PRESS MATERIAL
PRESS MATERIAL
EXHIBITION ELEMENTS
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KOTA​
Design and production: Vertti Virasjoki, Katriina Matikainen, Pasi Kelahaara
Fabric design: Jenni Martikainen
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Made out of Finnish birch and steel, the exhibition table, named ‘Kota’, represents the traditional and ecological materials we use in Finnish design. The design has been inspired by goahtis (indigenous Sami huts with different types of covering) and the ice flows of arctic rivers, which embody the springtime after a long period of darkness in Lapland. Kota has a modular design, which makes it mobile, and it can also be repurposed for example as a standing table when it is time for it to retire from use in the exhibition.
The side table is multi-purpose, since it is our cargo box which transformed into a table. Our goal was to minimize the amount of cargo we bring to Wanted Design, yet still have all we need for the exhibition.
DARKTIC DESIGN ZINE
Layout: Tytti Mäenpää
Copy Editor: Viivi Kallio
Technology: Veli Kouri
Photography: Veli Kouri
The Darktic Design Zine was made to reflect the mind-sets behind the Darktic products and exhibition elements. Instead of our university brochure, we want to hand out something that will give the visitor an inside look to the driving forces of Arctic Design, and the kind of people that are behind it. We come from unique surroundings that are full of extremities, and as designers, this factor is something we want to implement into our work. The augmented reality content’s purpose is to showcase the products, but at the same time, to minimize the amount of cargo that we need to take across the Atlantic Ocean from Finland to Wanted Design Brooklyn.
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To view the augmented reality content you can download the application to your own device from this link: https://goo.gl/aT5UWo
THRIVING IN LAPLAND
Reindeer Mask Design: Aki Leinonen
Producer/Edit/Sound: Juho Posio
Film: Juho Posio, Vertti Virasjoki
Edit: Okko Latvala, Olli Kuukasjärvi
Interviewer: Vertti Virasjoki
Artists interviewed: Tea Latvala, Michael Jacobs, Arttu Nieminen
One of the things that we wanted to do with the VARPU research project was to create 360° videos that showcase the city of Rovaniemi. One of the great things about our hometown is the beautiful nature it holds, but rather than showing only that aspect, we wanted to bring out the people that have found their place here. The usual image portrayed of Lapland is that we live on the periphery with snow and northern lights, but there is so much more than that. Our environment is full of amazing and talented people, that could be anywhere in the world, but have decided to embrace the arctic lifestyle and stay in Rovaniemi. Extreme conditions produce extreme talent!
SNOW PLAY
Design and production: Jenni Martikainen, Katriina Matikainen
Technology: Ashley Colley
Snow play focuses attention to the importance of snow and coldness, when it comes to living here in the Arctic. The absence of snow and ice would result in a major change of lifestyle. Having a white winter plays a huge part in our lives, as many of our favourite hobbies and work center around it. It’s also an endless source for inspiration from the design perspective. By adding snow to the Arctic map, people can see all the fun things we can do here because of snow – from a Darktic point of view of course.
ICE CREVASSE
Design and production: Aki Leinonen
The Ice Crevasse was designed to represent the cold and roughness of the arctic environment and the way this affects design. Arctic Design is about being able to design products that are suitable for even the harshest environments. Living in the arctic means that you are living with nature and under its conditions. The products used here must be designed to withstand this environment, with its extreme and constantly changing weather conditions. Like the people living here, also the products must be able to adapt to the changing seasons. If it survives in the arctic environment, it can survive anything.
SILENT LIGHT
Design and production: Marja-Liisa Vorne, Elina Lehosmaa
Technology: Ashley Colley
The meaning behind Silent Light came from noticing the particularities of social communication in the Finnish culture. We Finns tend to be quite shy when it comes to small talk with strangers. So shy in fact, that touch is almost never integrated into the act of chit chat. Unless you know someone, it is usually slightly rude to step into another Finns personal space.
With Silent light, we want to take a look at some weird habits from our culture and incorporate them to clothing design. With e-textile technology, the woven fabric attached to the t-shirt lights up when touched, emphasizing the reaction visually. This functionality symbolizes the type of light you see when the sun hits the snow in spring time. The light is warm and friendly, just like us Finns, as you slowly get to know us.
REFLECTION
Design and production:
Inka Rauhala, Vilma Ohinmaa, Veli Kouri, Pasi Kelahaara
Technology: Ashley Colley, Aki Leinonen
In Greek mythology, Narcissus saw his own reflection in a pool of water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his own reflection, Narcissus lost his will to live and stared at his reflection until he died. In the same way, we have fallen in love with objects. The difference between our reality and the story of Narcissus, is that our decisions won’t only reflect on us, as they will also reflect on the environment.
In Reflection, the similarity of elements from a landfill site and similar elements that can be found in nature is explored. However, unlike in nature, the synthetic materials won't automatically be repurposed at the end of their lifetime.
In the manmade word, nature’s circle of life doesn't always apply. As a designer, this is something to think about. When we create a product, we should always consider what will be its afterlife. With our actions, we can choose to turn trash into something new, but we can also choose to treat the environment as a landfill. We want to protect our fragile arctic ecosystem. Therefore, the exhibition elements are planned to be repurposed and upcycled into something new.