CO-PORTRAIT workshop
13.11.2025 @Utopiaklubi Loviisa (Finland)
This workshop explores portraiture from a multispecies perspective, placing humans alongside other forms of life. Through artistic practice, participants reflect on identity as something interconnected with plants, animals, fungi, and ecosystems—cultivating empathy, respect, and interdependence.
Each participant will choose an element from their surroundings—flora, fauna, or even their own microbiome—with which they feel a connection. This co-species will be photographed, drawn, or even cut out as a silhouette, after which the image will be projected onto the participant’s face or body to create a unique multispecies portrait—in this case, a co-portrait.
Leader: Mia Makela
Location: Utopiaklubi. Loviisa
In collaboration: University of Kucku / Art in Lov
TREE CATALOGUE workshop
15.11.2025 Kucku Space, Loviisa (Finland)
Tree catalogue started as a pilot project during 2023, in various artist residencies where I led drawing sessions entitled THE PINE TREE OF MY LIFE . At the Kulttuurikauppila residency in Ii, the first participants were from the local children’s art school. They eagerly grabbed their pencils—though only after confirming with their teacher which tree was the pine. It was fascinating to see how the children always gave the pine some company, often drawing mushrooms as well, even if they might not yet know about the symbiotic relationship between pines and fungal mycelia.
Next, the residents of a senior home tried the exercise, most of whom were dementia patients. Few could remember what a pine looked like. The situation came as quite a shock to me—I had assumed that, despite memory loss, at least such basic things as the pine would remain. However, there was one determined artist, Juhani, whose elegant drawing of a pine clearly depicted a tree nearing the end of its life.
In May, at the Forest Festival organized by Kulturhus Björkboda in Taalintehdas, participants were adults of various ages, who took to the task with surprisingly joyful enthusiasm. This might have been partly because they had already been sitting still for hours, listening mostly to disheartening information about the state of our forests. That seems to be the fate of adults. Next workshop takes place during my residency at the University of Kucku in Loviisa.
Leader: Mia Makela
Location:
4/2023 Kulttuurikauppila, Ii (Finland)
4/2023 Senior house, Ii (Finland)
5/2023 Kulturhus Björkboda, Taalintehdas (Finland)
Expedición artística posthumanista
Artistic expedition (2019)
The posthuman artistic expedition in Patagonia functions as an exercise to practice a different attitude towards the environment, without seeking benefits, classifications, or dominion over what surrounds us. The goal is to create alternative narratives for the human gaze, inspired by thinkers such as Haraway, Latour, and Adorno.
La expedicion artística posthumana en Patagonia funciona como un ejercicio para practicar otro tipo de actitud hacia al entorno, sin buscar beneficios, clasificaciones o dominios sobre lo que nos rodea, con el objetivo de crear narrativas alternativas para la mirada humana inspirado por pensadores como Haraway, Latour y Adorno.
Leader: Mia Makela
Location: Chiloe Island, Chile
In collaboration: CECREA (Castro)
Tracing Interspecific Empathy
CABIN WALK&TALK - Artistic expedition (2016)
What kind of empathy we as humans feel for other species? How is empathy influencing how we detect the emotional states of other beings? What are the latest scientific discoveries on the field of empathy of species like dogs? Do other species share the same notion of empathy with us? These are some of the questions we are reflecting on during the expedition.
During the field trip we will have discussions, empathy exercises, work on tasks and share our experiences and feelings.
Leader: Mia Makela
Co-leader: Ph.D. Miiamaaria Kujala
Location: Pixelache festival, Helsinki
In collaboration: Pixelache
Night of the Beamers
Participatory pop-up event (2014-16)
Night of the Beamers is a night full of projections on the surfaces of Helsinki. Everyone can participate with their own video projections, shadow theatre or a light show. All is needed is a video or slide projector, your own personal magic lantern or even a flashlight.
Consept: Mia Makela (Delegaatio)
In collaboration: AAVE Festival
Live Cinema DVD Collection
Archives collection (2008)
El contexto de “live cinema” es efímero, cada performance suele ser única y las grabaciones de las actuaciones suelen ser el único testimonio que queda de esas acciones. La colección de dvds en el marco de live cinema en Mediateca ofrece una cartografía y un archivo sobre él. La lista de artistas incluye Olga Mink, Alva Noto, Farmers Manual, HCGilje, LIA, Ryoji Ikeda, Semiconductor, SOLU, Sue C, Telcosystems, etc.
Curator, production: Mia Makela (Public.BCN)
Location: Caixaforum Mediateca, Barcelona
In collaboration: Caixaforum (Barcelona)
PUBLIC.BCN
Audiovisual live art platform (2005-08)
Mia Makela launched Public.BCN platform in 2005 for the promotion of live audiovisual currents in the form of events and workshops in Barcelona.
In collaboration: Niu, Lefreak, etc.
WOOSHI WOOSHI
Electronic Avalanche festival (2003)
Wooshiwooshi live audiovisual event took place in Barcelona in June 2003 presenting mostly female AV-artists.
Artists like Eva Casal (de) , Irradiation (at), Honeychild (US), Jane D'Arensbourg (us), Caro Snatch (uk), Mortenson (es), MC's Tahani Nadim (at) vs Parangari Cuturi aka Anne-Marie Schleiner (us), Izu (es/fr) and TOOT (aut/es) gave performance during the 2 days.
Consept, curator, production: Mia Makela
In collaboration: La Serilla Associacion Cultural
F-SCAPES Showcase 1-2 (2000-2001)
F-SCAPES I
cdroms made by female artists. Commissioned by Cyberfeminism working days in Brussels 2000.
F_SCAPES_II -F_SCAPES II: confiqPPP- patch.perform.participate. DIGITALES. Brussels
A showcase of videoworks and patches from emerging female videoartists and programmers around the world. Commissioned by Constanze in Brussels 2001.
Consept, Curator: Mia Makela (fiftyfifty.org)
In collaboration Constanze (Brussels)
Expedición artística posthumanista
Artistic expedition (2017)
The posthuman artistic expedition in Patagonia functions as an exercise to practice a different attitude towards the environment, without seeking benefits, classifications, or dominion over what surrounds us. The goal is to create alternative narratives for the human gaze, inspired by thinkers such as Haraway, Latour, and Adorno.
La expedicion artística posthumana en Patagonia funciona como un ejercicio para practicar otro tipo de actitud hacia al entorno, sin buscar beneficios, clasificaciones o dominios sobre lo que nos rodea, con el objetivo de crear narrativas alternativas para la mirada humana inspirado por pensadores como Haraway, Latour y Adorno.
Leader: Mia Makela
Location: Punta Arenas, Patagonia, Chile
In collaboration: Lumen festival, curator Valentina Montero
Gold Diggers
Dismantling & metal-extraction workshop (2014)
Instead of leaving electronic trash on a derive to the global south, we can dismantle it here. At the ‘Gold diggers’ workshop participants mine old computers in search of valuable metals.
Consept: Mia Makela (Delegaatio)
Teacher: Albert Laine
In collaboration: Trashlab/Pixelache, Kuusakoski and Eetti
Documentation of Trashlab visit to Kuusakoski dismantling center.
Live Cinematic Explorations In The Era Of Realtime
Exhibition (2008)
Selection of outstanding live cinema works, which focus on the possibilities of realtime visual creation.
Curator: Mia Makela (Public.BCN)
Location: Digital a la Carta - Sonar. Barcelona
Live Cinema
Event (2007)
Una noche de debate, acción y performances en la Fundación Caixaforum en el marco de I-Dissabtes.
Curator: Mia Makela (Delegaatio)
Location: Caixaforum (Barcelona)
In collaboration: Caixaforum (Barcelona)
FEM/MEF
Radio program for promotion of female electronic music at RADIOPACA, a feminist radio station in Barcelona (2006).
Radio show host: Mia Makela
In collaboration: RadioPaca
Download if You Dare
Hacker Techniques workshop 1-3 (2001-2002)
Workshop participants learned how to use a variety of hacker tools and were encouraged to think new ways of using viruses in a non-destructive manner. Guest lecturers gave introductions of hacker culture was introduced by
Consept, leader: Mia Makela (fiftyfifty.org)
Teacher: Ero Carrera Ventura
Location: Hangar (Barcelona), IMAL (Bryssels), Transmediale Festival (Berlin)
In collaboration: fiftyfifty.org