Successful Russian-Finnish cooperation continues

There was Russian-Finnish seminar in St. Petersburg 7-9 September hosted by CYS. The project "Digital youth and media city", supported by the Kone Foundation, was discussed there.

Finnish colleagues – Johanna Sumiala, Arseniy Svinarenko, Heth Mulari, Annalina Niitamo, Malin Gransberg, Leena Suurpaa and Patrick Rastenberger arrived in St. Petersburg to exchange results of the DiME project research, outline future plans, feel the specifics of the youth life in Saint Petersburg and get their own experience of using the Russian subway.

DiME project is focused on so-called digital youth, that is youth using digital technologies. One of the ideas of the project was to trace how digital youth use the most technologically advanced and strictly regulated urban systems – metro. Last year's research case in Helsinki was devoted to this issue, and St. Petersburg team of Yana Krupets and Nadezhda Vasilieva has been studying the everyday experience of metro users this year.

However DiME project was not limited only by subway study. The workshop presented various research cases – graffiti in Helsinki, sticker art in St. Petersburg, Finnish hippie circus, and Pokemon GO case.They were implemented simultaneously in Helsinki and in Saint-Petersburg (by Anastasia Sablina and Margarita Kuleva). Empirical findings and methodological challenges encountered during the field work were discussed. Special attention during the discussions was paid to the specifics and potential of the visual materials.

In addition to the scientific seminars Margarita Kuleva conducted a wonderful tour of New Holland and then organized a visit to the Museum of Street Art. Next day researchers visited the oldest stations of St. Petersburg subway, talked a lot about culture, science, history and values of the Soviet Union represented there.

 

Special thanks to Patrick Rastenberger for the photos!