International creative workshop: VAA_ AALTO_ICELAND ACADEMY OF ARTS at Graphic design department
A pilot international conceptual design workshop took place on February 5th - 10th, 2018. "Urban Space Gaming" was attended by 30 students from 6 Scandinavian and Baltic schools. They were led by TARJA NIEMINEN (Aalto University, Finland), SAMUEL REES (Icelandic Academy of Fine Arts), LODE COEN (Belgium) and AUŠRA LISAUSKIENĖ (Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts).
The theme of the workshop was communication and intervention in the public space by means of participatory games and using the act of play.
In a broad sense, the whole city can be seen as a setting for a game. As such, the workshop encouraged students to see not only the physical, but also the social and political aspects of using the city as an urban playground.
The workshop was funded by CIRRUS - the Nordic-Baltic Network of Art and Design Education. The project was coordinated by The School of Art, Design and Architecture of the Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland and the VDA, Vilnius Academy of Arts but also included students from Iceland, Sweden and Estonia. The tutors were Tarja Nieminen (Aalto University, Finland/workshop coordinator), Samuel Rees (Icelandic Academy of Arts, Reykjavik), Lode Coen (Belgium) and Ausra Lisauskiene (VDA, Lithuania).
