* This cluster of learning opportunities relates to facilitation, organisational and participatory practices of engaging in one's neighbourhood and the different economies involved. It covers citizen, volunteer, artistic and activist strategies as well as grassroots community development from different examples locally and internationally. Below are several events or projects that are organised by Pixelache members and partners within the context of this theme. Dynamic info: http://tinyurl.com/pv12-neighbourhood >> Download Creative Neighbourhood Skills Introduction slides by Andrew Paterson presented at Suomen Sosiaalifoorumi [4.5MB PDF, 22.4.2012] .

Urban Activism Workshop organised by Linnalabor, Tallinn

Linnalabor are organising a workshop from 14 – 20. June 2012 in Tallinn, exploring questions and issues of urban activism in post-socialist context. They bring together different people from all over Europe and sharing ideas on how to enliven and make difference in the public space, with support from Grundtvig lifelong-learning programme. During one week the participants study city activism examples in Tallinn, Estonia, Europe and the whole world and elaborate new methods and tools for realizing ongoing events and interventions. Pixelversity helps support with promotion and supporting a couple researchers to attend. More information: http://urbanactivism2012tallinn.wordpress.com/

Coop Camp in Pispala-Tampere

Following last year's first Coop Camp, the second annual event will take place in Pispala-Tampere again from 23-26. August. Coop Camp is a tietotalkoot event, an occasion to learn about cooperatives, to share experiences, stories and practices of different types of cooperativism from the grassroots and neighbourhood perspective.. This trans-disciplinary weekend of events connects the practice of informal cultural cooperation and formal cooperatives (kulttuuriosuuskunta) in Pirkkanmaa and wider Finland. This year special international guest will be urban forager, permaculturalist & social entrepreneur Nancy Khlem from Chicago, USA.

Partnership in Art-(Social) Science with CISR, St. Petersburg

After last year's co-presentation at Plektrum Festival in Tallinn, Pixelversity and Centre for Independent Social Research (CISR) in St. Petersburg continue a partnership with the Art-(Social) Science group which includes serveral travels and exchanges between Helsinki and St. Petersburg. Andrew Paterson presented Pixelache's urban project history in their office in January, and a group of 4 persons visit from the centre to Helsinki in April, to learn about local public arts and urban cultural centres. Later in the year further persons from Helsinki will visit CISR, including Camp Pixelache guest Pedro Soler presenting in CISR's CityCult lecture series, aswell as urban researcher Gareth Rice. A follow-up October seminar is planned by Art-(Social) Science group bringing further Nordic-Russian exchange.

Kulttuuritalo research project in Kallio-Helsinki

Jon Irigoyen (Pixelache) in collaboration with Domenec, develops a project that focuses on Kultturitalo as a symbol of an era and icon of the Finnish labor movement, a building today which is promoted as a monument of architecture, stripped of all its ideological baggage. The project aims to recover the forgotten history and memory of the thousands of militant workers and volunteers who participated in building and using the centre, as a process of collective construction. The project re-presents a selected visual record of the volunteers in April-June, as testimony to the building's original value and meaning, in various contexts including Camp Pixelache, Kaapeli Gallery and other venues.

'Light is History' project by En-Arki in Helsinki

En-Arki (Karthikeya Acharya and Samir Bhowmik) develop a project over the year, in the context of Trashlab, that culminates in fostering local community engagement. 'Light is History' project proposes a community outdoor light installation that promotes citizen participation. It aims to allow people of a neighborhood to contribute saved energy from their homes towards community well-being through a light installation in a public space of the neighborhood. This installation made of domestic artifacts in a DIY spirit is intended to serve as Seasonal Affective Disorder lamp during the dark autumnal months of the year providing communal light therapy. Citizen participation entails publishing their domestic energy savings on a web portal that feeds the light installation. The installation will be installed and tested in several local neighbourhood squares and backyards during November in Helsinki. An open diary and manual of the ‘Light is History’ would be produced throughout the process. .

Schedule in 2012

20-21.04 Contribution to Finnish Social Forum by Pixelache/Pixelversity at Arbis, Helsinki. 23-25.04. Visit of CISR group from St. Pete. to Helsinki (presentation on 24.4.) at Pixelache office, Helsinki. 12.05. Camp Pixelache theme 'Suomenlinna Money Lab & Creative Neighbourhood Skills' at Arbis, Helsinki. 13.06. Presentation by Laura Shaeffer (Chicago, USA) at Roihuvuori Library, Helsinki. 14-20.06. Active Urbanism Workshop (pre-INURA2012 Meeting) organised by Linnalabor in Tallinn. 24-26.08. Coop/Global Villages Camp in at Hirvitalo/Pispala Library, Pispala-Tampere. ??.10. Art-(Social) Science Seminar at CISR, St. Petersburg. ??-??.11. Social S.A.D. Light/Energy project by Karthikeya Archaya & Samir Bhowmik in Helsinki.

Contacts

Mikko Lipiäinen (Coop Camp, Hirvitalo, Tampere, FI): mikko.lipiainen [-at-] gmail.com Jon Irigoyen (Kulttuuritalo project in Kallio, Helsinki, FI): jon.irigoyen [-at-] gmail.com Regina Viljasaar (Urban Activism Workshop, Linnalabbor, Tallinn, EE): regina [-at-] linnalabor.ee Lilia Voronkova (Art-Social Science, CISR, St. Petersburg, RU): lilia.voron [-at-] googlemail.com En-Arki (Light is History,Helsinki, FI) karthikeya.acharya [-at-] aalto.fi | samir.bhowmik [-at-] aalto.fi Gareth Rice (University of Helsinki, FI): gareth.rice [-at-] helsinki.fi Andrew Paterson (Pixelversity coordinator & facilitator, FI): agryfp [-at-] gmail.com

Locations

Pixelache office, Kaapelitehdas, Tallberginkatu 1 C 23, Helsinki. Arbis Adult Eduction Centre, Dagmarsgatan/Dagmarinkatu 3, Helsinki. Hirvitalo / Pispala Cultural Association, Hirvikatu 10, Pispala, Tampere Others to be confirmed. . * Image credit: Women constructing Kultturitalo 1952-1958, Helsinki, Kansanarkisto (KansA715-1991)