• Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage
• 2012-2021close
• Other research products close
• FI close
• Digital Humanities and Cultural Her... close

The aim of this thesis is to create a porcelain artwork by using slipcasting. The work explains what slip means, what it is composed of and how it is produced; further on, it studies surface decoration applications such as glazes; and finally, it presents the created cast porcelain artwork variations. The thesis consists of a knowledge base and an implementation part. In the theoretical part, a porcelain slip, high-fire glazes, the principles of creating them, and what happens to the compounds in an electric kiln during firings, are studied. The target of this research is to build a theoretical platform supporting the making process. The practical part demonstrates the process of creating the artwork, which is a combination of cast porcelain bulbs of various shapes and sizes. The porcelain slip is created and used for casting, and the glazes are made and used for the surface decoration, the porcelain bulbs are finalized. Some bulbs are glazed partially, and some are left unglazed – to show the beauty of the contrast of a stunningly white porcelain and bright glazes. The final artwork variations are multi-colored and the parts within them – all have an original look. The artwork theme presented in this work is only one of possible variations. Depending on the number of bulbs, and the means of their attachments, they can be easily re-assembled into new artistic installations. This concept offers a very creative playground for an artist.

Following literature review was conducted to find the information on application of industrial hemp’s fibre material in pulp and paper manufacturing as an alternative raw material. In addition to main research idea, it was decided to include several related topics that were also reviewed. These additional topics were chosen to provide background on aspects related to pulping and industrial hemp as a fibre resource. Historical development of the material was decided to be included also. Information was gathered through reading various articles, reports, books and compilations. Key findings were analysed to define advantages and disadvantages of hemp’s raw material. Information was gathered together to form the strength/weaknesses/opportunities/threats analysis in regard to using industrial hemp as a plant for harvesting fibre material. Key findings indicated distinct advantages and deficiencies based on plant’s natural characteristics. It was proven through reviewing that fast growth rates, high yields of fibrous material, stem’s fibre qualities and fibre’s suitability for pulping were main advantages of the hemp as an alternative resource. Nonetheless, research had shown hemp’s significant dependance on climatic conditions and soil qualities. Hemp was found to be highly demanding for huge amount of nutrients, as well as being generally more expensive material for pulping industry. Despite financial risks and economy related deficiencies hemp was still found as a material with a notable potential.

In the written part of this bachelor’s thesis, the history and the work of two renowned street photographers were presented, and their methods, points of view and contribution to photography were analysed. Also, the author presented and analysed his own background, methods of making photographs, approach to street photography as well as his own artistic process when creating the artwork Inner City Daydreams, that was produced for the final graduation show Atomic Jungle and exhibited in 2020. This thesis aims to analyse and discuss the artistic process of different photographers, including the author’s own process, and to explore the diversity of methods and perspectives that exists in artworks of different photographers. From that, it seeks to find the most important elements that are relevant for photographers when developing their own artworks and methods in the street photography and documentary genre.

Hallucinations are believed to be as old as the human’s brain. Usually, modern people relate to hallucinations in drugs or mental illness. Modern man may not think how great impact hallucinations have had on arts, religions, and folklore. The purpose of this thesis was to study how hallucinations have impacted art. This study also includes an AR installation which is based on this written part of the thesis. The data for this thesis was found from various sources such as literature, journals and researches. Art history and modern art pioneers’ work such as Wassily Kandinsky, Yves Klein and Hilma Af Klint were considered. The study also deals with hallucination studies in the 50s, cave art, and religion as a part of art. The latest research have demonstrated that hallucinations are more common than we have been suggested. Although hallucinations are still a mystery for scientists, the mechanism of hallucinations is known. Studies of hallucinations in modern art lead inevitably to artists interest in esoteric and occultism. Studies indicate that the arts role as the creator of modern spiritualism is big. Theologian Christopher Partridge has created the term “occulture” to describe this late modern era. According to Partridge, there is a process underway that traditional religions have to make room for more spiritual culture. Nowadays artists’ interest in esoteric thinking has a great impact on further, it can be found everywhere from our popular culture, and it can be seen globally. However, not all artists necessarily relate their works with esotericism, but the subconscious can also be studied from the perspective of neuroscience. Developing VR, AR, MR, and IA technology gives new tools to explore the subconscious through art.

The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis was to analyse the relationship between fear and creative work. Fear is explored from different perspectives to gain a better understanding on the multidimensional nature it contains. Defensive behaviour and the manifestation of loneliness in modern society are also explored. I show examples of contemporary artists who have used fear as a subject or as a method in their artistic processes. The thesis includes sources from psychology and behavioural science literature, interviews, and research articles. In the final paragraphs I reflect the research with my own interactive art installation, which was the artistic part of my bachelor’s thesis. The installation was presented in the Blind Spot Degree Show of the Fine Art study path of Tampere University of Applied Sciences during 4.4. – 28.4.2019 in Gallery Himmelblau. The artistic part of the thesis serves as a reference point for the fear handling process on a personal basis.

Socially engaged practice is a relatively young artform compared to other practices in contemporary art, evolved from avantgarde movements in the early 20th century to the 1960s, 1970s performance and conceptual art. In spite of its late presence, the gravitation of contemporary art towards social framework has been rapidly increasing around the world to almost a global phenomenon during the last decades. Although collaboration and participation in art are not exceptionally innovative, they bring a new trend of redefining art’s role in modern life. The objective of this study was to assess the artistic process, approach, experience as well as acquire general knowledge and explore possible challenges of working with people experiencing homelessness in the artmaking context. This thesis provides an overview of the socially engaged practice from the 1990’s and explores various prevalent arguments about social practice art in criticism: how should it be considered art, its aesthetic elements, participatory artists interchangeable roles with activists and ethical evaluation. The research was conducted by analyzing a collection of various literature sources, in which an analysis of the art historian and critic Claire Bishop’s Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship played an essential part. An interview with the artist Willie Baronet was also organized to study his working process in his decade-long project ‘We Are All Homeless’. Several artworks of contemporary artists in the US and Europe using participatory art to raise political issues such as homelessness and poverty were also examined. Lastly, the author’s socially engaged artwork Home was carefully analyzed and self-reflected upon. Home is a participatory artwork exhibited in the graduation show Kaleidoscopers 2021 which explores the theme of relationships and home to the subjects of homelessness.

The purpose of this thesis was to understand the concept of periphery in relation to areas and environments, and to gather information on the benefits of exposure to peripheries. A series of artworks was created to accompany the written thesis. The study was conducted to support the artworks by giving them a conceptual framework. The process of making a twenty-artwork series called Periphery Talismans (now my daydreaming is spontaneous) is described in the case study as a part of the thesis. The sources used for the written part include books, articles and essays on topics that relate to peripheries. Wilderness, natural environments, abandoned places and wastelands and the aesthetics of peripheral places are all explored further. The theoretical foundation for the thesis is based on the writings of Marko Leppänen, the founder of The School of Esoteric Geography and Periphery Therapy. Other authors referenced include environmentalist and Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Gary Snyder, artist Jenny Odell and author and translator Ville-Juhani Sutinen. The study revealed the importance of peripheral areas as equalizers. It was made clear that areas that have peripheral qualities are not only havens for wildlife, but also important places of rest and recuperation for humans became evident. Furthermore, it was revealed that seeing our minds and bodies as wild, instead of the normalized view of seeing them as civilized, can help humans experience healing and live more balanced lives.

Interactivity has been one of the fascinating mediums to be combined with a variety of forms of art, and interactive performance is one of the merged forms in the field of contemporary art. Once an audience becomes a co-creator of the performance, interaction produces different effects on each component: performance, artist and audience. The objective of this thesis was to analyze how interactive performance and audience affect each other in various aspects. Along with the written part of the thesis, an installation and interactive performance titled Colorful was developed from the theoretical basis. The data for this thesis were collected from publications, articles, and web sources. The main research was implemented through a survey of the audience who participated in Colorful and the author’s previous performances, and interviews with the performance artists: Christian Falsnaes and Roi Vaara. Artworks by Marina Abramovic, Christian Faslanes, and Roi Vaara were mostly analyzed. The findings of the thesis clarify the effects of interactive performance on participating and observing spectators as well as the effects of involvement of the audience on performative artwork and the artist. They indicate the significance of interactivity and its utilization methods in a performative form of art. The findings can be used in the development of upcoming interactive performances and various combinations of art employing interactivity.

Tämä opinnäytetyö on konsepti interaktiiviselle näyttelylle, jonka tarkoituksena on tutkia ilon tuottamisen mekanismeja. Inspiraationa työlle ovat toimineet huvipuistojen hupitalot, tiedemuseot sekä optiset illuusiot. Näyttelykonsepti koostuu seitsemästä installaatiosta, joissa yhdistyy teknologia, tiede, serigrafia ja sekatekniikka, visuaalisilla virikkeillä ja interaktiivisilla toiminnoilla höystettynä. Fluxus-taiteen henkeen HARHAHAHA hyödyntää huumoria, arkisia esineitä ja hetkiä sekä yllätyksen tunnetta ja nostalgiaa. HARHAHAHA on visuaalinen huvipuisto, joka kertoo samalla tarinaa pandemian aikana vietetystä vuodestani Puolassa. Jopa melankolian ja tylsyyden keskellä on iloa, ja tämän näyttely pyrkii herättämään sen. Tämän opinnäytetyön tavoite on tutkia erilaisia ilon tuottamisen mekanismeja interaktiivisen taiteen konseptissa. HARHAHAHA on surrealistinen, kokemuksellinen ja leikkisä kokonaisuus. Ensimmäiset kaksi kappaletta käsittelevät konseptin ideaa ja taustoja. Keskiössä ovat näyttelyn teemat ja inspiraation lähteet, sekä ilon synnyttämiseen valitut metodit. Prosessiosio kuvaa tarkemmin sekä teknistä että visuaalista prosessia ja installaatioihin liittyviä teoskokeiluja. Lopuksi esittelen valmiin näyttelykonseptin. This paper introduces a concept for an interactive art exhibition concentrating on joy. The project is inspired by funhouses, science museums and optical illusions. The exhibition concept consists of seven installations that combine technology, science, serigraphy and mixed media, spiced up with interactivity and visual triggers. In the spirit of Fluxus, HARHAHAHA utilizes humor, everyday objects and events together with moments of surprise and nostalgia. HARHAHAHA tells a story about my year in Poland during the pandemic, converted into a visual amusement park. Even in the midst of melancholy and boredom there is joy, and this exhibition seeks to evoke it. The aim of this thesis is to explore different mechanisms for generating joy in the concept of interactive artworks. HARHAHAHA is surreal, experiential and playful. The first two chapters concentrate on the idea of the concept and background. The focus is on the themes and inspiration behind the concept, and the chosen methods for achieving the purpose of the exhibition. The process part gives a closer look to both technical and visual processes, and experiments. Finally, the paper introduces the exhibition concept for HARHAHAHA.

The purpose of this study was to gather information on how play and playfulness are present in the creative process amongst visual artists. The aim was to find out if there is a way to increase creativity via playfulness. This study concentrates on imagination-at-play, excluding for example playing video games or other types of play with structure and rules. The theoretical data for this thesis was collected from various sources including books, articles, studies, video interviews and publications concerning creativity and play. Four respected Finnish visual artists Leonora Fredriksson, Mikko Kallio, Jani Leinonen and Katja Tukiainen were interviewed as the main source of information. Report of the process of the painting It’s About Time – Teatime!, the artistic part of this thesis, was included as a case study. The findings indicated that playing helps in achieving a creative state of mind and is an essential part of the artist’s creative process. It can be terrifying to suffer from an artist block, especially for artists in the beginning of their career. Therefore it is beneficial to increase the knowledge on these matters. Playing can increase creativity but also make working fun – and not only for artists.