Lilli Sihvonen profile picture
Lilli
Sihvonen
PostDoctoral Researcher, Art History, Musicology and Media Studies
FT
Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies; DISCE – Developing Inclusive and Sustainable Creative Economies

Contact

Arcanuminkuja 1
20500
Turku

Areas of expertise

enduring product relationships
planned obsolescence
planned revivification
re-releasing of cultural products
cultural neo-production process
board games
Kimble
media archaeology

Biography

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Turku. I defended my dissertation in June 2022. My dissertation is titled "The Enduring Product Relationships of the Board Game Kimble – The Cultural Neo-production Processes of Products". 

I have worked as a project researcher in several game study projects and in Horizon2020 funded DISCE project, which studied the creative economies in 10 cities in Europe.

Teaching

I have taught the following courses (in Finnish):

Advanced special studies: 

Media Archaeology – The Study of Weird Media, spring 2022, Degree Program of Cultural Production and Landscape Studies, University of Turku

Planned obsolescence and media archaeology, spring 2018 and spring 2020 (online), Degree Program of Cultural Production and Landscape Studies, University of Turku

Basic studies:

The production of digital culture: Planning and producing a game archive, autumn 2016, Degree Program of Cultural Production and Landscape Studies, University of Turku

Research

My dissertation focuses on the cultural neo-production process of products as an example of enduring product relationships. The cultural neo-production process describes a repetitive and systematic neo-production method; the product intermittently returns and disappears from the markets. The cultural neo-production process is formed by controlled relationship between planned obsolescence and planned revivification. Planned obsolescence prematurely turns the product undesirable and useless, and directs the product out of the market to a resting phase. Planned revivification refers to often nostalgic resurrection of the product, bringing the product back to the market.

I study the Finnish board game Kimble as a case product. Kimble was first introduced to the public market in 1967. Kimble reveals different components that are essential to the cultural neo-production process: history, permanent features and changes, biographies and user culture. In addition, I make a light comparison between Kimble and the preliminary concepts of the process. I then form the structure, phases and preconditions for the process; what are the minimum requirements for the process to take place. My claim is that planned obsolescence is not necessary for the process to take place.

As a result, I present a two-path model for the cultural neo-production process, which can be used for both scientific research and as guideline for product design. My future research focuses on developing the model.

At the moment I work as a postdoctoral researcher for the Game City Turku project (Pelikaupunki Turku) and as a coordinator for the University of Turku team in Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies. 

My other areas of interest include material culture, consumption, sustainable development, board games and game cultures, and media archaeology.

Publications

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Regional case study report: Lund, Sweden (2022)

Pukkinen T., Hytönen K., Burlina C., Comunian R., Crociata A., Dent T., Denti D., Faggian A., Gross J.,Heinonen J., Hytti U., Kim S., Kravcenko D., Lemmetyinen A., Nieminen L., Pica V., Popova D., Sauka A., Sihvonen L., Stenholm P., Wilson N.
(Julkaistu kehittämis- tai tutkimusraportti taikka -selvitys (D4))