Practical Negotiation in Art and Politics
14th to 16 of March 2017
Ex-Club, Merimiehenkatu 36, 00150 Helsinki, Finland​

Below images and text from event. It consisted of three nights of conversation and collective action, on politics, art and role of passivity in contemporary everyday life.
​Photogra​phs by Tiitus Petäjäniemi, Timo Tuhkanen, Hami Bahadori, and Aldo Oddo Tuhkanen. All rights reserved.

With increasing self-isolation of individuals from the public spaces and increasing number of artists and creatives in the market, art and exhibition culture has become an effective tool for capitalism to create comfort zones for the upper middle-class. 

We are inviting young politicians from different political parties and artists to have conversation around topics such as city planning and accessibility, urban environment, affordable housing, education and the unrepresented minorities and refugees. 

TUESDAY 14th: Collective-action and conversation
Prep for opening (Time: ~17:00 - 21:00) 
Community action and Conversation around Politics
Tipi building / Banner Making / Mosaic making
So far confirmed participants from muncipal electees: Karin Toyoda (sfp/rkp).

WEDNESDAY 15th: Panel Discussion with Helsinki politicians (In English)
(19:00 - 21:00)
Panel:
Timo Tuhkanen (Moderator)
Pedro Aibeo (Left Alliance)
Marianne Niemelä (Green League)
Samuli Sinisalo (SDP)
Jaan Siitonen (SFP / RKP)
Nelli Ruotsalainen (Feminist Party)

THURSDAY 16th: Community Conversation 
(18:00 - 21:00)
Roundtable conversation with invited artists and activists:
Ray Langenbach (Professor Teak Live Art and Performance Studies)
Reflection of the previous discussions
What can we do (Possible solutions)
Deciding future actions
Overcoming passivity
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Pedro Aibeo (Left Alliance / Independent) is a Portuguese architect and father. He is campaigning for the growing minority of non-Finnish and non-Swedish speaking population in Helsinki (14%), and is advocating direct democracy and the end to political careerism.
http://www.pedroaibeo.com/

Marianne Niemelä (Green League) is a queer activist and art and cultural curator in Helsinki. She is campaigning for accessibility of public spaces, equality, and enabling grassroots cultural movements and activities in and around the city. She is the chairperson of the East-Helsinki Green League.
https://marianneniemela.net/

Nelli Ruotsalainen is a 28 year old feminist activist with an MA in Gender Studies. They are Finnish-American although unsure what such descriptions mean to person who doesn't believe in borders. Nelli is one of the founders and on the board of the Feminist Party founded in the summer of 2016. Nelli is a PhD student at the University of Turku and works part-time for a European Social Fund project that seeks to bring equality and non-discrimination more systelamitcally into municipal unemployment services.
www.nelliruotsalainen.com 

Samuli Sinisalo (Social Democratic Party) has worked in many fields including being an assistant for several Finnish politicians, he is currently running a Kalevi Sorsa foundation project to help democratic progress in Macedonia. He is campaigning for affordable housing, free sports and health facilities, and new vibrant cultural spaces in the city.
http://www.samulisinisalo.fi/

Jaan Siitonen
http://www.jaansiitonen.fi/

Timo Tuhkanen (moderator) is a queer composer, visual artist, poet and curator born and raised in the Middle-East. He is currently working at creating fast past direct actions and political interventions as culture through collective intelligence.
http://www.timotuhkanen.com/

​TUESDAY 14th: Collective-action and conversation

​WEDNESDAY 15th: Panel Discussion with Helsinki politicians (In English)

​THURSDAY 16th: Community Conversation ​