Author Archives: Jon Fabritius

Aalto Studios 2017

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Time to move on.

We have packed up our Arabia facilities on December 16th 2016 and joined Media Centre Lume in building a new, ambitious initiative and facility at the Aalto campus in Otaniemi during the next years. While this was made public some time ago, we didn’t yet have a name to go by. Now we do.

We call ourselves Aalto Studios.

To stay up to date, make a note of studios.aalto.fi, where we’ll build up more information on what we are aiming for, and how we’re starting to plan it together with you.

And be sure to like our New Facebook Page to get the latest behind-the-scenes view on our relocation and reignition for 2017!

3D Open-source Digital Heritage and Sustainable Technologies Workshop Dec 1st – Dec 3rd

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Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture’s Media Lab is hosting a workshop and training with public presentations and discussions on open source methodologies, practices and ideologies. The event will take place on 1-3 December, 2016 at the Aalto Media Factory (AMF) in Arabia, Helsinki. The objective of the workshop is to discuss key issues and hopefully come up with some guidelines that can help to make open source initiatives more feasible, successful, and sustainable.
Whether in the arts or the sciences, ultimate success in creative projects is often the result of indefatigable effort. Therefore, during the workshop we will discuss and showcase examples of both failed as well as successful open source projects. In particular we want to focus on the use of open source tools as part of activities involving exhibition and storytelling design. Participants are encouraged to come to the workshop prepared to share, discuss and work on their own projects. Two themes, each featuring an actual project, are offered as signposts, in order to guide the discussion. These themes are:
  • Data acquisition automation – portable 3D scanning device for heritage communities case study.
  • From virtual to material – realizing high quality 3D tangible interaction objects for museum exhibition using FabLab.
 
Working schedule:
Thu 1 December, 2016 

9:00 – 9:30 Opening of the workshop (Lily Díaz, Andrew Paterson)
9:30 – 10:30 Keynote presentation (Robert Chave)
10:15 – 10:30 Discussion & coffee
10:15 – 10:30 Presentation of DigGLAM project (Lily Díaz)
11:00 – 12:00 Group and work organisation into teams
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch
13:00 – 14:00 Keynote presentation (Raúl Nieves Pardo )
14:00 – 14:15 Discussion & coffee
14:15 – 14:30 Presentation of Veselius VR Facsimile (Angela Hernández)
14:30 – 18:00 Workshop
19:00 Dinner

Fri 2 December, 2016
9:00 – 11:30 Group 1 meets at AMF FabLab, Group 2 in [TBA].
11:00 – 11:30 Light lunch
12:00 – 14:00 Public examination of dissertation, M. Arch. Samir Bhowmik,
Deep Time of the Museum. The Materiality of Media Infrastructures
14:00 – 15:00 Coffee and snacks
15:00 – 18:00 Workshop
19:00 Dinner (everyone pays for themselves).

Sat 3 December, 2016
10:00 – 12:00 Workshop
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch
13:00 – 15:00 Presentations and documentation of work done.
15:00 – 15:30 Discussion and concluding remarks.
15:30 – 16:00 Closing of workshop.
17:00 – 20:00 Trashlab and pikkujoulu (little Christmas) party at Temporary.fi (BYOB)
 
If you wish to take part, send us a 200 word project description, link, and up to 200 word expression why you want to share your failed or successful project in this context. Deadline for proposals submission is 25th November 2016.
 
Submissions: Saara Mäntylä, saara.mantyla (at ) aalto.fi
 
Systems of Representation research on heritage and digital culture is the context for these initiatives. The work is supported by EU Creative Europe program, Renewable Future Network project and Hybrid Labs project funded by Nordplus.
 
Featured artwork: Oldouz Moslemian’s and Martin Genet’s collective MA Thesis project. Oldouz did her thesis last spring as MA student in the Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design MA Programme. The supervisors at Aalto were Maarit Salolainen and professor Jouni Partanen from Aalto ENG / ADDLab.
 
Welcome!

Aalto Media Factory Video Clinic

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The next Aalto Media Factory video clinic takes place during November and December 2016

Want to make better videos about your research or study project? Want to discuss how to popularise science through videos?

Media Factory is organising a three-day video clinic, targeted to people who are using video as a tool in their work or studies, and want to develop their storytelling, shooting, audio recording or editing skills further. The clinic is an advanced version of our popular “Media Factory video school” -course.

During the course we will watch your previous videos and learn from them. Between the contact teaching days you will continue your current video project and get personal tutoring in developing your project further. Cinematographer Hans Barck, sound designer Ville Katajala and editor / script writer Anna Berg will be tutoring you.

We will have three full contact teaching days: 14.11. 29.11. and 15.12 on Arabia campus. Between these days you will need time to work on your video project. The main teaching language is English, but we also accept video projects which are in Finnish.

Register through this link before the 22nd of October. There will be a limited number of seats available and the participants will be selected on the basis of their need for these skills in their work / studies. We gladly welcome group registrations. If you’re register as a working group, please fill only one application (for the contact person).

More information from info (at) annaberg.fi

AMF Video School 5.0 in May 2016!

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AMF Video School 5.0 in May 2016!

Do you need to make an interview-based video related to your research or study project? Want to get familiar with Media Factory’s AV equipment?

Come to the next Media Factory video school in May and learn how to make short, interview based documentary videos, such as the Aalto Snapshots. We will also learn how to use Media Factory’s own video equipment that you can borrow for your production later on!

During the five-day course we learn the basics of shooting video and recording quality audio with hands-on exercises. We will also learn how to edit video and audio with Adobe Premiere. During the course the attendants will produce their own, short interview based video in groups. Please bring your own idea for a 3-5 minute interview based documentary film and prepare to present it to your group in the beginning of the week. One idea out of four will be actually produced in each group!

Course topics in brief:

– shooting video with a DSLR: Canon 5D mark II (focus on interview situations)

– recording speech with professional gear

– editing image and sound with Adobe Premiere cc 2015

The course teachers are a cinematographer, a sound designer and a film editor who have graduated from Aalto’s Department of Film, Television and Scenography. They are now ready to give you tips on improving your story and how to make your video look and sound better!

Register here: https://www.webropolsurveys.com/S/151586703121C5B4.par 3rd of May the latest! We will inform you on the whether you were selected for the course before 9th of May. Your professional needs for video skills are the basis of the selection so please fill in the questions carefully.

The course will be held on 16.5. – 17.5. & 23.5. – 25.5. at Aalto Media Factory (Hämeentie 135 A,  Arabia Center, Arabia campus). Notice that the group exercises will be shot between 17.5. and 25.5. (requires about one day’s or half a day’s work or more if you’re project is ambitious).

Course schedule:

MON 16.5.

Morning 9:00 – 12:00: Brief introduction lecture: planning your production, basic concepts of camerawork and audio recording. Going briefly through the camera- and recording equipment used during the course.

Afternoon 13:00 – 18:00: Four guided interview exercises in four groups: camera, lighting, recording audio, directing/interviewee. Getting to know the equipment better and learning the roles in a video production.

TUE 17.5.

Morning 9:00 – 12:00: Reviewing the material produced during previous day’s exercises. Lecture: Analysis of the structure of an interview based short documentary (one of the Aalto Snapshots). Starting the group work: presenting and choosing the ideas.

Afternoon 13:00 – 17:00: Group work: planning each groups’ own documentary. Tutoring with equipment and planning.

From 2.12. to 4.12. Shooting the group works (each group approx. 4 hours)

MON 23.5.

Morning 9:00 – 12:00: Lecture: Basics of digital video formats. Editing with Adobe Premiere: importing the material, syncing image and sound, basic editing principles.

Afternoon 13:00 – 17:00: Editing workshop.

TUE 24.5.

Morning 9:00 – 12:00: Lecture: Where to find creative commons licensed music, images etc. that you can use on your video. Group work: editing the videos, guidance provided.

Afternoon 13:00 – 17:00: Lecture: Adding titles and basic color correction. Smoothing sound in Premiere. Group work: editing the videos, guidance provided.

WED 25.5.

Morning 9:00 – 12:00: Finishing touches. Exporting the videos.

Afternoon 13:00 – 17:00: Premiere of the exercise documentaries. Feedback.

No previous knowledge on video productions is required for attending the course. We will use Media Factory’s equipment in the productions but you can also bring your own DSLR for example if you wish. The teaching language is English and the course is only for Aalto’s students and staff members.

More information from Anna Berg – anna.berg (ät) aalto.fi

New additions to Web Studio’s test devices

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Does your web site work well on a new Windows RT tablet? Or on an older Android phone?

The only way to be sure is to test. That’s why the Web Studio at Media Factory has a selection of devices ranging from the latest Retina MacBook to old Windows Phones, available for Aalto University people and affiliates to use. Make an appointment, come on over, grab a cup of your favorite beverage and spend an hour or two making sure everything works as intended.

The latest additions include:

  • 15″ Retina MacBook Pro
  • Windows RT tablet with IE 10
  • Nokia Lumia 920 phone
  • ASUS Nexus 7 Android tablet.

They all come with their particular quirks and we’re happy to help solve them.

More details and contact information » 

Magazine Symposium

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Magazine Symposium

1.12.2010
Department of Media
School of Art and Design
Aalto University
Hämeentie 135 C Helsinki 8th floor

Ohjelma:

10-13 Aikakauslehdet tutkimusalana
Professori Maija Töyry: Aikauslehtien akateeminen tutkimus Suomessa
FT Laura Saarenmaa, Tampereen yliopisto: Hömppääkö, ei! Tutkijan näkökulma.
VTM Nanna Särkkä. Aikakauslehtitutkimuksen kartoitus ja lajityyppien nimeäminen.
Kolme gradua: Annika Ruoranen/ Jyväskylän yliopisto, Leena Vainio / TaiK, Lauri Haapanen / Helsingin yliopisto

14-17 Magazines and e-reading
14.00 – 14.15 Opening words CEO Mikko Hoikka, Finnish Periodical Publishers’ Association
14.15 – 15.15 Creative Director Fredrik Strömberg, Bonnier Tidskrifter Digitala Medier: I-pad solutions in Bonnier magazines
15.15 – 15.45: Markkinointijohtaja Kirsi Kupila, Otavamedia: Case Otavamedia
15.45 – 16.15 Coffee break
16.15 – 17.00 Director Helene Juhola, Head of Research Merja Helle, Researcher Harri Heikkilä: Current state of E-reader solutions in Finnish publishing houses

17-19 Networking and refreshments

Magazine Symposium on maksuton.

Suomenkieliseen aikakauslehdet tutkimusalana -aamupäivään ovat tervetulleita kaikki kiinnostuneet. Se on tarkoitettu opiskelijoille ja tutkijoille. Osuuteen ei tarvitse ilmoittautua.

Attending to afternoon Magazines and e-reading –program requires registration. Your can register by sending email to Maija Töyry: maija.toyry (ät) aalto.fi

‘SPOT ON – locative media’ seminar

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Time: September 23rd 2010, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Place: Media Centre Lume, Aalto University School of Art and Design (Hämeentie 135 C, Helsinki)

YLE Areena will livestream SPOT ON seminar Thu 23 Sept at 9 – 11:30.

Locative media are digital media that concentrate on social interaction with a place and with technology. The focus in the SPOT ON seminar is on location data and its possible uses in journalism and storytelling. The seminar is organized by YLE New Media / Future Lab and Aalto University Media Factory.
The keynote speaker of the seminar is digital strategist and freelance journalist Kevin Anderson. He has been an online journalist since 1996, designing, editing and creating content for websites in both broadcast and print media. He has more than a decade of experience with the BBC and the Guardian.
“Location is like RSS. As a technology, it’s invisible to most users but it opens up a huge range of opportunities for publishers and audiences. – There are new services and revenue streams attached to location technology”, says Anderson. ”Location is about enabling the delivery of more relevant information to audiences. In a sea of information, relevance is valuable to audiences and to publishers wanting to increase revenue from digital content.”
Program:
9.00 Opening words: Mikko Villi (Aalto University)
9.15 Keynote: Digital strategist & freelance journalist Kevin Anderson
10.30 Panel discussion on the possibilities of location data and media: Kevin Anderson, Teemu Kurppa (Huikea), Mikko Hämäläinen (Grey Area) and Mika Raento (ZenRobotics), moderated by Tuija Aalto (YLE)
11.30 “No Free Lunch” lunch. Discussing locative media services over sandwiches.
Each panellist act as “head of table” and facilitate discussion about certain aspects of locative media and storytelling. Participants may freely seek their choice of group.
12.30 Augmented reality. Wikitude app and other cool stuff: Mark A.M. Kramer (mamk.net/)
13.30 Spatial data – enabling services for citizens and consumers: Antti Rainio (National Land Survey of Finland)
14.00 Joanna Saad-Sulonen (Urban Mediator)
14.30 Developer’s Wish List. This We Could Do With Your Data?: Ilkka Pirttimaa
15.00 Closing words: Mikko Villi
The seminar is free to attend, but requires registration in advance. The seminar is targeted for YLE staff, Aalto University students and staff, specialists in the locative media field, independent developers, and members of the general public who are interested in the theme.
Please register to the seminar by Monday 20th of September in the following web address: https://www.webropol.com/P.aspx?id=456778&cid=13678773

Time: September 23rd 2010, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Place: Media Centre Lume, Aalto University School of Art and Design (Hämeentie 135 C, Helsinki)

Locative media are digital media that concentrate on social interaction with a place and with technology. The focus in the SPOT ON seminar is on location data and its possible uses in journalism and storytelling. The seminar is organized by YLE New Media / Future Lab and Aalto University Media Factory.

The keynote speaker of the seminar is digital strategist and freelance journalist Kevin Anderson. He has been an online journalist since 1996, designing, editing and creating content for websites in both broadcast and print media. He has more than a decade of experience with the BBC and the Guardian.

“Location is like RSS. As a technology, it’s invisible to most users but it opens up a huge range of opportunities for publishers and audiences. – There are new services and revenue streams attached to location technology”, says Anderson. ”Location is about enabling the delivery of more relevant information to audiences. In a sea of information, relevance is valuable to audiences and to publishers wanting to increase revenue from digital content.”

Program

9.00  Opening words: Mikko Villi (Aalto University)

9.15 Keynote: Digital strategist & freelance journalist Kevin Anderson

10.30  Panel discussion on the possibilities of location data and media: Kevin Anderson, Teemu Kurppa (Huikea), Mikko Hämäläinen (Grey Area) and Mika Raento (ZenRobotics), moderated by Tuija Aalto (YLE)

11.30  Lunch: Discussing locative media services over sandwiches. Each panellist acts as “head of table” and facilitates discussion about certain aspects of locative media and storytelling. Participants may freely seek their choice of group.

12.30 Augmented reality. Wikitude app and other cool stuff: Mark A.M. Kramer (mamk.net/)

13.30 Spatial data – enabling services for citizens and consumers: Antti Rainio (National Land Survey of Finland)

14.00 Generating and using location-based data in citizen participation: Joanna Saad-Sulonen (Urban Mediator)

14.30 Developer’s Wish List. This We Could Do With Your Data?: Ilkka Pirttimaa

15.00 Closing words: Mikko Villi

The seminar is free to attend, but requires registration in advance. The seminar is targeted for YLE staff, Aalto University students and staff, specialists in the locative media field, independent developers, and members of the general public who are interested in the theme.

Please register to the seminar by Monday 20th of September in the following web address:
https://www.webropol.com/P.aspx?id=456778&cid=13678773

next(con)text: Seminar on typography and type

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LOGO_NETTIIN-1

Seminar on typography and type

Media Factory & Department of Media
Media Centre Lume, Sampo Hall, 18th of November 2010

For over the past five hundred years, typography has been bound to paper, to the printed page. Not anymore. A growing part of our communication happens in the electronic world of the Internet, and more and more of the typography we read is pixels instead of ink. The screen be it laptop, TV, tablet, e-book, mobile is the next context for text. What does this paradigm shift mean? Should we re-think typography? Which are the new kinds of fonts to be used? Which are the new kinds of font licenses for Web page use?

Our one-day seminar will cover several of the key issues of the future typography. There will be a diversity of speakers: some concentrating on technical issues, some on the aesthetical aspects of type and some even covering both. Jukka K. Korpela, a researcher and writer, whose book on web typography and layout is soon forthcoming, presents the possibilities of web page layout and typography. PhD researcher Harri Heikkilä is going to talk about e-readers and different ways of producing content and visuals for screens. Teemu Suviala, creative director of Kokoro&Moi, presents creative ways of doing typography on the Web. International speakers include the legendary type designer Gerard Unger, especially famous for his work on legible typefaces for newspapers, like Coranto, Gulliver, and Swift; and Peter Bilak, a pioneer in extensive OpenType fonts for wide range of languages as well as a forerunner in web fonts. The third type specialist is Sami Kortemäki, the graphic designer of the year 2010 in Finland, our own type star of Underware, the makers of fine-tuned, popular fonts like Liza, Sauna, Auto, and Bello. Saku Heinänen, designer and lecturer of Aalto University, acts as the MC for the event.

The seminar is intended for professionals in design, publishing and advertising as wells as for researchers and of course to all students interested in these areas. The day includes morning coffee, a light lunch and afternoon coffee.


Program (preliminary, subject to changes!)

8.30-9.15 Morning coffee and registration

9.15-9.45 Introduction: the state of digital typography, Saku Heinänen

9.45-10.30 Web typography: be realistic, but do the (almost) impossible, Jukka K. Korpela

10.30-11.15 The new reading devices: Is there a new visual paradigm emerging? ePUB Bootcamp: Workflow of an eBook, Harri Heikkilä

11.15-12.15 Keynote speaker 1. Web fonts solutions, Peter Bilak (NL/SK)

12.15-13.15 Lunch

13.15-14.00 “Happiness outside the bell curve” A talk about cultivating random accidents and opportunities, Teemu Suviala

14.00-14.45 Randomness vs cleverness, Sami Kortemäki

14.45-15.15 Coffee

15.15-16.15 Keynote speaker 2. Letterforms on screens, Gerard Unger (NL)

16.15-17.00 Panel discussion on web fonts and typography

17.00- Drinks and refreshments

For more information please contact Saku Heinänen, email: saku.heinanen [at] aalto.fi

Speakers
Peter Bilak has designed several fonts including the large Fedra family, published by his foundry Typotheque. He is a forerunner in web font issues and has designed fonts for several scripts including Cyrillic, Arabic, and Devanagari.
www.typotheque.com, www.peterbilak.com

Harri Heikkilä studied sociology in University of Helsinki, graphic design in UIAH and usability issues in School of Science and Technology. Postgraduate student at the Aalto University of Art and Design. Currently researcher in Next Media project. Remit: user experience of new eReading devices.

Saku Heinänen graduated from the University of Art and Design. He works as a graphic designer and type designer, and teaches type design, typography and publication design at the Aalto University, where he focuses on electronic publishing and web font issues.
www.typogra.fi

Jukka K. Korpela, a mathematician by education. He has authored a large scale of web publications, books, and articles on web publishing and its technologies. His specialties include (X)HTML, CSS, web forms design, and accessibility. He is also an expert on character codes and the author of the O’Reilly book on Unicode, and he has contributed substantially to current Finnish national standards on Finnish orthography and keyboard layouts.
www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/

Sami Kortemäki studied graphic design at the Lahti Institute of Design and at the KABK in Den Haag. His pan-European design collective Underware create versatile fonts like Bello, Dolly, Fakir, and Sauna, conducts type workshops and runs the radio station Typeradio. Sami tells us why the development of Underware’s most recent typeface Liza took five years.
www.underware.nl

Teemu Suviala is Creative Director and Co-Founder of multidisciplinary design consultancy Kokoro & Moi, specializing in brand identities, design strategies and visual communication. He is a crossover between design, art and business who believes in breaking boundaries, cultivating coincidence and the great power of details.
www.kokoromoi.com

Gerard Unger studied graphic design, typography and type design at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam. He teaches as visiting Professor at The University of Reading, UK, and he is Professor of Typography at the University of Leiden. He has designed many typefaces, including Argo, Capitolium and Capitolium News, Coranto, Paradox, Swift, Vesta and BigVesta. Gerard asks in his presentation if there is any reason to make letterforms on screen different from those for print. What happens to the idea of mass communication? What happens to graphic design on screens – and what will designers of type have to think of in the future?
www.gerardunger.com


Panelists (so far)

Markus Itkonen is a Finnish designer, typographer, type historian. Writer of the Finnish handbook of typography, Typografian käsikirja (1st ed. 2003). Doctoral student at the University of Art and Design, writing his doctoral thesis about Finnish type designs in 1920–1985.

Kristjan Jagomägi (EE) has been noted for his poster type work for Nordic Symphony Orchestra and for contributing to the rise of “national typography” wave. Kristjan leads design and development projects at DF Ltd., teaches at the graphic design department of Estonian Academy of Arts, and does public speaking, corporate trainings, workshops etc. He contributes to Estonian design scene as a member of advisory council at Estonian Design Centre.

Ewa Satalecka (PL) is PhD, graphic designer and teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice and at the Polish Japanese IT Institute in Warsaw. She has organized a series of international lectures, exhibitions, workshops and international conferences, as well as given lectures as a visiting professor in Poland and abroad.
www.zamekcieszyn.pl, www.aspkat.edu.pl.

Petri Seljavaara MA from the University of Art and Design in Helsinki and a Business degree from Germany, Heidelberg. Prior to setting up his own company he worked in Nokia Mobile Phones as a Global Graphics Manager. He was responsible for the User Interface Graphics strategy and design, and he design managed the Nokia Font. Currently he heads the development and sales of multi channel optimization software innovation LumiTools.
www.lumitools.com

Eva Wilsson is a Swedish graphic designer and teacher. She studied graphic design at London College of Printing and Konstfack College, Stockholm, and worked at design agencies in London and Amsterdam for several years before settling down in Stockholm again to start her own company. Now also a teacher in graphic design and typography, the course director if Grafiska Institutiet, Stockholm University, and an active participant in the organisation Stockholms Typografiska Gille. Eva’s blogghemsida: www.designevawilsson.com