code dictionary

Finally we decided that instead of doing a protest, we will publish a book that is going to be something like a code dictionary.

staff away

The sinisyyden vastalause staff is not going to be available for some days. The updates in the blog are going to be done in 2 weeks.

and the following meetings are...

Further discussions:
Saturday 12th (10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:30)

Creative process and production time:
More details about this soon!

sinisyyden vastalause open talk

sinisyyden vastalause - open talk Thursday 10 August 18:00 - 21:00 program 18:15 - Mireia C. Saladrigues, artist: "What is this strange project about and which are its purposes" 18:40 - Kaisa Kontio, artist: "Two Finns in Tokio" 19:00 - Sami Pirkola, Senior Medical Officer, MERTTU, STAKES "Measuring Mental Health and its differences in European countries, if there are any" 19:40 - Claudia Calabi, artist: "Invisible codes" 20:00 - Orvokki Halme, artist: "What part of me is genetically Finnish and what I learned socially by growing up in America" 20:20 - Questions, Discussion and Special Guests HIAP Project Room Kaapelitehdas / Cable Factory Tallberginkatu 1 C 97 00180 Helsinki _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

but an important aspect of this project...

is (and that's one of the reasons of the discussions) that some Finns themselves have this cliché about Finnish people. They think as well that Finnish people are blue and depressive; pessimistic...

even when research shows that Finns are not more depressive or worried about their lives than other Europeans!

some more details about the project

With sinisyyden vastalause project I am using the facilities of the art context in order to encourage Finnish population to protest, answer back, the prejudgment that outsiders (like for example Spanish people that have never been in Finland or in contact with Finns) have about Finnish people: that are blue and depressive.
The participants (from different ages and professions) will first discuss, while explaining some of their personal and professional experiences, how much this prejudgment is based on factual knowledge and how much not. Or how much could be a cultural misconception or how much not. After that, and depending on the conclusions (?) from the confrontation of opinions, they will conceive a reply -probably a video- that will be shown in other countries.

Parallel to this, I am interviewing and sending questioners to Finns and non-Finns. As well I am archiving papers, statistics and other documents related to the issue.

Our meetings are going to be:
the 10th of August from 18:00 to 21:00 will be the first event. There will be a talk to introduce the project and some participants are going to share with the audience their opinions and personal/professional experiences. On that day there will be 2 special lecturers that are going to explain some their professional background. This wants to open the discussion, which will continue during the following days.
The 12th (from 10:00 until 13:00 and 14:00 until 18:30) and the 13th (from 10:00 until 13:00) the participants are going to continue with the debate. The hole discussions are going to be transcribed in the sinisyyden vastalause progress, so that everyone will have the opportunity to follow, confront and refute some opinions.
During the 30th, 31st of August and 1st of September the participants are going to think how to produce the protest. Ideally everything is going to be ready at the ends of the first week of September...

how to participate. Three different ways depending on your schedule:

1. Filling a questionnaire. The most convenient if you don't have time to participate. You can even make it now (please, send us an email to ask for it) and we will be happy from receiving your answers. The more questionnaires, a broader approach on the issue.
2. Joining the round tables. It requires certain compromise, which means discussing about the issue and thinking in how the protest will be.
3. Punctual collaboration: send us articles and other documents that are related to the issue. We are looking for information that will be useful to have during the confrontation of opinions/checking of sources.
Please, don't hesitate in contacting us if you have any suggestion or question.
Thanks. Kiitos. Tack.