi campus has emerged as a novel city space  that bring a new look to the Otaniemi campus. The plan and implementation of Väre  complements the Otaniemi campus in a fresh way. Väre was designed by Verstas Architects, with Aalto alumnus, Jussi Palva, as the primary architect. 

ARTS act of the year: Make Väre Ours –project, Valeria Gryada
Move to Väre did not only mean the physical move, but also a cultural change. After the move, feedback collected about the new spaces reflected the need to reorganize the way we had settled in in Väre. Based on this the school started “Made Väre Ours” -project during the spring 2019 to make Väre Ours in collaboration with the whole community.

Valeria  Gryada was a central actor and project manager who, in a persistent and constructive manner, worked with the community to create operational principles for the building. Other key players in the project were: Saija Holmén, Rasmus Vuori, Tapio Koskinen, Janne Hirvonen, Antti Raike, Pekka Saarela and students.