New design exhibit at Helsinki Airport invites visitors inside a design tent
Finavia, the Finnish airport operator, has opened a new exhibition of images of Finnish design products in the Design Gallery of Helsinki Airport. It is also a design camp where passengers can rest, enjoy and spend time before departure.
Helsinki Airport Design Camp continues Finavia’s Art Port gallery concept. Passengers get the chance to enjoy Finnish art, design, expertise and creative thinking. The exhibitions are also interactive and provide passengers an opportunity to take a break from the hustle and bustle of travelling.
”This exhibition, like the others, gives passengers a change to participate. They listen, see and write,” says Airport Director Ville Haapasaari.
According to Haapasaari, the positive feedback from the first exhibition indicates that the direction is correct. People found the exhibition calming. Their satisfaction was indicated by the massive number of messages on the wall. It became a wonderful visual work.
Anna Forsman from Huippu Concept, who is responsible for planning the exhibitions, says that the Airport Design Camp is very different from a traditional art gallery. It has been planned to fit in the airport environment while the images are presented in an exceptional manner.
Forsman explains: “After the first design exhibition I wanted to find an exhibition that would fit in the airport environment even better. This exhibition does not include the typical presentation of design products. Instead it concentrates on delivering feelings and experiences through design, but without forgetting the Finnish sense of humour.”
As passengers first step into the white tent, they are greeted with a design forest. The images of numerous design products have been printed on the fabric.
In the tent, visitors can hear sounds of Finnish nature. Snow crunches underfoot, waves lap at the shore, and birds sing. Outside the tent visitors can spend time sitting on a park bench or by timber tables painted white.
There’s even a window through which visitors can admire the sunset and enjoy a peaceful moment amidst the hectic pace of travelling. You can write your own thoughts on a piece of paper on the forest wall. This way the trees of the forest get leaves and life as time passes.
The exhibition is a part of Finavia’s Art Port concept, a World Design Capital 2012 conceptual project and part of the WDC 2012 programme.
Located at gate 11, the Design Gallery is open to all passengers. The facility is open 24/7. Entry is free.
Finavia has executed the exhibition in cooperation with Vallila Interior and Tapion Hirsituote. The soundscape has been recorded from the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle’s effects list.
FINAVIA CORPORATION
Finavia Media Desk, tel. +358 20 708 2002
High resolution press photos of the design exhibition: {0>http://finavia.materialbank.net/NiboWEB/finavia/showCartPublicContent.do?uuid=3840206&random=476711&lang=fi<}0{>http://finavia.materialbank.net/NiboWEB/finavia/showCartPublicContent.do?uuid=3840206&random=476711&lang=fi
Finavia takes care of 25 airports in Finland and maintains a nation-wide air navigation system. Finavia creates the preconditions for smooth and cost-effective flight connections through the services it provides for air traffic. In 2011, our revenues amounted to EUR 364 million, and we employ a total of 3,000 professionals. Finavia online: www.finavia.fi, www.helsinki-vantaa.fi, www.facebook.com/lentoasema, www.facebook.com/helsinkiairport, www.twitter.com/helsinkiairport, www.twitter.com/finaviaoyj<}0{>www.finavia.fi, www.helsinki-vantaa.fi, www.facebook.com/lentoasema, www.facebook.com/helsinkiairport, www.twitter.com/helsinkiairport, www.twitter.com/finaviaoyj
Tapion Hirsituote is a Finnish woodworking company founded in 2004. The company produces timber furniture carved by hand, log houses and hewn decoration and terrace timbers. The company manufactures all products by hand, respecting the traditional values of timber construction but using modern and efficient tools. www.hirsituote.fi
Vallila Interior is a Finnish family-run interior decoration and textile company. Vallila is a well-known decoration partner in decoration projects of public spaces. Vallila’s own textile collection represents Finnish innovation and reliable design, and it has been granted the Design from Finland symbol. www.vallilainterior.fi