eko.katastro.fi
November 5-7
Produced by katastro.fi (Helsinki)

katastro.fi's contribution to the temp lab is an ecologically biased art project, the most significant parts of which are a documentary film about alternative ecological communities and a net-based project called eko.katastro.fi. The aim of the project is to collect information, from the point of view of "the little people" to the opinions of experts, and to combine grass roots-level experiences with scientific models. These will come together in a pan-active, self-augmenting chain of causal connections and will, hopefully, produce a snowball effect. Both experts and less knowledgeable individuals are invited to share their impressions of the factors affecting our environment and to observe the complexity of the causal knot that is created.

katastro.fi will create the infrastructure for the project on the web, but will leave it open. Different people will be able to contribute to the chain. In the end result, the discoveries and experiences of ordinary people will meet and combine on a variety of levels within the chain. Based on this, it will be possible to move on to the next phase, into the future, to build an eco-catastrophe simulator, so everyone can create their own ecological disaster. We hope the people who interact with eko.katastro.fi will share with us their ideas of what are the best ways to promote and use ecological thinking, on a local level. These ideas will be collected and disseminated among the visitors at eko.katastro.fi.

Marko Yliniemi's documentary deals with life in ecological communities in various parts of Finland. Yliniemi has chosen to concentrate on positive thinking and alternatives instead of trying to shock the viewer by delving into serious environmental problems. His film concentrates on exposing everyday life, as well as celebrations, in the communities he visited.


Additional events:

Cities on the Move Conference
November 6
Organized by Hou Hanru, Hans-Ullrich Obrist, Geert Lovink

At the end of /tmp, there will be the opening of the Kiasma version of the travelling exhibition Cities on the Move, curated by Hou Hanru and Hans-Ulrich Obrist, dealing with urban condition of South-East Asian cities in China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, etc. Temp will organize one day conference, together with the curators, artists and some invited speakers (to be announced later) which will reflect on the recent situation in South-East Asia after the financial crisis of 1997 and political turmoils, for example in Indonesia. This is will also be an opportunity to evaluate this travelling exhibition and its constantly changing artworks and premisses.

Exhibition of the results
November 9-14
Produced by Liisa Vähäkylä

In the remaining days of TEMP, texts, websites, videos, websites, and other relevant declarations, images and objects will made available to the public.