Carmine red and white. A case study on visuality and transnational elements with the children with Latvian background in their families.
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School of Arts, Design and Architecture |
Master's thesis
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Authors
Date
2020
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Master’s Programme in Nordic Visual Studies and Art Education (NoVA)
Language
en
Pages
76 + 4
Series
Abstract
The aim of this thesis is to identify cultural and visual elements that are shared between children with immigrant backgrounds to examine their experiences and personal interpretations. This study evaluates cultural background and develops new insights into the maintenance of the culture and its specifics among young generations. Therefore, the goal of this investigation is to determine the meaning of these specifics and created interpretations. In this inquiry, the Latvian cultural elements are explored in the contemporary context of cultural understanding and immigration experiences. Moreover, this study introduces my own cultural background as Latvian living in Finland and my personal practice as an artist‐educator at one Latvian Children’s school. Therefore, the relation between young Latvians and their cultural background is observed during the meetings at the Latvian school. The theoretical frame engages contemporary publications on transnationalism and recent studies on immigration experiences. The application of these theories developed following concepts for this study: visuality, the space in‐between, and Latvianness. The theoretical frame raises essential ethical questions and critical self‐reflection that inform how the collaboration is formulated and carried out between me, Latvian culture, and the participants. These considerations lead to combined and adapted approaches that are determined as creative visual methods, including personal observations and visual ethnography. The analysis demonstrates that visual interpretations and narrative descriptions by the participants form a web of transnational and personal relationships and justifies the embodied concepts of this inquiry. Moreover, the results demonstrate the tendency of transnational elements that intertwine with contemporary cultural practices. As a result, these relations visually illustrate how the participants relate to Latvianness and how they position themselves according to the current setting. This inquiry contributes to the contemporary tendencies of the cultural dialogue to provide a space for maintaining and sharing cultures. The involvement of the participants and their visual works illustrates fresh insights on the benefits of having a diaspora school. In the broader context, this inquiry demonstrates creativity and visual methods as beneficial approaches for working in a culturally diverse environment or with immigrant communities.Description
Supervisor
Brinck, JaanaThesis advisor
Pusa, TiinaKeywords
visuality, transnationalism, cultural elements, space in-between, Latvianness, observation, Latvian, children