Handling Mind Seminar at Tvärminne zoological station on the 22. – 23.4 

Tvärminne scenery. Photo by Camilla Groth.

All four Tracks of the Handling Mind research project gathered together at the Tvärminne zoological station on April 22th to get an overview of the work done so far and to make joint plans for the future. Especially the initiation of Track C was discussed in detail, as it constitutes of a more challenging research setting. Pilot tests of the research situation were conducted and resulted in a leap forward in the understanding of the over all setting. The research setting will next be tested in combination with track B tests that are to be conducted in June.

Plans for time windows in the use of EEG equipment during performing a design task. Photo by Krista Kosonen.

Piloting research setting of Track C. Photo by Krista Kosonen.

Piloting research setting of Track C: Drawing task. Photo by Camilla Groth.

The seminar was very successful in bringing the different Tracks together and enabling a mutual understanding of the direction of the research as a whole.

The Seminar was followed by a two-day writing retreat the 24 – 25. During the first day the participants worked intensively on the collected data in small groups. The second day started with discussion on analysing methods and analytical frames in Track A. The retreat provided a good opportunity to revise also the article writing plans and a clear focus for each article.

Preliminary plans were made for the presentation of the Handling Mind project in a poster session during the Academy of Finland joint Human Mind seminar in the up coming autumn.

The handling mind group having lunch on the terrace. Photo by Camilla Groth.

Handling Mind public event at the Design Forum showroom

Opening of The Exhibition at March 6th. Photo by Krista Kosonen.

The Handling Mind research tracks, together with the Academy of Finland, arranged a public event on March 27^th where the research Tracks A, B and D presented the progress of their projects. The program of the event included talks by Professor Maarit Mäkelä, who together with the doctoral students, Krista Kosonen and Tarja-Kaarina Laamanen, presented some of the data and preliminary analysis of Track A.

Tarja-Kaarina Laamanen and Krista Kosonen presenting at the Design Forum Showroom Gallery. Photo by Camilla Groth.

Pirita Seitamaa-Hakkarainen presenting at the Design Forum Showroom Gallery. Photo by Camilla Groth.

Professor Pirita Seitamaa-Hakkarainen presented some of the work done in Track B by herself, doctoral students Tellervo Härkki and Henna Lahti, where the main theme is Co-Design.

Professor Minna Huotilainen presented the neurological data from research done in Track D, and Professor Erja Syrjäläinen further described the research process of the same track.

Graphic from Minna’s presentation showing the difference in EEG measures taken of students before and after learning a skill. Graphic by Minna Huotilainen.

Track C has not yet been initiated.

The event was held at the Design Forum Showroom Gallery, which displayed the exhibition We Are Wayfarers by students from Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Department of Design. The exhibition was showing work produced during an 8-week course for Master students during the spring 2014. The course Design Exploration and Experimentation works as an educational platform focusing on design students’ personal creative process and their individual way of managing its phases. Track A of the Handling Mind project carry out their research in conjunction with this course, exploring amongst other issues how students manage open-ended design challenges under a given theme by documenting their process and sharing its phases in the course context. This year the theme of the course was “Journey” and the students travelled to Lapland for inspiration.

Exhibited sculpture by one of the students. Photo by Krista Kosonen.