Oct 31, 2023
Tartu, one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2024, is looking for three young people aged 18–30 from the Oulu2026 region to volunteer between January 25 and February 13, 2024.
The selected young people get to create a unique youth celebration on International Youth Day (February 10, 2024) together with other young people from Estonia and other parts of Europe. In addition, participants will get to experience the opening of Tartu’s Culture Capital Year (January 26, 2024).
International volunteering is organised through the European Solidarity Corps. Participants are offered a travel allowance, accommodation, food, insurance, and a small pocket money.
More information on the volunteer programme at Tartu2024 website.
Did you get interested in international volunteering? Apply as a volunteer by 20 November 2023. Decisions about the selected young people will be made by 30 November. Fill out the short application form via the attached link.
Additional information: Oulu2026 Community Coordinator Mirja Syrjälä, mirja.syrjala (a) oulu2026.eu, +358 40 502 9633
Oct 31, 2023
The performance of the male choir Huutajat and flamenco dance master Israel Galván at AaltoSiilo’s Screaming Duende hybrid event could be experienced both on-site in Meri-Toppila, Oulu, and via a live stream. Photo: Juuso Haarala
Oulu2026 has launched the Hybrid Event Producer 2026 project in cooperation with Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OUAS). The ESF+-funded project will develop and pilot more interesting digital concepts for the event industry on how live events can be experienced in an immersive and experiential way also from home sofas and mobile phones.
For the audience live streams are probably the most familiar digital way of transmitting culture. Especially during the covid-19 pandemic streams gave artists and creators the opportunity to offer experiences online when events and gatherings were not allowed.
However, the need to develop the digitalisation of culture has not disappeared; digitalisation can be used for example to improve the accessibility of culture in sparsely populated areas. The goal of Oulu2026 is that the majority of the 2026 cultural programme can be experienced digitally and remotely.
“The Oulu2026 area consisting of 40 municipalities is geographically extensive stretching from one national border to another, and the programme for the European Capital of Culture year is organised throughout the year. Digitalisation can be used to make it possible to experience cultural content in an accessible way even when arriving at an event is not possible for example due to long distances or health reasons,” says Mirko Siikaluoma, project coordinator of Hybrid Event Producer 2026.
Hybrid productions improve equal access to culture and enable the transmission of culture for example to nursing homes and assisted living units. The project also pays attention to the interaction of remote participants in hybrid events and sustainable development, as the opportunity to experience culture remotely can reduce carbon dioxide emissions caused by travel.
OUAS starts a study module of hybrid event production as a part of project
Utilising digitalisation in the transmission of culture requires new kinds of expertise from producers. The aim of the Hybrid Producer 2026 project is to update the competence of professionals working as producers to meet today’s requirements and to increase the number of producers in the Northern Ostrobothnia region. To achieve this goal, Oulu University of Applied Sciences will start a study module consisting of themes related to the production of hybrid events.
Hybrid producer studies are aimed especially at people working as producers, people trained in the profession of producer, and unemployed who are interested or have experience of working as a producer. Students participating in the studies can also participate in Oulu2026 with an internship and/or a work trial.
Further information: Project coordinator Mirko Siikaluoma, mirko.siikaluoma@oulu2026.eu, tel. 040 183 3188
Implemented by: Oulu Culture Foundation, Oulu University of Applied Sciences
Project implementation period: 1.4.2023–30.9.2025
Jul 25, 2023
Kuva: M. Plepys, KMN Kiemų šventė 2023, Kaunas Artist House
Come and feel the atmosphere and culture of the city at the common dining table in Mannerheim park in the Oulu Arts’ Night on August 17. from 18:00 to 20:00.
Sit at the table with your own snacks, grab takeaway from nearby restaurants, or come check out the tastings offered by the operators at Summer Night table setting.
This year we are trying the event as a free event, open to everyone. We will implement a 24 m long table with white cloths in Mannerheim park during the Oulu Night of Arts on August 17. from 18:00 to 20:00. There will also be live music and other artistic activities around the Summer Night Setting.
So grab your friends, your work team, your top team or just come alone to have social dining togethers!
The Summer Night Setting is part of the Oulu2026 Arctic Food Lab cultural program.
Welcome!
Arctic Food Lab
Northern Finland’s short but intensive summer ripens our local ingredients. Arctic Food Lab is a programme that brings forth the ingredients that have grown under the Oulu2026 region’s Northern sky, and the uniqueness of traditional food born under arctic circumstances. We want to offer locals and international guests Arctic Food Lab experiences that cannot be experienced anywhere else.
For more info, please contact us: arcticfoodlab@oulu2026.eu
Oct 13, 2023
Ready lingonberry soup.
In Finland, the basic education system is known for its quality and versatile teaching offer. One key part of this education is home economics education, which provides students with everyday life skills they will need in the future.
Home economics is a versatile and functional art and skill subject taught to manage everyday life, which also has social significance. Home economics education develops practical operational skills, cooperation and interaction skills, the ability to make sustainable choices and the ability to apply knowledge in everyday life situations.
The teaching creates a foundation for students’ household skills and supports their growth as active members of the family, home and society. In home economics education, you learn the basic requirements of everyday life at home and how to take care of your loved ones.
The importance of home economics education takes on an even more important role, especially with this uncertain world situation.
Source: Finnish National Agency For Education, www.oph.fi
Here is Luka ready for home economics homework – making a lingonberry soup.
Luka Pasma, a 7th grader from Pohjankartano school, made a work practice day in the Oulu2026 Arctic Food Lab program, writing the attached article.
Here is Luka’s favorite berry soup recipe from the northern forest:
Lingonberry soup
Ingredients (5 portions)
1 liter of water
5dl lingonberries
4 tablespoons of potato flour
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 dl of sugar
Instructions
Heat the water in a pot.
Add half of the lingonberries. Cook for 10 min.
Meanwhile, mix the potato flour and 1 dl of water in a small bowl.
When the lingonberries have boiled for 10 minutes, remove the pot from the stove.
Add the potato flour-water mixture, stirring all the time with a whisk.
Put the pot back on the heat, and let it boil (a little bubbling is enough).
Finally, add the remaining lingonberries and sugar.
Check the taste and enjoy <3
Arctic Food Lab
Northern Finland’s short but intensive summer ripens our local ingredients. Arctic Food Lab is a programme that brings forth the ingredients that have grown under the Oulu2026 region’s Northern sky, and the uniqueness of traditional food born under arctic circumstances. We want to offer locals and international guests Arctic Food Lab experiences that cannot be experienced anywhere else.
For more info, please contact us: arcticfoodlab@oulu2026.eu
Jun 21, 2023
The Program Peek is an article series where, as the name suggests, we take a sneak peek into the cultural programme of Oulu2026, the European Capital of Culture. The series provides small glimpses of what’s to come and highlights interesting aspects.
As the year 2026 approaches the former wood chip silo located in Meri-Toppila is being revived through a project led by the Factum Foundation. The aim of the project is to restore the building into a world-class multipurpose space for various exhibitions and public events. With the AaltoSiilo project, the cathedral-like concrete structure will transform into a center for science and culture, combining Alvar Aalto’s iconic architecture with 3D technology, creating a unique entity in the area.
The project manager Valentino Tignanelli explains that the silo will actively host events annually even before the actual year as the Capital of Culture.
“The first event we organized in the silo was Farewell to the hoppers, where the Transistori collective used the elements within the building’s interior as instruments, turning the space into its own instrument. The latest event, Screaming Duende, combined flamenco master Israel Galván and Huutajat (Screaming Men) choir. We appreciate the interaction between artists and the building, and we hope that the silo will always be the main star of the events held there,” describes Tignanelli.
How does AaltoSiilo connect to the Oulu2026 theme of “Wild City”?
“We see the wildness as a symbol – it is something that has disappeared and needs to be created again. Wild city in this Oulu2026 program needs to be this new relation to what we consider wild and nature. AaltoSiilo reflects cultural climate change by being part of that.”
How does AaltoSiilo promote cultural climate change in the area?
“From an architectural perspective, it is important how the restoration of a concrete building like the silo saves an equivalent amount of emissions that would be generated by constructing a new series of apartment buildings. Oulu is full of concrete buildings, and through our work, we aim to set an example for the use of similar structures by preserving and refurbishing this culturally significant silo.”
What can we expect from AaltoSiilo in the upcoming years?
“We are planning a public space to the lower floor of the silo intended for 200 people. There will also be a vertically arranged audiovisual cabinet of curiosity from the lowest floor towards the building’s highest peak. Silo is an iconic landmark of its era, where we hope to welcome both exhibitions and live performers.”
How would you like the northern region to look like in 2026?
“I truly hope that the Capital of Culture year leaves something visibly tangible in the city – such as this silo, for example. I hope that the initiatives and organizations launched during the Capital of Culture year will continue their activities even after the important celebratory year. I believe that the cultural landscape of Oulu will undergo significant changes as a result of the year 2026.”
Follow the project:
Aaltosiilo.com
Instagram.com/aaltosiilo
May 31, 2023
Oulu is a European Capital of Culture in 2026. The Oulu2026 culture programme in 39 municipalities is realised by local, national and international actors. The programme in Oulu is coordinated and managed by the Oulu Culture Foundation. The Foundation provides co-funding for projects. The entire culture programme will be published in 2025.
Oulu and the entire northern region of Finland will be filled with culture, art and events in the coming years. We arranged Open call 2022 that was specifically aimed for large-scale projects that take several years to prepare or carry out. Nearly 300 project proposals were received: about 90% of the proposals came from Finland, of which 65% came from the Oulu2026 region. 62 of the proposals have now been selected to complement the Oulu2026 culture programme.
In addition to the projects now selected, the Oulu2026 culture programme includes approximately 50 projects that have been involved since the application phase of the European Capital of Culture year, and the programme will expand further with the We are Culture Open Call in 2024–2025. The culture programme is divided into three themes: Brave Hinterland, Wild City and Cool Contrasts.
The majority of projects under the cultural programme are carried out under an external executive production leadership and they are selected and co-funded through the Open Calls. The next open call will be We are Culture in 2024–2025, which is call for applications for individual and communal projects.
The construction of the cultural programme will continue, and the entire programme will be published in 2025.
We will add information about the projects later this year.
Selected partners – Open Call 2022
Brave Hinterland – nature, art and life on the edge of Europe
The Association for Rural Culture and Education
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Kivilompolo Kukkakollektiivi (workgroup)
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Reality Research Center
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Oulu Safaris Oy
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Lumo Company
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ArtAr-luonnontaiteenkeskus (workgroup)
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Antye Greie
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The Northern Opera Company
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KulttuuriKauppila Art Centre (Municipality of Ii)
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The Mustarinda Association
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Kulttuuriosuuskunta G-voima / Vaara-kollektiivi
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Municipality of Kempele
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Folk Extreme Oy
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Oulu Writers Association
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Erika Benke
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Municipality of Liminka
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The Danish National Museum / Ships department
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Oulun Työväen Pursiseura ry
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Kajaanin kaupunginteatteri (Kajaani City Theatre)
Unique local flavours and experiences
Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Oulu
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Pohjois-Suomen Messut ry
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Eija Ranta (workgroup)
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Foodium Oy
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Varjakan kyläyhdistys ry
Wild City – art and culture belong to everyone and everywhere
Kulttuuriyhdistys Bio Huvimylly (workgroup)
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Limingan kansanopiston kannattajayhdistys ry
—
Akola Friends (workgroup)
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The Aine Art Museum / City of Tornio
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Perfect Circle Oy
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Teatteri Telakka ry
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Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde (PPCM)
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Instituto Iberoamericano de Finlandia
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MABD Oy
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Oulun Rantasaunaseura ry
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K2 Taiteilijatalo ry
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Routa Company
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Talous ja Nuoret TAT ry
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Taito Pohjois-Pohjanmaa ry (Regional Crafts Association)
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Oulu Theatre
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Kulttuuriradio Oulu ry
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Romanikulttuurin museon tukiyhdistys ry
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Pikisaaren Villatehtaat ry
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Kulttuurikiihdyttämö ry
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PROTO – Designers’ association of Northern Finland
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Vanha Villatehdas ry
Festivals in Europe’s spotlight
Varjo / Pro Piknik Festivals Oy
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OstariFestari / Höyhtyän Kulttuuriyhdistys ry
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The Irish Festival of Oulu / Irish Music Society of Oulu ry
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Concreate Urban Art Festival / Helsinki Urban Art ry
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Oulu Music Video Festival
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JoJo – Oulu Dance Centre
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Solstice Festival / four-one-seven oy
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Valentin Vaala Film Festival / Brandstein/Ilmestys Oy / Municipality of Vaala
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Puolanka Pessimism Festival / Puolanka Pessimism Association
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Kuusamo Nature Photo / City of Kuusamo
Cool Contrasts – power to create something new
Pyhäsalmen Tanssi ry
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Rauhankone ry
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Oulu University of Applied sciences
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The Ostrobothnian Contemporary Music Festival / Nykymusiikkiseura Lokakuu ry
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The Finnish Light Art Society FLASH ry
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Faculty of Humanities, University of Oulu
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Screaming Men’s Choir, Mieskuoro Huutajat ry / POSK tuotannot Oy
