A surprise guest from Durat and BLESS' bathroom managed to sneak out before the exhibition visitors arrived
Durat is participating in the third edition of the famous Finnish summer festival, Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale. We are part of the main exhibition called Surprise Guest. The Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale is a series of events that seeks new ideas and experiences at the ever-changing interface between art and design. The Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale brings together contemporary art, design and architecture to create new and surprising experiences.
"When we heard about the event, we were immediately interested. The event boldly combines art and design by breaking boundaries and creating an opportunity for interesting encounters. The uniqueness of Fiskars' ironwork site provides a wonderful and memorable milieu for the event," explains CEO Heikki Karppinen for Durat's participation in the event.
The spirit of the user floats in the bathroom
Durat is involved in the realisation of the "Bathroom" exhibition together with the design duo BLESS Ines Kaag and Desiree Heiss. Thanks to the works of BLESS, Durat's colourful bathroom designed by Linda Bergroth, gives the impression that the user has left the space just before the exhibition guests arrive.
BLESS, Berlin-based Ines Kaag and Parisian Desiree Heiss, do not limit their work to a specific design or artistic framework. True to their original idea, they have created a distinctive way of working that combines fashion, art, design and architecture. Bless' products and distribution channels do not fit neat definitions; instead, they flow almost imperceptibly from one theme and technique to another, from practical formal language to conceptual, almost abstract visions.
Recycling is a core value in everything Durat does. It also guides the implementation of the exhibition stands. It is important to us that all products manufactured for trade fairs can be reused as such or as part of new exhibitions. The products taken home from Alcova Milano are now part of the "Bathroom" concept, a collaboration between BLESS & Durat in Fiskars Village Art and Design Biennale in Finland. All parts of the installation can also be sold to new users.
Linda Bergroth designed a stunning new ensemble using existing elements of Durat.
Villa culture with new eyes
During the Fiskars Village Art and Design Biennale, the Old Granary will feature contemporary artists' and design brands' interpretations of the Finnish summer villa culture. The exhibition's themes and architecture have been influenced by the time when city dwellers used to pack their families and belongings for a trip and head to the countryside for the summer. The surprise guest exhibition looks at home and family life from the perspective of art and design, and also as a determinant of identity and social relationships. What is the hospitality of home and family like? And how do you welcome the unknown?
Exhibition spaces are not just space solutions; the rooms of the villa can be seen as living stages for imagined situations where the artist-guests have left their mark and where the monotony of the household's everyday life has been broken. The works seen in the rooms are subtle, they almost seem to evaporate into the air. There is no mess or noise in the villa. Instead, casual whispers and absent bodies are floating in the rooms, exploring the fabric of the past of our dwellings.
There are top domestic design companies, as well as an exciting array of international artists. Most of the artists have never been seen in Finland before. The art curator is Sini Rinne-Kanto and the exhibition architect is Lauri Johansson. Luovi Productions, which also founded Helsinki Design Week, is in charge of conceptualisation, production and communication.
Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale
16 June - 1 September
Open daily 11:00-18:00
Fiskarsintie 333
Fiskars, Raasepori
Finland
