New Finnish Design CITY

The New Finnish Design CITY project in 2012 surveyed urban life and its design aspects. It was the 6th time in a row the Finnish Cultural Institute and the Finnish Consulate in New York organized a collaboration project presenting new Finnish design during New York Design Week in May.

The 2012 project renewed the tradition by developing the project into a several months long series of events, instead of organizing a single short-term exhibition. Rather than showcasing only physical objects, New Finnish Design CITY brought to New York both designers and design thinkers.

The project consisted of the Finnish Design CITY Lounge design exhibition, Newly Drawn and the Best School in the World architectural exhibitions, and related talks, workshops and performances, all of which were loosely gathered around the theme of urbanism.

The Finnish Design CITY Lounge was a three-day design exhibition at Wanted Design Fair. The lounge also served as a stage for a series of talks between Finnish and international design professionals studying the phenomenon of (post)materiality in the 21st century design, meaning the contemporary notion of design as not only physical objects and environments, but also as digital interfaces, services and organizational processes.

Finland-produced architectural exhibitions Newly Drawn and the Best School in the World presented new Finnish architecture, Newly Drawn showcasing the projects of ten different emerging young architectural offices, and the Best School in the World shedding light on contemporary school building in Finland. Both exhibitions were accompanied by a series of talks and lectures featuring both Finnish and American architects.

The series of events also highlighted the themes of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 year, embedding functional design into urban space and lifestyle with product and service design, urban planning, architecture and street culture. 

The collaborating organizers of the events were the Finnish Cultural Institute and the Finnish Consulate in New York, Architectural League of New York, the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter and the Museum of Finnish Architecture.

Support was provided by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy of Finland, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland, and the National Council for Design. The local project partners were Cooper Union, Steelcase, Marimekko, WantedDesign and Scandinavia House.