Latest Student Projects
Earthly bonds by Linnea Kilpi
Earthly bonds is a series of sculptural vignettes studying relational dynamics and the complexity of care. Each scene depicts a relationship inevitably compromised by notions such as power, trust, and dependency. Their varying stages of decomposition question if and how the relationships function without tension holding them together. Who is dependent on whom?
Weight lifting by Jenna Lee Shenyer
'Weight lifting' is an ongoing process between human and nature and the weight we put on the land. By walking through memorable islands, finding objects of affection that don't belong to the landscape, and doing an exchange between the land.
I've taken the objects back where they belong, replaced their form in unfired clay and left it for the land to absorb in its natural way. In this process the land gives me an opportunity to ground myself, to study and enjoy everything it has to offer, and in exchange I thank the ground by helping it recover from the trash that doesn't belong there.
Place to be by Sirena Nieminen
‘​Place to be​’ is an experimental painting process, in which the journey is more important than the final artefact. The main thing was to paint mostly blindfolded, to get deeper in touch with paper and paint to forget rationalisation and overthinking. I mind-travelled to the places and freedom of my childhood to let go of the stress and control of adult-me.
Underwater traces by Julia Strand
It clears the sea by eating plankton but it is not native to our ecosystem and causes harm by attaching to any surface. What is left from it is the small round traces and beautiful details.
It is not always clear what is best for nature, but most important is that we care for and pay attention also to the smallest details of the world.
A Manifesto in my room by Aura Latva-Somppi
This is a manifesto for myself, to be presented in my own room with the dust and hair lying in the corners, next to my messy bed and piles of clothes, letters and drawings, with the houseplants and fruit-peels and the smell of my biodegradable. It is not still or silent; there is light reflecting from a window of a neighbour house, the shadows of trees of the nearby forest and the sounds of buses and dogs and bicycle bells skipping around the neighbourhood. This manifesto is born from within myself but also from the outside, readings and discussions and perceptions, and it is to be presented and projected from and to all these directions.
Threads, Forces, Web of Entanglements by Tzuyu Chen
This video explores the intertwined relationship between human and non-human forces involved in a conceptual care network. Red threads are used to point out three different concepts that co-exist within this entangled relational web; its unforeseen forces, its tension of co-dependence, and its convergence that interweaves the living and non-living into other forms of being. By following these threads and forces, I want to express care as relational thinking. If our lives are tangling with many other forces, how would it affect the way we care for many non-human others?
"I’m always happiest alone" by Sini Henttu
"I'm always happiest alone" reflects on loneliness in a society that pressures us into sociality. Everyone feels an individual need for loneliness and each of us is alone in a different way. The desire to be alone is also a privilege that can be safely felt, when social networks and relationships are plentiful and healthy. It’s easy to want to be alone, when you don’t feel lonely.
Cocoon by Iines Niemelä
When a caterpillar coils a silky covering over itself it surrenders to a process of breaking apart and arising as a new beautiful being. The current situation of the world has forced us to curl up into our own cocoons and question our ways of living. So how about us humans? Are we willing to transform?
Forms of Care by Irene Purasachit
Forms of Care is a collection of care in the form of vases. In contrast to human-centric design, these pieces are formed by having flowers in the centre of the making. As the flowers continue growing, their postures are constantly changing. The same vase they were comfortable in yesterday might not be the right one tomorrow. By observing and caring for the same tulip, alstroemeria and freesia throughout the course of two weeks, the eight vases in the collection were made in dialogue with the flowers, responding to their needs for support in each stage.
What is contemporary design?
Concept, (non)manifesto, and facilitation by contemporary design MA students.
Baltic characters
In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught. –Baba Dioum, 1968.
24 VASES in 24 DAYS
Design students produced a unique collection of ceramic vases for Aalto University Executive Education.