Flanked on either side of the design calendar by heavy-hitters Maison et Objet and London Design Festival, Helsinki Design Week might easily be overlooked – not that Finland’s quietly spirited designers would allow it. Attracting some 158,000 visitors – a whopping 32 per cent increase on last year’s figures – the twelfth edition of the Nordic festival was a confidently Finnish affair, with 256 exhibitions, installations and events celebrating largely local talent.
This year’s landmark project HDW HOP unfolded across the city in the form of an installation trail. Berlin-based art collective Plastique Fantastique kicked off proceedings by wrapping Helsinki’s historic Three Smiths sculpture in an inflatable plastic bubble, which hosted workshops, lectures and a local jazz band to boot. Elsewhere in the city, Finnish mainstays Marimekko invited viewers to take a closer look at its flagship store windows, while Iittala’s collection of glass birds nested in a gloriously verdant installation.
Detail of Iittla’s ’Odd Birds’ installation
New to the programme, Design Diplomacy saw a dozen foreign embassies including Slovakia and Japan open their doors to the public for a series of lively discussions between Finnish designers and host countries. Adventurous design pilgrims could indulge in Finland’s famed sauna culture with a series of talks taking place across five public hotspots, including the recently unveiled Löyly, a striking, waterfront timber structure by Avanto Architects.
At Messukeskus convention centre, Habitare brought together the latest in Finnish furniture. It may lack the scale and breadth of its Swedish or Milanese counterparts but there was still plenty of talent to discover among the stands, where a showcase of young emerging designers proved to be a special highlight in the Talentshop section. Upstairs, Showroom was a new addition to the fair, conceived as a spatial design and lighting event aimed at professionals. Here, brands displayed their offerings against a theatrical setting devised by ALA Architects.
As the country gears up for its centenary celebrations next year, feisty Finland is eager to flex its design muscle. If this edition of HDW is anything to go by, we’re in for a thrilling show.
Opened this summer, Löyly was designed by Avanto Architects and sits by the waterfront of the former industrial zone of Hernesaari, which is now being developed into a residential area.
The architects conceived a structure covered with a free-form wooden ’cloak’ made from some 4,000 planks of heat-treated pine
A trail of installations unfolded across the heart of Helsinki. German art collective Plastique Fantastique encased the city’s historic Three Smiths sculpture with a giant plastic bubble, entitled superKOLMEMEN, which hosted lectures, workshops and even a jazz band
The installations were part of HDW HOP, and included ’Material Led Design’, celebrating the new Colours and Materials degrees at Aalto University. It showcased students’ explorations and innovations from courses that took place earlier in the year
Elsewhere in the city, Finnish mainstays Marimekko invited viewers to take a closer look into its flagship store through peep-hole windows...
...while Iittala’s collection of Oiva Toikka glass birds nested in a gloriously verdant installation.
Helsinki gallery Lokal’s annual youth exhibition, ’Bloom’, spotlights artists and designers under the age of 30
Over at Messukeskus convention centre, the Habitare interiors fair brought together the latest in Finnish furniture. Pictured: a stand styled by Finnish designer Anna Pirkola for Asun magazine.
Pictured left: black panel wall and wooden curtain, by Stark; leather pillows, by Field Day; daybed, by Menu; side table, by Artek; and black floor flight, by Lampe Gras, for Ambienti. Right: ’Turnaround’ mirror, by Anna Pirkola
Pictured left: wooden spoons, by Marie Eklund; and stool, by Nikari. Right: ceramics, by Eeva Takkunen and Raaka-Rå; and brass watering jug, by Finnish Design Shop
Finnish label Hakola launched its ’Black Edition’ collection. Pictured from left: ’Round’ table, by Ines Wartiainen and Fanni Suvila; ’Allen’ chair, by Studio HH (Henri Halla-aho and Hinni Soini); ’Lempi’ shelf, by Anni Pitkäjärvi; and ’Woody’ table, by Annaleena Hämäläinen
It was Habitare’s student showcase that stole the show, with pieces like carpenter Sakari Hartikainen’s ’Swinging’ bench catching our eye
Pictured left: ’Oksa’, by Outi Kiisseli. Right: ’Poporäkki’, by Joel Hautala
Pictured left: 'Oksa', by Outi Kiisseli. Right: 'Poporäkki',
Pictured left: ’Rusko’ mirror. Right: ’Utu’ light; both by Maija Puoskari.
Artek paired up with Japanese fashion and textile brand Minä Perhonen on a pop-up at the Finnish brand’s Helsinki flagship store
Pictured left: ’Lloyd’ leather lamp. Right: ’Monday’ mugs; both by Puik Art
Minä Perhonen upholstered Artek classics in its distinctive fabrics, including a stack of ’Stool 60’ seats (pictured left)
Dutch design brand Puik Art launched a raft of new products, such as the ’Candela’ five-legged candles (pictured left), and the ’Clork’ cork clock (right)
INFORMATION
Helsinki Design Week 2016 ran from 1–11 September. For more information, visit the Helsinki Design Week website
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