#arcticdesignweek

The interactive Ice Rug got its inspiration from the cracking of ice. It is made of pure wool felt and it reacts to touch by creating light paths all around the rug. The visitors at the opening party were clearly excited to be able to touch and try the rug and its interactivity. And that’s really what we are aiming for: to create new experiences and to tell things about the Arctic and its wonders!

The first appearance for our Vaana 2017 Interactive exhibition was at the Arctic Design Week here in Rovaniemi, Finland. We were a part of the Taival – Journey exhibition in Arktikum, which presented the work of the students and alumnae of the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Lapland.

The opening party of the exhibition took place in February 20th. The house was full and people clearly enjoyed the evening. We got to test our prototypes in real action during the opening party and during the exhibition, so we were excited too! At this stage we got three prototypes ready to be admired: the Ice Rug, the Breaking of the Dawn jacket and the Frozen Table.

What is Vaana exactly? Our group wanted to show a side of Lapland that is different from Santa Claus and reindeers. Winters are long and freezing and short summers can be quite chilly. During the darkest time of the year the daylight lasts for only 2 hours and during summer the sun doesn't set at all. We live in a absurd environment where everything can’t survive.

 But when you look closely, life here is extremely beautiful; the restless and yet calm nightless nights during summer and the multicolored bright fall days. During silent polar nights our whole world is sleeping under a blanket of snow and spring is filled with sunlight and the noise of multiple small brooks rushing to wake everyone up. Life here is a constant journey. Nature is in a state of constant transformation, already in the current season but still en route to the next.

 Nature is something that we could not live without. Nature, forest and wood is what we have used originally when creating our infrastructure, culture and identity. Wood, traditional Finnish construction material is insulating and thus protective from the coldness. It is typically sculpted into stiff and rigid forms, when the actual source, forest, is ignored in design. Trees, before sculpting, remind us of the nature’s impact on our surroundings. Polar night makes our surroundings seem scarce, but the trees and rich forests illustrate our unlit landscape. The trees have been the source of inspiration to the Lappish people for thousands of years.