Taking tram no. 10 to the Design
Museum Helsinki, on Floor 0 displays Finnish lamp designer Paavo Tynell’s
sketches; Floor 1 shows Finnish Collection Exhibition, from Arabia to Minna
Parikka; and upper floor catches my major purpose: Postmodernism 1980-1995. Succeed
to ‘modernism’, the term ‘post-modernism’ includes
skeptical interpretations of art, architecture, culture philosophy, history,
economics, fiction and literary criticism. It is often associated with
deconstruction and post-structuralism. On art creation, postmodernism avoids
traditional themes on portraits, landscapes or still life paintings, since the artists
would be more pleased adapting different kinds of materials, from plastic to
metals to express the concerns of current societies: slums, overcrowding,
deteriorated infrastructure, pollution, disease, consumption, labour markets
and among others. On the description poster, this is how Design Museum Helsinki
defines postmodernism:
‘Postmodernism was regarded as sales
promotion: invigorating with the market momentary innovations instead of
durable high-quality products.’
Roy Lichtenstein, one of my favourite
postmodern artists, his painting ‘I love Liberty’ is lifting up my great
surprise. Aside from Lichtenstein’s ‘metropolitan love’ topic, the Statue of
Liberty in the frame seems more a masculine silhouette, heading down, standing
in purple rain, rather than a pure chaste femme. Finnish painter Jarmo Mäkillä’s Uponnut Atlantis II (the
Sunken Atlantics II) combine perhaps Marvel heroism, medical autonomy,
post-orientalism or perhaps, just his dreams. Especially in the middle painting
of the 6, the strong male hands grabbing at exposure organs, is both violent
and obnoxious, but at the same very strongly attractive.
As for the ‘market orientation’
exhibition, I find Finnish fashion designer Vuokko Nurmesniemi’s black dresses
are fun. The dresses made with velvet fabric, mixing seventeenth century
Flemish outwear and also matching a touch of Star War costumes. For the fans of
Finnish design, Lady Nurmesniemi is the name must note: Born in 1930, Helsinki,
she is one of the two leading designers of Marimekko. Her
signature striped Jokapoika (It Boy) shirt helped to make the company’s
brand establishment.
For the sculpture, Born in 1931 in
Milano, Italian designer and architect Alessandro Mendini’s colourful urns make
me wonder if that’s the final residence of human flesh, in a comic and
childlike tribute. Mendini’s kitchenware design for Alessi, are always full of
lovely smiles and tropical jungle aurora. The key element of his design is always a clever hybrid resulting in
popular objects that achieve great commercial success.
On furniture, the numerous styles of
chairs at upper floor and main exhibition, obviously, are not for the purposes
to be seated, but it’s always interesting to imagine how comfortable they will
be while being heated up. For these cute chairs, I take quite some photos as
well. The entrance/exit of Design Museum Helsinki is decorated with dozens of Finnish
well-known scissors—Fiskars. Founded in year 1649, yes, 366 years ago, a metal
and consumer brands in Finland, its best sellers has been including scissors,
axes and high-quality knives. Almost every family in Finland owns at least a
pair of bright orange Fiskars scissors and a fruit knife at kitchen drawer. The
hallway deco of Fiskars is a great way to demonstrate and salute to the Finnish
design, at the same time sending the direct and warm messages to we the design
fans around the world.
For more info about Jarmo Mäkillä, Vuokko Nurmesniemi of Marimekko, and Alessandro Mendini, please visit:
Works Cited & Photography:
