Every foruth week I write a design related column in the regional paper in Dalarna, this time I comment on the view on design and architecture in our Nordic neigbouring countries, such as Finland and Denmark, where I just visited.

Ambassador Örjan Berner to the right hands over the Bruno Mathsson Prize to Mika Tolvanen. Håkan Amber, chairman of the Bruno Mathsson Prize jury in the red tie

Inga onödiga ord eller överdrivna gester kännetecknar årets Bruno Mathsson-pristagare Mika Tolvanen. Vare sig det gäller hans formspråk eller person. Jag hade glädjen att sitta bredvid honom under middagen och fick höra mer om hans uppväxt i en mindre ort Lieksa i östra Finland, hur han hamnade i designeryrket mera av en slump som han sade. Han gillade helt enkelt att rita. Inget påbrå i familjen. Kom så småningom till London, Royal College of Art och hade bland andra Ron Arad och Jasper Morrison som lärare, diametralt motsatta personligheter och pedagoger. Hur han envetet fått kämpa på sitt envetna lågmälda sätt. Bruno Mathsson-priset var hans första publika erkännande och betydde jättemycket. Märktes också på hans stolta omgivning av familj och vänner, och den respekt som övriga designkåren här visade. Någon berättade att Mikas talang hade varit lysande klar och anmärkningsvärd redan tidigt, även om han själv alltid hållit lägsta möjliga profil.

Hela övningen här i Helsingfors har kännetecknats av sådan värme och generositet och stolthet, inte minst  över det starka designarv som finns här och vår gemensamma historia och dagens kontakter. Från prisutdelning och seminarium på ambassaden, som öppnades och gavs glans av ambassadören Örjan Berner.  I seminariet om Vackrare vardagsvara, hoppade även de äldre ikonerna in i samtalet, såsom tidiga Marimekko formgivarna Annika Rimala och Vuokko Nurmesniemi, och möttes av leenden och applåder. Det var designjournalisten och veteranen Hedvig Hedqvist som tagit initiativet till vårt gemensamma seminarium och även till att kunde ha ceremonin på ambassaden.

We have really been surrounded by an unusually warm and happy feeling from the beginning to the end during our short Helsinki visit. The well deserved Bruno Mathsson prize winner  Mika Tolvanen showed his gratitude despite a very low profile. His friends, family and design colleagues all so proud. Prizes are important. If you haven’t seen, you have to take a closer look at the clever and seemingly simple solution of his new wash bin/waste bin for Muuto. The seminar dealing with our common Nordic design DNA, the similarities and differences between Swedish and Finnish design in the international context, and ways of collaborating. The seminar was an initiative from Swedish Design journalist and veteran Hedvig Hedqvist, who is also a member of the Bruno Mathsson jury. The Swedish Ambassador Örjan Berner offered a reception, and most of the Finnish design elite were present, from young to old. Early Marimekko icon designers such as Vuokko Nurmesniemi and Annika Rimala participated actively and reseved respect and admiration from all their younger colleages. Warmed my heart to see. After the Embassy event, the Bruno Mathsson jury took us to a fantastic dinner at the cult restaurant Cosmos, before the various crowds joined us at the Klaus K hotel for a glass of champage for the winner Mika Tolvanen. Im amazed at such hospitality and generosity from our Finnish Friends, on a regular Tuesday night, in the midst of a busy period. I is hard to imagine that the same thing would happen in Sweden.

The modernistic design tradition is really present when you walk around the streets of Helsinki. At least around the streets near our design hotel Klaus K, where we arrived this morning. Daniel Golling, Hanna Nova Beatrice, Annika Björkman and myself. Artek and other shops next door, Designforum Finland and the Design Museum. On Saturday the special Pavillion for the Helsinki World Design Capital is about to open. We got a fantastic peak into the basement storage of vintage Artek furniture in the newly opened show room 2nd Cycle by Artek. We also Our inspiration was further enhanced by the beautiful sunshine and the lovely shrimp soup in the hall by the harbour. 

Sorry for having been absent for some time from the blog – I don’t know why, but everyone seems extremely busy now in the month of May in Sweden, there is simply not enough time. I am falling behind! Today I am on my way to Helsinki to meet with colleagues and friends and to discuss the concept “Vackrare Vardagsvara – Kauniimpia käyttötavaroita”, beautiful things for everyday life. The concept created by the famous art historian and theorist Gregor Paulsson in a propaganda brochure for Svenska Slöjdföreningen (Svensk Form today) already in 1919, which culminated in the 30′s and in the 50′s with modernism and the concept of the modernistic Scandinavian Design as it became known internationally especially in the US. The event will take place in the Swedish Ambassador’s residence in Helsinki, in connection with the award giving ceremony of the Bruno Mathsson Prize, which goes to a Finnish designer Mika Tolvanen this year. Participants in the debate will be: Mirkku Kullberg and Ville Kokkonen of Artek, Ilkka Suppanen Finish designer, Pekka Korvenmaa, professor of Aalto University School of Art and Design, Jukka Savolainen director of the Design Museum, Kaaring Gould program director of WDCH, Mika Ihamoutila, President and CEO Marimekko, Ewa Kumlin undersigned, Matti Klenell, Swedish designer also working for Ittala, Johan Lindau, Blå Station, Hedvig Hedqvist Swedish Design journalist will moderate the talk.

When I walked over to the Salone Satellite, I was very pleased to see that several of the young Swedish designers had received different awards and mentions. Staffan Holm was invited as honorary guest from 2011. This year he showed one of his pin chairs, given personality by a few special bends, and showing his process in a video. Three of the exhibitors received the German magazine Design Report special mention award: Studio Vit, Jonas Forsman The Beauty of Mechanics, and Akka, foldable tables by duo Peter Danielsson and Oscar Ternbom. The the enamel tables by Lucas Hinnerud, Jens Boldt and Daniel Enoksso received third price in the Satellite jury award. Congratulations! Among 700 designers, quite something!  Unfortunately I lost my camera in a taxi but will share some iPhone photos here from my last day.

Found myself in the middle of an exchange of sparkling ideas between three creative minds, in the middle of the night at the Four Seasons’ Hotel lobby in Milan; Ross Lovegrove, Mark Dytham and Yves Behar. These meeting of minds at the end of a day are just as important as the business and exhibitions this week. Design is still very much about objects and production, not just services as we sometimes tend to believe today. As long as we live we will be needing things reflecting our times and development. The role of the producer and production methods are changing. The role of the designer is as vital as ever. The power of making.  3 D production, social network, sending sketches around the world and producing on demand, changes the role of producer, designers and production and payment methods. The new materials, and new technologies, open mind blowing possibilities. Many examples of this could be seen around in Milan, in Tom Dixon’s Most printing chairs and lamps, Kram Weisshaar using high technology and human behaviour to produce the perfect chair. New ceramic, sand and foam production   from Japan etc. I hope we can continue these talk in public some day as well with these brilliant minds gathered on stage, to be shared among more people

Ross Love Grove Lasvit Liquid Crystal installation. Lasvit, the Checzh progressive glass company, present in several projects throughout the week. Here with molded glass walls, produced with new technology paired with a digital projection by BIOTHING

Didn’t seem like as many people as usual in town yesterday morning, when I browsed around Superstudio Píu, Tortona, The MOST exhibition in the Science & Technology Museum arranged by Tom Dixon, or the Rossana Orlandi Exhibition, where over 40 producers are exhibiting this year I heard. More geared towards direct sales this year it seemed. I don’t know wny, I didn’t get the same inspirational and sparkling feeling as usual. Perhaps it is just me. Anyway, I managed some 5 opening parties last night, Swedish Midsummer, Ross Lovegrove Triennale, Bolon & Missoni, Form us With Love and almost Meet my project. I haven’t even made it to Bar Basso yet, where all the Swedes and other designrelated crowds meet up late night. Time to shape up!

 If I should recommend some of the Swedish jewels from yesterday: Front’s new soap bubble lamp at Rossana Orlandi, and the Editions in Craft from Dalsland Farmer’s Gold, made from straw. WoodStockholm at Designers’ block and Sami Kallios lamps at Superstudio Píu. As for the rest, the minimal Japanese ceramic works in new almost unbreakable stone powder technique by Teruhiro Yanagihara for company arita  is worth a closer look. Don’t  miss Tom Dixon’s amazing light installations and the whole museum project MOST. The impressive Ross Lovegrove installation at the Triennale, where the dynamic development of glass work shops and production of Chech glass stands in strong contrast to the melt down of the Swedish glass industry. Something to think of.

Själva mässan, världens största, växte ur staden och flyttade till förorten Rho för några år sedan Den rymmer nu ofattbara 230 000 kvm, där omkring 300 000 besökare samlas varje år. En myllrande handelsplats, långt från världens finansiella kriser och problem, åtminstone dessa dagar, då alla spänner bågen till bristningsgränsen. Det tar många år att få en utställarplats på mässan och de svenskar som lyckats är Offect, Blå Station, Swedese, Karl Andersson och Kvänum på kökstemat. Vi saknar Källemo och Gärsnäs i år. Kasthall är både på mässan och i show room på stan. Stora Kinnarps och Lammhults har också egna lokaler på stan, liksom IKEA. Duktiga och driftiga Bolon samarbetar med Missoni och höjer ribban för varje år. Asplunds också i egen shop, liksom Form us with Love. Designer som Claesson Koivisto Rune, Monica Förster, Front, Luca Nicetto m fl dyker upp överallt bland stora och små märken. Övriga svenskar låter tala om sig på Rossana Orlandi, på Designers’ Block på Most, i Ventura Lambrate och i distriktet Brera. Sena nätter möts svenskarna på Bar Basso (jag har inte orkat dit – ännu!)

I Superstudio Píu, Svensk Forms gamla jaktmarker, där vi ställt ut Swedish Love Stories, har nu Tibro och Inredia flyttat in med björkskog, lokala producenter och designer som producerat för företag i Tibro. Det lokala i det globala. Vi hade Västra Götaland i fokus förra året, med så gott resultat att man nu beslöt sig för att köra hela utställningen själva. Det är fantastiskt att se deras samverkan och glöd, alla på plats från Tibro kommunens kultur- och näringslivskontor, Inredia och arkitekten Mattias Westelius och hans parhäst Magdalena Svedberg som fått allt på plats, en beundransvärd insats. Invigningsfest igår med VisitSwedens Johan Cavallini och Svenska Ambassadens inresta minister Erika Ferrer som höll invigningstal. Personligen föll jag för såväl Sami Kallios underfundiga lampor och finsnickrade möbler som Anki Gneibs ståtliga och sakrala ljusstakar.

Känns lyxigt att vandra runt i år utan att själv vara utställningsansvarig med allt vad det innebär. Vi laddar inför nästa år, och nöjer oss i år med att tillsammans med grundarna PechaKucha, Klein Dytham Architecture från Tokyo köra en helsvensk PechaKucha på temporära Heiniken Club. Sedan har vi dessutom haft nöjet att göra nytta genom att dela ut internationella resebidrag till solo- och småföretag som ställer ut. Detta med medel från Vinnova ur innovations- och designuppdraget inom Handlingsplanen för kulturella och kreativa näringar. Inget kan göra mig gladare än att effektfullt kunna stödja internationalisering på detta sätt. En skön kontrast till vårt vanliga jagande efter pengar.

So many Swedes all around in Milan this year. Apart from the actual Salone del mobile, there are several companies with their own show rooms, and individual designers and small companies exhibiting at Designers’ Block at Most, at Rossana Orlandi, at Ventura Lambrate and in the Brera district. In Superstudio Píu where Svensk Form has exhibited for the past three years, the Region of Tibro in the southwestern part of Sweden has now moved in with the Swedish Midsummer theme in full blast.The local into the global perspective. Birds, trees and producers, a couple of individual designers in an amazing effort from Tibro and Inredia. Went to their opening party yesterday, packed with people and representatives from the Swedish Embassy and VisitSweden inaugurating the show.

Arrived late last night, but had time to make a quick visit in Superstudio Piu and the Swedish midsummer exhibition which opens tonite with a party. Saw the Swedish birch trees and heard the Swedish birds singing before I rushed over to the next block and Heiniken Club to meet with the original PechaKucha guys Mark Dytham and Jean Snow and have a pizza. Mark is a dear old friend from our Tokyo time back when PechaKucha started at their Superdeluxe club in Tokyo. Today full schedule. Will be sure to report more

Mattias Westin, my land lord Luisa and Magdalena Svedlund