Hirvitalo () is a

social center A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

in the

Pispala Pispala is a city area 2.5 km from the centre of Tampere, Finland. It is located on the northern slope of Pispalanharju, the highest esker in Finland. Together with Pyynikki, Pispala is widely considered the most beautiful area of Tamper ...

Tahmela Tahmela is a district in Tampere, Finland. It is located between Ylä-Pispala and Pyynikki on the shores of Lake Pyhäjärvi. There is a Varala Sports College in Tahmela. There are rental agricultural plots on the shore of Tahmela, and Kurpitsal ...

district of

Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. It houses the Center of Contemporary Art Pispala.

What is there?

In Hirvitalo there are 3 gallery rooms,

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...

, a seriegraphy space and a shop. In the outbuildings there is a bicycle repairing space run by Pispala Pyörä Punx (Pispala Bike Punks).

Foundation

Hirvitalo is run by Pispala's Cultural Association, which was founded in 2006. Its main aim is to invigorate the cultural life in Tampere and Pispala by offering free space for contemporary artists, and for the local people to organize happenings.

Activities

Most visible activities are contemporary art exhibitions. Throughout the year also various events are organized. They have included poetry festivals, video screenings, study circles, performance art festivals, flamenco and drumming groups. Hirvitalo has hosted many foreign artists' workshops and exhibitions. The Pispala Cultural Association also participates in activities away from the actual building, such as eco-art installations, exhibitions, performances and other cultural happenings. There are some nearby grounds of the house in which the Pispala Carnival happens and

permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using Systems theory, whole-systems thinking. It applies t ...

courses as well as outside events. The house also helps with

social inclusion Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...

agenda hosting meetings and employing artists and others in integration and training programs. This includes the Pispalan kumppanuus ry with 10 other associations, and the European Voluntary Service.

Awards

* In 2012, TAMY (the student union of Tampere university) granted Hirvikatu the Vappulakki Award. *In 2014, Hirvitalo won the Vuoden taideteko (Art project of the year) award, worth €3,000.

What is there?

Foundation

Activities

Awards

References

External links