HARDCORE New Finnish Design will showcase 20 individual design projects and concepts from Finland presented in collaboration with major Finnish design companies. The exhibition will be the centerpiece of Meatpacking District Design Week May 17-19, 2008.
The HARDCORE exhibition combines a curated selection of innovative concepts and projects realized by designers and design companies from Finland and a HARDCORE lounge hosted by major Finnish design companies Iittala, Artek and Marimekko.
The HARDCORE exhibition defines the essence of today's Finnish design. It gives a timely view on Finland's unique design scene through the eyes of exhibition curator, world renowned designer Ilkka Suppanen. The exhibition underlines the innovative and slightly extreme nature of Finnish design. The presented work focuses on the essence of the specific design problems at hand in their particular context. The designs in the exhibition cover a broad range of design fields from graphic design to fashion and product design. The exhibition also highlights Helsinki as an innovative design capital of Scandinavia.
The projects included in the curated section of the exhibition are by Noa Bembibre, Fokus Fabrik, Jaana and Paivi Haaksiluoto, Kokoro & Moi, koneHelsinki, Harri Koskinen (Genelec), Yrjö Kukkapuro and Henrik Enbom (Saas Instruments), Janne Kyttanen (Freedom of Creation), Hannu Kahönen (Creadesign), Mikko Laakkonen, Arihiro Miyake, Mikko Paakkanen (Saas Instruments), Pentagon Design (Tikkurila), Provoke Design, Anne Kyyrö Quinn, Anna Ruohonen, Stepan Sarpaneva, and Tonfisk Design.
The HARDCORE exhibition is organized by Design Forum Finland, the Consulate General of Finland in New York and the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, and presented in collaboration with the Meatpacking District Initiative and Abe NYC, Inc. The exhibition is supported by the Greater Helsinki Promotion, Finlandia Vodka, the Finnish Tourist Board, Iceland Air, Helsinki City Tourist and Convention Bureau, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the Ministry of Education in Finland, and VEEN Waters.