Design Culture Salon: What is Finnish Design Culture?

Welcome to the first Design Culture Salon discussion event in Helsinki.

The well-known event series is founded and chaired by Guy Julier, Professor in Design Leadership at Aalto University. The Design Culture Salon offers occasional discussion events that provide a space to:
- develop advanced debate and discussion on the complex, dynamic and pervasive role of design in contemporary society and to
- consolidate discussion as to how design culture, criticism, representation and practice can be further developed.

Topic “What is Finnish Design Culture” will be discussed by Päivi Hietanen, City Design Manager of the Helsinki Lab, Petteri Kolinen, CEO, Design Forum Finland, Kari Korkman, CEO, Helsinki Design Week and Suvi Saloniemi, Chief Curator, Design Museum Helsinki, chaired by Guy Julier.

Some of the questions that shall be discussed with the panel are: What are Finnish design’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? How is Finnish design culture shaped and what consolidates it? How does the turn towards service design and design thinking re-shape conceptions of Finnish design? Is it appropriate, in an era of globalisation, to talk about design in national terms?

The Salon is re-established in Helsinki

The discussion series was founded in 2012 by Guy Julier, and they are now based in Helsinki. Salons initially took place at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and they have travelled to various other locations, including Shenzhen and Vienna. 

The first 25 Design Culture Salons have included over 120 panellists and its blog is read worldwide. Past Salon themes include “How does age influence cultures of design?”, “Is behaviour change creepy?” and “How is the urban cyclist designed?”. 

Each event features an invited panel and, usually, a guest chair and focuses on a provocative question relating to design. Panels are formed of professionals, academics and commentators. 

Panellists provide brief, personal overviews of the respective event’s theme. This is then followed by open discussion. The Design Culture Salon also provides a blog that sums up each event.

Event is free and no booking is required.

Date: Wednesday 24 October at 14:00

Venue: Design Factory, Aalto University, Betonimiehenkuja 5C, Espoo
 
Read more: 
 
The Design Culture Salon blog: https://designculturesalon.org