From http://www.espooinnovationgarden.fi

A team of Aalto University students have designed a virtual art gallery for the Aalto University metro station, which is currently under construction. The virtual art exhibition is available via smartphone app.  The City of Espoo and Länsimetro Oy commissioned a group of students attending the PdP (Product Development Project) course to design an innovative and interactive application to enhance user experience at the metro station.

The Aalto University metro station is a gate to Espoo Innovation Garden. This Innovation Garden, the largest innovation cluster in the Northern Europe, is located in Otaniemi, Keilaniemi and Tapiola. An innovative and collective approach is central to its operations, and the PdP collaboration is one such example of this.

”We were delighted to have a skilled and versatile team to take on the challenge; a team that represents the professionalism and international attitude that is at the core of our Innovation Garden,” says Tuula Antola, Director for Economic and Business Development.

The team consists of 11 students of various disciplines from eight countries and four continents.

”The project is perfect for the Garden: innovative, trendy and constantly updating itself.”

Länsimetro CEO Matti Kokkinen says that the students’ work shows that the metro stations and Espoo Innovation Garden will be excellent platforms for new solutions emerging when various partners combine their expertise.
”The students had a great attitude, collaborative skills and a wealth of ideas during the project,” praises Kokkinen.

The head of the student team, Pekka Siika-aho says that it was a surprise that the virtual art exhibition was selected from the variety of options.

”The project was a challenge but a fantastic experience – very surprising and unpredictable.”

Virtual art gallery public at the Helsinki Railway Station and Kamppi metro stations until 31.5.2015 and at Urban Mill the whole summer.

You can visit the virtual art gallery at the Product Design Gala where PdP course projects will be showcased. The Out of Sight exhibition opens on Friday 22 May 2015 at Urban Mill in Otaniemi. The exhibition stays there the whole summer.

The exhibition will also be open to the public from Friday until the end of May at the Helsinki Railway Station and Kamppi metro stations as part of HKL’s 70th anniversary art festival, Taidelinja.

The exhibition will feature works from the Touch exhibition selected from the Saastamoinen Foundation collection at EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art. The works offer perspectives of what it means to be a human being. Audiences can consider humanity and being human while interacting with the works of art.

The exhibition will also feature animation and video works by talented Aalto University students; true reality and virtual reality intertwine, revealing secrets behind everyday objects.

The interdisciplinary PdP course has been held at the Aalto University since 1997. Many well-known companies have given commission of their projects to the course participants. This is the first time that the City of Espoo has taken part.

For more information, please contact:

Tuula Antola, Director, Economic and Business Development, tel. +358 43 8246 393

Matti Kokkinen, CEO, Länsimetro Oy, tel. +358 50 347 1558

Pekka Siika-aho, head of the student team, tel. +358 41 525 8091

More information on the Out of Sight virtual exhibition: www.outofsight.fi (the website will go live on 21 May)

More information on the PdP course and the Product Design Gala: www.pdp.fi

More information on the HKL Taidelinja: www.taidelinja.fi