Episode 1, Becoming collective
Vitória Freitas, Aliina Kemppainen and Yu Yue talk about their experience as members of PUBLICS Youth Advisory Board 2023. The Youth Board is a collaborative position for 18-21 year olds who implement, question and expand the activities of PUBLICS, a contemporary art organisation based in Vallila, Helsinki.
Aliina, Yue, and Vitória share about positioning themselves differently within the cultural scene now, since the start of the project. People contribute to the making of culture in many ways, and being present and in conversation affects others a great deal. Yue points out that this is already a powerful form of advising.
Vitória, Aliina and Yue discuss what it takes to become a collective. Aliina reminds us that the first step to make a safer space for collective work is to break down conventions and expectations, and to allow everyone’s personal ways of working. Vitória adds that creating a positively challenging environment within the group offers direct knowledge on how to host welcoming spaces for others too.
When it comes to accessibility and participation, Vitória, Aliina and Yue suggest two keywords: autonomy and support. Young practitioners from diverse backgrounds have a lot to offer to the local cultural scene, and a combination of autonomy and structural support is what they most urgently need to participate with sustainable means.
In the podcast we refer to the spoken words workshop led by writer and educator Tania Nathan at PUBLICS in May 2023.
Oslo, for the Nordic Youth Conference, October 2023. Credits: Katrine Eltvik.
PUBLICS Youth Advisory Board 2023 are Vitória Fiorella Freitas, Lucas Jordi, Aliina Kemppainen, Aapo Kivivuori, Stella Massa, Gabriella Presnal, Spencer Strachan, Emmi Surwillo, and Yu Yue. The project coordinator is Micol Curatolo.
Follow us on instagram at @publics_youth and read more at publics.fi/youth
The live radio show is part of the project Reaching Out (2023-2026) in collaboration with Index Teen Advisory Board (Stockholm) and PRAKSIS Teen Advisory Board (Oslo). Reaching Out considers how cultural institutions connect and communicate with new young audiences. PUBLICS, Index, and PRAKSIS young boards together constitute the Nordic youth network Future Futures. The project is supported by Erasmus+ Ungdom.
Credits
Producers and Hosts: PUBLICS Youth Advisory Board 2023 and Micol Curatolo
Guests: Vitória Freitas, Aliina Kemppainen, Yu Yue
Jingle: Gabriella Presnal
Music: Aliina Kemppainen
Sound recording, editing and live streaming: Bailey Polkinghorne
*The audio piece was recorded at the Helsinki Open Waves performance & recording room located at Caisa.
**The views expressed in this audio piece and texts are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Helsinki Open Waves.
***If you have any feedback regarding the content of the podcast, please contact us via helsinkiopenwaves@gmail.com