ABOUT

- MAARIT -

My vocational career has been within costume and set design in theaters around Finland. I did my BA degree in England in 2004 and since then I have worked as a freelance designer. I wanted to study more within the area of performing arts and got a place in Aalto University, School of Art, Design and Architecture. I finished my Masters degree in costume design in 2013 with a written costume history research thesis named: 

Inigo Jones Costume Design and Symbols in a Stage Costume in Late Renaissance Court Masque

Inigo Jones' renderings for a masque in the court
of King James Ist, Queen Anne, King Charles Ist
and Queen Henrietta Maria in early 17th Century England

You can have a look at my artistic work from my website:
www.kalmakurki.com

Costume exhibition in Hartford CT, co-curated with 
professor Laura Crow, University of Connecticut

My most memorable learning experiences:

I have noticed that the lack of my knowledge in all of the topics that were taught in first&secondary school has not much to with the fact that I “just don’t learn anything” – it has to do with the teaching methods that were used at the time when I was in school. I learn by doing stuff, I am a hands on person. Also, I need to write down the things I need to learn, make mind

maps and draw visual pictures for myself in order to remember something.

I remember when I went to a vocational school to learn dressmaking when I was 16. I learned more within the first year than what I had learnt within the last three years in secondary school. We made presentations, research and even learnt math by doing arts and crafts. For example, Swedish language had been really difficult for me to learn, as before, my teacher wanted us to remember the words by repetition. Well, this didn’t work for me and my first steps to learn this new language happened by speaking it, playing with it, making artistic projects with it.

When I went to study my Masters degree in Aalto university, I had to take Swedish classes as part of my study program. Our teacher wanted to know first (by making a quick questionnaire) how we, her students, learn. This was a way for her to plan her lectures so, that everyone would learn. We did various tasks during the day and most of all – talked a lot of Swedish.

FORMAL STUDIES:

Primary and Secondary schools in Tampere, Finland. Primary school grades from 3 to 6 I was in an art school

Three year Vocational school, Dressmaker degree in Tampere

- Teaching consisted both theory and practice. However, theory was mixed with practical examples that student’s could do themselves.

One year Theatre and Stage Dressing course in Ikaalinen

- Teaching was mostly project based and students learned by exploring things themselves. We had different teacher for every module, which gave a nice change for the studies.

Three year Bachelor of Art with honors in Fashion Design degree in the University of Central England in Birmingham, UK. Graduated 2004

- For the whole degree program, we mostly made designing and researching by ourselves. Feedback sessions were scheduled regularly with our teachers. At first I found this very hard, as I was not used to the British school system. Their methods were more artistic than what I was used to in Finland. Students worked mostly by themselves, so you needed to be very conscious with your time management.

Continued studying in 2009 in Aalto University, School of Art, Design and Architecture. Master of Arts degree in Costume design with minor degree studies in Education science, graduated in 2013

This degree was more mixed with few hour long lectures in a university and with projects. Lectures consisted the theory part of the subject and with projects, student's could experiment and develop their talents. Projects were group work, mostly making designs for various productions. My studies covered more theory, as I was directing my studies to teaching and research.