About me
I am a Helsinki-based visual artist and a doctoral student in the School, Education, Society, and Culture Doctoral Programme at the University of Helsinki. In my art I am fascinated by the way people connect and interact with their surroundings and particularly with nature, and these are topics that have appeared in my paintings for several years. In my doctoral research I focuses on aesthetic dimensions of young children’s experiences in nature. My research interests include multiliteracies, digital literacy, multimodal and multi-sensuous pedagogies, environmental education, aesthetic experience and arts-based methods. I hold a Master of Arts in General and Adult Education. During my studies in educational sciences at the University of Helsinki, I have attended courses in art education didactics and aesthetic philosophy. I also have training in fine arts painting and several years of experience working as a visual artist. In my work as an artist I have planned and organized both solo and group exhibitions. I have worked in various research projects at the University of Helsinki, where I have collaborated on developing and researching pedagogical materials that are designed to promote children’s aesthetic engagement and materials that enhance children's multiliteracy and ecoliteracy. My most recent collaboration and design is a children’s picture book called Kupla. During my employment I have participated in co-writing research papers and organizing events and pedagogical workshops for adults and children. My current research project is “Digital mediation of children’s interactions with the more than human world” funded by the Australian Research Council. I am also part of the expert group Learning, Culture and Interventions (LECI), a member of the Playful Learning Center at the University of Helsinki, and a member of the Finnish painter’s Union.