NAKUNA

As Finland celebrates its 100th year of independence, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture honors its roots in nature as part of Milan Design Week.

Aalto University students from the Department of Design are producing an exhibition - entitled NAKUNA to commemorate Finland’s 100-years of independence at Milan Design Week April 4th - 9th, 2017.

The forest is central to the Finnish identity — from the darkest moments of history to blissful moments of leisure and recreation, the Finnish forest has been standing tall, protective, nurturing and free for all to roam and enjoy.

Says professor Timo Salli, “Since the early 19th century, Finland’s industrial development has always been interlocked with forests and these democratic values of equality and openness. Forests have been the cornerstone of Finnish life and development for centuries now from timber production and trading, to shipping and paper machinery. Today, the bio-economy, with its bio-materials, is set to harness Finland’s ‘green gold’ and start a new chapter in this very old book."

NAKUNA (Fin. naked) represents the very essence of Finland. It's a raw land of lakes, archipelagos, and forests where the nature and landscape are an intrinsic part of the spirit of the country and its people. With Finland now entering into its 100th year of independence, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture will present an exhibition at the Milan Design Week to honors that spirit.

The program revisits the Finnish ancestral connection to the forest as a source of food, emotional sustenance and technological ingenuity as well as a haven for peaceful reflection and contemplation. With its three main installations - IKKUNA (Fin. window), everyman’s right kiosk LAAVU (Fin. Lean-to) and MANIFESTO -, the NAKUNA exhibition takes its audience on a sensory journey through Finland’s historical development; its deep-seated values and attributes, all the principles which make Finland such a unique place. The exhibition exposes the core values of Finnishness and encourages people to be open, naked, and honest for themselves and for others — values that are particularly relevant today when the world shows its increasing turbulence.

In addition to the NAKUNA exhibition, Habitare, the largest furniture, interior decoration and design fair in Finland, will curate a speaker series on the theme of 'tomorrow's home'. Habitare's long association with Aalto University, and the theme of Habitare 2017, 'tomorrow's home', make for a natural basis for the cooperation in Milan. The NAKUNA Showroom in Milan will highlight important Finnish values related to issues such as nature, origin, safety, climate, welfare, energy, and technology. The same values and issues are also related to the future of housing.

The exhibition runs 4-9.4.2017. It is designed for everyone with interests in contemporary design, transparency, openness, honesty, naturality, pureness, body language, humanity, and equality. The group of designers wants to offer each visitor a unique, vibrant, sensory experience accompanied with tasty forest flavors directly from Finland.

About Aalto University
Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto University has six schools with nearly 20 000 students and more than 400 professors. Our campuses are located in Espoo and Helsinki, Finland
www.aalto.fi

About Habitare
Habitare, the largest furniture, interior decoration and design fair in Finland, will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki, from 13 to 17 September 2017. Habitare offers experiences, ideas, and information about interior decoration, and about the functioning and look of homes and other spaces. The International Friend of Habitare 2017 is the Representative Director of MUJI, Masaaki Kanai
www.habitare.fi