Lumo Art & Tech invites you to learn, connect and exchange ideas

The symposium is part of Josefina Nelimarkka’s exhibition Arctic Clouds and the Lumo Art & Tech festival. It brings together an international lineup of speakers from art, academia, and curating to discuss current themes in art and science and environmental knowledge.

Understanding the multiple aspects of what “environmental” in environmental knowledge might imply connects the topic with current artistic discourses and practices. The term extends beyond space and architecture to ecology and sustainability, while also foregrounding methods of sensing and interdisciplinary approaches.

Furthermore, the arctic dimensions of environmental sensing run through in the speakers’ contributions as well as in the concluding conversation between media theorist, curator Jussi Parikka, exhibition architects studioentropia and Josefina Nelimarkka.

Arctic Clouds – Symposium on data, sensing and experience in the air

In 2026, the traditional Pentti Kaitera Seminar will take the form of a four-part speaker series, Kaitera Talks, with all events open to the public.

The Kaitera Talks 2026 series will bring together four distinguished experts: author and visual artist Rosa Liksom, world-renowned geneticist Aarno Palotie, Professor of Aquatic Ecology Timo Muotka, and Matti Latva-Aho, Vice Rector for Research at the University of Oulu and Professor of Wireless Communications. Each will explore the question from their own perspective: “How can creativity, culture and research save humanity and our relationship with our home planet?” The speakers will also shed light on current topics in science and research at the intersection of culture and technology.

Please note that all the talks are held in Finnish.

Monday 16.11. at 6 pm: Matti Latva-aho – Will Oulu retain its lead at the turning point for wireless technology?

Tuesday 17.11. at 6 pm: Aarno Palotie – The Genes of Finland

Wednesday 18.11. at 6 pm: Rosa Liksom – How my views on sophistication and learnedness have changed

Thursday 19.11. at 6 pm: Timo Muotka – Kymmenen tuhannen virran maa

Work is changing rapidly. Where should we focus next? 

• Work culture and management 
• Creativity, innovation and support of innovation culture 
• Community and learning 

This keynote speaker for this seminar is Siamäk Naghian, CEO of Genelec Oy

The seminar is mainly in Finnish, but if you are interested joining, please register in advance Register here (in Finnish)

PROGRAMME

9.30 Doors open 

10.00 Welcome
Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie, Programme Director Samu Forsblom, Oulu2026, Tuomas Erkkilä and Klaus Suhonen, Art of Work, Tiina Heusala, Työterveyslaitos

10:30 Future Perspectives on Working Life: Changes, Continuities and Tensions
Professor and Research Director Toni Ahlqvist, Finland Futures Research Centre, University of Turku

10:50 Art Break

11:00 Experiences of Hybrid Work, Cultural Leadership and Organisational Development
HR Director Päivi Voutilainen, Talenom Oy

11:20 Lunch Break

12:20 Cultural Performance

12:25 The City of Oulu’s Year of Workplace Culture 2026
HR Director Tuomas Halonen, City of Oulu

12:45 Panel Discussion: Hybrid Work, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Workplace Culture

• HR Director Päivi Voutilainen, Talenom Oy
• HR Specialist Suvi Tuomikoski, City of Oulu
• Research Professor Tuomo Alasoini, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
  

13:30 Coffee and Networking Break

14:00 Keynote: Developing a Culture of Innovation
CEO Siamäk Naghian, Genelec Oy

14:30 Discussion

15:00 End of Seminar

How is artificial intelligence reshaping creative work today, and what opportunities will it create in the future? This panel discussion explores the role of AI in the creative industries from multiple perspectives.

The conversation produced by Oulu University of Applied Sciences will examine how AI is being used in areas such as design, marketing, art, and content creation, as well as the new ways of working and emerging skill requirements driven by technological advancement.

The panel will also address the responsible use of AI, questions related to authorship and creativity, and the growing importance of AI literacy as an essential skill in the modern workplace. The discussion will be moderated by Lotta Pakanen, Senior Lecturer at Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Oamk) and an expert in the educational use of AI, digital pedagogy, and the technological transformation of working life.

Please note that the seminar will be held in Finnish

Throughout history, people have created things for many reasons and purposes: works of art and utilities, beauty and curiosities. With perhaps the exception of literary art, the possibilities for creation have long been constrained by the physical conditions of each era, such as materials, tools, and craftsmanship. In recent decades, technological advances have pushed these boundaries and opened entirely new avenues for creativity. What does creativity look like today? What kinds of tools and materials does modern technology offer for creative work? What role does creativity play in programming, digital fabrication, or in shaping our technological future? In this seminar, we will explore what happens when technology meets creativity.

Join us at the Pakkala Hall in the Saari Central Library on Tuesday, November 17, at 6:00 PM to hear about and discuss the opportunities that technology offers for creativity and how creativity can, in turn, be used to develop and explore technology. In this seminar, we will examine what happens at the intersection of technology and creativity. This Brown Bag seminar is Finnish-speaking and open to everyone, and it is part of the Lumo Art & Tech Festival and the University of Oulu’s programme for the European Capital of Culture year 2026. The speakers are Assistant Professor Ella Peltonen from the Software Engineering Research Unit, Jani Ylioja, Director of the Fab Lab, and Professor Marianne Kinnula from the Information Systems and Human-Computer Interaction Research Unit.

Brown Bag seminar: When technology meets creativity

AVARA is an annual flagship Art & Tech event organised by Oamk’s Arts Innovation research programme. The event brings together a multidisciplinary community of professionals from art, culture and technology.

The 2026 edition of AVARA Art & Tech <3 Space takes place on 18–20 November 2026 at Hotel Lasaretti, as part of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme. The intriguingly open-ended theme explores space in both concrete and conceptual terms: as physical environments, virtual worlds, shared places for encounters, ecological systems, outer space and inner human experience. It invites participants to consider how movement, sound, stories, technology and the environment shape the spaces we create and experience – and how we might imagine them differently in the future.

The programme includes keynotes, discussions, workshops, artistic content and demonstrations, creating opportunities to exchange ideas, experiment with new approaches and build connections across disciplines. At the same time, AVARA opens up questions about who designs our environments, who gets to influence them, and what responsibilities come with shaping the spaces we share.

Speakers include

• Keith Mellingen (Norway): The Geography of XR in Europe: Hubs, Networks and Creative Communities
• Chiara Mastino (Italy): Who Gets to Shape the Space? Lessons from Museums, Heritage and Immersive Technology
• Rob Morgan (UK): Reskinnable Realities: XR, smartglasses and the ethics of augmenting reality
• Chimerik (Canada/Taiwan): Performance, Technology, and Invisible Connections,
• Claus Falk Petersen (Denmark): Struer, The City of Sound – a place-making strategy that uses sound as a driver for local development, identity and growth
• Arno Geens (Belgium): Spacecrafting
• Taija Jyrkäs (Finland): Can outer space function as a site of public art?
• Roel Heremans (Belgium): Inner > Outer Space / Introspection, Neurotechnology & Servers
• Andrew Fladeboe (United States): Building Space Before It Exists: Virtual Reality for Human Spaceflight

Register and see the full programme at oamk.fi

The Lumo Talks seminars explore changes in art, technology and society from four different perspectives. The seminars take place at Tarkastamo, an event venue located at Oulu Market Square. The events are free of charge and open to everyone.


Programme

9:30 | Doors open 

10:00 | KEYNOTE: Vertti Luostarinen and Iina Taijonlahti, Ekho Collective
Sustainability, AI and Systems Thinking – Layers in the Peace Machine

10:30 | KEYNOTE: Marcos Katz, Oulu University
Sustainability in 6G

11:00 | KEYNOTE: Sami Heikkilä, Pohjolan OP
How to make sustainable tech business from art

11:30 | L U N C H B R E A K
Please try local restaurants nearby during lunch break

12:30 | Joona Kotilainen, AI comedian and host: Stand up session & panel discussion (12.30-14.00)
12:00 | Ville-Sakari Kotka, media artist: Community art workshop (12.00-16.00)

LuovAIn! Roadshow Oulussa: Ihminen ja tekoäly – luovia yhdessä vai erikseen?

13:15 | PANEL DISCUSSION: LuovAIn Roadshow (in Finnish)
Humans and AI – Creating Together or Separately?

14:00 | KEYNOTE: Experience Aika: Jukka Karhula and Mika Johnson

14:45 | KEYNOTE: Jukka Isokangas, Elisa 

15:15 | PANEL DISCUSSION: Kaleva Media

16:00 | End of programme

LuovAIn Roadshow will be present on Wednesday at Tarkastamo!

The Lumo Talks seminars explore changes in art, technology and society from four different perspectives. The seminars take place at Tarkastamo, an event venue located at Oulu Market Square. The events are free of charge and open to everyone.

Programme

09:30 | Doors open

10:00 | KEYNOTE: Tuomas Tikka, Avidly
The Four Dimensions of Creativity

10:30 | KEYNOTE: Vasileios Agiomyrgianakis and Haruka Hirayama, OAMK
Who is performing Whom? Humans, AI, Robots, and New Spaces of Creativity

11:00 | KEYNOTE: Ari Pouttu, Oulu University
6G 

11:15 | KEYNOTE: Miguel Bordallo López, Oulu University
When AI gets physical 

11:30 | L U N C H B R E A K
Please try local restaurants during lunch, Tarkastamo does not have a a restaurant. 

12:30 | KEYNOTE: Laura Karjalainen, Nokia 
Radio Networks – The Invisible Masterpiece

13:00 | KEYNOTE: Takashi Kudo, teamLab

14:00 | KEYNOTE: Michelle Rocha, Factory International
Beyond the Pixels – Stories that Move

14:40 | Lara Hill, The Upwellings

14:55 | Ari Alatossava, Mayor of Oulu

15:00 | Aino Toppi, OP Pohjola
Foresight & Futures Thinking

15:20 | Heikki Rautila, OP Pohjola
AI Transformation: Rethinking Everything

15:40 | Petri Liimatta, OP Pohjola
Experimenting with Futures

16:00 | OP Afterwork
Explore partner demos at Tarkastamo and attend Päivi Järvenpää’s talks at 17:00 and 18:00.

19:00 | End of programme

Illuminating Engineering Society will organise a professional seminar for the lighting industry on 19 November from 10:00 to 17:00 at Finnkino Plaza. The theme of the seminar is Cultural Heritage in a New Light. The event is aimed at Finnish lighting professionals, people working with lighting, and anyone interested in the topic. Participation is free of charge.

The event will be held in Finnish.

Programme and speakers

10-11:30

Elisa Hillgen, Finnish Illuminating Engineering Society
Selja Flink, Senaattikiinteistöt
Roope Siiroinen, VALOA design Oy

Lunch Break and Networking at Company Stands

13:30 – 16:30
Henrika Pihlajaniemi, University of Oulu
Research Group, Oulu School of Architecture, University of Oulu
Elisa Hillgen, Finnish Illuminating Engineering Society

17:00 End of Daytime Programme

The entire programme is available in Finnish at valosto.com

What is the place of light art in the city? How can light art change the way we see, experience and use public space? How can the position of light art and its international connections be strengthened?

The FLASH Oulu seminar explores light art as part of urban culture, public space and the international field of light art. The seminar approaches light art from a range of perspectives through presentations from Finnish and international speakers.

Keynote-speaker: Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde. As the founder of Rotterdam-based Studio Roosegaarde, he brings together art, technology and urban development, exploring creative solutions to environmental challenges through his work. Roosegaarde has spoken at major international events, including TED, the World Economic Forum and SXSW.

The programme will include the FLASH5 Light Art Biennale in Oulu, curated by Oskari Kaarne, as well as perspectives and insights arising from research into urban darkness within the University of Oulu’s Art of Darkness as Cultural Heritage of Urban Landscape project.

The seminar brings together seven international light art curators who will be in Oulu as part of the FLASH Residency.

The day will conclude with a panel discussion facilitated by Mia Kivinen, the new Artistic Director of Lux Helsinki. Artist and audio describer Anu Aaltonen will present audio descriptions of light artworks in both Finnish and English during the seminar.

The seminar will be held in English. Free of charge. Registration here.

The seminar is organised by the Finnish Light Art Society FLASH, which promotes light art and the position of its practitioners in Finland and internationally. FLASH works to create the conditions for Finnish light art to develop, renew itself, internationalise and grow into an artistically recognised field of its own by strengthening practitioners, gathering and sharing knowledge, and bringing together and presenting expertise, actors and networks.