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Ute Meta Bauer, Full Professor, Nanyang Technological University & Principle Research Fellow, NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore

Ute Meta Bauer is a Curator working across contemporary art, film, video and sound. As Professor at the School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University, she initiated and co-chaired the Master of Arts in Museum Studies and Curatorial Practice and currently is the Principle Research Fellow at NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore, the first national research centre in the arts, which she led as Founding Director for over a decade. A career spanning three decades, her focus has been on the relationship of place, labor, capital and on climates, habitats and environments.

Her academic roles include Dean of Fine Art at the Royal College of Art, London, Associate Professor at MIT, where she founded the Program in Art, Culture, and Technology and as Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, she was Head of the Institute of Contemporary Art, and later Vice-Rector for International Relations. She has curated and co-curated the 3rd Berlin Biennale, Documenta11, the US Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale, and the Singapore Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale, was Artistic Director of the 2024 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale and in 2022 co-curated the 17th Istanbul Biennial with David Teh and Amar Kanwar. 

As the Founding Director of OCA Norway, she was commissioner for the Nordic Pavilion at the 50th Venice Biennale. Having worked with Finnish artists, including Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Laura Beloff, Pia Lindman, Mika Taanila, Mika Vainio, she is, since 2018, a member of the Advisory Board of Contemporary Art Commissioning Agency IHME, Helsinki.

Ann Light, Professor, University of Sussex, and Malmö University

Ann Light is a Professor of Design & Creative Technology at the University of Sussex, UK, and a visiting Professor of Interaction Design, Social Change and Sustainability at Malmö University, Sweden. She is a key figure in the Participatory Design community, known for integrating creative disciplines and the humanities with technological research fields such as Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW).

Her latest project The Role of Immersive Embodied Participatory Techniques in Eco-Social Change aims to create connections between art, design, the humanities, and scientific fields to address climate collapse, emphasizing the need for creative approaches in socially engaged art and design to envision fairer worlds and improve difficult situations. Her programme of research has been funded by organizations like the United Kingdom’s AHRC, EPSRC, ESRC, and the EU, involving more than 25 UKRI projects and collaborating with arts organizations, grassroots movements, and marginalized groups globally. Light is also a co-author of Designing Connected Products and co-creator of the CreaTures Framework.

Department of Design partnered with Light to design and implement the EU Horizon 2020 -funded CreaTures research project. Through the partnership she has extensively and ambitiously collaborated and co-authored publications along with Aalto researchers. Her work has been widely read in Aalto by both students and researchers.

Joel Sanders, Professor, Yale University & Principal, JSA/MIXdesign

Joel Sanders, FAIA, is an accomplished architect, designer, writer, and educator specializing in inclusive design. Sanders is the founder of JSA/MIXdesign, an inclusive design studio that makes everyday building types accessible and welcoming to all people. JSA/MIXdesign initiatives include Stalled!, an AIA award-winning project that responds to controversies surrounding transgender access to public restrooms, and MIXmuseum, a toolkit of strategies to make museums better meet the needs of their diverse audiences. In addition, Sanders is a Professor at Yale University, where his classes consider the intersection of architecture, inclusivity, and mental and physical health. Previously, he served as Director of Post-Professional Studies and held leadership roles at Parsons School of Design and Princeton University. His publications include Groundwork: Between Landscape and Architecture (co-authored with Diana Balmori) and articles on equity and inclusivity in public spaces. He also edited Stud: Architectures of Masculinity, exploring how architecture shapes male identity.

Joel received the Fashion Institute of Technology’s 2023 Lawrence Israel Prize, and his firm has also received numerous awards, including six New York Chapter AIA Design Awards, three New York State AIA Design Awards, three Interior Design Best of Year Awards, two ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards, and Design Citations from Progressive Architecture.

Sanders has contributed ºÚÁÏÍø University through joint design studios for architecture students and discussions on inclusive design and social equity.

Rafaela Seppälä, Art Collector, Chairman of Tiftö Foundation board

Rafaela Seppälä is an Art Collector and Chairman of Tiftö Foundation board. She holds a Master of Science degree in Journalism from Columbia University and has extensive experience in the field of Media. She has made a significant societal impact in both the art and business sectors. Moreover, Seppälä is a prominent Art and Design Connoisseur and Collector.

She holds several influential positions that contribute to the advancement of art and design in Finland. She is a Founding member of the Foundation for the Helsinki Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, a former member of the Finnish National Gallery Board, and Chairman of her own Tiftö Foundation, a non-profit organization that was established to promote Finnish contemporary art and artists internationally. Seppälä is known for her passion and dedication to support Finnish art and artists and to attract international attention to Finnish art and design. Her extensive collection includes both contemporary and classical art and design.

Seppälä maintains a strong and supportive relationship with Aalto University, actively contributing to discussions and initiatives like Artpreneurship, which fosters collaboration between the university and the business sector. She views art as a key driver of progress and strongly supports Aalto’s interdisciplinary approach, connecting students of art, design, technology, and economics. Emphasizing the importance of integrating science and research with society, she actively promotes this perspective within her networks.

Timo Salminen, Cinematographer

Timo Salminen is a highly respected Cinematographer, best known for his long-time collaboration with director Aki Kaurismäki. His career took off in the 1980s, and he quickly became a key figure in the field, known for his professionalism, dedication and a distinctive sense of style. Salminen is a master of colour and shade, and he is also one of the few cinematographers who continue the tradition of black-and-white filmmaking.

Over the years, Salminen has worked as a cinematographer in more than 50 feature films, collaborating with several leading directors both in Finland and internationally. He has won five Jussi Awards for Best Cinematography and received three additional nominations. His work has also been recognized with two nominations for Best Cinematographer at the European Film Awards. The most notable awards for the films he has shot include Cannes Jury Prize (Fallen Leaves), Berlin Silver Bear (The Other Side of Hope), Cannes Grand Prix and a nomination for the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best International Feature Film (The Man Without a Past). Salminen is known for his quiet presence on the set and a respectful manner that creates a safe and encouraging atmosphere for actors and the entire crew. 

Through decades of work, Timo Salminen’s work continues to inspire new generations of cinematographers and students of cinematography as well as the students of all the other majors of film and television at Aalto.

Kim Simonsson, Sculptor

Kim Simonsson is the most successful contemporary artist internationally to have graduated from the Department of Ceramics and Glass Design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki. After graduating, he pushed the boundaries of ceramics, first at the Arabia factory's art department in Helsinki and later as a Freelance Sculptor in his studio in Fiskars. Due to the large scale of his work, he now incorporates other materials into his creations.

Simonsson has held solo exhibitions worldwide, including in New York, Paris, and Berlin, and has showcased his work at major international art fairs such as Design Miami, Art Paris, and The Armory Show in New York. His sculptures are featured in renowned museums like the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin, and Contemporary Art Museum Kiasma and Amos Rex in Helsinki. He has won several prestigious domestic and international awards, including the William Thuring Prize, Young Artist of the Year, and Order of the Lion of Finland – Pro Finlandia Medal.

As an internationally successful designer-artist rooted in craftsmanship, Simonsson serves as an inspiring figure for students, particularly in the MA Major in Contemporary Design at Aalto. Simonsson’s studio in Fiskars serves as an inspiration for students, offering them valuable insight into working as a freelance designer-artist and the career choices involved. Known for his kindness and authenticity, he demonstrates that success can be achieved by staying true to oneself.