Children’s singing ecologies in culturally diversifying Finnish schools and society

Children’s singing has been extensively studied in music education over recent decades by emphasising effective vocal skill-development and vocal pedagogy, as well as by approaching children’s cultures through song repertoires. However, little is known about the meanings young children ascribe to singing and their experiences of singing in increasingly diversifying educational contexts, in times when global (e.g. UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child) and national policies (The Child Strategy in Finland) are urging societies to better take into account children’s perspectives on decision-making that concerns their own lives. The objective of this study is to develop a new, interdisciplinary understanding of young children’s singing, conceptualised as singing ecologies, and to highlight that singing in schools may have a much wider role than mere musical learning and vocal expression. The knowledge gap is addressed by asking: What meanings do children ascribe to singing within their ecologies? The ecological framework for exploring children’s singing was constructed through four interconnected dimensions: 1) the ecology of children’s development and its constituent processes as an existential matter; 2) the child’s voice and the production of space and the power relationships as embedded in diverse spaces in children’s everyday lives; and 3) ecological agency and singing as affordances; and 4) social-ecological systems thinking, which allows considering the school as ‘a bridging organisation’ in a culturally diversifying society. The concept of children’s spaces, drawn from childhood studies, is used to conceptualize children’s singing spaces as the core for understanding singing ecologies and the potential of singing to become an affordance in school. The case study’s empirical material was generated in an ethnographic framework through semi-structured interviews with 6–7-yearold first-grade children (N=22) and their teachers (N=4) in one culturally diverse school in the capital area of Finland. In addition, the empirical material included researcher observations and a diary. Narrative analysis methods were combined with thematic analysis within an ecological framework. The findings show that first-graders are already aware of how their singing relates to their social-ecological relationships and are able to reflect verbally on their experiences. They furthermore show how children navigate between public and private singing and produce spaces of trust and freedom through singing. They produce singing spaces for their own uses: to handle everyday life struggles, to create new ways of acting and participating, and to exercise their political voice by addressing their stance. The findings illustrate the importance of the qualities of the relationships that children experience in places of singing. Children also recognise the difference between singing in school and singing outside school, as well as the meanings of singing in school, in which singing appears as an adult-led activity that is sometimes resisted. For the children, feeling connected with and accepted by others in school is fundamental. Children varied in terms of how eager they were to share their cultural differences and home cultures through singing and music education in their school. Furthermore, the findings show that young children seek for opportunities to produce in-between spaces of singing in school, for example in the school yard or even in secret in the classroom. The dissertation contributes to a more complex, spatial, and relational ecological understanding of children’s singing in school, as narrated by the children themselves. It challenges learning-centred teaching practices in music education in schools, teacher education, in-service teacher training, and research suggesting a new awareness of children’s singing ecologies in educational institutions. It advocates for an awareness of the existential qualities of singing, which cannot be reduced to learning the use of the singing voice. It concludes that more attention should be given to singing as a powerful activity and affordance that can bridge home and school experiences, and to the school’s ability to function as a bridging organization through a curriculum of caring that can help young children navigate their singing ecologies and lives in a meaningful way.Lasten laulamista on musiikkikasvatuksessa tutkittu viime vuosikymmeninä laajasti. Tällöin on korostettu laulutaitojen tehokasta kehittämistä ja laulupedagogiikkaa sekä lähestytty lasten kulttuureja lauluohjelmistojen näkökulmasta. Pienten lasten itse laulamiselleen antamista merkityksistä ja heidän laulukokemuksistaan yhä monikulttuurisemmissa kasvatuksellisissa konteksteissa tiedetään kuitenkin vain vähän. Tiedon vajaavaisuus on hämmästyttävää ottaen huomioon, että maailmanlaajuiset (esim. YK:n lapsen oikeuksien sopimus) ja kansalliset politiikat (Suomen kansallinen lapsistrategia) kannustavat yhteiskuntia huomioimaan paremmin lasten näkökulman lasten elämää koskevassa päätöksenteossa. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena on tuottaa uutta ymmärrystä pienten lasten laulamisesta kehittämällä monitieteistä laulamisen ekologian käsitettä sekä tuomalla esiin että laulamisella koulussa voi olla musiikillista oppimista ja lauluilmaisua paljon laajempi merkitys. Uuden tiedon tarvetta lähestytään tutkimuksessa kysymällä: Mitä merkityksiä lapset antavat laulamiselle omissa toimintaympäristöissään? Ekologinen viitekehys lasten laulamisen tarkasteluun rakennettiin neljän toisiinsa liittyvän ulottuvuuden avulla: 1) lasten kasvuympäristö ja siihen liittyvät prosessit eksistentiaalisena kysymyksenä, 2) lapsen ääni sekä tilan tuottaminen ja valtasuhteet lasten arjessa, 3) ekologinen toimijuus ja laulaminen tarjoumana (affordance), sekä 4) sosiaalis-ekologinen systeemiajattelu, jossa koulu voidaan ymmärtää ”siltaorganisaationa” kulttuurisesti monimuotoistuvassa yhteiskunnassa. Lapsuuden tutkimuksesta lainattua lasten tilan käsitettä hyödynnettiin käsitteellistämään laulamisen tilan käsitettä, joka mahdollistaa laulamisen ekologisen ymmärryksen ja laulamisen tarkastelun mahdollisena tarjoumana koulun kontekstissa. Tapaustutkimuksen empiirinen materiaali kerättiin etnografista tutkimusotetta noudattaen puolistrukturoiduissa haastatteluissa 6–7-vuotiaita ensimmäisen luokan oppilaiden (N=22) ja heidän opettajiensa (N=4) kanssa yhdessä kulttuurisesti monimuotoisessa koulussa Suomen pääkaupunkiseudulla. Empiirinen materiaali sisälsi lisäksi tutkijan havaintoja ja tutkimuspäiväkirjan. Narratiiviset analyysimenetelmät yhdistettiin temaattiseen analyysiin ekologisessa viitekehyksessä. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että jo ensimmäisen luokan oppilaat tiedostavat laulamisen yhteydet heidän sosiaalisekologisiin suhteisiinsa ja että he kykenevät verbalisoimaan kokemuksiaan. Tutkimus osoittaa, että lapset toimivat julkisen ja yksityisen laulamisen tiloissa ja luovat laulamalla luottamuksen ja vapauden tiloja. Lapset luovat laulamisen tiloja omiin tarkoituksiinsa: arjen haasteista selviytymiseen, uusien toiminta-ja osallistumistapojen luomiseen sekä käyttävät ’poliittista ääntään’ ilmaistessaan kantansa. Tutkimus havainnollistaa sosiaalisten suhteiden laadun tärkeyden paikoissa, joissa lapset laulavat. Lapset tunnistavat myös eron koulussa ja koulun ulkopuolella laulamisen välillä sekä merkityksellistävät koulussa laulamisen aikuisvetoiseksi toiminnaksi, jota toisinaan vastustetaan. Lapsille on koulussa olennaista, että he tuntevat olevansa yhteydessä muihin ja että muut hyväksyvät heidät. Se, miten halukkaita lapset ovat paljastamaan kotinsa kulttuuria laulamalla ja koulun musiikkikasvatuksessa, vaihteli. Tutkimus osoittaa lisäksi, että pienet lapset etsivät tilaisuuksia laulaa esimerkiksi koulun pihalla tai jopa salaa luokassa. Väitöskirja edistää monitahoisempaa, tilallisempaa ja aiempaa enemmän suhteisiin perustuvaa laulamisen ymmärtämistä koulussa, jolloin myös lasten oma käsitys laulamisesta otetaan huomioon. Se haastaa oppimiskeskeiset opetuskäytännöt koulujen musiikkikasvatuksessa, opettajankoulutuksessa, opettajien täydennyskoulutuksessa ja tutkimuksessa sekä tarjoaa uudenlaista tietoisuutta lasten laulamisen ekologioista kasvatuksessa. Se pyrkii suuntaamaan huomiota laulamisen eksistentiaalisiin kysymyksiin, joita ei voida pelkistää ainoastaan lauluäänen käytön/laulutekniikan opetteluun. Tutkimuksen johtopäätös on, että kouluissa olisi kiinnitettävä enemmän huomiota laulamiseen merkityksellisenä toimintana ja tarjoumana, joka voi yhdistää koti- ja koulukokemukset. Siltaorganisaationa koulu voisi toteuttaa välittämiseen perustuvaa opetussuunnitelmaa, joka voisi auttaa pieniä lapsia navigoimaan menestyksellisesti lauluympäristöissään ja elämässään mielekkäällä tavalla

Säveltäjänä rajapinnoilla : hälyisyydestä sävelisyyteen kokeellisen musiikkiteatterin kontekstissa

Taiteellisessa tohtorintutkinnossani tarkastelen ja kokeilen hälyisyyden asteen säätelyä, paikkasidonnaisen teoskonseptin mahdollisuuksia, monityylisyyden luomia rajapintoja sekä todellisuuden ja esityksen välisen rajan murtamista. Tutkielmassani tarkastelen hälyisyyden asteen säätelyn ja esityspaikan ääniympäristön huomioimisen keinoja kokeellisen musiikkiteatterin kontekstissa. Tarkastelen erilaisten rajapintojen funktioita säveltämisen näkökulmasta erityisesti kokeellisen musiikkiteatterin kontekstissa. Pyrin löytämään ja käsitteellistämään erilaisia rajapintoja omassa musiikissani säveltäjän käytännön työn näkökulmasta. Työni koostuukin pääasiassa omien sävellysteni analyyseista sekä omien sävellysprosessieni reflektoinnista ja dokumentoinnista. Lisäksi olen analysoinut referenssiteoksia vakiintunein partituurianalyysin menetelmin. Tutkimusmenetelmät asettuvat toisaalta musiikinteorian ja toisaalta taiteellisen tutkimuksen traditioon. Tutkintoni koostuu useista teoksista, joissa käytän erilaisia laajennettuja soitto- ja laulutekniikoita sekä harmoniassa toteutettua hälyisyyden asteen säätelyä osana musiikillista ilmaisuani. Näitä teoksia ovat Mitä meille harmonikalle ja sekakuorolle Arto Mellerin tekstiin (2007), La Spada del Sole jousikvartetille (2008), Lauluja – Sånger sopraanolle ja pianolle (2009) sekä Pariton barytontriolle (2011). Kokeellisissa Oopperaa arjessa -musiikkiteatteriteoksissa laajennan hälyisyyden asteen säätelyn ajatuksen koskemaan myös ennakoimattoman kaupunkimelun ja sävelletyn välistä suhdetta. Oopperaa arjessa -trilogia sisältää teokset Le Saxophone… bassosaksofonille, sekakuorolle ja kauppakeskuksen äänille (2010), Kohtaus kadulla sopraanolle, lyömäsoittajalle, näyttelijälle ja kaupunkitilan äänille (2011) sekä Tori kansanlaulajalle, baritonille, harmonikalle ja Kuopion torin ihmisille sekä äänille (2014). Erityisesti Torissa käyttämäni katusoittajalle sävelletyt tyylipastissit olivat musiikillisena sysäyksenä tohtorintutkintoni viimeiselle teokselle, Der Unveröffentlichte Film der Eva Braun (2020–2021). Se on sopraanolle ja kamariyhtyeelle sävelletty monologiooppera, joka esitettiin perinteisessä teatteritilassa. Monologioopperassa sävellystyön fokus siirtyi hälyisyyden asteen säätelystä saman kulttuurialueen erilaisista tyyleistä luotuihin jännitteisiin. Tämän tutkielman merkitys on näyttämömusiikin erityispiirteiden hahmottamisessa yleisesti ja hälyisyyden asteen säätelyn ja erilaisten rajapintojen tarkastelussa erityisesti. Johtopäätöksenä esitän, että hälyisyyden asteen säätelyä ja erilaisia rajapintoja voidaan hyödyntää tietoisesti kokeellisessa musiikkiteatterissa merkitsemään esimerkiksi muotokokonaisuuksia, päällekkäisiä tapahtumia, draaman rakentamista tai purkamista sekä paikkaerityisissä teoksissa esityspaikan vaikutusta ja esittäjien funktioita. Tutkielmani tarkoituksena on sanallistaa säveltäjälähtöistä tietoa tästä aiheesta

Reorientations : steps towards more eco-socially sustainable new media art and lighting design in contemporary performance

The Reorientations publication is aimed at lighting designers and new media artists working in the international field. Ecologically sustainable performance and production practices are often understood at a general level as being about material recycling. However, in the artistic examples presented in the Reorientations essay collection, and in the essays reflecting on them, I have sought to impose stricter boundaries on myself. What if I refused to use lighting fixtures whose material origins the manufacturers could not trace? What if I avoided using electricity on stage altogether? What if I abandoned travel completely? The examples in the essays explore productions realised in theatre and museum spaces, as I believe that, to achieve rapid change, it is effective to experiment with new approaches in contexts brimming with conventions. In the first section of the Reorientations essays, I challenge common traditions in lighting design. I use only a single light fixture that fits into a backpack to design the lighting for a performance, observing how this choice influences the artistic process and touring practices. Additionally, I examine the origins of the materials used in an LED light – does the manufacturer genuinely know the sources of the mined materials used in the light's production, or am I, through the minerals in the light, connected to exploitation? In the second essay, I address lighting design for performances and the creation of public artworks using alternative light sources. I also explore the potential of dimness, sharing authorship with weather conditions and planetary movements. In the third essay, I disconnect entirely from the electrical grid, lighting a candle as a tribute to the memory of fossil capitalism. The fourth section focuses on international collaboration. Travel generates an enormous amount of carbon dioxide emissions. Could we completely abandon travel and still work internationally by utilising Extended Reality (XR) technologies? Are future metaverses the answer to ecologically and socially sustainable international collaboration in exhibitions and performances? The fifth essay explores the possibilities of dramaturgical work in multidisciplinary collaboration in the context of the ecological crisis. In the final section, I return to childhood landscapes, reflecting on the potential of powerful emotional experiences to revitalise our relationship with the environment through the creation of a community-based video artwork. In conclusion, I summarise the "new landscape" that has emerged through the Reorientations project. In the Reorientations essays, my aim has not been to create a moral guide but to share reflections that invite the reader to engage their own critical thinking. The materials and ideas from the artistic examples are freely available for all creators to use. I hope these essays, along with the artistic examples, will plant seeds and encourage lighting designers and media artists to further develop these ideas in their own work. The Reorientations publication is based on Jani-Matti Salo's Finnish essays, which were published as part of the "Uudelleen suuntauksia: Askeleita kohti ekososiaalisesti kestävämpää mediataidetta ja nykyesitysten valosuunnittelua" project publication, supported by the Kone Foundation between 2021 and 2023.Introduction -- Lighting design that fits in a backpack -- Alternative light sources and planetary movements -- Lighting design without electricity -- International work without traveling -- Dramaturgical work in a multidisciplinary team -- Site-specific emotional experiences as catalysts for environmental connection -- Conclusion: Reflecting on changes

Data Ocean Theatre (Out of the Blue) : a discipline-fluid postdoctoral artistic research project exposition

Data Ocean Theatre (D.O.T.) is a four-year artistic research project that explores the intersection of myths, Western theatre memory, new media, digital animism, climate emergency, seas and oceans transformations, queer subcultures, and technological mutations in relation to aspects of “submersion” as a contemporary living condition. Expanding on the claimed unsustainability of Western theatre’s anthropocentric foundations, D.O.T. examines how the notion and practice of the stage transform amidst climate urgency, technological hypergrowth, and discipline-fluid hybridization. It seeks to generate experiments on a new temporal ecology of the stage, examining how theatre-making infrastructures might transition within a multi-agential dynamic of emergence. D.O.T. appears, disappears, and reappears through a series of polymorphic artworks and research affordances based on the ecodramaturgical consideration of the simultaneous phenomenon of 1. the rising sea and ocean levels, 2. the exponential growth of big data in our informational age, and 3. the emotional overload caused by the latter two happening, projection, and prophecy. D.O.T. explores inherited sea-and-ocean-oriented myths and revisits theatre plays with a marine backdrop, looking simultaneously into contemporary nautical vocabulary and sea imagery used as metaphors for computational realities. D.O.T. proposes to re-mythologise Western theatre foundations by forming an alternative pantheon for a queer, hydrofeminist, and technoanimist reset of the “tragic”, at the interplay between a syncretic marine mythology and the ambiguities of “technology-as-monster” narratives. In D.O.T. project, the forces and fragilities of transforming marine ecosystems intersect with algorithmic-conditioned life and crossbreeding of diverse art disciplines and research fields based on collaborations, generating imaginary prototypes for future societal constructions. D.O.T. is structured around several key components: the prologue Simultaneous Environments, featuring a series of experimental works; the central project Tragedy and the Goddexxes, which culminates in three public exhibitions; and a series of workshops, residencies, and a final publication in the form of an exposition on the Research Catalogue. This final publication of the Data Ocean Theatre postdoctoral artistic research project (2021–2024) Data Ocean Theatre (Out of the Blue); A Discipline-Fluid Postdoctoral Artistic Research Project Exposition performs on the Research Catalogue as both an aesthetico-epistemic object in its own right and as an a posteriori account, or catalogue raisonné, of the project. It also acts as a supplement to the author's doctoral publication, Reacclimating the Stage (Skenomorphoses), completing the latter to form a diptych on the Research Catalogue. Similar to the doctoral publication, the non-linear, non-hierarchical, and non-chronological reading, or hyper-reading, of Data Ocean Theatre (Out of the Blue) invites its visitors to navigate freely and compose their own fluid, archipelagic, and tidal experience to make sense of the project as a whole.The publication has been peer-reviewed

We're Here! We're Sphere! Get Used To It!: Anti-Fatness at the Theatre Academy

This is a thesis inspired by autotheory and stand-point theory, in which I present experiences lived by myself and four other fat students at the Uniarts Helsinki Theatre academy. Drawing on literature from the field of fat studies as a part of gender studies, it explores how anti-fat attitudes have shown themselves in the interactions we have had with individuals and structures at the academy and how we as individuals who have been shaped by anti-fat bias and abuse outside of the Theatre academy cope within it. Additionally, the thesis compares statements from the Uniarts Helsinki vision statement and Safer spaces guidelines and argues that for fat people at the academy these guidelines and goals are not upheld nor reached. Fat students at the academy face bias and abuse, they limit themselves personally and artistically and are actively limited artistically by teachers and peers, they receive movement training of lesser quality than their thin peers and they are not supported in becoming self-confident fat artists when they leave the academy. The method used is interviews in the form of small talk between author and interviewee. The interviewees and their quotes have been anonymized, and the quotes have been scrambled so as to form a mass of experiences rather than shaping rosters of individual experiences for each interviewee. The interview materials have been categorized through close reading, following the themes arisen in the interviews. The categories are as follows: 1. Getting in – experiences from entrance exams 2. Opting out – experiences of self-censorship and exclusion 3. Fitting in – experiences from the costume department 4. Staying fat – temporality of identity and the pressure to shrink 5. Getting out – how has the school prepared us for the field? 6. Stigma, slurs and surviving This thesis came about due to my own hurt as a fat person studying at the Theatre academy, and my own experiences of not being heard or supported when expressing this hurt. I chose to place myself as an active part of the thesis för several reasons: to include my own experiences in order to have more voices in the mix; to assert myself in my fat identity; to place myself and fat narrative as part of the stand-point theory canon; to practice the principle I inherited from my mentor Suzanne Osten to always as a director be ready to answer any question I put to an actor or colleague

“Leading” as a mode of interaction and communication in contemporary music performance-practice on the violin

My artistic doctoral degree work, “Leading” as a mode of interaction and communication in contemporary music performance-practice on the violin, consists of five concerts, two peer-reviewed research articles, and this summary, which contextualizes the two articles within the overall doctoral project and identifies links with the concerts presented as the artistic component of the project. The doctoral concert series, At the Edge of the Sound – Violin as a Medium for Composers’ Expression, consisted of solo violin works and chamber music composed after the Second World War to the present day. To expand the violin repertoire, I commissioned new works by Jukka Koskinen, Jouni Hirvelä, Jarkko Hartikainen, Maija Hynninen, and Veli Kujala. In my practice-based artistic doctoral study I explored leading as a mode of interaction and communication between myself, my fellow performers, the audience, and the performed compositions in the context of contemporary music performance-practice. Leading is an elementary physical skill that refers to directing, conducting, cueing, and synchronizing the ensemble performance with bodily and instrumental indications while playing an instrument. Due to the increased complexity of the musical material, leading in a contemporary music ensemble provides multiple challenges compared to leading in the Classical or Romantic repertoire. In the first article, “Leading” as a mode of interaction and communication in contemporary music performance-practice (Trio 2021), I explored leading as a multimodal, crossmodal, and multidirectional interactive process in a chamber ensemble context. My study was grounded in Leman’s theory of expressive alignment and enactment process (2016) and various other studies on embodied interaction, gestural communication, and synchronization; it also reflected on diverse social roles and leadership in chamber music ensembles. Through three case-studies, I illustrated various leading practices and alternating ensemble roles that had emerged in my performance-practice. I classified musical ensemble roles as leader, co-leader or supportive leader, and follower, and divided leadership into two categories, designated and shared leadership. I divided leading into temporal and expressive leading techniques, which are used to express various temporal and expressive musical features. I found several sensorimotor, instrument-specific, notational, temporal, socio-cultural, and acoustical factors affecting leading practices. Hence, I argue that leading techniques must be consciously practiced and embedded in body language as separate, instrument-specific playing techniques. The second article, ‘Leading’ as a strategy in the performance-practice of contemporary solo violin music (Music Performance Research 2024), provided a leading-based approach to the performance-practice of contemporary works for solo violin. The theoretical context for this study was based on the theory of focus-of-attention and music-related studies on physical gestures. I used two case-studies to explore which specific temporal and expressive ensemble leading techniques and practices could be applied in a solo performance to emphasize interpretation, temporal structures, phrasing, dynamics, and articulation. I demonstrated how notational practices, performance gestures, leading techniques, varying ensemble roles (within a solo performance context), metaphors, and different focus-of-attention conditions can be used as a strategy to improve the performance-practice of contemporary works for solo violin. I argue that leading in a solo performance serves two purposes: leading my own actions and leading the audience to perceive the music and participate in the listening. Within the different works presented in my concert series At the Edge of the Sound – Violin as a Medium for Composers’ Expression, I explored varied leading practices, the quality and character of leading gestures, and breathing as a method of timing and unifying the ensemble synchronization. Despite being a designated leader in the beginning of each rehearsal project, shared and rotated leadership and active co-leadership became the most elementary practices in my performance-practice. I propose that the ability to recognize and utilize different ensemble practices and the variable functions of leading gestures clarifies and speeds up the rehearsal processes. I identified various leading types. In orchestral leading, I used different temporal and expressive leading gestures of an orchestra section leader, which activated the body language and helped me focus attention externally. Associative leading revealed musical structures, musical references, and gestural associations that affected my analysis and interpretation of music and helped to communicate music to the audience. In intentional leading, I emphasized the musical expression by conscious bodily movements, gazes, and theatrical gestures. The solo violin performance and the multimedia performance had a different mode of communication and interaction. The works for violin, electronics, and other media provided both visual and audible material that functioned as a leader, to which I had to adapt my performance. Hence, my study suggests that leading as a method of interaction and communication involves three different orientations and contexts: leading in a chamber ensemble context, leading in a solo performance, and leading a solo violin performance in a multimedia context, the latter including electronics, live-electronics, video, and other types of media

Extracting the night : Cultural extractivism and urban nightlife in Helsinki

Adopting the concept of cultural extractivism, this article scrutinises how nightlife activities and spaces for live music are increasingly dependent on the forces of financialisation, which extract layers of material and immaterial assets for economic gain. Underground practices can temporarily disrupt this process, facilitating the emergence of alternative cultural practices; however, this cannot offer adequate lasting solutions and can only be addressed by creating a more equal and fairer city. Drawing on insights from cultural studies, sociology and urban studies, this work contributes to a nuanced comprehension of the interplay between live music, the urban night, capitalist exploitation and resistance. Through qualitative analysis of interviews with city officials, club owners, party organisers, participants and DJs, the study presents a fresh perspective on the vulnerability of music ecosystems in the context of contemporary urban development

To photograph a butterfly

To photograph a butterfly is a Master of Fine Arts Thesis consisting of the artistic component presented at the Kuvan Kevät 2024 exhibition, and the written component provided here, both sharing the same title To photograph a butterfly. The artistic component took the shape of an installation, consisting of a photobook, 12 prints, a video projection on tulle fabric, 32 diafilms, as well as rocks placed around the exhibition space. The photobook, handbound and 48 pages in length, featured 12 photographs and an essay. In the essay the themes of the work are explored through personal experiences and memories. This written component further examines, explains, and illustrates the arguments that were brought up in the essay, as well as goes into detail on how the installation presented at the Kuvan Kevät 2024 exhibition came about. The thesis is conceptually based around the idea of how different types of knowledge affect the way one sees the world around them. This is explored through various examples concerning photography and language. How photographs and words are used in arts and sciences is another central theme of the thesis. Throughout the thesis, the agency of light is discussed in relation to the act of seeing as well as the act of photographing. The work begins from the act of photographing a butterfly and quickly expands from there. The thesis acts as an attempt at seeing from another perspective. To consider the point of view of another person, another being, but also that of the camera apparatus

Representations of Metaphysical Temporality in the Libretto of Einojuhani Rautavaara's Vincent with a Corresponding Resemblance to Alban Berg's Wozzeck

In his early serialist composition style, Einojuhani Rautavaara expressed indebtedness to the flexible usage of the twelve-tone system that was adapted by Alban Berg. The trace of Berg's influence becomes dramaturgically reminiscent when investigating the philosophical impact that Berg's opera Wozzeck had on Rautavaara's opera Vincent. This study aims to analyse the symbolic content of the Vincent libretto, with a secondary depiction of parallel attributes found in the libretto of Wozzeck. This examination demonstrates how the operas share a philosophical foundation that is based on an expression of metaphysical temporality inherent within the plots of both operas, which juxtapose the duality of the two temporal planes of empirical reality and metaphysical illusion. The outcome of such a comparison illustrates how Rautavaara's opera can be interpreted in a new framework of understanding that is based on the Finnish composer's mirroring of Berg's operatic and dramatic style as seen in Wozzeck

Resonating Voices - Waves of Sound and Spirit in a Palestinian Musician's Quest for Identity and Freedom

This thesis emerges as an exploration of the multifaceted nature of music, identity, and the enduring spirit of a people living through profound challenges. Based on autoethnographic reflection, it provides an introspective exploration of how sound becomes a vessel for presence, a mirror for resilience, and a space for transformation. Through music, this inquiry seeks not merely to articulate personal narratives but to connect them with the common pulse of collective memory—a memory influenced by the persistent realities of displacement and the yearning for freedom that Palestinians, no matter where they are in the world, experience. At the heart of this research lie three case studies that illuminate the potential of music: Sonic Exile, where traditional Arabic modalities and experimental soundscapes dissolve into a single, resonating voice; Echoes from Bethlehem, an improvisational encounter with Palestinian Nay master Faris Ishaq that brings forth a meditative state of being wholly present in sound and spirit; and the work of the Amwaj Choir, where human voice rises above cultural and physical confines, embodying a living, enduring presence. The findings suggest that music is not a static act but a living practice—an unfolding dialogue between tradition and innovation, self and other, silence and sound. Improvisation, as a way of being, becomes a method of both reflection and resistance, enabling a deeper connection to the present moment while engaging with the complexity of the past. The research reveals music’s profound capacity to heal, to resist, and to imagine new pathways for freedom and belonging. Rather than offering definitive conclusions, this thesis extends invitations: to listen, witness, and remain open to the spaces where sound and silence meet, where identity and memory evolve, and where the human spirit, despite all, continues to create and endure