Young Designer of the Year Prize
Terhi Tuominen (left) and Mikko Laakkonen
The Young Designer of the Year prize was established in 2000 by Design Forum Finland in honour of the 125th anniversary of the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design. The prize encourages young designers to develop original, high-standard skills and ability in the fields of crafts, applied art, industrial design, graphic design or interior architecture.
Made in Finland
The aura of Finnish design got its start in the 1950s, sparked by the National Romantic movement at the turn of the century, which made the industrial arts part of the creative culture, along with architecture and the fine arts. The late 19th century marked the beginning of systematic action to promote industrial arts and craft and as a result the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design was founded in 1875 to maintain its Sunday School to encourage manual skills within the industry. Gradually the school grew to become the leading institution of teaching in its field and educating a number of talented designers, particularly in post-war Finland. Internationally recognised names emerged, giving birth to the stylish, minimalist Finnish design.
Designers 2009
Terhi Tuominen works in spatial and furniture design. Her simple but functional shapes achieve discreet, bold forms in predominately wood and metal.
Mikko Laakkonen’s pro- jects are mainly in the field of furniture and product design.
Focusing on solutions, his stylish design objects are for everyday life.
Both designers are fresh and sensitive in their style, giving their products a playful, light spark while having a clear-cut functionality in a sensible manner. They have boldly set out to market their skills to businesses in Finland and the international market.
Design students from Kuopio’s Academy of Design and Hämeenlinna’s Wetterhoff also present their works made of glass, ceramic and textile, including clothing and footwear design in their exhibitions Genesis and Watterhoff Blanco.
The three exhibitions until 31 May 2009 on Erottajankatu 7, Helsinki.
www.designforum.fi
Susan Fourtané – Helsinki Times
Lehtikuva – Martti Kainulainen
