The Finnish Game Jam

This year’s Global Game Jam was launched with more participants than ever before. It was officially announced on Saturday that there were 7,000 jammers around the globe! In Tampere, Finnish Game Jam was arranged the second time in Demola. The main goal of this whole weekend’s global event is to create games in 48 hours at the same time with people all around the world.

Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? I myself am a newbie in the field of creating games, but this event really taught me new things about game design and was an awful lot of fun. Even if you weren’t the best coder, artist or designer, you could participate and create a game with people who knew more.

This year there were Score members, but also many people from the Finnish game industry as well as hobbyists and students. Other Finnish cities participating in the Finnish Game Jam were Oulu, Helsinki, Turku, Kajaani and Outokumpu. We had web-camera connections to some of these cities, which was really funny!

There’s one theme for the games every year. This year’s theme was extinction which seemed to get many ideas rise from the creative minds of all game developers. All the final games that were created had unique ideas and interesting designs. It was a lot of fun on Sunday to see what others had created.

As participants registered in the Finnish Game Jam, they selected themselves a title: an artist, programmer, game designer and so on. There were only one producer and a couple of audio experts. I’m pretty sure those gentlemen had a really busy weekend trying to help several teams with their music and sound since the audio brings the deep feeling into the games.

Although we had 48 hours the time ran at least doubled that while coding, drawing, illustrating, designing and so on. Many brave and strong jammers worked also through the night, especially on Saturday-Sunday night. The tiredness didn’t stop jammers to continue their work. On Sunday a few jammers looked pretty done, though.

Finnish Game Jam was really entertaining and educational. It also made people connect with each other and work as a team. I personally encourage everyone who has at least some skills in arts, game coding or good game ideas to join this event next year. It’s really good practice for your skills and since there could be people who know more than you it’s a good chance to learn new techniques!


http://finnishgamejam2011.wordpress.com/
http://www.globalgamejam.org/

Story and photos: Emma Kiiski
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The author is student of Degree Programme in Media
Read more stories by/about IMPs, the Media students

Who are the flower hat aunties?

In Finland we have a term: kukkahattutäti. Literally translated, it means an auntie with a flower hat, but in internet forums you're likely to get that mock name if you support equality between people, ethic choices, ecological thinking, or display similar symptoms of naive idealism.

We decided to turn the tables and appropriate the term.

The auntie with the flower hat has come to be such an excellent term in the critical debate about immigrants that we must make the most of it. In the old days the straitlaced moralist scampered to her meetings wearing a massive flower hat and knew just how others should lead their lives.

Today, it is the immigration critic who seems to know so well what is right and what wrong for others and society. While he too propounds his views with self-righteousness, he does so in internet forums while hiding behind a screen name. In these discussions, the flower hat is given to a person who supports equality between humans, calls racist outbursts into question and makes eco-friendly choices.

We shamelessly support equality and other values typical for the ladies with the flower hats and are looking for like-minded people. Racism is being justified with freedom of speech, and giving one’s face to racism has even become trendy. We think flower hats are trendy and suit anyone who doesn’t accept racism.

Here, in January 2011 opened community art photo gallery, the pictures of us, of you and of other ladies with flower hats will be displayed. You can join us by taking the photo yourself and sending it to kukkahattutati.com[at]gmail.com.

With kind regards,

Jaana Ristola and Ninni Luhtasaari
Students of the Fine Arts Programme at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences


Kukkahattutäti.com, the flower hat auntie website (also in English)
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Maxim Bakos from MOME, Budapest was here

Maxim Bakos posing with the poster of our first year media students

Maxim Bakos from Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) in Budapest made a quick visit to Finlayson Campus on Thursday. We started our cooperation three years ago when we joined a EU animation project proposal coordinated by Maxim and MOME. That proposal was not successful, but now we have made another project proposal, so it was really time to meet after all the emailing.

We have had cooperation with MOME since 2004 in the EUROPRIX Academic Network. At the moment the international offices of MOME and TAMK are preparing an ERASMUS programme agreement between our universities and MOME Media institute and our media programme. This is good new especially for our students specialising in Animation. MOME animations have won numerous nominations and awards in EUROPRIX and other international competitions.

We are hoping to see guests from MOME at our International Week and Tampere Art Factory Festival in April.

Cai Melakoski

Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME)
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Go, the world is waiting!

Me admiring the Manhattan skyline from the other side of the river in Brooklyn

In the fall of 2010, a design and architure exhibition called Nordic Models + Common
Grounds - Art and Design Unfolded was opened at Scandinavia House

About a month and a half ago when I was walking from work to home, I passed by the Empire State Building. From the rooftop of my building I could see both Manhattan and New Jersey. I took dance lessons in the midst of Broadway theatres near Times Square. Now, I'm back on the snowy streets of Tampere, and all I can do is to commemorate my amazing fall with nostalgia and gratitude.

A Finnish architect, designer and musician Tuomas Toivonen at the exhibition opening

I spent the last fall as an intern at the American-Scandinavian Foundation that operates in a culture building called Scandinavia House in New York. I worked with the programs department helping out with different programs they offer. I helped to organize events, I worked in concerts, movie screenings, seminars, panel discussions, performance art shows and and with a design exhibition that opened in October. I also photographed all the events I participated, did graphic design and helped with running arrens. One of the highlights of my internship was a fund raising gala at the Plaza Hotel, where the quests of honor were Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

The Swedish musician Christine Owman was one of the performers of the  Out of
Scandinavia - New Indie Music from the Nordics -concert series

No, my intention is not to brag about my experiences, but to inspire everyone to go abroad as well! For an internship, as an exchange student, or whatever you can think of. My trip to New York was without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life so far. I learned priceless lessons of work and life, and even thought there were some negatives too, mostly concerning bureaucratic paper work, I wouldn't change anything.

A member of the Live Action NY -perfomance art group doing her piece

If you dream of going to New York as well, I'd be happy to help out and give some pointers. American-Scandinavian Foundation is also searching for some interns every now and then, so do take the bate if you're interested in getting an all-round experience working with culture. I'll gladly help out with that too. If you want to read more of my stories about New York and life after it, visit my blog: alternativefingerprint.com

Story and photos: Niina Virtanen, Media management '07
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Aina Roca from Uni Vic, Barcelona, was here

Aina and Felipe visited a painting class

Yesterday Aina Roca from the University of Vic visited our campus with Felipe Ludeña Vaquerizo, trainee at TAMK International Services.

Aina Roca's visit is a part of the active staff exchange between our universities. Aina works with international and educational projects, so she wishes to get familiar with all TAMK international degree programmes during her two week stay here.

Yesterday she visited our International Media Programme. It was a pleasure to host Aina and to introduce her to Outi Söderholm and Carolina Pajula who will visit Vic university and their DobleClick festival end of March. We made a walk trough all our studios and workshops, also climbed to our tower, and Anna seemed to like everything.

Posing with the poster of first year Media Students

Next visitor from Vic will be Arnau Gifreu, who will lecture about Social Media and Interactive Multimedia Documentary to our International Media Programme students in February.

Six students will travel to Vic with Outi and Carolina, so our exchange is really active.


Cai Melakoski
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Posts about our cooperation with Vic University
University of Vic
DobleClick Festival
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Welcome to Finland!

The city tour map

It’s Saturday, -8 degrees and bunch of foreigners are out on town throwing a mobile phone, skiing as a group and doing other not your typical weekend activities like wife carrying. Only in Finland, one might say.

Last Saturday our exchange students got to get to know each other and their new hometown a bit better on Clint’s City tour. Our Finlayson campus was the location of one of the checkpoints, so all the main campus students also got to see our urban premises – or at least the front hall.

Tutor Amir Abdi is surveilling the students’ performance

Our checkpoint was the only one indoors, which suited both the students and the checkpoint tutors. The task was called “The orange of love”. Students were supposed to pass an orange from neck to neck with their hands behind their backs. The maximum points for the task was 10, but all of the teams boosted up their total score by bribing the tutors in many ways.

The exchange students were also introduced to some of our national delicacies such as mämmi, musta makkara and salmiakki. The winning team was announced at the after party in Volume, where they received their prize. 

Close contact with the orange

Story and photos: Tia Tuovinen
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The author is student of Degree Programme in Media and international tutor
Read more stories from/about IMPs, the Media students

Read other stories by Tia
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Clint, Club International Tampere and is a sub-organization of Tamko (Student Union of Tampere University of Applied Scienses).
The main mission of Clint is to enhance the co-operation between Finnish students and exchange students who come to study in Tampere University of Applied Scienses, and that way facilitate their adaptation to Finnish culture. Clint is operated by its board members and many active international tutors.

3 weeks to go: Study interactive media in Tampere

The campaign visible in snowy Tampere

Degree Programme in Media - 20 seats available!

The joint application for degree programmes run in English of Finnish universities of applied sciences  will be open until February 15th 16:15 Finnish time.

Applicants to the Degree Programme in Media of TAMK (Tampere UAS) will complete and send a pre-task in addition to filling in the application form.

Don't wait no more! Download the pre-task and start working!

The designers of the sixty best pre-tasks are invited to participate in the one day entrance exam May 3 or 4. Twenty applicants will  start the studies  on 16th August 2011.

The four year studies lead to the Bachelor of Culture and Arts degree.

The Degree Programme in Media, also known as IMP (International/Interactive Media Programme) has students from Austria, China, Estonia, France, Greece, Iran, Norway, Peru, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea and the UK. Most of the students come from Finland.

The main focus areas of the programme are visual design and interaction design. The students work with web services, games, animations etc.
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Degree Programme in Media home
Read posts about the life of Media students
All details about the application
Download the pre-task
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Experimental short films @ Spede!

Dr. Christopher Hales

Experimental short films @ Spede
Friday January 21st
Screening starts at 15:30
Finlaysoninkatu 7 Tampere
Spede (2nd floor)

Bring some popcorn and let us entertain you with some weird film stuffs!

The IMPs along with a whole bunch of exchange students have been graced by an internationally renowned specialist in ‘interactive moving image’; Chris Hales of SmartLab based in the UK. Chris came here to be the conducter in the first of four workshops about future film. For the first couple of days we immersed ourselves in the old and new of different visual styles in film, both experimental and mainstream. We discussed how they were made and what the reasons were behind these different styles of filmmaking.

Camera - Action

After that we set off in small groups to make our own experimental short films. We were given free hands to do whatever we felt like and use our creativity to the max within a very limited amount of time. Chris helped and gave his input, but still refrained from limiting our ideas. I haven't seen my classmates' creations yet, but some of the ideas seemed quite ambitious and I hope they managed to accomplish what they set out to do in these last 2 days.

Come and check the screening at 15:30 in Spede to find out what we came up with.

Story and pics: Albert van Zyl

Read more stories by and about IMPs, our international media programme students
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Postcard from Olomouc

Left to right: Tuomo Joronen, Jarno Tolonen, Sohvi Sirkesalo, Cai Melakoski and
Ari Närhi in front of the Palacký University

Happy regards from the magnificent city of Olomouc (first mentioned 1017), Moravia, eastern part of the Czech Republic. Olomouc has some 100 000 inhabitants, 25 000 of them are students of the oldest university in Moravia, second oldest in Czech Republic, the Palacký University.

Olomouc is also the Czech Twin City  of the City of Tampere.

We have spent three days here participating in the DETVET (Development of Educational Techniques in Vocational Education and Training) EU Leonardo da Vinci Programme funded partnership project meeting. Our input to the project is our expertise in implementing Social Media in education.


We will host the last DETVET project meeting in Tampere in May. The partners are from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania and Sweden.


We = Jarno Tolonen from the Educational Technology Center of Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) and the rest of us lecturers of TAMK Degree Programme in Media.

DETVET sightseeing in Olomouc. In the background The Holy Trinity Column,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cai Melakoski

DETVET home

Olomouc
Palacký University

Swan Lake Award winners: Greta is one!

The winners of the 2011 Swan Lake Award were announced last night in Mittweida, Germany.

And the winners are:


Category Animations:
1. Jonathan Mortimer (UK) – „43 – Fourty Three“
2. Javier Villegas (US) – „Narrative Line“
3. Greta Stanciauskaite (LT/FI) –„ Blue“

Category Digital Film:
1. Christoph Schaarschmidt (DE) – „Running Against Time“
2. Christan Abel (DE) – „Ash“
3. Timmi Davis (DE) – „Bilbo the Clown“

Category Interactive Movie:
1. Nora Dobosi (HU) – „What’s your decision?“
2. Kristin Damm und Christoph Andrä (DE) - „Blastars“

No TAMK students were awarded this time, but Greta Stanciauskaite, student of Vilnius College of Technologies and Design, who was awarded in the animations competition was exchange student at our Media Programme last autumn and designed her winning animation here. So we feel like a winner. Congratulations Greta! It was a pleasure to have you here!

The Swan Lake: Moving Image & Music Award (SL:MIMA) invites since 2004 young talented filmmakers to participate with a movie in one of the three categories: ’Computer-Animation’, ‘Digital Film’ and ‘Interactive Movie’. Modern piano music by international artists serves as the basis for the competition.

The competition is arranged by the media students of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. TAMK is one of the international SL:MIMA partners.

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Swan Lake: Moving Image & Music Award
SL:MIMA on this blog

Mittweida UAS
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Regards from the Swan Lake in Mittweida

Swan Lake Festival is on, tonight its highlight, the Award ceremony.

I'm visiting Mittweida University of Applied Sciences in Sachsen, Germany. Mittweida has been our partner since 2003 and we have cooperation in many fields: staff and student exchange, joint activities in EUROPRIX network, the European Virtual Academy project and since 2004 the Swan Lake Award organised by Mittweida media students.

The festival is a lot of different activities; workshops, screenings and parties.

Cai Melakoski

The Media Department has first class resources for audio-visual production.
They have two studios, this is the new one.

Swan Lake: Moving Image & Music Award
SL:MIMA in this blog

Mittweida UAS
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Surreal Sundays is here

Don’t you just hate the gloomy, doomed feeling of Sundays - Nowhere to go and nothing to do except for wait for the next work loaded week to come? The salvation, also known as Surreal Sundays, is here to save us all!

A group of students from different programs felt that there is not much to do on Sundays in Tampere. We wanted a change so we did something to make things better.

Surreal Sundays is a club with dj’s, bands and all the usual club features, but it is also something much more. From the creativity of our art-oriented minds we have come up with things like video installations, art and contests that your regular pub doesn’t have.

Come see what else is there, meet the most interesting people in town, relax and enjoy the last hours of the week!

The club is planned to take place monthly with changing themes. Like us on Facebook!
Remember to join the Facebook-event!

Story: Tia Tuovinen
The author is a student of the Degree Programme in Media

Pieces of Cake served at Ikuinen Gallery!

Ikuinen Gallery
January 13 - January 27 2011
Pieces of Cake
Open 12:00 am to 4:00 pm
Finlaysoninkuja 3 Tampere


Vernissage January 12th 2011 4 p.m-6 p.m.

Cake is one senseless idea, when one starts to think about it. Someone has came up with appetite of goodies, and all goodies at once! Whipped cream, cake, raspberry jam, caramel gravy, nonpareil, english liquorice and chocolate all in a mouthful.

That is a cake with filling and dressing, and it is served by seven artists at Ikuinen Gallery: Liisa Ahlfors, Mikael Kinanen, Mirka Kinnula, Jyri Lisowsky, Suvi Luontama,, Mari-Sohvi Miettinen and Niklas Pedersen.

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Ikuinen gallery is a contemporary art project space located in the old factory complex Finlayson in central Tampere. The gallery is run by a board of fine art students in Tampere UAS School of Art and Media as part of their study program.

Ikuinen gallery’s main focus is in presenting interesting and high quality student work, whereas work from other art school students and teachers as well as visiting artists are regularly also at show.
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Previous Ikuinen Gallery posts
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New exchange students arrived!

Most of TAMK new exchange students have arrived. They started orientation at TAMK main campus on Tuesday. On Wednesday afternoon the exchange students of the degree programmes in fine art, film&tv and media came to Finlayson campus.

We have ten new exchange studies at Finlayson this spring, and three exchange students who started already in August and will spend one year with us.

The exchange students come from Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Russia, South Korea, Spain and the UK.

This spring we start a new special module for exchange students, the Future Film Studies.

Link: Future Film Studies and the other study options for our exchange students

Pictured on our frosty roof garden most of our new exchange students

Print Design Poetry

One of the large 10 credit courses for us 10IMPs this autumn was Print Design. It was a kind of a continuation from the previous design theory and Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator loaded course Visual Design (also 10cr). The main topics this time were typography, illustrating and interactive elements. We had 4 different teachers to guarantee a wide range of information. The final task of the course was to create a poetry book as an interactive PDF. We had to pick our favourite poems and then illustrate them and compile the book in Adobe InDesign.

The main software used for for learning to prepare images for print was of course Photoshop. Jussi Jokinen gave us really good details about colour management and the printing process. Tuomo Joronen also introduced Inkscape as an alternative for Illustrator.  Most of the other tasks especially in typography were done in InDesign, which we learned to use very well during the course, thanks to Pekka Lähde.

There was also a less digital and more hands on approach to illustration with Carita Forsgren. We would all pose and do sketches and gesture drawings, which was fun of course. Animal anatomy was very helpful for me. We also experimented with various media from oil pastels to inks in the real life world of art and illustration. We almost did calligraphy, too, which would have been a nice pair for all the typography we did with Jussi. All in all it was a lot of fun as well as educational and I ended up with a huge pile of papers filled with different kinds of scribbles, textures and illustration exercises. It's not a bad idea for us to invade the third floor art rooms every once in a while!

The resulting interactive poetry books were enchanting, each very good in its unique way. It is obvious that IMPs are a bunch of amazingly talented, creative students.

Story and illustrations: Johanna Lievemaa
Johanna is a student of our international media programme
Read more about the IMP students
Degree Programme in Media (International Media Programme, IMP)
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Want to join the IMPs in August?
We are looking for 20 new students. Apply by February 15:
Download the pre-task
All details about the application process
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Study Media in English in Tampere? Apply now!

The joint application for degree programmes run in English of Finnish universities of applied sciences started today and will be open until February 15th 16:15 Finnish time.

Applicants to the Degree Programme in Media of TAMK (Tampere UAS) will complete and send a pre-task in addition to filling in the application form.

Don't wait no more! Download the pre-task and start working! The designers of the sixty best pre-tasks are invited to participate in the one day entrance exam May 3 or 4. Twenty applicants will  start the studies in the second half of August 2011.

The four year studies lead to the Bachelor of Culture and Arts degree.

The Degree Programme in Media, also known as IMP (International/Interactive Media Programme) has students from Austria, China, Estonia, France, Greece, Iran, Norway, Peru, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea and the UK. Most of the students come from Finland.

The main focus areas of the programme are visual design and interaction design.
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Degree Programme in Media home
Read posts about the life of Media students
All details about the application
Download the pre-task
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