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CURRICULUM VITAE
MEET Factory
meat@meetfactory.com
www.meetfactory.com
Andy Best and Merja Puustinen have worked together since 1993.
They work predominantly with the Internet and telecommunications.
In 1997 they founded MEET Factory, a network-like organization
focused on developing content to convergent media and specialized
on 3D multi-user interactive environments.
Andy Best
Born 1963, England
EDUCATION
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| 1996-
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MA studies, Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, Finland
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| 1988-1990
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Post Graduate studies, Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, Finland
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| 1984-1987
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BA Honors in Fine Arts, Cardiff Art College, South Glamorgan
Institute of Higher Education, Cardiff, UK
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| 1983-1984
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Art Foundation Course, Southampton Institute of Higher Education,
Southampton, UK
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| 1982-1983
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Studies in BSC, Ship Science Department, Southampton University,
Southampton, UK
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Merja Puustinen
Born 1963, Hamina, Finland
EDUCATION
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| 2000-
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Doctoral Studies in fine art, Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki Finland
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| 1991-
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Studies in Aesthetics & Philosophy, Helsinki University,
Finland
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| 1988-1992
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BA in Fine Arts, Lahti Institute of Fine Arts, Lahti, Finland
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SELECTED PROJECTS
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1999-2001
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MEET
Factory
Iceborg
3D multi-user interactive virtual community on the Internet.
Co-production with the Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada and
Helsinki European Capital of Culture 2000, Finland
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1996-1998
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Conversations with Angels
3D multi-user interactive environment on the Internet. Co-production
with the Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada, and Kiasma Museum
of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland
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1996-1997
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Helsinki City Art Museum
Design and construction of Internet website for the Helsinki
City Art Museum and Kluuvi Gallery, also outdoor public sculptures
in Helsinki, Finland
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1994
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Other media art projects
Silent Footsteps
An environmental artwork on the sidewalks, twenty cast bronze
plates with wild life animal footprints. Helsinki City, Helsinki,
Finland
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1996
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RAX
Installation of five large site-specific colour photographs
in the streets around the Beaconsfield Gallery, Central London,
UK
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1996
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Suburbarama Honeymoon
Investigation into suburban lifestyles in Copenhagen: Fly-posters
distributed around the city, web site, installation at Galleri
Campells, Copenhagen, Denmark
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1995-1996
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DAD@
Internet project: A critique of the hype surrounding the World
Wide Web. Also shown as an installation in Breaking Eyes Exhibition,
Nordic Media Art, Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden
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1995
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Play with me
Telematic performance in One Night Stand, Helsinki, interaction
with remote audience in Oslo, Norway via video telephone
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1995
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DAD@
Telematic performance between Gothenburg, Oslo, London and
St. Petersburg using video telephone and MUD Internet multi-user
chat
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1994
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Street Talk
25 artists, writers, scientists and representatives of social
minorities designed site-specific street signs for Helsinki
Festival, Helsinki, Finland
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1994
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Puzzle it out!
A site-specific project for Prosjekt I Gamlebyen, free postcard
and center page insert in Morgenbladet Newspaper, Oslo, Norway
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1993
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A Play for 4 people
Telematic performance between Energy Station, Helsinki, Finland
and Casino Container, Venice, Italy
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EXHIBITIONS
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2001
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F2F, Embassy of
Finland, Washington DC, USA
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2000
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Games, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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2000
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F2F, the New Wight Gallery, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
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2000
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Pro@contra, Moscow, Russia
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1999
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Media Lounge, Viper Festival, Lüzern, Switzerland
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1999
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Pixel Prints for Pigmente, Bern, Austria
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1999
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4th International Festival of New Film, Split, Bosnia
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1999
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Toys n’ Noise, OK Centre for Contemporary Art, Linz,
Austria
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1999
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SynWorld, Media Art Festival, Vienna, Austria
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1999
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European Media Art Festival, Osnabrück, Germany
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1999
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Avatar, Dortmund Film Festival, Dortmund, Germany
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1999
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VRML-Art, Online Exhibition, Paderborn, Germany
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1999
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Transmediale99, Berlin, Germany
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1999
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Exploding Cinema Film Festival, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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1998
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Avatars98, Online and Kluuvi Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
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1998
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Cult, Galleria Sculptor, Helsinki, Finland
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1998
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Digital Art and Culture, Bergen, Norway
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1998
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4th International Photo Triennial, Esslingen, Germany
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1998
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Unknown Adventure, Kiel-Rostock, Germany
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1998
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ISEA98, Manchester-Liverpool, UK
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1998
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AVATAR, AVATAR, Wherefore Art thou? Banff, Canada
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1998
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Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
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1998
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1st Virtual Worlds Conference, Paris, France
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1998
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Virtual Environments Conference, Stuttgart, Germany
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1998
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Gazes, Finnish Media Art at the Kitchen, New York, USA
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1998
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Tampere Film Festival, Media Lounge, Tampere, Finland
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1998
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VRML98 Conference Gallery, Monterey, USA
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1997
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Avatar97, San Francisco, USA
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1997
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Unknown Adventure, Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany
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1997
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Tieto/Valta/Kontrolli, MAP, Helsinki, Finland
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1997
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OpenX Studio, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria
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1997
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Cover - re-psychled, Oslo, Norway
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1997
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Tampere Film Festival, Media Lounge, Tampere, Finland
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1997
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Nordic Glory Film Festival, Jyväskylä, Finland
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1996
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RAX, Beaconsfield Gallery, London, UK
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1996
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Suburbarama Honeymoon, Copenhagen, Denmark
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1996
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Epreuves du désir, Brussels, Belgium
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1996
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Breaking Eyes, Stockholm, Sweden & Helsinki, Finland
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1995
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Living Texture, Zurich, Switzerland
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1995
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Outpost, Venice, Italy
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1995
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Wonderful Life, Brussels, Belgium
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1995
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Tidsvåg Noll, Gothenburg, Sweden
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1995
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Sculptor 95, Helsinki, Finland
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1995
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Think Apocalypse, Brussels, Belgium
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1995
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Smart Show, Stockholm, Sweden
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1995
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Art Attack, Oslo, Norway
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1994
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Muu at Jutempus, Vilnius, Lithuania
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1994
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AIDS Theme, Helsinki City Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
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1994
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Street Talk, Helsinki, Finland
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1994
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Environmental Aesthetics Conference, Koli, Finland
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1994
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Prosjekt i Gamlebyen, Oslo, Norway
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1993
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Christmas Calendar, Muu ry & Helsingin Sanomat, Finland
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1993
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Energy Station, Helsinki, Finland & Casino Container,
Venice, Italy
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1993
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Finnish Artists’ Exhibition 98, Karkkila, Finland
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1992
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On the Borders, Helsinki, Finland
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1992
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Baltic Pathways, Tallink Ferry, Helsinki Festival, Helsinki,
Finland
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ART WORKS IN COLLECTIONS
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Kiasma Museum of
Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki City Art Museum, Finland
Finnish State Collections
Vantaa City, Finland
Private Collections in Europe and USA
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AWARDS AND GRANTS
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| 2000
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Ministry of Trade
and Industry, Finland, virtual community development, international
marketing, Grant
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2000
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Ministry of Education, Finland, virtual community development,
Grant
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| 2000
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AVEK, The Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture, International
marketing, Grant
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| 1999
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1. Prize, Best Animation, Avatar Conference, on-line at www.ccon.org
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| 1999
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2. Prize, Best Character, Avatar Conference, on-line at www.ccon.org
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| 1999
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TEKES, the National Technology Agency, international co-production
preparation, Grant
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| 1999
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TEKES, the National Technology Agency, research for business
plan, Grant
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| 1999
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Helsinki City Cultural Board Grant for marketing
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| 1999
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Kordelin Foundation, Grant for marketing material
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| 1999
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Kopiosto, Copyright Society Finland, Multimedia Grant
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| 1998-1999
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AVEK, The Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture Grant
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| 1999
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The Arts Council of Finland, Residency Grant
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| 1999
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The Arts Council of Finland, Distribution Grant
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| 1999
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Kopiosto, Copyright Society Finland, Multimedia Education,
Grant
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| 1999
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Helsinki European Capital of Culture 2000, Iceborg, Grant
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| 1999
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Finnish State Prize for Media Art
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| 1998
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Most Weird Avatar Award, Avatar Conference, on-line at www.ccon.org
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| 1998
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Best Avatar, ColonyCity, On-line Internet Avvy Fashion Show
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| 1998
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Second Prize, Demo Contest, IEEE Yuforic -98 Virtual Environments,
Stuttgart, Germany
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| 1998
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VISEK, the Promotion Center for Visual Art, Iceborg, Grant
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| 1998
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The Arts Council of Finland, Grant
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| 1997-1998
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AVEK, The Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture, Conversations
with Angels, Grant
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| 1997
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The Finnish Cultural Foundation Award for 3D Internet project
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| 1997
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Avvy97 Award, Avatar Conference, San Francisco, USA
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| 1996-1997
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The Arts Council of Finland, Travel Grants
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| 1996-1997
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AVEK, The Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture, Production
Grant
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| 1995-1996
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Helsinki City, exhibition support
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| 1995
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AVEK, The Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture, Production
Grant
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MEMBERSHIPS
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Association of Finnish Sculptors
Finnish Painters’ Union
MUU ry Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association
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