EN
I represent myself as an 'artist-organiser', cultural producer, educator and independent researcher. I am specialised in developing and leading inter- and trans- disciplinary projects exploring connections between art, digital culture and science, cultural activism, ecological and sustainability movements, cultural heritage and collaborative networks. I am experienced in coordinating and facilitating participatory-open workshops for multi-disciplinary professionals, students & young people.
I am from central Scotland, grew up and lived there until 2000, however I have been based in Helsinki and Eastern-Baltic Sea region since the end of 2002. I consider myself a Commons activist working from within the cultural sector. As a personal example I also contribute as much of my artistic-research work to the Cultural Knowledge Commons, archiving media and documents to http://archive.org/details/@agryfp
My main involvement of recent years has been with Pixelache Helsinki [1] node of International Pixelache Network. From early 2011 until end of 2014, I was coordinator and facilitator of the 'Pixelversity' around-the-year informal educational programme for Pixelache. I am currently involved in their ongoing work-group project 'Ferment Lab' (2015-), and as a board-member self-allocated responsibility for international networks and archival processes. In Finland I am also a member of Open Knowledge Foundation Finland, focused on OpenGLAM topics, and also Finnish Bioart Society, which has a strong ecological & environmentalist focus in art+science.
Looking ahead am currently planning projects for 2017 in Helsinki FI, Minsk BY, Riga-Liepaja-Aizpute LV, Dortmund DE, & Strasbourg FR. All more or less relate to participatory or commons-based peer-production.
In direct relation to the Commons topic I have taken part in one European Commons 'Deep Dive' gathering in early December 2012, and also the 'Economies of the Commons' in Berlin conference of May 2013, both organised by the Commons Strategy Group. In collaboration with Andrea Botero & Joanna Saad-Sulonen, we edited in Helsinki a document called 'Towards Peer-production in Public Services: Cases from Finland', Crossover 15/2012. Helsinki: Aalto University, 2012 [which can be accessed here: http://co-p2p.mlog.taik.fi/book-2012/ ]. I have also written in 2010 about the connections between rural cooperative traditions and network culture: http://affinitiesjournal.org/index.php/affinities/article/view/51
I am very much interested in migrant epistemologies and refugee hospitality & facilitation subjects, and out of the many topics presented in the Assembly, I will try to focus my contributions in the Assembly on the role of artists and cultural workers in contributing to Commons transitions, and to any migrant or cultural heritage topics.
