Projects
We have several ongoing projects that support our journey to become the European Capital of Culture. Some of the projects are administratively part of the Oulu2026 Bidding Office, but a large part of the projects is implemented by numerous partners of our cultural programme.
Light Art in Public Spaces (LAIPS)
LAIPS project builds city capacities on permanent light art installations in public spaces by exchanging best practices about the creation, production and maintenance of the works. Light & Art Lab is a platform to visit each other installations and exchange about light and art practices and strengthen operational capacities of local creative operators, including city officials, technical staff and artists. Participants will also develop together a new innovative tool (in the form of a digital app) to digitise this unique kind of cultural content, raise awareness about its existence and to make it more accessible to a wider audience.
Partners: LUCI Association (Lighting Urban Community International), Torino (IT), Leeds (UK), Valladolid (ES)
Implementation time: 2021-2023
Funding: Creative Europe
DigiCult – making cultural sites and nature experiences familiar with the help of data
The project will build a spatial data-based service platform and data resource DigiCult, where residents and tourists can easily find information about cultural services and the city’s various experiences and leisure activities. The project creates an operating model and technical capacity in which the existing information of municipalities as well as other information resources is utilised in the digitisation of municipal services.
Partners: City of Kuusamo, City of Espoo
Implementation time: 2021-2022
Funding: Ministry of Finance
TechArt
TechArt creates (1) European wide network called TechArt City to connect the high-technology with the content creation stakeholders and (2) pilots new innovations in TechArt Arena to e.g. display new content in the city public spaces and a digital shared platform for companies and content creation stakeholders to share from the experiences in the pilots. During TechArt both the technology companies and stakeholders together with the artist will create new content which will make the innovations more visible in the city.
Implementation time: 2021-2022
Funding: ERDF
Culture United
Culture United utilises cultural events and heritage festivals as a driver to embed multidisciplinary ways of teaching in primary schools. Oulu’s contribution focuses on combining tar and local history to teaching methods and making our cultural heritage visible in the city centre, tourism and Oulu’s identity.
Partners: Stichting Beleef en Herinner (NL), Kunstkade (NL), Creative Spark (IE), Gael Scoil Dun Dealgan primary school (IE), Edinburgh City Council (UK), Unique Events (UK), Open Education Community (BE), City of Oulu (FI), Oulu International School (FI)
Implementation time: 2019-2022
Funding: Erasmus +
Competence in bidding to EU Competitive Programmes
This project strengthens Oulu region’s future RDI funding base. Activities support international networking and improve the expertise of key people and organisations promoting RDI.
Partners: Oulu University of Applied Sciences, BusinessOulu, University of Oulu, Centria University of Applied Sciences
Implementation time: 2019-2021
Funding: ERDF
With these links you will find information about other ongoing projects in our region that further Cultural Climate Change:
The Most Sustainable European Capital of Culture
Northern Attraction from Lighting Know-How
Stories of Warjakka – augmented reality experience and gallery