In this interview Kigge Hvid, the CEO of Index: Design to Improve Life, talks about the essence of design and innovation. How design can go further than just form and function, how it can improve people's lives around the world.
Kigge Hvid is highly respected influencer worldwide. She recently gave a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
To read more about Index: Award 2007, follow this link.
The Finnish Institute in Japan will be introducing some of the top fashion names and brands in Finland. An exhibition called "Finland Collection - Fashion Design from the North" (フィンランド新進ファッションデザイナー展) will take place in Tokyo between 13th and 19th of November at Spiral Omotesando Tokyo.
The show will feature the following Finnish fashion design brands.
IVANA Helsinki, the people behind fennofolk movement, with designer Paola Suhonen and Pirjo Suhonen
Lustwear, a two sisters' design company known for their ecological design principles.
Hanna Sarén, a well-known artist with clothing and bags for men and women.
Naoto Niidome, a Finnish-Japanese designer introdusing his Koivikko cosmetics line, made out of Finnish birch sap.
Tiia Vanhatapio, an awarded young designer for women's and baby fashion.
St. Vacant, a shoe brand with unique sneakers and made-to-fit shoes.
Besides the exhibition, these designers have other activities. Naoto Niidome and IVANA Helsinki will have a VIP-show at the Finnish Embassy. Paola and Pirjo Suhonen will be lecturing at Bunka Fashion College and at Finland Café 2006 event.
For all those interested in Finland and Finnish design and close to Tokio - don't miss this great opportunity!
In September a very interesting and innovative project took place in Helsinki - a supermarket selling modern art.
The project called Taidesupermarket Pikasso was really a supermarket. It was set up in a former supermarket with the original shelves and counters, shopping baskets and trolleys - they even had sale during the last days!
Pikasso started with a huge media campaign. They promised to give out 100 pieces of art to first visitors. And they were surprised - a line of over 100 meters for the opening day! There were not enough for all who came to get theirs.
Pikasso featured almost 100 different artists from Finland and abroad. The most expensive work was Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup graphic for 35,000€ whereas the cheapest items for sale was just couple of euros. The number of visitors is said to have almost reached those of Kiasma, Helsinki Museum of Contemporary Art. As for sales, they reached par for monthly sales of top galleries in Finland.
The tho gentlemen behind this innovation are artist Jani Leinonen and marketing executive Jukka Kurttila. Jani Leinonen is one of the hot young artists in Finland with multiple very successful projects, and Jukka Kurttila is a successful marketer from Bob Helsinki, one of the most innovative marketing agencies in Finland.
I talked with Jani Leinonen and Jukka Kurttila about the birth of the project. They said it all started from a dilemma, that ordinary people feel it's very unconvenient to visit art galleries. Galleries have an image of being targeted towards the small group of art connoiseurs. Thus, the wanted to bring art closer to environment that is familiar to everyone. So they thought supermarket.
In Pikasso there were also much larger selection and variety of work available than in galleries. You needn't know whose work you want - just go browsing in and get pick the ones you like.
Pikasso premises were rented from a supermarket chain, so they still had all the furniture left. All they needed to do was to hang the art and produce some supermarket type signs.
The reactions from people have been very positive. There were more artists offering their works for sale than they could carry. The customers and the media have really loved Pikasso.
It's not yet known what will come out of Pikasso project. Will art be sold at supermarkets in the future? Is the role of art galleries going to change? Who knows.
Anyway , buying art was certainly much more accessible than before.
Helsinki Design Week, a series of design-related events, is about to start. There will be a large number of different events from Sat the 23rd of September until Sun the 1st of October.
Some of the key event are listed below.
Tuunaa Stadi, or in English, Pimp My City, is a competition for creative students in Finland. The idea is to use creative designs to do something about the ugly construction projects in cityscape. The four finalists are available for the public at Stockmann and World Trade Center renovation sites (both located on Keskuskatu).
Desing Market is a open marketplace for design from on 23rd and 24th at Merikaapelihalli.
Open Studios event gives access to designers offices and KOTI will allow people to some of the private homes in Helsinki.
The main event of the week, Designpartners06 will start on Wed the 27th and last until Sat the 30th. Designpartners is hosting a number of seminars, events and award ceremonies.
Most of the design shops have special events and discounts for the public - really a great chance for design shopaholics - whether your're into Marimekko bags or Ivana Helsinki's fennofolk items - this is your week!
Also, do not forget the Habbo Hotel's pixel art event and charity event Empty Bowl - Tyhjä Kulho on Sat the 30th.
For more information in "traditional" web format - go to http://www.helsinkidesignweek.fi/english/
To see their web-tv, the right address is www.helsinkidesignweek.tv
HEL LOOKS is a website run by Liisa Jokinen (a fashion journalist) and Sampo Karjalainen (one of the founders of Habbo Hotel).
On their site they publish pictures of people with different clothing styles - straight from the streets of Helsinki. They also interview the people and ask them to tell what they are wearing.
HEL LOOKS is a very good gallery of original and mostly very stylish people. This really is something you can on the streets of Helsinki - every day.
Something for the fashion freaks to check out.
Paola Suhonen of Ivana Helsinki (yes, the fennofolk people) has designed a special packaging for HP Sauce in Finland. This very nice looking packaging will be sold for a limited period and in Finland only.
The money of this campaign will go to charity, namely to the Cancer Association of Finland (Syöpäsäätiö).
Previously, the HP Sauce charity campaign has been running in other countries, with famous designers such as Paul Smith in the UK.
Paola Suhonen is known for working for benefit earlier. Her "Syöpä - Cancer" campaign in 2004 with special shirts gathered lot of positive publicity for organizations fighting the cancer.
Fennia Prize is an international design competition with a slogan "good design grows global". This year the competition is divided in product design and open categories, with grand prize worth of €20,000!
Product design category is more traditional design competition, but the open category also welcomes business and service concepts and environments.
Besides money, the finalists will get lot of publicity. Fennia Prize 2007 will be also an exhibition that will tour Finland and other countries during 2007. For new concepts, this is likely to be more worth than the prize money.
The winning products and companies from 2005 and 2003 competition are very popular in their own fields and can be seen in their our everyday lifes.
The entries close September 10, 2006, so hurry up. More information and official rules from Design Forum Finland website.
The world knows Alvar Aalto, Eero Saarinen, Tapio Wirkkala and many other legendary names of Finnish design. The new design generation in Finland is not quite the same as these historical names.
The names behind today’s contemporary Finnish design, have breaken the harmony of colors and traditional forms with new experimental elements. The harmony in Fennofolk style means breaking the expected steady rhythm. Opposite elements are presented at the same time and they result the rough, edgy and genuine look of Fennofolk.
Fennofolk combines folkloristic elements from traditions as well as from every day life.
Fennofolk style can be found in all areas of new finnish design. In furniture, glass, wood, clothing and interior design as well as in music and art.
Ivana Helsinki is one of the leading creators of Fennofolk.
Watch out for this new style category and the rising international stars from Finland.
Are you a designer with a connection with Finland? Do you have commercially available products?
Or do you know someone who is a Finnish designer and deserves international awareness?
I'm looking for new future designs and designers from Finland to be presented to the world.
Contact me with details via email rockcity (at) welho.com
If you happen to be in Töölö, in the vicinity of the Olympic Stadium, and feel like relaxing in "designish" atmosphere, check out Korjaamo culture factory. It is an old building that used to be the tram bodyshop.
Korjaamo has two different galleries with various works of modern art or design and a very nice cafe that serves also as a wine bar and a restaurant for lunch. The former courtyard has been redesigned to work as a free picnic area with built-in "beach" and outside picnic lounge.
The clientele and the whole atmosphere is very design oriented, maybe thanks to the fact that the same building has related business under the same roof.
Currently, they have two exhibitions in the galleries (until early August), and from June 10th until June 12th a flea market for design items.
There's really nothing much shopping to be done here, but enjoying the great salads and wines out on the terrace, checking out the exhibitions and enjoying to sit there with your alikes...
Korjaamo is located in Töölö, right behind the Helsinki Tram Museum. For more details, please check out
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