From creative chaos to important decisions

2.4.2025

“Do we have a decision? We have a decision! Can the online participants hear us?” At times, the atmosphere around the Professional Media Presence project’s management team meeting table resembled creative chaos. Yet, the discussions during the fourth Workshop Week proved productive.

The international partners of the PMP project gathered in early March at the Espronceda Institute of Art & Culture in Barcelona. While the project’s management team had their meetings, more than 30 talented artists from local teams were participating in the Future Media -themed Workshop Week. In Barcelona, the artists explored virtual environments and embodied narratives while delving into extended reality (XR) technologies.

Conceptualizing, outlining the big picture and exchanging ideas at the same table is smoother and more efficient than in online meetings.

For the management team, the workshop week meant not only an opportunity to communicate with the artists and follow their impressive work, but also a valuable opportunity to deepen cooperation between partners. As the coordinators of the project, the Turku UAS team led a three-day management team program, containing topics that require deeper discussion.

Working and talking around the same table

At the meeting table, our common language English was colored by exclamations in Spanish, Italian and Finnish. The differences in work culture were visible, for example, in the schedules: the lunch break did not start until two in the afternoon, which would be a typical time for a Finnish afternoon coffee. On the other hand, we were efficient and flexible when discussing important decisions. Conceptualizing, outlining the big picture and exchanging ideas at the same table is smoother and more efficient than in monthly online meetings.

In the end, something unique always emerges from the chaos.

In addition to the meetings, the management team got to follow the artists’ work. On the last day of the workshop week, we could try what it feels like to put yourself in another person’s body in virtual video experiences made by the artists during the week.

Planning for the final year and the final exhibitions

The Professional Media Presence (PMP) project, funded by Creative Europe and coordinated by Turku University of Applied Sciences, is more than halfway through and we are starting to move towards the dissemination phase. At the meetings, the management team outlined the unifying theme of the final exhibitions and continued planning the final year of the project and the dissemination of the results.

The PMP project will culminate in simultaneous art exhibitions in different countries in October 2026. In addition, a virtual exhibition will be carried out, of which we got a taste in Barcelona in the form of a test version presented by the Lapland University of Applied Sciences.

Long-term cooperation deepens trust between partners and fosters a genuine exchange of expertise. It is wonderful to see representatives from different fields and nationalities working together at the same table. In the end, something unique always emerges from the chaos.

Final Workshop Week in Croatia

The last workshop week before the dissemination year will be held next autumn in Split, Croatia, where Culture Hub Croatia will lead a workshop week with the theme Media and Professional Identity.

Writers
Emma Uotinen, PMP Project Manager, Project Advisor at Turku UAS
Anna Kuusela, PMP Content Manager, Senior Lecturer at Turku UAS