Kuusi Palaa is the name of a cooperatively-owned trans-disciplinary cultural space in Helsinki, Finland. Kuusi Palaa introduces a decentralised financial structure that enables anyone to become a member and financially support Kuusi Palaa. Kuusi Palaa is an interface for multiple creative agents (individuals, loosely-organised groups, associations, organisations, companies) to share a common physical space, an economy of participation, and a network of interactions.

Here are some photos of the space, or at least as it looked before KP opened: https://kuusipalaa.fi/pages/images-of-the-space

Because Kuusi Palaa is community-supported, it runs for four months at a time, in what we call 'seasons'. During each four month season, we hopefully sell enough stakes to fund the subsequent four months. Kuusi Palaa opened on the 1st of March 2018 for its first season, which will last through June 2018.

If Kuusi Palaa fails to sell enough stakes to fund the next season, we'll give up and dissolve the cooperative. All of the stake money will be returned to those who bought in, though we'll have to take out costs such as bank transfer fees and the cost of dissolving the coop.

Kuusi Palaa's only restrictions are practical and legal ones. Our members agremeent forbids hate speech and illegal activities, and the room is only so large and there are residential neighbours close by. If you look through the archives of what happened at Kuusi Palaa's predecessor, Temporary, you'll see that the activities tended towards participation-based content such as workshops and meeting groups. But there were also performances, live music events, activities for children, sculptural installations, screenings, educational events, food-based gatherings and more. This is not to say your proposal must be one of these things - in fact, the more diverse and unique in format, the better!

A stake is a piece of Kuusi Palaa, owned by you and invested in the cooperative. 

The amount of 100 stakes @ 50€ each was budgeted for the first season to cover the minimum costs of operating a shared culture venue for four months. This is to cover the rental of the room, electricity, banking fees, small costs such as toilet paper and light bulbs, and the fee for incorporating the cooperative.  Kuusi Palaa has no employees - no one gets paid, and it is not for profit.

The stake is also your membership and it's valid for one year from the point of payment.

Anyone can visit Kuusi Palaa whenever it is open and earn points for attending events. Anyone can propose activities, and spend their points supporting proposals. Stakeholders will just have many more points than people who only earn points through participation.

Kuusi Palaa operates by using a system based on points. Points are obtained two ways: through participation (ie: coming to Kuusi Palaa's events) and through financial investment (ie: buying one or more stakes). Booking Kuusi Palaa for your events (public or private) costs a certain number of points (depending on how long the event is, time of day, public or private, etc.)  All public events on the Kuusi Palaa calendar are proposed online, and people support these proposals by 'pledging' their points. All proposals must be supported by at least two other people besides the proposer. The points system will launch a few weeks before Kuusi Palaa opens, and the exact figures will be released then. The system is flexible and can be reconfigured each season to adjust to changes and demands of KP members.

Yes! And please do! You can propose an event here.

Yes. The points system is a form of collective content curation and moderation, and it is also intended to draw the members of Kuusi Palaa closer together through common interests. Don't worry, it's not difficult to get support for a proposal!

If you are a stakeholder at Kuusi Palaa, you have 24/7 access to the space. You'll get an ID card which also works as a keycard. Whenever there is not an event booked on the calendar, you can open the space (if there isn't already somebody there) and use it as a free workspace or meeting point. Don't do anything illegal or destructive, be aware that we have residential neighbours, and please share the space kindly with other Kuusi Palaa people.

Yes, absolutely, and you should. Culture production is not free and it is good to get into the habit of expecting to support self-organised initiatives. Your events can also help fund your stake/s, of course. The only rule is that stakeholders must receive a discounted price, so if your event costs 10€ for the general public, then stakeholders should get in for 7€ or 8€. Also, remember that your events do not succeed without an audience. If you want to charge 1000€ for a workshop, you can certainly propose it, but it's probably unlikely that your proposal will get supported by other KP members (and you need two co-supporters), let alone attract an audience.

Kuusi Palaa is built on a philosophy of decentralised cultural production. This was started at Temporary, Kuusi Palaa's predecessor, and is extended here by decentralising the finances as well as the administration and content production. Instead of Kuusi Palaa taking the form of a traditional cultural association and applying for grants, the cooperative model allows Kuusi Palaa's members to collectively finance the minimal costs for the space (rent and bills) through the stakes system. Members are free to apply for whatever funds they would like through their own organisations or methods.  This goal is increased diversity and a lightweight, neutral structure.

If you were a regular at Temporary, the predecessor to Kuusi Palaa, and you had Temps left over when it closed, don't worry - they were transfered to your Kuusi Palaa account when points were allocated before the opening. If you think there was a problem with your Temps being transfered, please email info@ kp.

It's true - Kuusi Palaa's points are recorded on the Ethereum blockchain. This doesn't mean a lot right now, but in the future when this model may expand to other spaces, it could become very interesting. In the meantime, don't worry about it.

Kuusi Palaa seeks to continue the experiment of Temporary Helsinki (September 2016-September 2017), which was supported by Koneen Säätiö during 2016 and 2017.

Those in wheelchairs are welcome, and we are willing to assist anyone to get up the straight flight of 16 stairs. If possible please inform us ahead of time that you require assistance or come with your own help. Unfortunately there is no elevator yet, but we will work on getting a lift installed as soon as possible. The staircase is 1,25 meters wide. The toilets are not constructed for wheelchair access, but here too we are happy to assist and will work towards renovating them for wheelchair access. There are two doors, both 82 cm wide, that must be passed through (no automatic doors), and a bit of a steep slope to go up from the entrance gate to the main courtyard. We will try our best to accommodate your level of mobility, but as you can tell from this answer, it's not a very accessible space.

You can buy a stake to fund season 2

Anyone can make themselves an ID card! Just come to Kuusi Palaa any time it's open and use the electronic kiosk to make yourself a card. More information is here.