Design: Playfully Finnish, May 15-18th Meatpacking District

Powerkiss, Jazz Chair by Terhi Tuominen
Photographer Chikako Harada

"Finnish Design brings the dreams and challenges of our times together in a fresh new way. Based on a strong bond with nature and driven by creativity and joy it is seriously playful." -Curator, Esa Vesmanen

Set in the posh, chic and oh-so boho Ganesvoort Plaza, the PLAYFUL Finnish Design exhibit spilled out onto the cobblestone streets of the Meatpacking District in New York as part of the May 14-19th NY Design Week and was, (in that solemn Finnish fashion) serious(ly) playful indeed! The recycled shipping containers scattered inconspicuously around the Ganesvoort Plaza continuing out onto W. 13th street, were filled with sleek design-conscious, colorful (and useful!!) goodies ranging from fashion to furniture.

Woven into the works and the makeshift showrooms was the ideology for environmental mindfulness. Shigeru Ban's simple "I don't like waste" philosophy was epitomized at the Artek container (#8 on W.13th) with his 10-Unit System-- furniture made from UM ProFi wood-plastic composite-- revealing once again how fiercely ecologically conscious, simple yet ultra-advanced Ban's architecture and designs are.

The Powerkiss station (#3 at the Plaza) brought viewers a bright new vision of a futuristic world, one devoid of those cumbersome mobile phone and laptop chargers that could bemuse even the highest of techies in New York. Powerkiss' premise to "turns basic furniture into smart energy platforms" is simply put, brilliant! All you had to do to "juice up your gadgets" was to place them on the provided furniture surface, the avant-garde looking Jazz Chair with a wireless charging system by Terhi Tuominen...et voila...you're connected and charging!

From high-tech charging machines, the exhibit showcased a variety of new (and old) textile projects. The globally-recognized and distinctive patterned designs of Marimekko's fabric products were on display..seemingly all-over...with slabs of their 'new' Kalevala-inspired creations (designed by Sanna Annukka) for all to take. It was refreshing, however, to see new artists emerging onto Marimekko-dominated scene. Textile artist Outi Martikainen, whose work fits in the neglected "space between art and design," stands out for her interesting and elastic use of combined fabrics and processes. She reclaims traditional 'low-crafts' of weaving, knitting and crocheting with elegance, detail, and originality.