Cultural wellbeing

Fri 10th Sep 10:00 am

Cultural wellbeing
Taru Tähti, Pauliina Lapio, Merja Pennanen
Chair Pia Houni

Taru Tähti
Researcher and co-developer in the field of Arts & Health

Kuvan esikatselu

I have always been interested in the meaning of music and Arts in everyday life.

As a doctoral candidate at the University of the Arts Helsinki I have worked as a music professional in elderly care and co-developed new kinds of approaches how to support musical and art-based agency of the elderly and the health care staff working with them. In the local senior services center, we started the Music Motors group, which was led by the elderly. In multidisciplinary collaboration we also developed a training called Cultural Rehabilitators, in which the health care staff practiced art-based approaches in the everyday work. 

Based on the data produced in these projects, I have researched the agency of the elderly, the nurses, and their supervisors. Their musical and art-based agency can be seen as situational and multidimensional, manifesting as aesthetic, emotional and embodied, connected with learning, identity formation and organizational change. The agency of the participants in these projects was enabled, limited, and oriented by varying elements and resources, but the most important resource was the agents themselves – their know-how for cultural traditions, their passion for music, and their courage to express and encounter.

As I am also working as a cultural coordinator at the Regional Council of South Savo and as

an entrepreneur within LuovaNoste Collaboration, I am interested in developing cultural wellbeing and art-based solutions widely in multiple fields and layers.

Pauliina Lapio
Art & wellbeing specialist, artist and coach

My practice comes deeply from understanding our complex world with simple answers. I have been cultural producer over 17 years, working with social and healthcare and art the past 13 years. I have developed many methods and projects in collaboration with healthcare staff, leaders, private and public companies, NGO`s, artists and mediators and I still believe there is good in every situation and yes, world is ready so no hurry. My recent works include Participatory Art Program for Hospital Nova Jyväskylä, which was first of a kind in Finland and international artist in residency in social and healthcare units program. Work with hospitals and participatory art is strongly recommending that everyone can and should use art as part of their own daily jobs on healthcare units. There are many obstacles but nothing so big it could not happen in real life. Participatory art program started from a scratch years ago and actually was published this year April. How was it done and what made it happen? How does it work in real life?

I am running my own company called Luova Lapio (creative spade). My motto is: how can you help others if your own batteries are low? On free time I teach authentic yoga called kriya yoga and take nature photos. www.luovalapio.com

Merja Pennanen
Cultural well-being in North Karelia

This project is looking for ways to integrate art and culture to social and health care sector. It’s about finding the partnerships between municipalities and health organisations. It respects every person’s right to enjoy and benefit from art and culture, young or old, living at home or in hospital.

We produce and design cultural well-being pilots, encourage social and health care sector to work with artist and to develop new innovations in the field of well-being. The aim is also to bring more variation to cultural activities and make it more accessible to everyone. Co-creation and shared expertise are the best ways to discover new.

Time line: 1.12.2020-30.6.2022

Project manager: Merja Pennanen, Regional Council of North Carelia

The Regional Council of North Karelia is regional, politically guided, municipal coalition for the development and interest supervision in the region. It is responsible for regional planning and general coordination of regional development programs related to national and EU structural funds.

Chair: Pia Houni

Pia Houni is PhD, Adjunct Professor, writer and philosophical practitioner. She has done research work for over 20 years in the field of art, culture, social science and humanism. She is an active speaker and a sought-after person for art advisers’ duties. Houni is also published few hundred pieces from popular articles, previewed articles and books.