The Visual Communication Design programme at Aalto University (VCD) is an international learn- ing community committed to investigating new modes of action within visual communication. This archive was established in 2020 as a means to document and share the activity and work of the programme.

Baltic-Nordic Mythology

 

An online media workshop

 

During the week Mon 19 Oct – Fri 23 Oct, 2020, the VCD BA degree program arranged a CIRRUS (Nordic-Baltic network of Art and Design higher education) funded online workshop titled Baltic-Nordic Mythology in collaboration with the Graphic Design Department of the VDA, Academy of Arts in Vilnius, Lithuania. https://www.vda.lt/en/

 

This was a five-day online media workshop for BA and MA students at both universities which focused on Baltic-Nordic (Circum-Baltic) mythologies.

 

The workshop was coordinated and tutored by Tarja Nieminen from the Aalto Arts. The other tutors included Antti Hietaniemi (Aalto Arts), prof. Ausra Lisauskiené (VDA) and a visiting tutor Lode Coen (Antwerp, Belgium). Santtu Oja (MA/VCD) served as a workshop assistant.

In the beginning of the workshop, there were presentations by visiting lecturers from both countries on mythology and its definitions including an overview on academic research directions.

 

In addition, there were case study presentations e.g. on the impact and inspiration of mythology in art and design in both countries.

 

In the workshop, each participant designed a set of moving mythological characters, shapeshifters, which will be exhibited later on online or in physical spaces (for example as media installations in public indoor or outdoor spaces).

 

Video clips: excerpts on work-in-progress by Strahinja Jovanović, an exchange student in VCD from University of Ljubljana/Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Slovenia.