Hola,

I will be working in the spring with a group of young co-creators from a North-East part of Finland and maybe can facilitate something around participatory art + ecology + activism with the brico session at Pixelache.
Too early to say though, I need to get to know the group first, so I'd say in March I know what's feasible coming from that inbound trajectory.

John - discourse about public lies and someone needing to tell the truth is currently here in FInland used predominantly by the popular (neo) right, who have gained much more foothold since you were in town. We are talking about a up to and below 20 percent part of the population, while majority still is what you may call progressive, or if US elections were to be held here, Ralph Nadar would get 80% of the local vote. Yet the growth of xenophobia bundled up with anti EU sentiment is self evident here. Whereas 10 years back anyone racist could not see their mirror image portrayed in local media has now several people sitting in the parliament talking about "immigration criticism" + blurbing up statements that borderline with illegality. Even if this exists, probably it is hard to find as progressive z majority in any given place as here, and a coalition government with conservatives, greens and left party in power at the same time. Pixelache just got the state art award - yet if the populists were in power, it'd be instead for a painter doing mimetic realism on a heroic moose in a winter forest.

Closer to Brico discourse, and know Juha is on the list so he could share some reflection after the event he co-organized, there was the Open Knowledge Festival here with more than 1000 participants few months back. Interestingly, open knowledge/data gets the attention of policy makers and politicians here so the event had quite a strong political - economic - academic layer with hackathons spicing it up rather than vice and versa. Are hackathons becoming like TED talks? Is the DIY Maker what not becoming quite mainstream? If so, what to make of it? Or are this symptoms of in fact changing wider politics ie. being effective?

I guess you all have paid attention to the 2-city nature of the event(s) between Helsinki and Tallinn?

As for cooking and Helsinki, I have a pretty good sized kitchen + workshop space so can host cooking sessions of 4-6 cooking + 15 max 20 eating.
That is if such informal space comes handy with good network connection, and Hakaniemi market and the best thai, vietnamese and indian markets nearby. This could work especially for a pre-event sharign time together before the actual Pixelache kicks in. Only draw back with my space is presence of some cats for those who may be allergic. Don't worry though John - they have calmed down since the time when you brushed your beard with a Platonic stance and a kitten jumped with all four paws around your quite gnome credible add-on. :)

cheers,

Tapio