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The Squirrel’s Nest / Oravan Pesä Podcast 2018-2022

The Squirrel Nest (Oravan Pesä, in Finnish) is a podcast aimed at harvesting critical perspectives in Aalto University by developing conversations around contemporary life, and the ways knowledge and practice are built today and for the future.
Conversation Room, by Ariel Bustamante, Otaniemi, 2018. Photo: María Villa
Conversation Room, by Ariel Bustamante, Otaniemi, 2018. Photo: María Villa

The Squirrel’s Nest / Oravan Pesä Podcast

New episodes on air this autumn! 

The Squirrel's Nest is a podcast aimed at harvesting critical perspectives in Aalto University by developing conversations around contemporary life, and the ways knowledge and practice are built today and for the future. The dialogues, conducted by master’s students and held in Ariel Bustamante’s Conversation Room in Otaniemi, a sound sculpture, propose a channel for self-reflexivity of Finnish academia within a larger context of debate. They tap into stories and projects happening in Otaniemi, the potential unraveled by academic and artistic work, and the puzzling dilemmas that come with them.

Disseminating undertakings by researchers, artists and educators, these conversations bring about reflections connected to art, science, design, technology, and the main forces governing our contemporary reality. They follow through with Bustamante’s core question “Why do we do the things we do?” The podcast ventures to deeply listen to people’s insights and their unique ways of searching for answers.

The Squirrel’s Nest / Oravan Pesä podcast series was developed by curator and educator María Villa. Series 1 was produced for the Arts & Creative Practices initiative (2018), and series 2 was developed as part of the course 'UWAS Project: Why Do We Do The Things We Do?' (2022) as part of the final semester of UWAS (University-Wide Art Studies). The podcast site and production was published with the support of Aalto Studios.

https://podcast.aalto.fi/squirrelsnest/ 

Squirrel Nest / Oravan Pesä – a gatherer of voices

The Squirrel Nest (Oravan Pesä, in Finnish) is a podcast aimed at harvesting critical perspectives in Aalto University by developing conversations around contemporary life, and the ways knowledge and...

Listen and learn about the people and the topics on the podcast site here
Conversation Room, by Ariel Bustamante, Otaniemi, 2018. Photo: María Villa
UWAS logo 2021_2

UWAS

UWAS offers all Aalto students an opportunity to explore art-based practices and processes beyond disciplinary boundaries.

Aalto University, Otaniemi stories: Ariel Bustamante, Aalto University’s Artist-in-Residence at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture / Photographer: Sinikoski

Ariel Bustamante, artist-in-residence (2014 - 2015)

Aalto Artist-in-Residence Ariel Bustamante is known for breaking the boundaries of traditional sound art.

Research & Art
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International educational project at Aalto University funded by the TFK Programme

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Coming soon, ARTEFAKTI26 (3.-9.9.2026)

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The company established by three anthropologists relied on strong research expertise

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