Lep pozdrav iz Slovenije!

Greetings from Slovenia, Ljubljana. I have been here four months as an exchange student. For once I have had a good chance to enjoy a Real summer. It has been nearly +30 decrees almost every day. So you can gain a really nice tan.

I have paid attention that these middle Europeans like making out on a bench in the park. People are really hospitable, considerate and generous. And they all wear slippers inside the house.

Dober dan! = Good afternoon!
Nasvidenje! = Goodbye!
Hvala = Thank you
Glava me boli. = My head hurts.
Ti si umazan. = You are dirty.

You'll get a long well with these phrases.

regards: Merja Laine, visual arts-06This is a postcard from Merja Laine, Degree Programme in Fine Arts student. Merja has done her student exchange this spring in the Faculty of Fine Arts at University of Ljubljana.

One of the best of the good sides of TAMK UAS is encouraging everybody to internationalise. All students who have progressed properly with their studies, can do an international exchange period. It is most practical to choose one of the TAMK international partner institutions in 40 countries, but it is possible to make an exchange elsewhere as well.

University of Ljublajana
TAMK partner institutions

The Electrician's Busy Film Festival Summer

The Electrician, a film directed by Miina Alajärvi and result of cooperation between TAMK School of Art and Media and the School of Media, Music and Performance of the Salford University has got really busy after the premiere in Tampere and Salford this spring.

The Electrician was invited to the Nordic Youth Film Festival NUFF in Tromsø, Norway June 6-15. The FEST International Youth Film Festival in Espinho, Portugal starts today and will run until June 28, the Electrician will be screened in the competition on 26th. And finally, the Electrician is invited to the non-competitive programme of Fresh Film Fest presenting the most significant student films to date. The festival will be held August 12-16 in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.

The Electrician is a story about an electric chair executioner, Marvin, who becomes unemployed when the government decides to prohibit capital punishment. Marvin’s unique profession and job becomes illegal. Unemployment makes a big hole in his life and he doesn’t really know how to continue. He has to find a new way to use his exceptional skill: not feeling bad when people die.

The Electrician home (features trailer)
The Electrician group, Facebook

NUFF
FEST
Fresh Film Fest

All posts about the Electrician

Photo: The official Electrician poster, click to enlarge

TAMK Considered the Most Interesting and International UAS

TAMK UAS is the most interesting study place among the Finnish universities of applied sciences; this is the result of the imago research made by Taloustutkimus market research company.

The most approving assessments TAMK got for location (= Tampere), reputation as a study place, diversity of study fields and the appreciation by working life. "We can be most satisfied with the result, because these are exactly the factors that affect most the choice of the study place", says Ms. Aura Loikkanen, Development Director at TAMK. TAMK got also more often a positive than a negative assessment in the five additional imago factors.

The general estimate of TAMK was the second best, only the Police College of Finland got better scores. Taloustutkimus has done the UAS imago research annually since 2002, and every year TAMK has been first or second among the 28 UAS.

TAMK was number one in attractivity of study place and internationality and in the top ten in all categories.

Taloustutkimus interviewed 1504 persons in the age of 17 to 29 years in February 2009 for this report.

TAMK is the most popular UAS among secondary school students

T-Media Oy interviewed 5709 upper secondary school students about their attitudes on studies and working life. The most popular UAS was TAMK.

In the joint online application of Finnish universities of applied sciences this year the most attractive universities were Pirkanmaa UAS (PIRAMK) and TAMK. The both universities merge beginning of next year, so everything looks really good.

Want to study in one of the best UAS in Finland?

Application to Finnish universities of applied sciences happens trough a system joint online application. So if you want to apply for one of the six international degree programmes run in English of merged PIRAMK/TAMK in August 2010, you should fill in your online application between mid-January and mid-February next year. The exact dates will be set by the Finish Board of Education later.

The application website will be launched in September, so stay tuned, we will report everything and publish links in this blog.

Read more about the TAMK/PIRAMK merger
TAMK in English
PIRAMK in English

Degree Programme in Media run in English at TAMK School of Art and Media

Photo: TAMK main campus. The School of Art and Media works at the Finlayson campus in the centre of the City of Tampere

Study Interactive Media in Tampere?

Application to Finnish universities of applied sciences (UAS) happens trough a system joint online application. So if you want to apply for the Degree Programme in Media at TAMK UAS School of Art and Media in August 2010, you should fill in your online application between mid-January and mid-February next year. The exact dates will be set by the Finish Board of Education later.

To apply for most degree programmes it is enough to fill in the online application and send the required documents. But to apply for our Media Programme you also have to complete and send a pre-task by the deadline. We invite the authors of the best pre-tasks to our entrance exam in April.

You will find detailed information on the next application round at TAMK website in September, but if you want to scan the instructions and the pre-task for the application this year, have a look at:

Degree Programme in Media

Summer Holidays

Our students left for summer holidays some weeks ago, and the lecturers join them tomorrow. Also this blog will take it nice and easy, posting stories only occasionally. In August we will be more active again.

Photo: The last major activity before the summer holidays was the Fine Art Programme entrance exam one week ago.

Romka-97 by Anastasia Lobkovski on Channel 1, Sunday

Romka-97 shortfilm (13 min.) YLE TV1
Sunday 7.6. 14:15 - 14:30

Next Sunday YLE channel one shows Romka-97, a film written and directed by Anastasia Lobkovski, graduate (2007) from TAMK School of Art and Media.

Romka-97 is a short film about a 9-year old Romka and his best friend Dinka.
The story is placed in Saint Petersburg, Russia and is based on real characters of writer`s childhood.

Romka`s father smuggles animals for living and Romka gets payed for helping in his father businesses. Romka feels he`s not being loved by his father and rebels.

Romka-97 is a story about friendship and first love.

The film is the Bachelor's Thesis of four students from the Degree Programme in Media:
Anastasia Lobkovski (Script writer, director)
Jenni Ranta (producer)
Jaakko Slotte (Cinematography)
Antti Hirsiaho (Editor and composer)

The film has been invited to several international film festivals. For further information, consult Anastasia Lobkovski web site below.

Photo: Dinka (Anastasia Teplyakova) and Romka (Dmitry Filimonov) Photographer: Jaakko Slotte

Anastasia Lobkovski
Romka-97 at Facebook
Romka-97 trailer (Vimeo)
Romka-97 trailer (YouTube)

See also the famous surrealistic short film by Anastasia Lobkovski:
KUB (2004) with subs in English

TAMK and PIRAMK Merge

TAMK University of Applied Sciences and PIRAMK University of Applied Sciences and will merge at the beginning of 2010.

The name of the new university will be TAMK University of Applied Sciences. In addition to the city of Tampere, the new TAMK will operate in Ikaalinen, Mänttä-Vilppula and Virrat. The merged UAS will have almost 9000 students.

The most popular UAS in Finland

In the joint application of spring 2009, TAMK and PIRAMK were the two most popular among the Finnish universities of applied sciences. In the joint application to youth education, TAMK had on average 4.8 primary applicants and PIRAMK 5.2 primary applicants per study place. The Finnish average was 3.3 primary applicants per study place.

In the study field of culture the new TAMK will offer in addition to the degree programmes at the School of Art and Media: Fine Arts, Film and Television and Media (taught in English) also a degree programme in music (in Tampere) and a degree programme in media (in Virrat).

Who knows, maybe our name changes to TAMK School of Art, Media and Music!

In practice, the both universities are already working together in many areas, like research and development. The PIRAMK students also took part in the arrangements of our Tampere Art Factory festival last month.

The main campuses of TAMK and PIRAMK are next to each other, on both sides of the same street. The new TAMK main campus area will be the biggest UAS campus area in Finland.

Photo: It takes two to TAMK is a newsletter reporting about the preparations of the merger.