THE KUPITTAA CAMPUS ARTS PROGRAMME

In financial terms, KampusART – the Kupittaa Campus arts programme is one of the most significant building projects of public art in Finland. Bold and versatile contemporary art, which utilizes modern technologies, is at the core of the arts programme, worth almost a million euros. High-quality art increases the attractiveness of the new campus and constructs the identity of the building and region. The Kupittaa Campus arts programme is coordinated by TUAS Arts Academy, and it is implemented in cooperation by TUAS and Turku Technology Properties.

The purpose of the KampusART arts programme is to reflect on the sense of community and interaction, which are strengthened with the means of public art. The goal of the arts programme is to create a sustainable and high-quality entity of artworks, which increases the pleasantness of the Kupittaa campus and takes into account the future users and functions of the premises. The art implemented throughout the arts programme is positional and multifaceted, which refers to the versatile educational supply of TUAS. Together, art and architecture create an interesting and exciting visual entity. The starting points are courage and versatility, which will be seen in both the artworks’ materials and their methods of implementation, and in their effect on the spatial experience.  The arts programme also contains an international dimension, as the pedagogy of public art is developed in cooperation with partner universities and by sharing good practices with them.

Art will be produced for the indoor and outdoor areas of the new campus building. Professional artists will primarily carry out the arts programme. Art students, who are being trained as professionals in public art, also take part in the programme. A selection of the artwork processes is integrated in the education and for example, students’ practical training and theses are connected to the artworks’ working groups. During the project, the pedagogy of public art is also developed and promoted.

The aim is to increase the professional abilities of the graduating artists and the artists already working in the field as experts in public art. Open portfolio calls, art competitions and seminars enable the participation of several hundreds of artists in the project. In addition, applied and artistic research will be conducted during the arts programme. The project develops the public art processes and curating models and ways of applying the Percent for Art principle. The research-oriented and pedagogic material produced in the project can be utilized in the national and international development and education work on public art.