Topic outline

  • Worldbuilding course info

    WORLDBUILDING 2021 (updated 3.5.21)


    Course content


    Worldbuilding course is a cross-disciplinary collaborational experiment on how to build an imaginary (populated) world, that can act as an inspiration and source for different narratives.The focus is on how to communicate during the process to create consistent concept of this world and how to present it to an outside audience with visual, audial, textual or other means. The teams will start with pre-defined loose frame, and work within this frame to create the world(s). The course duration is four weeks. Course content consists of lectures by visitors, excursions, group discussions and independent hands-on work. Visiting lecturers provide unique viewpoints to worldbuilding from their respective fields of expertise. Existing cases of imaginary worlds of literature, performing arts, cinema and gaming are also explored and analyzed during the course.



    Learning outcomes

    The art and craft of worldbuilding has many useful applications for writers and designers. This course gives inspiration on how to experiment on developing and combining ideas to create a consistent imaginary world, and how to present this world via visual, auditory, and other examples.During the course students are encouraged to learn new ways of collaboration that can break traditional boundaries between disciplines.



    Teacher contact details:

    Jyrki Pylväs

    jpylvas@gmail.com (for good reachability)

    jyrki.pylvas@aalto.fi (for moderate reachability)

    0405104959 (for quick and efficient reachability)



    Course schedule (more detailed info coming soon)

    The course takes place online 4.5.-28.5. Tuesday to Friday. We are using the Microsoft Teams platform. Generally the course day is 9:00-17:00, and the students are encouraged to reserve the whole day for the course. The lectures start the latest 9:30, the first 30 minutes of each lecture day is reserved for informal conversation, announcements etc. Some changes will apply.

    Preliminary assignment is given to the students about one week before course start.

    Link to the 4.5. session: https://tinyurl.com/4jc9vr56

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    Tuesday 4.5.

    Morning: Course start & overview, introductions and preliminary assignment

    Afternoon: Lecture, Jyrki Pylväs: Experiments and experiences in worldbuilding

    NOTE! I will show some AR content as part of my lecture. Please download Arilyn App for your phone or tablet. https://arilyn.com/

    http://jyrkipylvas.fi

    http://antroposeeni.fi

    http://metaria.fi

    http://digiteatteri.fi



    Wednesday 5.5.

    Morning: Lecture, Vilja Autiokyrö: Improvisation as a worldbuilding tool

    Vilja Autiokyrö (b. 1983) is Helsinki based screenwriter and a director. She has studied screenwriting and directing in Aalto University, ELO Film School Finland. She is currently writing two different tv- series as a head writer. Before she has written tv (Kakarat, 2018), worked as a script consultant for feature films. She directed music videos for Antti Autio, made low budget fiction films and two short documentary films (1,5 Meters Space, 2018 and Keuliminen, Ride of Passage, 2019). She’s a huge fan of chase scenes in films especially for cars.

    Afternoon: Daily task in groups



    Thursday 6.5.

    Morning: Lecture, J.Pekka Mäkelä: Building the world you need, not the world you want

    https://www.yrttimaa.net/books.html

    https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Pekka_M%C3%A4kel%C3%A4 (in Finnish)


    Novelist, scriptwriter, English-to-Finnish literary translator. Also worked as a photographer, layout designer and made music for (e.g.) theatre. Specialties: Published eight novels during the last 15 years. Translated about 50 titles during the last 20 years, including Sci-Fi, mainstream novels, musical biographies, science etc. His novel ”Hunan” was shortlisted for Finlandia literary award for the best novel of 2018.



    Afternoon: Daily task in groups



    Friday 7.5.

    Excursion day!

    https://www.deeptimewalk.org/

    Afternoon: Excursion discussion, week 1 conclusion discussion, course work assignment



    Tuesday 11.5.

    Morning: Lecture, Maria Oiva: Experience-based performance

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-oiva-1542a573/

    https://www.digiteatteri.fi/


    Maria Oiva is Helsinki based performance artist, a theatre director and an educator, working mainly with a new performatic forms and new drama area. Her works are often questioning the nature of spectatorship and many of them also operate with the bodily experience of the audience. Since 2017, she's been focusing on a digital art area with #digiteatteri -concept, researching possibilities of different digital stages in relation to performing arts. She received TINFO -award from Theatre Info Finland 2019.


    Afternoon: Daily task in groups



    Wednesday 12.5.

    Morning: Lecture, Maria Joutsenvirta: Civilization as wealth

    https://mariajoutsenvirta.wordpress.com/


    Maria Joutsenvirta, PhD, Researcher, Author and Transformative Learning Designer

    (affiliation: Aalto BIZ/Sustainability-in-Business)



    Afternoon: Daily task in groups



    Friday 14.5.

    Lecture, Otso Linnalaakso: Memory of water

    Otso Linnalaakso is a Helsinki-based production designer with more than 20 years of work experience. He has worked in more than 60 film, theater and television productions. Over the past 10 years, Otso has been responsible for the production design of 19 films and has been nominated four times for the Jussi Award, which he also received for the film “Armi Lives!”.



    Tuesday 18.5.

    Course work: checkpoint day 1

    (Checkpoint = group discussion with teacher about course work assignment process)



    Friday 21.5.

    Course work: checkpoint day 2



    Tuesday 25.5.

    Course work: checkpoint day 3



    Thursday 27.5.

    Course work presentations



    Friday 28.5.

    Course work presentations

    Course conclusion discussion and feedback