Taking time to explore

To start the Dear You project the students and I sat down around a table and reviewed the photos sent to us from our new friends in China.  With each picture we took time to visually explore what was taking place. Was it a boy or girl? How old did they appear? Where was the photo taken? We explored what sort of information could we gather from elements presented to us in the photo?  

Following this activity we completed an journaling exercise where the students described things about themselves that they felt were important to share with their new friends. Then we completed the session by taking our self portraits.

Alexandra said: I like candy. I like to dance. My favorite food is pea soup.
I am Amos. I like school. I play my PS4. I have a big brother. I like pizza. I like candy.
I am Ebba. I like English club. I play football. I have a mom.
Felix said: I am 8 years old. I like candy. I play Minecraft.
Lucus said: I am short. I like my friend Benjamin. I play football. I have a little sister.
I am Maxim. I like Samuel & Benjamin. I do Ty-boxing. I have a dog.
Oskar said: I like playing my phone. I like candy. I am 7 years old. I play the guitar.
Sophia said: I also like to laugh. I like to play pretend mommy and daddy. I like my mom. My favorite food is spaghetti and I love bread. I like hotdogs and I like friends.

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Rachel Kangas

The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

I think we will make good friends!

申钰萌：我是一个性格内向的小女孩，我有一双大大的眼睛，一头乌黑的长发和一张能说会道的嘴巴。音乐、画画、跳舞都是我平时的爱好，跳绳、跑步是我喜爱的体育项目。这就是我，一个快乐的小女孩。

申钰茜：我是一个性格内向的女生。我有一双炯炯有神的大眼睛，一头乌黑的头发，和一张能说会道的嘴。我喜欢画画、跳舞、唱歌。跑步、跳绳都是我喜爱的体育项目。这就是我，一个幸福、快乐的女孩。

Shen Yu Meng: I am an introverted little girl, I have big eyes, long black hair and I like to talk. My hobbies are music, drawing and dancing. Skipping and running are my favorite sport. This is me, a happy little girl.

Shen Yu Qian: I am an introverted girl. I have big and bright eyes, a black hair, and a can of mouth. I like drawing, dancing, singing. Running, jumping rope are my favorite sports. I am a happy, lucky girl.

沈力萌：我是一个爱笑的女孩。闲时，我喜欢吟诗诵读。画画，唱歌是我的最爱。每天我都在不断努力，不断进步，因为我相信：顽强的意志可以征服世界上任何一座高山。

Shen Meng: I am a girl who likes to laugh a lot. For fun, I like to recite poems. Painting and singing are my favorite. Every day I am constantly working hard and making progress, because I believe: if we work hard we can conquer any mountain in the world.

陈仁杰，今年9岁了。我是个阳光活泼的大胖子，跑步、跳绳、打篮球、画画等等都是我的兴趣爱好，但没有一个是我擅长的，我特别爱交朋友，希望我们能成为好朋友。

Chen Renjie, I turn 9 years old this year. I am a lively little pudgy boy. Running, skipping, playing basketball, painting and so on are all my hobbies, but I am not especially good at any of them. I especially love to make friends and hope we can be good friends.

陈楚楚：我是一个安静内敛的女生。我喜欢折纸，画画，跳绳……其中旅游，交友是我的最爱，好期待认识远方的您们！

Chen Chu Chu: I am a quiet introverted girl. I like origami, drawing, skipping ... travel, making friends is my favorite, so looking forward to meeting you from a distance!

程志奥:大家好，我叫程志奥，今年十岁，我是一个活泼开朗的小孩。喜欢打羽毛球、骑自行车还喜欢踢足球。我相信在这个大家庭里没个人都有不可代替的作用。

Cheng Zhi-o: Hello everyone, my name is 程志奥, I turn ten years old this year, I am a lively and cheerful kid. I like playing badminton, cycling and also I like to play football. I believe that everybody in the family has an important place and role.

石杰文：我是一个快乐的男孩，我喜欢阅读和唱歌，爱看一些关于恐龙的书籍和影片，我的理想是长大后成为一名考古学家！你们喜欢我吗？喜欢就和我交朋友吧！

Shi Jiewen: I am a happy boy. I like to read and sing. I love to read books and watch videos about dinosaurs. My dream is to grow up to become an archeologist! Do you like me?  If you do, we can be friends!

徐志东：大家好，我叫徐志东，今年十岁。我是一个活泼可爱的小男孩，我善常跑步、骑自行车、画画……我的梦想是成为一名聪明的冒险家，因为我想看看世界！有好奇心的小朋友就跟我交朋友吧!

Xu Zhidong: Hello everyone, my name is Xu Zhidong, I turn ten years old this year. I am a lovely lively cute little boy. I am good at running, riding a bike, painting and drawing ... My dream is to become a wise adventurer because I want to see the world! Curious children, come make friends with me!

徐梓惠 : 大家好，我叫徐梓惠，我是一个活波可爱的女孩。跳舞、画画、主持人，这都是我的兴趣爱好。我长大想当一名护士，因为可以帮助生病的人减轻痛苦。

Xu Zihui: Hello everyone, my name is Xu Zihui, I am a lively cute little girl. Dancing, drawing, being a talk show host are my hobbies. I want to grow up to be a nurse because then I could help the sick to make them feel better.

徐俪宁，我是一个活泼开朗好运动的女孩。平时休息的时候我会去做一些体育运动，例如：游泳、轮滑、攀岩。我的特长是舞蹈和绘画，但我更喜欢表演，我希望我长大后能当一名演员，像我的偶像杨幂那样优秀。

Xu Li Ning, I am a lively, cheerful, and sporty girl. Usually to relax, I will do some sports, such as swimming, roller skating and rock climbing. My specialty is dance and painting, but I prefer acting, and I hope I grew up to be an actress, as good as my idol Yang Mi.

When I explained to the kids what the event meant and what to do, they were very positive and found out how many great pictures they had and asked friends to pick out the ones they like. 

Next, the kids told stories about the photos. Then, the kids talked about their photos one after one. They made self-introductions and wrote them down, they expect to be new friends with the kids in Finland.

King regards,
Teacher Lisa and Miss Wu Juehua

The artists in Grade 3 (9-10 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-9 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.

杨俊涛：我是一个爱笑的男孩。我的眼睛小小的，笑起来眯成一条缝。我喜欢踢毽子、唱歌，魔方是我的最爱。

Yang Juntao: I am a kind of boy who likes to laugh a lot. My eyes are small, and when they are smiling that are like tiny slits. I like to play badminton, sing, and the Rubik's Cube is my favorite.

大家好！我叫刘晶瑶，今年10岁了。我内心阳光，性格开朗，是同学们的好朋友，老师的小助手。我热爱画画，钢琴、体育等…，希望大家喜欢我！

Hello everyone! My name is Liu Jingyao and I turn 10 years old this year. My heart is full of sunshine, I have a cheerful personality, I am good friends with my classmates, and I am teacher's assistant. I love painting, piano, sports, etc ..., I hope everyone likes me!

李一轩：我是个活泼且调皮的男孩，个子高高的，皮肤白白的，爸爸说他最喜欢我水灵灵的大眼睛，因为觉得我的眼睛会说话。别看我瘦得跟豆芽菜似的，我的饭量可大了，妈妈特羡慕我这种吃得多还不胖的体质。我的爱好是国际象棋和运动，来和我做朋友，让我给你们带去欢乐吧！

Li Yixuan: I am a lively and naughty boy, I am quite tall, my complexion is light, and my father says he likes my big watery eyes the most, because he thinks that my eyes can talk. I may look thin, but I have a big appetite. My hobbies are chess and sports, come and be my friend so that I can make you happy!

任建业：大家好，我叫任建业。我今年十岁了。我是一个活泼、爱笑的男生，一笑眼睛就眯成一条线。我有很多的兴趣爱好：看书、跳绳、踢毽子、画画……我的梦想是成为一位有名的画家，所以现在就要好好学习，天天向上，这样才有可能性。你们愿意和我做朋友吗？

Ren Jianye: Hello everyone, my name is Ren Jianye. I am ten years old. I am a lively and loving boy. I have a lot of hobbies: reading books, skipping, playing badminton, painting ... My dream is to become a famous painter, so I will study hard now and work everyday so that it can be possible. Will you be friends with me?

大家好，我叫吕明轩，今年10岁，我活泼好动，非常喜欢体育，尤其喜欢踢足球，跑步和打篮球这三项体育运动。如果来到我们学校的操场，那个跑步第一名的可能就是我哦！

Hello everybody, my name is Lu Mingxuan, I am 10 years old. I am active and very much like sports. I especially like playing football, running and palying basketball. If you come to our school playground, and we have a race, I could maybe be the fastest!

马嘉鸿：很高兴见到你们，我是一个好学、端行、尚美的学生，我的兴趣爱好很广泛，比如说：画画、跳舞等。

Ma Jiahong: I am very happy to meet you. I am a studious and pretty student. I have many different hobbies such as: painting, dancing and so on.

唐雨亭，我是个活泼开朗的女孩，今年9岁，我喜欢听音乐，每次爸爸妈妈接送我上学放学的路上都会拿着手机哼唱几首自己喜欢的音乐。你们喜欢跟我交朋友吗

Tang Yuting, I am a lively and happy girl. I turn 9 years old this year. I like to listen to music

When Mom and Dad pick me up from school I listen to and hum along to my favorite song on my phone. Would you like to be friends with me?

孙诗涵：我是个活泼开朗、乐于助人的女孩，也是个粗心大意的人。我的爱好广泛，最喜欢弹钢琴，因为88个琴键弹出来的声音是五彩缤纷的。我相信：天才出于勤奋，只有不断努力，才能让自己更优秀！

Sun Shih Han: I am a lively and helpful and thoughtful girl. My hobbies range, but my favorite is the piano, because the sound of the 88 keys are so colorful. I believe: genius comes out of diligence, only through continuous efforts we can make them better!

吴奕昊：大家好，我叫吴奕昊，我今年十岁了。我是一个活泼开朗的小男孩，我爱跑步、踢足球、扔垒球，我喜欢交朋友，我的梦想是当一个出色的运动员！为祖国争光！

Wu Yi Hao: Hello everyone, my name is Wu Yi Hao, I am ten years old. I am a cheerful little boy, I love running, playing football, throwing softball, I like to make friends, my dream is to be a good athlete! Wishing everything good to the motherland (China)!

顾一川:大家好，我叫顾一川，今年九岁。我是一个活泼开朗的女孩，一眼望去最小巧可爱的那个就是我。我喜欢看书、画画、做手工……，其中做科学小实验是我的最爱，我希望长大后做个科学家，揭开世界未解之谜。小朋友们，快来跟我做朋友吧！

Gu Yichuan: Hello everyone, my name is Gu Yichuan and I am nine years old. I am a lively little cute girl. I like to read books, draw pictures and do things with my hands. Amongst them, doing scientific experiments is my favorite. I hope to grow up to be a scientist and discover the mysteries of the world. Kids, come and be friends with me!

Looking at us through a lens

The artists at Vesalan peruskoulu in Finland are so excited to have new friends in Spain!  We had a good discussion about languages and all the different ways we can communicate.  In the group we have people who speak Finnish, Russian, Arabic, English, and probably many other languages, but we realized that art is a language too!  And today we experimented with using photography as our medium! 

Since this was the first project in getting to know our friends we first thought of things we like about ourselves and characteristics that we would like to share with them.  

Then we experimented with photography!  The characteristics we wanted to highlight guided our camera.  Some of us went outside (in freezing cold weather!) to take the self-portraits while others used different techniques to spread their message such as drawing.  In any case, the final work was a photographic self-portrait.

To round out the session we looked at some self-portraits from Nan Goldin, Josef Koudelka and Zev.  Everybody could share their own perspectives on how that photographic spoke to them.

We look forward to seeing our friend's self-portraits!

The 4th graders at Vesalan Peruskoulu in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 5th graders at Escola SOLC in Barcelona, Spain.  Artists in both groups are 10-11 years old.

The Tigers get creative with their self-portraits!

The Tigers are so happy and excited to have new friends in Kontula!  A place fairly close to where the Tigers live in Espoo!  Since we haven't met our new friends yet, we thought about all the things we would like to share about ourselves with them.  We got into small groups and came up with a very long list of our favorite things!

Joann: bunnies, diamonds, butterfles
Vanessa: ice cream, butterflies, candy
Aapo: puu, sledding, sweets, skating, surfboard, wii, Mario
Erik: candy, ice hockey
Leevi: candy, presents
Achu: babies, scary stuff, ice cream, coffee
Oskari: jäähilejuoma, ice cream, candy, spiders
Cride: candy, ice cream, ice cream drink
Rishita: glasses, little sister, new year, earrings, lips
Arn: dinosaurs, ghost
Olivia: ice cream, candy, shakes (big ones), ice cream drink, penguins, storm
Renu: butterflies, good babies, spider, ice cream

Wow! Do you like these as well?

Then we thought about how to show our long list of favorites in a photograph. This will be our self-portrait. Some Tigers made props to wear or hold in the photograph, some Tigers wanted to act it out in the photograph, and some Tigers wanted to draw and picture and then take a photograph of that. In any case, everybody Tiger came up with their own way of portraying themselves to their new friends.

We hope you like our self-portraits!

Sincereley,
Arlene, Floriin, Anna-Maria & The Tigers

The 5 year old artists at Your School in Espoo, Finland are making and sharing art with the 5 year old artists from Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland.

Through photography, The Monkeys tell about themselves

The Monkeys were very happy to hear that they have new friends in Kontula! They got even more excited when they found out that they will get to meet their new friends in May after making and sharing art with them for a few months.

Since this is the first artwork in the series, we thought long and hard about what we would like to share with our new friends.  Everybody chose things they like to do, things they are interested in or shared traits about themselves:

Adripto: cabin crew (I like to help)
Neha: dancing and drawing
D: drawing
Pauli: hockey
Pranav: skating and playing with friends
Aryan: I like flying on airplanes
Aleksi: hockey
Vika: drawing
Aliah: I would like to show them how I draw
Rafael: I like how to play Kimbu with my friends
Nithila: I like to draw and I want to show it to them
Miriam: I want to show how I make snowflakes
Kinshuk: I want to show them how I play with legos
Miska: I want to show how slow I am
Miro: Playing with my soft toys
Umer: I want to show how fast humans are
Mikael: I like building castles

Once we got into the project we wanted to share even more things with you! Umer said, "We have some powers to teach you."

The Monkeys said that they liked taking the photo and also liked pretending for the photo. We hope you did too!

Sincerely,
Arlene, Sanna, Ben & The Monkeys

The 6 year old artists at Your School in Espoo, Finland are making and sharing art with the 6 year old artists from Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland.

Luovat eskarilaiset, Kanelit -ryhmä

(English below)
Eskariryhmässä on 15 lasta, iältään kaikki ovat tällä hetkellä 6 –vuotiaita. Ensimmäisellä kerralla lapsilta kysyttiin, mitä he haluavat kertoa itsestään tai mistä he tykkäävät ( 3 asiaa ). Sen jälkeen he saivat valita jonkin heille mieluisan asian, josta otettiin valokuva.

Esikouluryhmä Kaneleiden lasten ajatuksia itsestään ja siitä, mistä he tykkäävät eniten ( 3 asiaa ):

S; Mä tykkään hevosista, sota- ja rosvoleikeistä.
A; Mä tykkään mustekalasta, poliisi- ja rosvoleikeistä, Spiderman ja Superman vaatteista.
Sh; Mä tykkään kissoista, seistä päälläni ja värittää paljon.
Lu; Mä tykkään hevosista, kissoista ja värittää paljon.
To; Mä oon mustekala ja mun lempieläin on mustekala. Mä tykkään koirauinnista ja päällä seisonnasta.
La; Mä tykkään leikkiä palikoilla, koiraleikeistä ja tykkään leikkiä Pokemoneilla.
El; Mä tykkään leikkiä palikoilla Laurin kanssa, simpukoista ja meritähdistä sekä apinoista.
Le; Mä tykkään poneista sekä tehdä hamahelmiä, lumipalloja ja lumienkeleitä.
Lun; Mä haluun leikkiä ulkona, mennä Hoplopiin, tehdä sirkusta ja piirtää.
Ma; Tykkään perhosista sekä mennä ulos ja tehdä lumiukkoja.
Z; Tykkään mennä Hoplopiin, Lampipuistoon, olla ulkona ja leikkiä Terhin kanssa.
Te; Tykkään apinoista sekä tehdä kärrynpyöriä ja harrastaa jumppaa.
Ay; Tykkään päällä seisomisesta, siltakaadosta ja kärrynpyöristä.

+++

There are 15 children in the kindergarten group and all of them are currently 6 years old. In the workshop, the children were asked to tell something about themselves. For example, what are three things they like. After that, they chose one of their favorite things and figured out how to turn it into a self-portrait in photographic form.

Here are the children's answers;
Su; I like horses, playing war and robbers kind of games.
Al; I like the octopus, playing police and crime games, Spiderman and Superman's clothes.
Sh; I like cats, stand on the top of my head and coloring a lot.
Lu; I like horses, cats and lots of color.
To; I am an octopus and my favorite animal is an octopus. I like doggie paddling and making headstands.
La; I like to play with blocks, doggie paddling and I like playing with Pokemon.
El; I like to play blocks with Lauri, seashells, starfish and monkeys.
Le; I like ponies and to make hama beads, snowballs and snow angels.
Lun; I want to play outdoors, go to Hoplop, and to make a circus and draw.
Ma; I like butterflies and to go out to make snow angels.
Za; I like to go to Hoplop, Lampipuisto, and to go out to play with Terhi.
Te; I like monkeys, making cartwheels and going to the gym.
Ay; I like making headstands, making a bridge, and doing cartwheels.

The 6 year old artists at Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 6 year old artists from Your School in Espoo, Finland.

In winter 2018 Dear You project in Kontula is supported by the Museum of Impossible Forms.

Mantelit ja Pippurit tekevät taidetta!

(English below)
Viisivuotiaiden ryhmässä on lapsia kahdesta eri ryhmästä Manteleista ja Pippureista. Meistä on mukavaa, että voimme tehdä yhdessä tätä projektia. Ensimmäisellä kerralla lapsilta kysyttiin, mitä he haluavat kertoa itsestään tai mistä he tykkäävät: ”Kerro kolme itsellesi mieluisinta asiaa”. Sen jälkeen lapset saivat valita yhden heille mieluisan asian, josta otettiin valokuva.

Tässä lasten vastauksia:
Hamza: Jäätelö, karkit ja suklaa – myös paloautoilla leikkiminen on kivaa.
Laura: Piirtäminen & maalaaminen, keiton keittäminen, halit
Jasmin: Istuminen, äidin kanssa kaupassa käyminen, Danielin kanssa leikkiminen
Matvei: Elisein kanssa leikkiminen
Marva: leikkikaverit, lääkärileikki, poliisileikki, barbit
Adna: kaverit, palikat & palapelit, ponit
Amina: maalaaminen, piirtämineen, nukkekotileikki
Noor: kaverit, heppa-leikit, piilosta
Alniz: hevoset, kaverit, linnat

yt. Teija ja Satu

+++

The group of five-year-olds is a combination of two different groups; the Almonds and the Gingerbreads. We are delighted to be able to do this project together. During the first workshop, the children were asked to say something about themselves or what they like: "Tell three positive things about yourself". After that, the children were allowed to choose one of them, a nice character from from which they created a photographic self-portrait. The children took the pictures themselves!

Here are the children's responses:
Hamza: Ice cream, candy and chocolate - even playing with fire engines is fun.
Laura: Drawing & painting, making soup, hugs
Jasmin: Sitting, going with Mom to the shop, playing with Daniel
Matvei: Playing with Elise
Marva: playmates, playing doctor, police games, barbies
Adna: friends, bricks & puzzles, ponies
Amina: painting, drawing, playing with the doll house
Noor: friends, playing with horses, hiding games
Alniz: horses, friends, castles

Sincerely,
Teija and Satu

The 5 year old artists at Päiväkoti Pihapirtti in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 5 year old artists from Your School in Espoo, Finland.

In winter 2018 Dear You project in Kontula is supported by the Museum of Impossible Forms.