Children hospital clothing workshop in Radical Design Week

We were a group of 5 students and our teacher Erja Parviainen to participate the Radical Design Week with a children hospital clothing workshop. The idea was to collaborate with students of Donghua University to create new kind of hospital clothing for children size 80-160cm. As the theme was design belongs to everyone not just the bold and the beautiful.

Before the workshop both groups researched information about their own countries present hospital clothing for children. During the week we collaborated our ideas about future hospital clothing and designed a 5 piece collection. Then we together in small groups made the patterns and sewed the prototypes for the collection. The result looked rather good and most importantly everyone seemed to have enjoyed the week. We were happy that we had the opportunity to learn about another culture and most importantly make new friends.

Here are some pictures of the week. Hope you enjoy!

Best regards,

Nearly there...

Elina Lappalainen, Niina Liimatta, Hannamari Markkula, Noora Oksanen and Anni Wulff

Nearly there...

Students of Fashion and Clothing
Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences

Tired but happy in Shanghai

1st evening exploring

 Metropolia/Donghua collaboration. First day introducing.

Presenting the preparations made for the week. From these sketches we built a small cohesive collection to which we made patterns and sewed the first samples during our workshop.

More pictures coming soon...

PIC10-14:     Patternmaking in small groups.
PIC15-19:     Patterns, Check! Materials, Check! Sewing, Check! Done, Check!
PIC 20:     Thank you Donghua!

Shanghai City Life

Shanghai 3.12.2012, Sanna-Kaisa Laakkonen & Miia Syrjä

 

We now have been in Shanghai for eleven long days. It's been a once in a lifetime kind of a trip for us. First week went by far too quickly and we didn't get to see much of the city. Luckily we were able to have two days to ourselves and went off to explore the huge city of Shanghai. We visited the Yuayuan Garden, which was very beautiful even though it was raining. We also walked along the Bund and took the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel to the other side of the river. Once we got there, we went all the way up to the 492meters tall SWFC observatory tower. The view was amazing, especially during the evening.

During our second day-off we visited the Shanghai Aquarium. They had about 155 meters long underwater tunnel that had sharks and huge seaturtles swimming on top of our heads. In the evening we went to see the amazing ERA-acrobatic show which we were really excited to see, not only because of the performers but because of the technical side of the show. Unfortunately the multimedia projections were a bit disappointing, they were not polished enough. So I guess there could be a need for collaboration!

We still have a few days left to work, we will be taking the exhibition down and packing up all the technical equipment we brought from Finland.

All in all this trip has been quite exciting and we have learned a lot. Working in these conditions has been very different from what we are used to but everything has went well and after the first week we have been able to relax a bit. We are already a little homesick so we are really looking forward to getting back home on next Monday.

So here is the last video from us, hope you enjoy it!

Best regards
Miia Syrjä and Sanna-Kaisa Laakkonen
Live Performance Technology Students
Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences

Miia & Sanna-Kaisa

New friends, new possibilities

Shanghai 3.11.2012, Kaisu Kiventaus

Yesterday there was the top-level decision makers' seminar Well-being for All that was the wonderful conclusion for the week. Today after 4 p.m. our exhibition will be closed and the rest of us will soon leave Shanghai.

The seminar was a great success. Many presentations were given and the student exchange agreement was signed. After the seminar the guests visited the exhibition. Everybody was happy that the  distinguished president of the Donghua University Xu Mingzhi was there, too. Later in the evening all the keynotes, decision-makers and the university staff, had a dinner together.

After this exhibition week Helsinki Metropolia has new friends and definitely new possibilities to collaborate with Donghua and other chinese institutions of higher education.

Friday - the seminar

There were lots of people in the seminar.

Signing the agreement of the student exchange between Metropolia and Donghua Universities.

The President of Donghua University, Mr. Xu Mingxhi visited our exhibition.

In the exhibition there were more to see. The three workshops were introduced.

Well Being for all Seminar and workshops

Shanghai 2.11.2012 Miia Syrjä and Sanna-Kaisa Laakkonen


This footage is from the Well Being For All Seminar, held on the 2nd of October and from the workshops that were going on during the exhibition. The workshops were: Hospital Clothing for Children, Urban Cycling and T'ai Chi for Begginners. Workshops led by Metropolia students and staff. Enjoy!

Best regards,

Miia Syrjä and Sanna-Kaisa Laakkonen,

Live Performance Technology students

Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences

 

 

Wow!

Shanghai 1.11.2012, Vesa Taatila

A man, whose knowledge on the subject is rather limited, can only roll his eyes and thin “Wow” out loud! A chance to see the working and the results of our students in the Radical Design Week in Shanghai (with WDC-inside -spirit) has been astonishing. During this week the students and the staff of Metropolia have done exquisite work in presenting the ideas of Finnish co-operative design thinking to international audiences.

The local media seems to agree with the feeling. In wednesday the flights were flashing like a thunder storm as the clothing students from two different universities co-operated in order to create a set of new type of hospital clothing for child patients. The bi-national teams drew and patterned with professional attitude despite the surrounding turmoil created by Chinese press. A few times the request for posing forced smiles to faces but otherwise the atmosphere was deeply focused though out the exercise. And yes, the resulting patterns looked very successful.

Another topic that has clearly risen great interest has been the computer modeling of Tai Chi. A team has motion captured the movements of a local Tai Chi –master, sifu Luka, with two kinetic cameras. Then they have been working on a deep level of post production, cleaning up the data and making the animation more life-like than the original presentation itself.

Having a computer laboratory in the middle of the exhibition room has given all the passers by a chance to see the work with awe and make questions for the artists. Lots and lots of questions! This has been a major advertisement both for Metropolia and Finnish know-how.

A major area on interest has also been the very UAS-like idea of co-operative learning in authentic situations. Empowering of students and doing real projects without a pre-planned set of “right answers” has inspired the local students and teachers to ask for more information about this approach to teaching. The interest has been so high, that this could become the next key import from the Finnish education practices – at least as a knowledge transfer, even though the financial gains would probably be rather limited.

Even though the week is not done yet, I’d like to thank wholeheartedly the team – Excellent work! I will eagerly wait to be impressed with all the other results as well – I do wonder how will the future metropolia-dwellers move around… I wonder who could give me some hints on the topic.

Vesa

Vice president of Helsinki Metropolia UAS Mr. Vesa Taatila giving a presentation at Donghua University.

Urban Inspiration

Shanghai 1.11.2012 Miia Syrjä and Sanna-Kaisa Laakkonen

This footage is from the exhibition, introducing all the different projects that are presented at the Urban Inspirations exhibition.

Best regards,

Miia Syrjä and Sanna-Kaisa Laakkonen,

Live Performance Technology students

Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences

Greetings from Shanghai

Shanghai 1.11.2012, Kaisu Kiventaus

The opening seremony of the exhibition was on Monday. There where lots of people as you can see in the pictures. Many speeches were given by both universities Donghua and Metropolia.

At the moment the three workshops (Tai Chi for Beginners, Patient apparel for Children and Moving in the Cities) led by Metropolia staff are still going on. The participants of the workshops come from both Finland and China.

Yesterday we had a press conference and there were over 20 journalists asking questions and taking photos of our exhibition. The workshop “Patient Apparel for Children” got great publicity. The idea of planning children´s patient clothing was a great success and really new here.

Tomorrow (on Friday) there will be a decision makers seminar “Well-being for All”. There will be experts, e.g. leaders from Espoo city and of the Donghua and Metropolia University.

We are all (staff and students from Metropolia) living in a campus hotel that is quite modest. The best thing is that it is really near by the exhibition hall - we have been really busy all the time…

The exhibition is very very beautiful.  We are so sorry that we can’t bring it to Finland because of the transportation costs.  The Exhibition Week will end on Saturday. After that only the data projectors will be transferred to Finland. So everyone near by, please come and enjoy the wonderful exhibition with us – now!

The animated Metropolia man (3D) welcomes the visitors to the exhibition hall.