Tero Kuitunen on Contemporary Design and Exploring Joy

An Interview With FCINY’s Artist-in-Residence

Tero Kuitunen is a Helsinki-based industrial designer. Inspired by the interface of design, art, and the unprejudiced apposition of things, Kuitunen is known for concept and space planning, as well as projects of contemporary art and design. They work as a product, concept, and interior designer for clients such as Supercell, Absolut Vodka, Finnish National Theatre, and others. 

With a vast experience in the design field, Kuitunen has participated in international exhibitions and fairs in Beirut, Stockholm, Japan, and Italy. In 2019-2020 Kuitunen curated and created the concept for Wild at Heart exhibition and in 2021 was invited to create a new exhibition at the Amos Rex Museum alongside Karoliina Hellberg and Raimo Saarinen. 

Kuitunen is FCINY’s artist-in-resident for November and December, 2021. The Institute’s Isabelle Rosse sat down for a virtual discussion with Kuitunen to learn more about their creative processes and inspirations.

It’s now been a month since your residency began. What are your current reflections? Have these shifted from your initial expectations when planning the residency? 

When I was originally planning this residency in 2019 we didn’t have the pandemic to worry about. So when I finally was able to travel here in November it felt very special. Because of the pandemic there was definitely extra stress for the travel process and contemplating how it would feel when I arrived. But luckily everything has been so great. It’s interesting how fast and easily the human mind gets used to new situations. It feels totally normal here to use masks in public spaces and show your vaccination card everywhere. For me this residency has also given me a bit of a break from the pandemic as I haven’t followed the news so much and have been living in a bit of a bubble. I didn’t have big expectations when coming here, I was just happy to finally be here and to explore and be inspired by the city. 

I’ve read that throughout your work, you have the want to find something that moves and touches people. Can you elaborate on this a bit more and in what ways were you hoping to achieve this when considering your residency?

I think the concept of touching people with my work comes from the idea that I don’t just want to make an object for functionality. For me it’s important that there is also a story or a concept behind the items. Touch is also a theme that is present in a physical way in many of my works. When working with ceramic I want to leave the maker's touch visible. I want to show that it’s actually handmade and has been touched by the maker. I also love to work with fringes as they have always been something I want to feel and touch. I normally start working with the material and then see what comes. The process is more design-by-doing rather than planning for a long time what to do. In the residency my process has been quite different. It has been more drawing and thinking rather than doing the so-called dirty work. I have definitely got a lot of ideas during my residency but I have no idea yet what they will become in the future. 

To pull a quote from your website you state, “I love to use bold colours, unexpected forms and humor. With these choices I want to evoke people with questions, make them happy and find insightful solutions.” What questions and/or solutions are you considering currently and in what ways does happiness interplay with these processes?

I’m going to be part of a group exhibition next summer in Fiskars village. The exhibition will be exploring the senses in many different ways. In New York your senses are in overload all the time as there is so much happening all around. It will be interesting for me to see how the time here will influence my work. At the moment I don’t have an idea yet but I think it will be something to do with joy. I think after this heavy time we really need joy and happiness. So I will be at least exploring what joy means to me. 

During your residency in NYC, you traveled upstate to Dia:Beacon. Could you share some reflections from that trip? How did venturing outside of the five boroughs shape your understanding of NYC and the U.S.? 

I had heard great things about Dia:Beacon so I knew it would be something special, and it truly was. I’m not the biggest fan of minimalistic art or it’s normally not my go-to art movement. But in Dia’s space, the art and the light go so well together it’s mind-blowing. Many times I had whole body chills during my visit just because it was such an aesthetic experience. The whole 1.5 hour trip there was great. I took the train that goes next to the Hudson River all the way to Beacon. I was surprised how fast you are out of the big city and how beautiful the nature was there. I think to get a better understanding of the U.S. I would need to travel more but the trip definitely lit a spark to explore more places inside the U.S. 

How do you think the residency has helped you to develop your future plans for the U.S. and what are your plans when looking ahead? Can we expect to see more of your work here in the states? 

Although the residency has been quite short and it went so fast I think I have now some kind of idea what could work here for my practice. I was lucky that the first week I arrived the NY design festival was happening. One of the best things was to see the Salon NY fair where all the big design galleries were presenting their collections under one roof. I think I got quite a good picture about what kind of design / art objects people do here. During my residency I actually signed a contract with a gallery that will start to represent my work in the U.S. market, so I hope in the future my works can be presented here in a show. I would also love to come back here for a second time as the 7 weeks here goes so fast. 

You’ve mentioned that materials and colors are often your biggest inspiration when starting a new design project. What’s inspiring you right now?

What has been inspiring me lately is an idea of iconic shapes and symbols. At the moment I have been inspired by the shape of the water tanks on New York roofs. It is such a recognizable New York thing and shape. What I have also seen everywhere and I find quite interesting as a symbol is the iconic yellow smiley face prints. For me it’s a New York thing but also has a link to social media and the time we are living in. So I think it would be interesting to bring this print or symbol to different objects. One think I will take home from the residency, is the idea that everything is possible. No matter how big or crazy objects or art pieces you do there is always someone who appreciates it.