Just Thoughts #12: Art Exhibitions and normalising being "different" as a "normal"
Do you know the difference between AI generated art and human art? Do you know how to be an Ally, as someone who is not a minority representative? I'll discuss these and more.
The content in this article is “handwritten” and only co-piloted with Grammarly’s spell-checking and re-phrasing for the desired tone of voice. I’m dyslectic, so using it removes my cognitive impediments.
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The highlight of the week: We explored art exhibitions.
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My reflections and what I have learned since last week’s publication.
This past week, I had meaningful discussions about engaging in conversation when hoping to understand someone with a different life experience. What questions should one be asking without being insulting? I’ve also reflected on my writing and how to improve it. The internet becomes a source for PhD with the proper curiosity. There is a very particular failure when it comes to generating value for your readers and the tone of voice I use when discussing the content of others.
First, I learned how I’m more conscious about normalizing being different when you are “normal.” With “normal,” I’m referring to fitting a demographic with little to no structural barriers in your society of residence, as opposed to being subject to negative biases, racial segregation, or any other form of discrimination due to factors within the field of DEI. I’m not stating this without recognizing that we are all still unique as we are, something I discussed in Just Thoughts #9. The only proper way to become better allies is to start doing the work within ourselves, and that in the modern world is required by anyone who would like to embark on the journey of becoming a leader in the world of tomorrow.
I’ve introduced myself in many different ways over the years. Still, given my current professional curiosity about the field of DEIB and its practice, I was inspired by the book The Art of Active Allyship, which contains several personal stories of discrimination. Sharing your story and recognizing your privileges is an act of Allyship, mine in more detail described in Just Thoughts #7. I want to focus on introductions, not reciting what I’ve written. In a recent training I gave, I introduced myself as follows.
What I’m not sharing in this slide is that I’m 35 years old, divorced, and have a new partner with whom I share a home. In addition, I have two kids from my previous relationship. I’m a very proud father who sometimes struggles with guilt from choosing to let go of the romantic relationship with the mother of my kids while also battling with occasional mental health issues caused by the turmoils of life—something I’ve documented and shared a few years ago in an interview with The Human Aspect.
I hint at it in the description, but my heritage (within two generations that is still alive) is Finnish (with Swedish as my mother tongue), Brazilian, American, and Croatian (or Italian, depending on how you want to see it). I used to introduce myself as “half this” or “half that”. Today, I feel it’s more correct to say I am all of these nationalities, not just half of something. I have relatives who belong to different religions, but I am a protestant. Not devoted, but rather out of tradition.
Furthermore, I could share that I’m dyslectic; someone would likely diagnose me with ADD or ADHD if I’d care to get tested, and I’m left-handed. The clothing I’m wearing in the picture I also had on during the training received a lot of curiosity. It looks like a T-shirt on me, but it’s a women’s dress the size of XL. I’m a fan of Marimekko, but the brand has no men’s clothing line, and the unisex clothes don’t usually fit my 2-meter (6’ foot 7) frame. I could likely add something about earning significantly less than my peers I’ve worked with over the years, with the government labeling me as a low-income individual. I’ve operated as an entrepreneur through my own LLC for most of my professional career, and I have a master’s degree in software management with a minor in organizational leadership.
I’m sharing all of this because I had a curious reaction from a friend and his partner when discussing the learning of using “Allo.” Allo normalizes those who don’t identify as asexual or ACE. Who feel they belong to the A+ community of the larger LGBTQIA+ spectrum. That is, they have a different relationship with sex and love than what is deemed “normal.” My friend asked me, “Is this relevant in business or life?”. In what context does it matter to share one is “Allo”? I’d build on this very relevant question: “Reflecting on everything I shared above, what do I need to share in a business context?” or “What would I share in a non-business context?”. There are also aspects of cybersecurity and the security of my family members I need to consider when trying to draw a line.
In a business context, I’d normalize, as much as possible, that which others have not had the privilege to share without being ostracized. That would be the full spectrum of LGBTQIA+, and I will recognize the fact privileges of being a white male native to the country in which I was born and raised (Finland), speaking multiple languages natively. In a business context, I’d also share my family status and my neurodiversity with the people I work with because it heavily affects my ability to collaborate effectively. However, I do not need to proactively share these in a conversation outside of my immediate co-workers or collaborators. I may share it to create a connection with a client, business partner, or distant co-workers.
I do not expect others to share this with me in return. Everyone is entitled to their privacy. Still, I wish to discuss how to collaborate effectively and avoid trumping others’ psychological safety by not meeting their needs for recognition (like pronouns being important to some over others). A phrase I use as an inquiry when engaging with others and hoping to understand their needs originates from a movie. The question is, “Forgive me for asking, and I don’t mean to pry; I’m mainly curious and hope to understand [insert your question here].” The first two parts of the phrase are from the iconic movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
“Forgive me for asking, and I don’t mean to pry; I’m mainly curious and hope to understand [insert your question here].”
In a private setting, and here for readers to make a point, I can discuss the full spectrum of my life experiences. I rarely get to share everything because, as you can see, it takes a lot of time to go through it all, and I do not enjoy being in the spotlight too long. I tend to share stories mainly to entertain my company, even when I'm more curious about others. Still, I enjoy meaningful discussions where I learn from people who experience the world differently than I do. Furthermore, I consciously choose to shop for and wear clothes designed for women in an act of support for the brand I identify with, but also to normalize men doing so even if I do not identify as transgender or non-binary.
After an extensive explanation of the first learning from the week, the second learning concerns my writing after watching this golden nugget of a YouTube video. I’ve been going back and making notes on this one all week. The Craft of Writing Effectively is a lecture by Larry McEnerney, director of the University of Chicago’s Writing Program.
Among many pointers of the common pitfalls writers make is that writers write to think instead of aiming to create value for the readers. I’ve only achieved the latter by accident when writing to the organizations I’ve led. As I know the audience perfectly within an organization, I haven’t targeted anyone outside it. Except for the one exception, the one I hid, but she was never hidden. Get my poetry book if you’re curious about this remark.
Now, I’m making very conscious changes to my writing. I’ve bashed at the content of others, such as Miki, Jyri, Timo, and the Finnish Startup Community (Just Thoughts #4 & Just Thoughts #7) or
as well as (Just Thoughts #7). I’ve neglected what Larry calls “Know the code.” The code he refers to can be summarized as follows. Instead of saying,If you go to the dominant figures in your field and say, “You know what? I’ve read all of your stuff, and you’re idiots.”… “It’s not going to go well.” … the code is “Wow, are you smart”… “Whoa, I’m just amazed.” “You’ve advanced this community in fabulous ways”…. “but there is this little thing you got here that’s wrong.”
When making the point, you come up with an argument, predicting their reaction, with the ultimate goal of making them think your work might be valuable to them. Hence, I will not bash you but make arguments and recognize your accomplishments.
The other change I’m trying to make when listening to Larry’s lectures is to discuss problems that “exist between heads,” not what exists within my head or that which already exists within yours. The goal is to provide something that causes you to discuss something differently with others.
This concludes my learning reflections for this week. I’ll likely return to Larry’s work in the future.
P.s. The list of people mentioned are Miki, Jyri, and Timo. Refers to Miki Kuusi (CEO, Co-founder of Wolt), Jyri Engeström (Yes VC), Timo Ahopelto (Lifeline Ventures). Ilkka Kivimäki (Maki. vc) might be reading this feeling left out. That’s mainly because most of Ilkka’s content gets published behind a paywall, and after seeing the amount of skin he put in the game back in the day, sleeping on the floor with us in Japan, that is all I ever needed to know about his character.
The paid content will feature Vappu celebrations and some exclusive photo content of prominent figures from the Helsinki startup scene throwing the chair of the board of Aaltoes into the sea. You’ll also get to know what the next global Absinth brand will be. Slush released its metamorphosis and reflected that against previous releases. Additionally, I visited five art exhibitions to source inspiration for an exhibition in creation. With some inspiration taken from
with his title “His daily dose of optimism”, woven with the original Slush whitepaper on entrepreneurship (newest here) and a world whole of hate, I’ll keep a section called “A dose of hope.”I am also embarking on a journey to study the case for and against DEI in companies, but I think I’ll leave that for next week's content. I also hope to have the operating model in shape for sharing.
Headlines this week
Art in Helsinki.
Vappu Celebrations.
Slush releases now and back then.
A Dose of Hope - A One Billion Donation
Poem of the Week - The Distance of Love
Art in Helsinki
Do you know the difference between AI-generated and human-crafted art if you have yet to tell which? How do you value one from the other if you could distinguish between them, and does it matter? Furthermore, what is the value of written art when a computer can generate an infinite amount of it?
We ask ourselves these questions because we love what art can do to society. Hence, We’ve embarked on a journey to create our first art exhibition. When I say “we,” I’m working with Yuzu and Mathilda, whom I found in the ignite accelerator program a year ago. I was impressed by their attitude and eagerness to learn. Also, they were among the few who wanted to know the craft of event producing in a sea full of tech entrepreneurs, so I thought they’d be worthy of “paying it forward.” That is sharing what I learned from a decade of event production and the network that came with it. They helped with Smartly.io’s alum reunion party last year, so we’ve already practiced working together. Both of them aspire to build a business of their own, and as foreigners in a country where you don’t speak the local language, that is never easy.
We are visiting the Daido Moriyama: Retrospektiivi photography exhibition at the Museum of Photography in Kämp Galleria. That was the “high end” of exhibitions, carefully curated with audio-visual experiences. The exhibition also had artwork walls to support and highlight the artwork displayed. In Finland, all museums operate under the same umbrella, so you can get a card that gives you access to all museums in the country for just under 80€ / year. The one-time fee is 6€ for students and 16€ for adults; kids under seven years old usually pass for free. The listed pricing gives you the ballpark for pricing an exhibition.
However, the lower end tends to be accessible to attend, like the ones in the shopping mall Redi that had three exhibitions on display in Vapaa Kaupungin Olohuone, roughly translating to the free city’s living room. From their webpage:
May Exhibitions 03.05.2024-26.05.2024 at the Gallery of Vapaakaupunki tell stories through photography? The exhibitions at the entrance hall by Plus Collective deal with the topic of feminism and domestic violence. As you move forward, you will see photographs by Bettina Circone from 1960 to 1980 in New York. The final exhibition is part of the Partnering for Change -project, presenting Nigeria through art and photographs.
I visited the vernissage the day before, at the invitation of the organizer, Sarah Laaru, for the Nigarian-related exhibition with AR-enhanced art. That is using a QR code to get a web app that uses the phone's camera on sound to move the art around—nothing new regarding technology. We used the same technology during Slush 2015 for an art piece to occupy the central square, "Narinkka tori," powered by Arylin. Additionally, there were pictures of art from an art designer who creates art out of scrap metal to increase awareness of metal recycling. Sarah hopes to bring the artist to Finland to make an art piece here.
When visiting the next day together with Yuzu and Mathilda, we met the person behind the second exhibition; she’s writing the biography of Bettina Circone, who, among things, had taken pictures of the leading figures behind Street Transvestite Action Revolution Sylvia Rivera and Marcha P.Johnson. A piece of history I wasn’t familiar with previously. Transvestites were not hired anywhere and had to work as sex workers, in addition to not being allowed to be served alcohol. It makes me feel the least I can do is normalize wearing women's clothes, especially if I enjoy the brand.
We also asked for suggestions on what to account for as first-time art exhibitions from the orchestrator herself. Before summarizing everything we learned, it’s worth mentioning we also visited the Finnfoto gallery, which had an exhibition from Helsinki from above, and the graffiti shop Make your Marks Garage gallery.
Among them and others, we concluded the following (Intentionally leaving out timing and location, but it’s going to be June in Helsinki);
Practicalities around the art:
We aim to print all art on posters; the paper needs to be mat not to reflect light.
The venue is going to be dim. Light usually comes from the top.
If they hand it from the air, the paper might bend in the slightest air movement. Hence, they need wooden bars or something to hold it straight.
We are organizing the art and thinking about which piece goes where makes a difference.
Size matters; they won’t fit in the room; they are too small, and engaging with the art is hard.
QR codes following the art can be excellent in themselves. AI makes QR codes art in themselves.
We were thinking of leaflets as handouts, but without knowing attendee amounts, it’s likely better to rely on something that exists on the phone. Also, there will be less paper waste.
Print extra posters that can be sold or given as exclusive handouts to sponsors.
Practicalities around the event:
The venue holds around 50 people at any given time. We estimate each person to move around for about 20 minutes on average if visiting to see the exhibition. That makes a total of 150 people/hour; if we have it open 8 hours a day for three days, that’s approximately 3600 guests max. We’d be happy if we’d get even half of that to visit, but reach will likely be a lot harder.
It’s not worth bringing separate security guards, but someone needs to be on-premise throughout the event.
The Vernissage is best held as a standing event to fit as many as possible.
It does not make sense to sell tickets for the exhibition, but people could support it by buying the book, the posters, or the actual art. Additionally, we’d seek sponsors and grants to cover costs.
The budgetThe budget will be a maximum of 8k€, including rent, setup materials, additional production help, serving for the Vernissage, and nominal compensation for Yuzu and Mathilda.
If this gets support, we can incorporate it and make an event series. Additionally, if the concept gets traction, we could create something in an art space as an educative platform or marketplace.
Practicalities around marketing:
Creating a webpage for the event with the form outline the visitors engage with.
Create profiles on all platforms and use Canva to push content on all channels.
Ask for some PR help marketing the event and reaching relevant news outlets.
Pre-registration and support for the event by ordering copies of the physical book.
That was quite the list already; we need to execute it now.
If you want to help, sponsor, or partner up, ping or message us!
To conclude, give a little interlude before the paid content. Reflecting on what art can do to make people think differently, I decided to enjoy a cold local soda brew within walking distance from Redi’s shopping mall. Right in the new heart of the culinary and Helsinki rainbow community, Teurastamo. #SupportYourLocal
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