W8 UPDATE / 8 September 2012
Round One
Summer 2012 in Finland — my native country — a great place to see design, art and architecture.
WDC 2012 — Helsinki = World Design Capital 2012 offered lots of visual delight and memorable experiences.
CHAPEL OF SILENCE, IN THE HEART OF HELSINKI. The exterior was in the process of being finished during our visit,hence the visible differences in tone.
EQUALLY EXPRESSIVE IN ITS SIMPLICITY INSIDE AND OUT. AND, YES, THOSE ARE ALL INDIVIDUAL PIECES OF WOOD.
PLAY OF LIGHT AND SHADOWS WAS WONDERFUL ON THE BUILDING AND ITS NEIGHBORING STRUCTURES.
OKAY, IT’S A POLICE CAR PARKED IN THE LOBBYY OF KIASMA. SO…? THAT IS WHAT I SAID TILL I LOOKED CLOSER TO FIND OUT IT IS MADE OUT OF YARN, CROCHETED OVER A FOAM BODY! ARTIST KAIJA PAPU’S MASTERFUL PIECE DEPICTING A MASCULINE POWER SYMBOL PRODUCED USING TRADITIONALLY FEMININE HANDIWORK.
MORE SPATIAL ART INSTALLATIONS AT KIASMA.
THE ANNUAL HOUSING FAIR IN TAMPERE FEATURED BOTH PLAYFUL, VIIBRANT COLORS IN EXTERIORS, AS WELL AS VERY CLEAN, CONTRASTING WHITE AND BLACK FACADES — ANYTHING BUT BEIGE.
HOW ABOUT THIS ACCESSORY BUILDING FOR YOUR BACKYARD? “REGULAR” AND THE SAUNA VERSION, OF COURSE AVAILABLE. COSY AND FUNCTIONAL, NOT JUST FUNKY.
CLOSING WITH THIS WONDERFUL PHOTO FROM RITTA IKONEN’S WHIMISCAL SERIES “ME AGAIN.”
And it’ll be “me again” soon, sending you more mages of interiors and materials from my travels.
Stay tuned…
— Ulla Lange, Founding Partner and Interior Designer at WORKSHOP8
