PIXELACHE HELSINKI 2010

A glimpse into the festival's upcoming programme...

New environmental artworks in Helsinki public space

In February 2008, Pixelache and Helsingin Energia collaborated to realise Nuage Vert (Vihreä Pilvi), an artwork by HeHe (Helen Evans & Heiko Hansen). The project received Golden Nica of Ars Electronica 2008 and was chosen as the Finnish Environmental artwork of the year 2008. Drawing on the positive outcomes of Nuage Vert, Helsinki Energy and Pixelache carry on their collaboration in 2010, with the aim to realise one or several artworks related to energy consumption. An international group of artists has been invited to make proposals, which will be made public in October 2009. The invited artists are: Miska Knapek, Andy Best, Maria Duncker, Unsworn Industries (Erik Sandelin & Magnus Torstensson) and 4um (Karthik Acharya, Arto Tommiska, Elina Alatalo and Jukka Hautamäki).

Art and Robots

This theme will explore the relationships between art and robotics and will be developed in connection with Axel Straschnoy's new project planned to be presented in Kerava Art Museum in March 2010. In collaboration with the Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh, Axel Straschnoy is currently working on a project inquiring into the world of robotics and consisting of two robots: one that can make performance art and another one that can watch it. Kerava Art Museum, the artist and Pixelache will co-organise a seminar involving the Carnegie Mellon expert roboticists who have participated in the design and construction of the robots. Pixelache will as well present other robot-related projects as part of the Pixelache programme.

Herbologies/Foraging Networks

The 'Herbologies/Foraging Networks' programme of events, focused in Helsinki (Finland) and Kurzeme region of Latvia, explores the cultural traditions and knowledge of herbs, edible and medicinal plants, within the contemporary context of online networks, open information-sharing, biological and hydroponic technologies. The traditions of finding and knowing about wild food in the local Nordic environment are slipping away from the current generation. How can one attract their attention: With books, online maps, workshops, mobile-guided tours, open-source information or DNA code? Or learn how to grow them yourself, over the dark winter months?

The Pixelache Festival events introduce the different meeting points between the three collaborating partners, include presentations by international artists and Finnish botanical experts; workshops sharing that knowledge with the public; a round-table discussion about foraging in the urban context; a manifestation of the 'WindowFarm' project by Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray (US).

Following, in a pre-midsummer expedition to rural Rucava in Kurzeme, Western Latvia, SERDE Interdisciplinary Art Group will lead fieldwork to learn about the cultural heritage of Balts using wild plants, and create documents for the younger 'digital native' generation. These events are organised as a collaboration between Andrew Paterson (SCO/FI), Ulla Taipale/Capsula (FI/ES) and Signe Pucena/SERDE (LV).

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In addition to these, Pixelache Helsinki 2010 will feature several other programme sections... More information will be published in early autumn 2009.