I’m participating in a panel discussion on music and urban transformation at the Kontula Electronic Festival (21.4., 19h, Kontula shopping centre). With Pekka Tuominen, Giacomo Bottà, Inka Rantakallio and Larri Helminen. Fascinating setting and timely subject.

Kontula Electronic: Panel Discussion

Sound & Vision: Urban Transformation in Helsinki

Fri 21.4. klo 19 Museum of Impossible Forms, Kontula Shopping Centre (Keinulaudankuja 4 E 21, by the Central Square, next to Kontulan Huolto)

Helsinki is changing fast. It might be because of special coffee selections and microbreweries or because of district activism; because of electronic music festivals or because of planning politics.

Changes carry consequences. These might be positively affecting all citizens, regardless of their monthly salary slips, or just targeting some lucky Helsinkians, while the others face segregation into real or imagined ‘problem areas’.

What do we know about this? Not much more than you do. This is why we decided to get together and talk about it in this free-form panel.

Participants:

Pekka Tuominen (facilitator of the panel) is an anthropologist studying urban environments. He is currently the head of research associated with Kontula Electronic and has been studying urban transformation in Istanbul for over a decade. In addition, he has been working in multidisciplinary projects, involving scholars of urban studies, artists and designers, dealing with the questions of future developments of the urban sphere.

Giacomo Bottà is a researcher in urban cultural studies, currently financed by the SKR. He is lecturing in various European universities including the University of Helsinki and Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences. He researches about music cities, in particular post-industrial European ones, like Manchester, Torino, Tampere and Düsseldorf.

Lieven Ameel is University Lecturer of Comparative Literature at the University of Tampere, Finland. He has a PhD in Finnish and in Comparative Literature (University of Helsinki, Finland / JLU Giessen, Germany), and is adjunct professor in Urban Studies and Planning Methods. In his current research, he examines experiences of the urban waterfront in crisis in literary fiction and planning documents.

Inka Rantakallio is a doctoral candidate in Musicology at the University of Turku. Her doctoral thesis focuses on Finnish underground rap, and she also lectures about hip hop culture more broadly. She also co-hosts the weekly Rap Scholar radio show on Bassoradio.

Larri Helminen is the director of Kontukeskus and coordinator of Vetoa ja voimaa Mellunkylään network. He has a long career as a producer for several Finnish festivals (e.g. Pori Jazz, Kontufest) and has been working as an editor for Rytmi magazine. As one of the pioneers of digital culture in Finland, he has also acted as the head producer for the Lasipalatsi Media Centre.