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Oxygen to bottom sediments

Yan Sun is studying new fascinating ways of using microalgae in the bioremediation of oil pollution.

When Yan Sun, a doctoral student in environmental sciences, is fishing at Lake Vesijärvi in Lahti during her leisure time, she prepares the catch in Chinese style.

“The internal organs, especially the swim bladder, are the most delicious part. My Finnish friends are horrified by this and claim that you cannot eat the whole fish,” Yan says.

She assures us that the water in the Lake Vesijärvi is now amazingly clean and that in some places, even drinkable. In fact, the cleanliness of water is close to her heart. In her dissertation research, Yan Sun is examining how to make the bioremediation of oil pollution in bottom sediments more effective by relying on microalgae.

Microalgae comprise a large variety of floating algae and other photosynthesising organisms, most of which are unicellular. Using them in the bioremediation of oil and other pollution has been studied for decades. However, the research method has been quite straightforward: the microalgae absorb oil and also degrade it as they grow.

In her research, Yan presents a new logic for using microalgae. Their main task is no longer to absorb oil, but to produce oxygen.

“Most microorganisms that are good at degrading oil can only survive in oxygenous environments. However, bottom sediments are often anoxic, which means that oil degrades very slowly,” Yan explains.

When microalgae are added to the bottom sediments, their main task is to be there and by being there they convert an anoxic environment into an oxygenous environment.

“By supporting microalgae, we will strengthen the natural oil degradation mechanism. This method is very environmentally friendly.”

This creates a beneficial self-perpetuating circle: the microalgae are photosynthesising organisms, which means that they use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen. After this, aerobic microorganisms (microbes that base their metabolism on oxygen) absorb and degrade large amounts of oil and release carbon dioxide into the water. Microalgae will then convert this carbon dioxide back into oxygen in the photosynthesis process.

“By supporting microalgae, we will strengthen the natural oil degradation mechanism. This method is very environmentally friendly. You do not need to add chemicals to water that may be toxic to some species, or organisms that may cause chaos in the ecosystem in one way or another.”

Yan points out that microalgae-based bioremediation is also an excellent method from the perspective of the climate change.

“In photosynthesis, microalgae reduce the atmospheric release of carbon dioxide generated in oil biodegradation and they also absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow.”

Yan points out that even the best biodegrading organisms are quite slow at decomposing complex oil molecules. In an ideal situation, the oil will degrade completely into carbon dioxide. However, in most cases, the degradation will produce a slightly lighter and (usually) less toxic chemical.

Another factor hampering the use of microalgae in bottom sediments is that photosynthesis requires sunlight, which is, however, absent in the bottom mud of polluted sea areas.

Yan is planning new ways of improving the access of sunlight to the bottom of seas and lakes.

In fact, as part of her dissertation research, Yan is planning new ways of improving the access of sunlight to the bottom of seas and lakes. She cannot, however, disclose the details of the mechanism, because there are plans to apply for a patent for the idea.

Yan spent some time as an exchange student at the Tampere University of Technology in 2010 as she was studying for a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences at the Guangzhou University. Two years later, she moved to Lahti to study for a master’s degree.

“I had already calculated the results in my head, when the Finnish students were still working on the exercises with their pocket calculators.” According to Yan, in China, mathematics is studied much more intensively at the upper level of comprehensive school and at upper secondary level than in Finland.

However, at university level, the situation is the opposite. For a mathematically gifted student like Yan, taking the bachelor’s degree in China was easy. Everything took place in the classroom: students only needed to read textbooks, because they contained all the knowledge, and to do calculation exercises.

“In Finland, I had to start doing things myself. It was a shock. I had to prepare projects, find scientific articles and read them, and write lots of text. It took a long time before I got used to this system. However, in the end I did.”

Yan has particularly fond memories of the laboratory course during her master’s studies. Students collected soil, water and snow samples in a city, suburb and a rural area and compared the amount of pollutants in different locations.

“The professor in charge of the course published an article based on the research carried out by the students. In courses like this, China lags well behind Finland.”

Text: Antti Kivimäki
Photos: Pekka Hannila

Lincoln Kayiwa can distinguish between 50 shades of granite

Finnish soil rocks! In the hands of designers, granite is no longer bound by the limitations of architecture.

There is a brand in Finnish bedrock waiting to be exploited. It is called granite, a truly precious material. More than half of Finnish bedrock consists of different types of granite. “Finnish granite is characterised by its diversity and it is aesthetically interesting. The material has great potential,” says Lincoln Kayiwa, a Ugandan-born designer. “You must see it for yourself.”

Kayiwa is presenting granite in the showroom of Loimaan Kivi. There are fifty different types of granite. It is easy to understand why a designer has been captivated by the beauty of granite. This is a stone treasure: pitch-black Amadeus patterned in purple, the dazzlingly blue-green Ylämaa spectrolite. The range of colours and patterns is immense.

The treatments – polishing, heating, and cutting – can produce a vast range of breathtaking varieties. Polished stone glows like glass and its smoothness feels strangely soft. It is clear that the red and grey granite in staircases, building foundations and sculptures is only one way of using this material.

Kayiwa became interested in Finland in his home country Uganda as a student, when listening to a lecture on modern design given by a visiting professor.  A long slide presentation of the gems of design introduced Kayiwa to such Finnish celebrities as Eero Aarnio, Eliel and Eero Saarinen and Alvar Aalto.  When studying in London, Kayiwa applied for and received a student exchange place in Finland and, after taking a master’s degree in arts and design from Aalto University, decided to stay in the country. In Finland, he also got married and established a studio of his own.

He is currently studying the potential of granite, in cooperation with Loimaan Kivi. The partnership has already produced results in a wide range of different fields.  A designer does not give orders, but is engaged in a dialogue with the other party. The people processing the stone are thoroughly familiar with the material.

“They know how thin a piece of granite can be or how an edge should be rounded.”

Jewellery is the new trend in granite. Kayiwa shows drawings of a bracelet in which a silver or golden frame encloses a black granite ring.  He enjoys combining playful elements and minimalism, a popular style in Finland. The end result is elegant and shows an understanding of the characteristics of the materials. Kayiwa does not make mass products. The context, as well as the combination of the material, object and the content are important.

Marble is held in such a high regard everywhere that there is little interest in other natural stones.  Italians have been very good at marketing marble and the country has benefited from it in many ways. There are more than 70 companies in the natural stone sector in Finland.

In Kayiwa’s view, the Finnish stone industry should invite designers and partners from different parts of the world and give them a chance to work with granite companies.

There are already many things happening in the granite sector. The new look will be on display in the Helsinki Design Week exhibition in the autumn.

Text: Taina Saarinen
Photos: Robert Seger

New grant for supporting the international mobility of artists

A new form of support has been introduced to increase the international mobility of artists. The Finnish Cultural Foundation announces a grant for the expenses of international work with no destination restrictions. In addition, the Foundation’s residency programme expands with a new location in Sydney.

In August 2017, the Finnish Cultural Foundation will open a new mobility grant for applications. The grant is aimed at covering the expenses of artistic work abroad. Artists from all forms of art may apply for the grant as individuals or working groups. The grant is intended for trips abroad that last more than two weeks. The grant ranges from €3,000 to €10,000.

“In addition to our own residency programme, we want to support other international efforts of artists and create opportunities for new art initiatives,” says senior advisor Johanna Ruohonen from the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

New residency in the heart of Sydney, Australia

The diverse residency programme of the Finnish Cultural Foundation will expand in August 2017 when applications will open for Artspace in Sydney, Australia. The residency takes place between June and August in 2018, includes a working grant and is intended for a single artist or a duo. Artspace is in partnership with UNSW Art & Design to provide resident studio artists with access to their state of the art Paddington campus facilities.

Acting in an advisory role in the development of the residency programme, Juha Huuskonen, director of the HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme, is glad to see Australia added to the list: “Australia’s art scene is very dynamic. Artspace is one of the oldest and most distinguished residency organisations, and its current director, Alexie Glass-Kantor, has expanded it into a diverse contemporary art organisation. The programme is a great opportunity for Finnish artists to develop their practise.”

Residencies for different forms of art

Other residencies open for applications for 2018 are the O Espaço do Tempo in Portugal for dancers and stage art working groups, Hôtel Chevillon in France for writers, translators and visual artists, and SeMA Nanji in South Korea and Tokyo Wondersite in Japan, both for visual artists.

The working grant for the residencies is €2,000 per month, or €500 per week for O Espaço do Tempo.

“During residency, artists can work free of their everyday routines, and develop their networks. Our residency partners are high-quality institutions and we are extremely glad to have them receive our grantees,” says Ruohonen.

Residencies for 2018 are open for applications between 10 and 31 August 2017.

 

Further information:

About mobility grant

About residencies

Johanna Ruohonen, senior advisor, Finnish Cultural Foundation, tel. +358 9 6128 1247, johanna.ruohonen@skr.fi

 

Reading Clans to promote children's reading

The Finnish Cultural Foundation and Kopiosto are together donating two million euros for establishing and developing school libraries, procuring books and supporting reading among children in all the schools of continental Finland. The Lukuklaani (‘Reading Clan’) project came about as a response to concerns over the reading skills and subsequent social exclusion of Finnish children. Public discussion on the subject has been characterised by demands for national action on a scale similar to the North Karelia Project.

According to the results of the PISA surveys, children’s reading skills declined more sharply in Finland than in any other OECD country between 2000 and 2012. At the same time, a gap in reading skills has formed between girls and boys, which is larger than in other countries. Furthermore, boys, girls and multilingual students with poor reading skills are at risk of social exclusion. The differences between the genders start to form as early as primary school, and by ninth grade girls are one and a half years ahead of boys when it comes to reading. In the 2015 PISA survey, the decline in reading skills was reversed, showing a slight increase. However, one out of every ten Finnish youths is still unable to reach a level of reading skills that would allow them to continue their studies and fully operate in Finnish society.

“According to PISA surveys, reading skills have declined the most among the children of the most disadvantaged families. Since the ability to read is a basic requirement for education and employment, this means that there is a risk of disadvantage and social exclusion being passed down. This may in turn further deepen the social division of Finns,” says Professor Riitta Pyykkö, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

“Good reading skills are the key to lifelong learning and full-fledged citizenship. It is high time we wake up to the fact that a growing number of young people are not reaching the minimum level for reading skills,” says Professor Jouni Välijärvi from the Finnish Institute for Educational Research at the University of Jyväskylä, who is also the national coordinator of PISA in Finland.

Together with Kopiosto, the Finnish Cultural Foundation has begun to create a comprehensive national cooperation network for promoting children’s reading skills.

“So far the Finnish Cultural Foundation has made a decision to provide EUR 1.4 million in funding to the two-year Lukuklaani project, but we are currently looking into other, more far-reaching measures as well. Promoting the reading skills of children, closing the gap between girls and boys and helping disadvantaged families can only be achieved through widespread and determined national cooperation,” says Riitta Pyykkö.

The target group of the Finnish Cultural Foundation and Kopiosto’s Lukuklaani project consists of all the primary and comprehensive schools in Finland. Although the project is targeted at all primary school-aged children, it will focus particularly on 3rd and 4th graders and boys. The project will be implemented in 2017 and 2018, with a total budget of EUR 2 million.

The Lukuklaani project is divided into two phases: in the first phase, starting in the 2017 autumn term, schools can participate in a competition for establishing or developing their school library, with prizes to be awarded for the best ideas. The prize money will be primarily used for book acquisitions, but schools are also urged to develop their libraries into functional spaces, which could be used to organise book talks or themed weeks, for example.

“It’s the teachers and pupils themselves who know best how to promote reading at school. This is why we are hoping for schools to provide us with some different and inspiring ideas. There are no restrictions regarding media – the material to be acquired can consist of anything from rap music to novels. However, it would be beneficial for schools and school libraries to pursue cooperation with school afternoon activities, parents’ associations, public libraries or library buses, for example. An even better alternative would be for cooperation to be built in unexpected ways, such as with a school judo club, for example,” says Deputy Managing Director Jukka-Pekka Timonen from Kopiosto.

In the second phase, starting in spring 2018, schools can order a book club package to support their teaching. The book club package contains approximately 50 books for all schools, as well as pedagogic material for teachers, the aim of which is to make it as easy as possible for teachers to implement the book club method. These book clubs, which the project calls book clans, allow pupils and schools to share their reading experiences and compete with each other on the number of texts read. For schools, this is all free of charge.

“Logical thinking is best developed through reading fiction. Fiction typically leaves gaps that the readers must fill in themselves. Reading allows people to live many lives and learn from the choices of the characters in the books,” says author Jari Järvelä, who is a member of the foundation’s Board of Trustees and the initiator of the project.

The Finnish Cultural Foundation and Kopiosto’s cooperation partners in the project include the Finnish National Agency for Education, Suomen Luokanopettajat ry, Suomen Rehtorit ry, the Finnish Parents’ League, the Finnish Reading Centre, Äidinkielen Opettajain Liitto ry, the Finnish Institute for Children’s Literature and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities. In addition, the Finnish School Library Association is involved in evaluating the school library development plans, assembling book packages that would interest children and preparing the pedagogic material for teachers.

“The new core curriculum for basic education emphasises multiliteracy and experiential reading, and highlights the development of school library operations. This is why the Lukuklaani project is well-suited to everyday school work and for combining teaching in different subjects. Reading develops critical and cultural reading skills, which are becoming increasingly important in modern society,” says Olli-Pekka Heinonen, the director of the Finnish National Agency for Education.

“In terms of practical school work, it is important for teachers to be able to easily and quickly provide pupils with reading material, which is why providing schools with books and tools that facilitate the work of teachers is so important,” says Marko Jokinen, the chairman of Suomen Luokanopettajat ry.

“The reading habits and example set by families have a major impact on children’s reading. This is why we are also encouraging parents’ associations to develop ways to participate in the Finnish Cultural Foundation and Kopiosto’s project,” says Ulla Siimes, the executive director of the Finnish Parents’ League.

Alongside the Lukuklaani project, the Finnish Cultural Foundation and Kopiosto are also preparing a research project on children’s reading in collaboration with the University of Helsinki and the Finnish National Agency for Education.

“Children’s reading skills are a matter of great national importance. This is why we are also encouraging other parties to work towards promoting children’s reading skills. This is the only way that we can bring about a North Karelia project for children’s reading,” says Jari Järvelä.

The Lukuklaani project is being administered and implemented by Kopiosto ry.

Additional information:
Finnish Cultural Foundation, Director of Cultural Affairs Juhana Lassila, tel. +358 (0)40 517 8500
Finnish Cultural Foundation, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Riitta Pyykkö, tel. +358 (0)50 430 4845
Finnish Cultural Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the steering group Jari Järvelä, tel. +358 (0)40 837 7621
Kopiosto ry, Deputy Managing Director Jukka-Pekka Timonen, tel. +358 (0)40 722 8082
www.lukuklaani.fi

PoDoCo program grant application round open March 1st – April 13th

Are you a company with cutting-edge renewal ideas and looking for the help of a talented postdoc to investigate your ideas? Are you a young postdoc interested in putting your research knowledge and expertise into practice? PoDoCo program may be just right for you!

PoDoCo is a matchmaking program supporting long term competitiveness and strategic renewal of companies and employment of young doctors in the private sector. The duration of PoDoCo period is 1-2 years and it consist of two phases: research period and targeted research period. PoDoCo program is funded by PoDoCo foundation pool and companies participating in the program. All companies operating in Finland and all young doctors who have recently completed or will soon complete their doctorate degree are welcome to join the PoDoCo program.

PoDoCo foundation pool offers research grants of 6-12 months for the research period. Grants awarded by PoDoCo foundation pool are intended for academic research investigating new innovative ideas to boost the strategic renewal of Finnish industry.  A one-year research grant is EUR 28 000.

PoDoCo program opens application round for grants from 1 March 2017 to 13 April 2017. Results of the application round will be published at latest on June 2017.

PoDoCo program has two application rounds each year and awards some 17 postdoctoral grants in each round. Nine foundations will allocate altogether almost 1 000 000 euros to the program during year 2017. The program’s foundations are Finnish Cultural Foundation, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Maa- ja Vesitekniikantuki ry, Svenska Kulturfonden, Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion, Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation, The Foundation for Economic Education, KAUTE Foundation and Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation. PoDoCo program is operated by DIMECC Ltd.

Further information about the program and the application round is available on PoDoCo website at www.podoco.fi, and from Program Manager Essi Huttu, essi.huttu(at)dimecc.com, tel. + 358 40 840 9259.

 

www.podoco.fi

Nearly EUR 25 million to academic research and the arts

The Finnish Cultural Foundation awarded a total of 1,108 grants in its Annual Gala on 27 February. A total of 12 per cent of all applicants received grants. The Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Prizes, each EUR 30,000, were presented to actor Anna Paavilainen, philosopher Veikko Rantala and architect Jenni Reuter.

Grants were awarded to a total of 1,108 individuals, working groups and organisations (1,064 in 2016). The success rate of the applications in academic research and the arts was 12 per cent, as in previous years, but the rate varies between fields, and was, for example, in painting as low as 7 per cent. The total number of applications submitted was 9,206. The number of applications in the field of the arts saw an increase, while the number of applications in academic research slightly decreased over the previous year.

Of all grants, 52 per cent went to academic research (54 per cent in 2016) and 48 per cent to the arts (46 per cent). The average size of the grants was EUR 22,100 in academic research and EUR 16,100 in the arts. The share of women among the grant recipients was 58 per cent this years, compared to economics, in which the women made up 80 per cent of the grant recipients. Eleven per cent of the applications and 9 per cent of the recipients of the grants were foreign nationals.

The largest grants showed a heavy leaning towards the arts. Of all grants awarded, 33 per cent were given for artistic work. The scheme aiming to improve the quality of life of people in need of care by means of arts received applications from 252 applicants, with 23 grants awarded, worth EUR 430,000 in total.

The grants awarded for the arts form a significant funding base supporting the position of foreign-born artists in Finland as well as the internationalisation of Finnish artists. The International Artists’ Centre Finland received EUR 50,000 for establishment costs. Support for Asylum Seekers Finland also received EUR 50,000 for the further development and rollout of a project bringing together Finnish artists and artists amongst asylum seekers in Finland. This year, the Finnish Cultural Foundation also specifically invited applications for residency grants. In addition to personal residency grants, a grant of EUR 90,000 was awarded to Perpetuum Mobile for running the Artists at Risk safe residencies.

Applications for funding doctoral research made up 29 per cent of all applications, while the share of post doc research was 12 per cent, showing a slight decrease.

In addition to the grants awarded at the Annual Gala, the Central Fund also makes funding available through the Finnish Foundations’ Post Doc Pool and the Post Docs in Companies Pool. This means that the Central Fund awarded a total of EUR 25 million in grants, as in the previous year. The Regional Funds will also distribute an additional EUR 12 million at their own annual galas in the spring.  

A complete list of grant recipients is available at www.skr.fi/myonnot

Prizes for outstanding cultural achievements

Actor, director, scriptwriter Anna Paavilainen

Anna Paavilainen (b. 1983) graduated from Theatre Academy Helsinki in 2006. She joined the Finnish National Theatre in 2008, where she played key female roles over several years, including Desdemona in Othello, Célimene in The Misanthrope and Hedvig in The Wild Duck.
Paavilainen has a great ability to combine a full immersion in the role with unique clarity of thought. She is also an outstanding musical talent and she boldly uses all her skills in building a work of art.

After leaving the National Theatre, Paavilainen has pursued her career as a freelancer scriptwriting and directing her own performances. She uses acting as a medium to address structural issues in theatre and society, such as the position of young female actors and the pressures on young people regarding their external appearance. Paavilainen’s works Play Rape and Sinuus, the latter created together with Marja Salo, were poignant but extremely funny works of stage art. Paavilainen has established together with Marja Salo the Omatuntoklubi at the National Theatre, which is a club providing an accessible arena for experimental theatre. Anna Paavilainen is also a prolific film actor, director, cinematographer and scriptwriter.

The Prize has been awarded for bold and poignant statements

Mathematician, philosopher Veikko Rantala

Veikko Rantala (b. 1933) is one of the most internationally renowned Finnish philosophers. A major theme in Rantala’s career has been crossing the boundary between “Two Cultures”, the division between natural academic researchs and the humanities, and to explore the conditions in which genuine dialogue could take place.

Throughout his career, Veikko Rantala has been a proponent of cross-disciplinary exchange. Rantala earned his first degree in the 1950s in mathematics after which he taught mathematics in the upper secondary school for more than 10 years. During his time as a teacher, he became interested in philosophy and took up studies in the subject in the late 1960s. Rantala took his PhD in 1973 after which he worked as a researcher at the University of Helsinki until 1985, when he became professor at the University of Tampere. Rantala retired in 1998.
For his doctoral dissertation, Rantala developed the so-called urn models in the field of logic. This helped in resolving several epistemological problems, such as the “problem of impossible worlds”, which were previously beyond reach. The urn models have lent themselves to many philosophical discussions, such as the development of the theory of definability, in which Rantala has made a significant impact.

Veikko Rantala has discussed in his numerous articles and books the problems of conceptual and theoretical evolution as well as the modelling of scientific progress. Alongside and based on these topics, he moved on to collaborate increasingly with researchers of aesthetics as well as musicology and cognitive academic research. The collaboration led to several international publications. Rantala has published several works in Finnish and he has also written widely for the general public on topics such as music appreciation, literature and film.

As a person, Veikko Rantala has an unassuming character and a genuinely philosophical mind, and he has always remained open to different ways of thinking. This has come necessary when building bridges between two worlds, philosophy and mathematics.

The Prize is awarded to a person who has helped broaden our thinking and build bridges of understanding.

Architect Jenni Reuter

Jenni Reuter (b. 1972) is a partner in an architectural office of three women, Hollmén, Reuter and Sandman. She is also the Associate Professor in Architectural Principles and Theory at Aalto University.

Jenni Reuter is a pioneer in a strongly male-dominated field. Hollmén, Reuter Sandman Architects’ works include the Women’s Centre in Senegal, a Shelter House in Tanzania and the Learning Centre in Egypt. These projects are funded by Ukumbi, the NGO established by the three architects, in which the members are mostly women.

Jenni Reuter has carried out several projects in developing countries to alleviate poverty and to offer protection to those who need it the most. She weaves her architecture into the life of the community. A key element in her projects is to engage those in need of help in the design process and the execution of the project, so that they can be free of any sense of obligation towards the architect. According to the underlying philosophy, giving is a joy but a sense of obligation a burden in the long run. Deep caring and empathy that crosses cultural boundaries, as demonstrated by Jenni Reuter, are valuable assets in our time. Jenni Reuter combines theoretical expertise with pragmatism and fearless action: she is not afraid to get her hands dirty.

Jenni Reuter has designed Villa Sundsveja in Dragsfjärd and several architectural exhibitions, among many other things. She aims to find alternatives for conventional norms: an example of this is the private home Kissankäpälä in Espoo, which has a natural ventilation system.
Jenni Reuter is not seeking to be perceived as a heroic architect who designs buildings to build her own brand. Her work shows that showy high-profile architecture is transient and not the type of architecture that in the end will prove valuable for humanity. Reuter challenges society to approach architecture as a way of bringing equality rather than deepening the existing divide between people.

The Prize is awarded for empathetic, human-scale architectural that successfully crossed cultural boundaries.
 

Time stopped in Mankby

The medieval village of Mankby was deserted in the sixteenth century. A team of researchers examined the history of the unique site in a project that spanned several years.

The story of Mankby unfolded gradually. The village turned out to have been a diverse whole, and the results of the project were surprising.

– At the very beginning, we discovered a fossilised medieval village, with most of the buildings constructed during its final stage more or less visible to the naked eye. Excavations provided us with access to its earlier stages. There are not many fossilised villages of this type in Finland, and it is already safe to say that an equally large and well-preserved medieval village can hardly be found anywhere else in Finland, says Georg Haggrén, an adjunct professor of historical archaeology, about Mankby, a village that used to be located in what is now Espoo.

A nkife from the village of Mankby

A knife from the medieval village of Mankby.

Haggrén and his team have been examining Mankby since 2007. A book, Mankby – A deserted medieval village on the coast of southern Finland, was published as a result of the long process in May 2016.

The oldest buildings discovered in Mankby are from the thirteenth century. By Finnish standards, Mankby was a large village, with its eight houses and around 50 inhabitants. All of the houses were relocated in 1556, when Espoo Manor was established. Some of the buildings were transferred by peasants, while others were used by the Crown for purposes related to the manor.

– This means that there is a sense in which time stopped for Mankby 500 years ago. In some respects, land use has been practically non-existent since then, which makes Mankby a unique site, says Haggrén.

– There is very little information about medieval Finland. Archaeology provides us with better access to daily life than written sources, which focus more on administration. There is more information about the period beginning in the seventeenth century, but Mankby had already been abandoned at that point.

However, written material has been discovered about the very final stages of the village, and this material indicates the number of houses and also provides some information about farming, mostly consisting of the names of farmers.

Researcher Tarja Knuutinen was in charge of the excavations in the lower part of the village. This area covered around 100 square metres in the eastern part of the village and included sites of buildings, ancient fields and roadbed.

– I examined a building that was only slightly visible above the ground when we started. It was a building from the final stages of the village that had probably been taken down when the village was abandoned. In addition, we discovered earlier structures dating back as far as the fourteenth century.

According to Knuutinen, the building from the early sixteenth century is very similar to later smoke cottages. It is part of a building tradition that continued almost until our time. Another building examined in Mankby turned out to be a double cottage – that is, a markedly larger house. According to the researchers, it was not the home of an ordinary peasant, but the home of a member of the rälssi class, which was exempt from taxes and enjoyed many other privileges.

The artefacts discovered in Mankby are varied and indicate an active culture of trading that provided even peasants with items from as far as Central Europe.

The development of the village and its layers can be seen in its lower part: the village was first used for cultivation and then for construction.

– The fossilised fields have now been dated to the fourteenth century, and their cultivation may have continued until the early fifteenth century. In terms of research, they constitute an interesting whole, as there are not many similar fields located in the middle of a village. In Mankby, we have gained access to a system of fields and its ditches and foundations.

The artefacts discovered in Mankby are varied and indicate an active culture of trading that provided even peasants with items from as far as Central Europe. These artefacts include fragments of glass goblets, three-legged cauldrons made of red clay and jugs made of stone clay, as well as pieces of horse accessories, such as stirrups, and jewellery and buckles and other items related to clothing.

– From the very beginning, we found an exceptionally large number of knives: sheath knives used for daily work and eating, as well as fine table knives that reached Finland along with influences of Central European culinary culture in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. These influences clearly had found their way to Mankby as well, says Elina Terävä, who was responsible for the examination of artefacts.

The varied artefacts also indicate that people living in modest homes had items that are not traditionally associated with the austerity of peasant life. This came as a surprise to the researchers as well.

– The artefacts are quite fine. We discovered a surprisingly large amount of imported goods, which is a sign of trading. Small ornamental items made of iron, for example, indicate that life was not only about necessities. The people wanted a little luxury, which was provided by items used in Central Europe, for example.

Photo: The knives attracted the researchers’ attention. With its length of more than 20 centimetres, this knife was exceptionally large, as well as being unusually ornate. The knives were decorated using bronze and bone, among other materials.

Application period for regional fund grants 10 January – 10 February 2017

The application period for grants from the 17 regional funds of the Finnish Cultural Foundation starts on 10 January 2017. Regional funds support the cultural work being done in each respective region by awarding grants and prizes.  In 2017, the regions will distribute grants worth a total of EUR 12 million.

The regional fund supports work in cultural fields and different projects; science grants are aimed at dissertation work in particular and the scientific work that follows it. Organisations may seek grants for carrying out different types of cultural projects. When deciding on grants, precedence is given to those applicants who live or were born in the region in question, work carried out in or for the region, as well as cultural and development projects that are significant to the region.

Every regional fund awards at least EUR 40,000 in one or two grants to top projects in the region. In addition, each fund awards at least EUR 20,000 for children’s and young people’s culture. The smallest grants are EUR 2,000, with the exception of study grants, which may be less. Regional funds also have their own areas of emphasis, for example, projects to renew the region’s vitality or identity, communality, as well as children’s and young people’s culture.

The application period ends at 4 pm on 10 February 2017

Applying for a grant is done electronically at www.skr.fi/haku. The application must be submitted to the system by 4 pm on Friday 10 February 2017. Statements must also be submitted to the system by 4 pm on 10 February. Only those applications that have been submitted by the close of the application period will be considered.

Grants will be distributed at the annual party of each regional fund in April or May.

More information on regional funds and grants can be found on the website of each regional fund.

Information on the operations of the Finnish Cultural Foundation and grants can also be found here:
www.facebook.fi/kulttuurirahasto
twitter.com/skr_fi
www.youtube.com/kulttuurirahasto
 

Application Guidelines

The taciturn Finns – is there any truth to the stereotype?

Anna Vatanen

The image of the taciturn Finns is a much-repeated stereotype that is still common. At the same time, Finns are automatically subject to being compared with other nationalities.

“However, no one has actually studied the nature of this taciturnity,” says Anna Vatanen, who is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. “In what situations are Finns reticent and compared to whom?” Vatanen decided to take on the task herself.

Vatanen looks at how people who are acquainted with each other behave in natural interaction situations. She studies how they react to moments of silence during a conversation and how they create such moments: what marks the beginning and the end of silence and what happens in between. Is the silence natural or awkward? Do the persons involved feel the need to busy themselves with something else during the silence? Vatanen bases her analysis on videotaped conversations.

Is the silence natural or awkward? Do the persons involved feel the need to busy themselves with something else during the silence?

Vatanen looks for pauses and repetitive patterns in the pauses. Her aim is to find any general strategies and relate them to the common suppositions about Finnish taciturnity and findings from studies in other languages.

Moments of silence

Although it is early days, Vatanen already suspects that there is something unique to the way Finns relate to silence. Earlier research has shown that pauses occur even among English-speakers. However, during these pauses, the parties typically focus on something else, like petting a dog or fetching a book. In conversations between Finns, there are moments when nothing happens at all.

“They just remain there, quite relaxed,” Vatanen explains.

“The most interesting thing is not necessarily how long the pause is, but what happens during it.”

Vatanen’s research material includes discussions while eating breakfast, driving in a car, playing board games and visiting a friend. Naturally, some pauses occur when a speaker focuses on something else, such as the next move in the game. But, as Vatanen points out, such situations do not always require everybody else to stop talking.

“Even a couple of seconds of silence may feel like a long time. If there are many such moments and they don’t seem awkward, it probably means that the people involved are alright with them.”

What is silence?

“As a matter of fact, ‘silence’ only means that nobody is speaking in a situation,” says Vatanen. “But there are other kinds of interaction, such as nods and looks, which makes silence slightly misleading.”

It is also a matter of how people manifest their connections. Words are not always required; just being there is sometimes enough.

“As a matter of fact, ‘silence’ only means that nobody is speaking in a situation,” says Vatanen.

“Maybe it’s characteristic of Finnish-speakers to refrain from saying anything at all. It may be a normal way of being together. On the other hand, even if Finns have a different attitude to silence than other nationalities, it does not mean that Finns are always, or in general, ‘taciturn’. Furthermore, you mustn’t treat ‘Finns’ as a homogeneous group with just one, common way of doing things.”

In spring, Vatanen will travel to Australia to work with her colleagues there. She is eager to learn about the Australian researchers’ views on the subject and if they see it as something strange or anomalous.

“I don’t think I will be able to establish where the notion of the taciturn Finns originates, but I hope and believe I will be able to reveal something about the reality behind the stereotype.”

Text: Jenni Heikkinen

Finnish Cultural Foundation is making available grants totalling 25 million

Grants of the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Central Fund for 2017 will be open for application in October. The Finnish Cultural Foundation will award a total of 37 million euros in grants in 2017. The Central Fund accounts for 25 million and the regional funds for 12 million of this amount.  

Research grants are mainly intended for doctoral studies and for post-doctoral research. Research Workshop grants are the special grants available during this application round. The grants available under joint funding for doctoral students provide an opportunity to combine a grant with an employment relationship.  

In arts, grants are provided for work and a broad range of different projects, and special grants are also available under a scheme aiming to improve the quality of life of people in need of care by means of arts. Organisations may seek grants for carrying out different types of cultural projects and  artists are also encouraged to submit separate applications for grants for work in residential centres.

Finnish Cultural Foundation is changing over to a paperless application process

The applications for grants must be submitted online, at skr.fi/en/grants by Monday 31 October. For the first time, the entire application process is paperless, which means that you no longer need to print out your application and send it by mail.  

“In addition to our own officials, nearly one hundred outside experts take part in the evaluation of the applications each year. None of them receives any compensation for their work. Many years ago, we decided that we won’t change over to a paperless application process until a large proportion of our evaluators are prepared to read applications on screen only. This year almost 90 per cent of the arts and science experts announced that they are ready to do it,” explains Juhana Lassila, Director of Cultural Affairs of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

The grants of the Central Fund will be awarded at the annual gala on 27 February 2017.

You are warmly welcome to attend a grant information briefing in the music hall of the Old Student House (Vanha ylioppilastalo) in Helsinki on Wednesday 12 October at 16:30.

Further information:
http://skr.fi/en/grants
https://twitter.com/skr_fi
https://www.youtube.com/user/kulttuurirahasto