Hardcore

In May 2008 HARDCORE New Finnish Design showcased 20 individual design projects and concepts from Finland presented in collaboration with major Finnish design companies Iittala, Artek and Marimekko. The exhibition was organized by Design Forum Finland, the Consulate General of Finland in New York and the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, and presented in collaboration with the Meatpacking District Initiative and Abe NYC, Inc.

The HARDCORE exhibition offered its viewers a timely view on Finland's design scene through the eyes of exhibition curator and designer Ilkka Suppanen. "Hardcore is used to refer to an extreme dedication to a specific activity or to something more intense than the mainstream. It can also be understood as a definition of the most essential core of something. Finnish design is extreme in its own way,” Suppanen explained.

HARDCORE exhibition underlined the innovative and extreme nature of Finnish design. The presented work focused on highly specific design problems in their particular contexts. The pieces in the exhibition covered a broad range of design, from graphic design to fashion and product design. HARDCORE also highlighted Helsinki as an innovative design capital of Scandinavia.

The exhibited projects included Noa Bembibre, Fokus Fabrik, Jaana and Päivi Haaksiluoto, Kokoro & Moi, koneHelsinki, Harri Koskinen (Genelec), Yrjö Kukkapuro and Henrik Enbom (Saas Instruments), Janne Kyttänen (Freedom of Creation), Hannu Kähönen (Creadesign), Mikko Laakkonen (Selki-Asema, Covo), Kristiina Lassus (Alessi), Arihiro Miyake, Mikko Paakkanen (Saas Instruments), Pentagon Design (Tikkurila), Provoke Design, Anne Kyyrö Quinn, Anna Ruohonen, Stepan Sarpaneva, and Tonfisk Design.

The HARDCORE exhibition was organized by the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, the Consulate General of Finland in New York and Design Forum Finland, and presented in collaboration with the Meatpacking District Initiative and Abe NYC.

The exhibition was supported by the Greater Helsinki Promotion, Finlandia Vodka, the Finnish Tourist Board, Icelandair, Helsinki City Tourist and Convention Bureau, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the Ministry of Education in Finland and VEEN Waters.