hardcore exhibition

2008 new york

HARDCORE New Finnish Design showcased 25 individual design projects and concepts from Finland presented in collaboration with major Finnish design companies. The exhibition was the centerpiece of Meatpacking District Design Week May 17-19, 2008. The HARDCORE exhibition combined a selection of innovative concepts and projects from Finnish designers and design companies and a HARDCORE lounge hosted by major Finnish design companies Iittala, Artek and Marimekko. The HARDCORE exhibition defines the essence of Finnish design today. It gives a timely view of Finland’s unique design scene through the eyes of the exhibition’s curator, world renowned designer Ilkka Suppanen. The exhibition underlines the innovative and extreme nature of Finnish design. The works presented focus on the essence of specific design problems in their particular context. The designs in the exhibition covered a broad range of design fields from graphic design to fashion and product design. The exhibition also highlighted Helsinki as the design capital of Scandinavia. The exhibition was very well received and by both public and design industry in the Design Week.

“Hardcore is used to refer to an extreme dedication to a specific activity or to something more intense than the regular mainstream. It can also be understood as a definition of the most authentic part of something, the essential core of something. Finnish design is extreme in its own way. It focuses on the essence of the design problem at hand and the situation in question.” Ilkka Suppanen