NYC MEATPACKING DISTRICT, May 16 -- Finland has sought to promote itself and its designers, in a standing room only design exhibition in New York City's Meatpacking District Sunday night. The closest nexus to diplomacy was the display of Finland's pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, an entirely recyclable building that is for sale, Inner City Press was told by the architect's representative, Harri Lindberg of JKMM, for a mere 10 million Euros. (If the Euro survives, that is.)
But there were also exhibits of clothing and shot glasses by Alessi and video games, even of an overhead lamp that unfurls like a flower as its LED lights sense heat. What is the common denominator? Inner City Press interviewed a South Asian attendee, who said he was drawn by the connection between "Scandinavian design and social change." But social change in a shot glass?
Intrigued, Inner City Press interviewed the two curators, both from Assay Systemic Thinking. Teemu Oksanen, a Finn, said he would not judge the success of the event until 2012. His partner, Paula Bello from Mexico, said that the name of the exhibition, Straight-Forward, was meant as a double entendre, with the hyphen: both honest and forward looking. She said it was inspired by the work of Finnish designer Kaj Franck.
She said that based on an open call in November 2009, 188 designers has applied. Ultimately some thirty were selected, and giving trainings in what Teemu Oksanen called "elevator speeches." (Inner City Press suggested he adopt the U.S. word, pitches.) They have lawyers to protect their designers' intellectual property.
But what if you were Iceland, Inner City Press asked. There were eye rolls, some Schandenfreude, than a common two words: Thank God. But what of Icelandic design? Watch this site.
