ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI - ‘BUILDINGS OF CULTURAL HERITAGE’ IN NEARBY SURROUNDINGS

This project was carried out by students as part of their subsidiary studies of art education in the Department of Teacher Education together with pre-school children from Wilhola Kindergarten, in May 2002. The aim of the project was to find out children’s approach to examining culture and to increase interaction between children and adults based on the socio-cultural point of view. At the start of the project students made photographs of ten different architecturally and culturally meaningful buildings in Helsinki near the Wilhola Kindergarten and they created an exhibition for the children in the Kindergarten. All ten buildings were displayed by posters and by 3-dimensional floor maps. The children chose five buildings they wanted to know more about - the National Gallery / Ateneum, National museum, The Old Market Hall, Botanic Garden, and the Museum of Modern Art (Kiasma).

The children explored with the students, during two visits, the history of the buildings and interesting details outside and inside. They also had the opportunity to interview some staff in the chosen building. Through this project children got ‘the eye to see’ details and, hopefully, a feeling that culture and the arts are also for them. The students got experience to work with children and also, the orientation to produce digital material. ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI CHILDREN VIEW [PowerPoint -presentation] ARCHITECTURE ZooM Some questions for anyone who wants to repeat this project: What culturally meaningful buildings can be found in your immediate locality? What points make the buildings are meaningful to you or to your society? What is it you are interested in about a particular building?

Collected: Seija Karppinen & Mikko Halonen