VARTIOSAARI ISLAND

COMMONERS UNITE!
HELSINKI
WELCOME TO PIXELACHE 2014!
Pixelache Helsinki 2014 is an international trans-
disciplinary event focusing on the theme of The
Commons, including bio-, urban culture and knowl-
edge commons topics. Adding a new island to its
logbook after Suomenlinna (2011) and Naissaar (2013),
Camp Pixelache takes up residence on Vartiosaari,
a nature island surrounded by eastern suburbs of
Helsinki, during 6-8th June 2014.
Based on previous Camp Pixelache experiments, the
event is designed around two main unconference
days (June 7 & 8). Typically in this format, the agenda
is shaped and conrmed by the attendees at the
beginning of the event. Anyone who wants to initiate
a discussion on a commons-related topic can claim
a time and a space. The event is free of charge.
Camp Pixelaches pre-programme of events includes
two keynote presentations on June 6 and a series of
several-day long workshops during the days preced-
ing the unconference.
According to Michel Bauwens, the Commons consist
of any common resource that is available to all, and
as such there are many type of Commons but basi-
cally two: physical resources or man-made.
The Commons is also a series of specic institutional
formats used to manage such common resources.
On the local Commons. web-presence, the follow-
ing examples of Commons are also given: Shared
natural resources, free software, open data, p2p
networks, co-operatives, co-cultures, talkoots, street
art, as well as many other commonly-known past,
present and future manifestations.
Pixelache already has a long history of engaging with
collaborative digital media and particularly with
knowledge-sharing and Free/Libre Open Source
culture. Early in Pixelache Helsinkis development,
a social science paper by Katri Halonen, correctly
identied the strong co-relations between open-
source ideology, and the inuencing thematic and
organizational structure of the festival. Pixelache
Festival 2014 engages further in Commons issues,
specically from the angle of educational and cul-
tural production strategies and sustainability.
As a trans-disciplinary cultural festival, we believe
in the necessity to develop trans-disciplinary
capacities to tackle together issues of the Commons,
such as environmental protection and sustainable
nature-resource utilization/management, as well as
resisting privatizing forces on all aspects of life.
We hope that you will enjoy Camp Pixelache 2014!
VARTIOSAARI NATURE ISLAND
Camp Pixelaches main venue Vartiosaari
demonstrates many aspects of the Commons as
a nature and recreation island in the middle of
suburban city sprawl, which hosts numerous social
and association-run wooden summer-villa retreats
and special features. The island is currently
under-threat of full-scale residential development
by Helsinki City Planning Department, and there
is a grassroots campaign to protect its particular
qualities, in which artists & cultural practitioners
are involved. We are hoping that the occasion of
Camp Pixelache can also provide a discussion
forum around Helsinki-Commons issues.
7.6. SATURDAY
11:00-12:00
12:00-14:00
14:00-15:00
15:00-19:00
19:00-20:00
21:00-
8.6. SUNDAY
10:00-10:30
10:30-13:00
13:00-14:00
14:00-18:00
Camp Pixelache starts with scheduling of days sessions
/ Verkkomaja
First session of activities
Lunch time
Afternoon sessions
Dinner time
Evening sessions
Scheduling of days sessions
/ Verkkomaja
Morning session
Lunch time
Afternoon sessions
Markus Schmidt (AT) & Alain Ambrosi (CA)
Helsinki University, Unioninkatu 40 (Auditorium 1)


29-30.5 / Vartiosaari
Cultural Coding Workshop
30.5-6.6 / Vartiosaari
Construction Talkoots
2-5.6 / Kaupunkiverstas
Curies Children Workshop
KEYNOTES / City Center
6.6. FRIDAY
17:30-20:00
CAMP PIXELACHE / Vartiosaari
PIXELACHE 2014 SCHEDULE
PRE-CAMP WORKSHOPS (advance registration)
CAMP DAY 2 / MY SCHEDULE CAMP DAY 1 / MY SCHEDULE
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
20:00
21:00
22:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
20:00
SEEDED THEMATICS
Open-Sourcing Festivals
In the context of Pixelache Networks Open Learn-
ing Steps & Open-sourcing Festivals project, we are
asking ourselves and others the following questions:
How does an organization open-source their cultural
festival? Can we share the process for organizing a
festival, so that other groups can use it themselves?
How do organizations support activities and events
throughout the year? Can we share the process for
sustaining ongoing programs, so that other groups
can do this too?
During 2013-2015, these questions are explored
through a mobile circuit of workshops and seminars
organized across Europe, Camp Pixelache 2014 being
one of the steps in the process. Five experimental
art, design and technology organizations from the
Pixelache Network are taking part in this project.
PIXELACHE 2014 PROGRAMME
and answer lie at the intersection of law and scien-
tic theory and practice.
At the same time we have to consider, amongst others,
the ethical, societal and economic needs and chal-
lenges concerning life sciences. On the thematic of
the Bio-Commons, a discussion is initiated that sets
out to identify the requirements and conditions for
an open and collaborative approach to new licens-
ing models for the Life Sciences. Therefore, members
of the biohacking scene from Europe and beyond
will gather for a workshop at Camp Pixelache. The
workshop is facilitated and organised by the Finnish
Society of Bioart and Rdiger Trojok as part of the
Synenergene EU programme.
The Helsinki-Commons
This thematic is the natural continuation of the
collaboration with Aalto co-p2p SIG, Open cities
working group (Open Knowledge Foundation Finland)
and Pixelache.
How may mapping the Helsinki-Commons help
towards designing a how-to resource, a citizen
toolbox, for creating and making Commons?
Besides a Commons-toolkit workshop led by cop2p
SIG, we are expecting various Vartiosaari-themed
contributions. In addition, we are also excited about all
unexpected contributions Helsinkians may propose!
Open Source and Free/Libre culture, spreading
from software and hardware, to urban space and
organizational issues, unites the partners. Open
Learning Steps & Open-sourcing Festivals is
supported by EU Grundtvig.
This thematic of Open-Sourcing Festivals will be
explored through several activities proposed by the
project partners during Camp Pixelache and we
hope that many other participants will share their
experiences of event organising!
The Bio-Commons
With regards to biotechnology, society relies mainly on
patents as means to enable and secure innovations.
In recent years, the limits of this intellectual prop-
erty regime has become increasingly evident. New
approaches to biological knowledge and technology,
such as the attempts to establish open access and
open-source practices to key biotech methods and
processes are currently being negotiated.
A plenitude of licensing modes has been developed in
the past and with success in the digital world. Despite
the essential achievements, there exists no similar
licensing model for the life sciences. In prospect of
the vast amounts of knowledge and inventions to be
awaited it is a good time to bring our experience and
expertise together to initiate an in depth discussion
on the subject of Bio-Commons. The questions to ask
CONSTRUCTION TALKOOTS
Host: Mikko Laajola & Hello Wood (HU)
When: 30 May-6 June 2014
Where: Vartiosaari, Helsinki
During 30.5-6.6, a group of enthusiasts will help build sustainable
infrastructure on Vartiosaari. The collective Hello Wood from
Hungary & artist-gardener and maker Mikko Laajola from
Pixelache lead the construction talkoots.
Hello Wood is an international art program based in Budapest,
Hungary. Their work integrates various elds of art, design and
science. Hello Wood is also an architecture and design studio,
organizing projects and events dened by openness, experiment-
ing, social sensitivity, innovation and development.
www.hellowood.eu
All the structures will be made out of repurposed wood and fallen
trees found on the island, and will stay there after our event for
others to use. Part of them will be presented in the context of
Save Vartiosaari Art Projects environmental exhibition opening on
Sunday 8.6.
This workshop is supported by Balassi-Instituutti.
PRE-CAMP WORKSHOPS (advance registration)
CULTURAL CODING WORKSHOP
Hosts: Pekko Koskinen, Jana Pejoska & Agnieszka Pokrywka
When: 29-30 May 2014
Where: Vartiosaari, Helsinki
In this workshop, you will learn the basics of Cultural Coding. It is
a new form for expressing actions and interactions. Rather than
using the traditional sentences and paragraphs, it creates small
programs or applications for human interpretation. Meant for
humans, it is rather different from computer code, combining the
best features of both expressions: The deep interpretation of human
language, and the variety of structures offered by programming.
The aim of the project is not merely to develop the code, but
also to utilize the possibilities it opens. With such code, we have
the possibility to create detailed actions like ction, share and
combine them with others. Think of an open source cultural library
that functions like a programming library, directly supporting the
creation of new forms thats the ultimate target.
But before we get there, we concentrate on the beginnings. During
the two days of the workshop, you will gain a basic understanding
of the coding styles currently under development, and test out
different interactions created by the code. Youll also get to create
a code of your very own, and see what others can do with your code.
Cultural Coding is being developed in Reality Research Center.
www.ttk.
Note: Keep a look out for manifestations of these workshops
during the Camp days.
CURIES CHILDREN WORKSHOP
Hosts: Erich Berger & Martin Howse
When: 2-5 June 2014
Where: Kaupunkiverstas, Helsinki
The Curies Children [glow boys, radon daughters] workshop is an
investigation of radioactivity in the context of art, physics and
activism originating from the Case Pyhjoki project.
It allows the uninitiated to easily enter into a physical and intuitive
relation to nuclear and atomic processes, following simple hands-
on experimentation, construction and research. This relation
promotes an understanding of the complex issues surrounding
contemporary uses of nuclear and atomic technologies, which
could inform and help to formulate an artistic response.
As part of the Case Pyhjoki project in 2013, Berger and Howse
designed a minimal, low budget geiger radiation detector, fast
and simple to build. The detector serves as an introduction for the
workshop participants to start a relationship with the complex
political, economic and artistic positions orbiting the phenomena
of nuclear decay. The participants will be guided through their own
construction of the radiation detector device, and will extend this
with further investigations, experiments etc.
This workshop is a collaboration between the Finnish Society of
Bioart (www.bioartsociety.), Case Pyhjoki (www.casepyhajoki.info)
& Pixelache.
Generously funded by the Finnish Arts Promotion Centre.
KEYNOTES INTRODUCTIONS
When: Friday, 6 June 2014, 17:30-20:00
Where: Helsinki University, Unioninkatu 40, Auditorium 1
As the result of a collective nomination process that took place
this winterinvolving Pixelaches members, Expert Board, and a
committee of people interested in Commons issuesAlain Ambrosi
(Montreal, CA) and Markus Schmidt (Vienna, AT) have been invited
to give introductions to Camp Pixelaches theme: the Commons.
Alain Ambrosi & Markus Schmidt will respectively introduce the
Culture/Knowledge Commons and the Bio-Commons.
The event is free of charge.
metro line bus line walking line
ferry stop
HAKANIEMI
metro station
CENTRAL
RAILWAY
STATION
crossing point
Reposalmentie 1
Kiiltomadonpolku
bus stop
VARTIOSAARI
ferry stop
/FRI 6.6/
KEYNOTES
PRESENTATIONS
Helsinki University
Unioninkatu 40
4
OPTION 1
Hakaniemi-Vartiosaari Ferry Schedule, 3-22.6.2014 (Wed, Fr, St, Su)
10.00 Hakaniemi 10.45 Vartiosaari
12.00 Vuosaari 12.45 Vartiosaari 13.30 Hakaniemi
17.00 Hakaniemi 17.45 Vartiosaari
19.00 Vuosaari 19.45 Vartiosaari 20.30 Hakaniemi
One way ticket: Hakaniemi-Vartiosaari 7 / Vuosaari-Vartiosaari 9
OPTION 2
Taking the metro to Herttoniemi and then the bus 88 or 89 from
Herttoniemi metro station until the bus stop Kiiltomadonpolku.
From the bust stop, there is a 5 minute walk to the crossing point to
Vartiosaari. The address of the crossing point is Reposalmentie 1.
We have organised rowing boats and rowers to row people over from
Reposaalmentie to Vartiosaari main pier.
HERTTONIEMI
bus (88,89) & metro station MAP OF HELSINKI
getting to Vartiosaari
I
N
F
O

D
E
S
K

V
E
R
K
K
O
M
A
J
A

R
O
C
K
S

C
A
M
P
I
N
G

A
R
E
A

W
A
T
E
R

T
A
P

A
R
T
I
S
T

H
O
U
S
E

C
H
U
R
C
H

B
A
R
N

V
I
K
I
N
G

R
O
C
K

M
A
I
N

P
I
E
R

M
A
P

O
F

V
A
R
T
I
O
S
A
A
R
I
INTRODUCTION TO THE CULTURE COMMONS
by Alain Ambrosi (CA)
Alain Ambrosis presentation entitled Lets co-re-invent the
Commons! will testify to the reinvention of the culture of the
commons drawing on historical and intercultural perspectives,
exemplifying it by opening up the process that led to the Remix the
Commons project he initiated.
Alains presentation also sets up our ambition to encourage local
& regional artists, designers, researchers, activists and citizens to
share their voice and participate in video contributions about the
Commons to the Remix the Commons platform and archive during
the unconference part of Camp Pixelache (7-8.6) on Vartiosaari.
Bio
Designer and producer of intercultural projects, independant
researcher, author and videographer, Alain Ambrosi is pres-
ently producer of the Remix the Commons project and associate
researcher at Communautique. His long involvement in improbable
international collaborations has led him to aspire to the status of
utopians apprentice.
www.remixthecommons.org
.
INTRODUCTION TO THE BIO COMMONS
by Markus Schmidt (AT)
In the case of Bio-commons, developments in biotechnology rely
mainly on patents as means to enable and secure innovations.
The new eld of synthetic biology, however, entails not only classical
intellectual property protection but also attempts to establish open
access and open source to key biotech methods and processes. How
will the two cultures evolve? Will one approach dominate or will they
coexist?
Markus Schmidt will walk us through the theme of the Bio-
Commons, presenting various initiatives aiming at creating a
more open source environment in the biotech area, the Nagoya
Protocol as a means to internationally regulate the use and
conservation of genetic resources. He draws parallels from the
printer movement to biotechnology, with DIYBio spearheading
the movement to go beyond the producer-consumer divide.
Bio
Dr. Markus Schmidt is founder and team leader of Biofaction,
a research and science communication company in Vienna,
Austria. With an educational background in electronic engineering,
biology and environmental risk assessment he has carried out
environmental risk assessment and safety and public perception
studies in a number of science and technology elds such as GM-
crops, gene therapy, nanotechnology, converging technologies, and
synthetic biology.
In addition to his scientic work, he has organized a Science Film
Festival (Bio-ction) and produced an art exhibition (synth-ethic,
both 2011) to explore novel and creative ideas and interpretations
on the future of biotechnology.
www.biofaction.com; www.markusschmidt.eu
The visit of Markus Schmidt is supported by the Austrian
Embassy in Helsinki.

When: 7-8 June 2014
Where: Vartiosaari, Helsinki
In advance of Camp Pixelache a call for contributions was sent
out. Through the call, we have received a great amount proposals
for different types of activities including presentations as well as
discussion circles, thematic walks and workshops.
The advance contributions have been compiled into an online pad
here: http://pad.pixelache.ac/p/camp-2014-advance
Typically at unconferences the agenda will be shaped and con-
rmed by the attendees at the beginning of the event with the aim
to integrate both advance and new proposals. Anyone who wants
to initiate a discussion on a commons-related topic, can still claim
a time and a space for 5-15 min on the morning of Camp. However
it wont be possible at this stage to propose any other format of
activity than short presentations.
Our facilitators Oliver Kohta-Kalleinen and John W. Fail will help
attendees with the scheduling of the day both on Saturday and
Sunday morning.
Part of the event will be streamed here:
http://bambuser.com/channel/pixelversity
Photo documentation of the event will be gathered here:
https://www.ickr.com/groups/2637119@N24
Use the tag: camp-pixelache2014
For other documentation:
http://pad.pixelache.ac/p/camp-2014
The event is free of charge.
CONTRIBUTE TO REMIX THE COMMONS!
Remix the Commons is a collaborative and evolutive multimedia
project. It aims at documenting and illustrating key ideas and
practices of the commons movement, including the creative
process of the project itself. (www.remixthecommons.org)
In collaboration with Remix the Commons & M-Cult, we would like
to invite you for a short interview about the Commons.
Camp Pixelache is bringing together a myriad of people from
Northern Europe, the Baltic countries and beyond, who we hope
could share their voices to the Remix the Commons platform.
Interviews will be documented in video and made available under a
creative commons license in order to be remixed, distributed, and
eventually added to the Remix The Commons database.
All along the weekend, the contact point for the Remix the
Commons interviews is Verkkomaja. Welcome!
SAVE VARTIOSAARI ART PROJECT III
Opening: Sunday 8.6, 14:00-16:30
Exhibition tour starts from Pixelache Info desk at 14:00.
Visual Artist Anu Miettinen together with Helsinki-based Laru Art
Association, is for the third year organising an environmental art
exhibition on Vartiosaari. The association also organizes this event
annually since 2006 in Lauttasaari during the autumn. The
exhibition on Vartiosaari is opening on Sunday 8.6, luckily coinciding
with Camp Pixelache, and is on view all around the island.
The exhibition will, amongst many other work s & performances,
feature the wooden sculpture made by a group of enthusiasts
during a one week long talkoots in early June, led by Hello Wood (HU)
& Mikko Laajola from Pixelache.
The exhibition will be on view until 28.9.
http://savevartiosaariart.weebly.com/
CAMP PIXELACHE UNCONFERENCE
CARE FOR VARTIOSAARI!
TOILETS
There are a few dry toilets on the island, but bush
toileting is recommended for urinating.
WASTE
You should take back with you all what brought, in-
cluding waste, when leaving from the island, as there
is not infrastructure for waste on the island.
FIRE
Fires are prohibited on Vartiosaari.
OTHER PRACTICALITIES
TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE ISLAND
In addition to the Hakaniemi-Vartiosaari ferry
(schedule on the Helsinki map page) we are
organizing transportation to and from the island
with rowing boats from the pier at Reposalmentie
(check map page for the location).
ROWING BOAT SCHEDULE
SAT 7.8.
10.00-14.00 / Several times per hour
14.00-22.00 / Every hour on the hour
SUN 8.8.
09.30-11.00 / Several times per hour
11.00-21.00 / Every hour on the hour
Additional boat rides possible.
Please call +358 40 2425015 for a boat man!
INFO DESK NUMBER: +358 46 6291354
CAMP NOTEPAD
PROGRAMME PLANNERS
Keynotes: Open call for nominations and polled decision-making by
Pixelache members & Expert Board, and a committee of people inter-
ested in Commons issues (Andrew Paterson Pixelache; Erich Berger
Finnish Society of Bioart, Marion Louisgrand Kr Thiossane, Senegal,
Andrea Botero - Aalto co-p2p SIG and Jukka Peltokoski Commons.).
Cultural Coding Workshop: Pekko Koskinen, Jana Pejoska & Agnieszka
Pokrywka
Construction Talkoots: Mikko Laajola & Hello Wood
Curies Children Workshop: Erich Berger & Martin Howse
Bio-Commons gathering: Erich Berger & Rdiger Trojok
STAFF
Coordinator: Nathalie Aubret
Outreach & Education Coordinator/Facilitator: Andrew Paterson
Producer: Petri Ruikka
Local Producers in Vartiosaari: Oliver Kohta-Kalleinen & Erno Rantainen
Technical Director, Video Documentation: Ville Hyvnen
Unconference Facilitators: Oliver Kohta-Kalleinen & John Fail
Publicist: Creatika / Saara Oranen
Campaign Designer: Tuomo Tammenp
Signage & Booklet Designer: Karolina Konieczna
Photographer: Antti Ahonen
Video Streaming: Mikko Laajola
Website Engineering: John W. Fail
Catering: Karolina Korhonen
Volunteers: Alise Brante, Jan Terola, Juan Pablo Manrquez,
Karin Umbrich, Nadge Peter, Omar Fasolah, Rousi Rebekah,
Stephen Baynes, Timo Viialainen, Joan Kwong, Hannu Makarainen
VERY SPECIAL THANKS
Oliver Kohta-Kalleinen, Anu Miettinen, Erno Rantainen, Egle Oddo,
Vartiosaari-seura, Vartiosaaren elintalli ja luontoyhdistys ry,
VVA ry, M-cult, Jukka Peltokoski, Becky Hastings, Virve Miettinen,
Nadge Peter, Wojtek Mejor, Sara Milazzo, Owen Kelly, John W. Fail,
Pixelache Expert Board, Okko Oinonen.
CAMP PIXELACHE TEAM 2014
Organised by:
Supported by:
Pixelache Helsinki 2014 is organised by non-prot organisation Piknik
Frequency based in Helsinki.
Piknik Frequency members: Antti Ahonen, Nathalie Aubret, Samir
Bhowmik, John Fail, Ville Hyvnen, Jon Irigoyen, Owen Kelly, Mari
Keski-Korsu, Mikko Laajola, Albert Laine, Mikko Lipiinen, Wojtek Mejor,
Sara Milazzo, Andrew Gryf Paterson, Petri Ruikka, Pivi Raivio, Mariana
Salgado, Aura Seikkula, Irina picaka, Ulla Taipale, Tuomo Tammenp,
Jenni Valorinta.
Also supported by:
Collaborators and venues:
SINCE 2002