Photo: Iiro Rautiainen

The theme of this eighth Arctic Design Week arranged so far is Design Business in the Arctic. As the title suggests, we invite the participants to think about the relation between business and design. The aim is to examine design particularly from the viewpoints of user-friendliness and the client experience.

"The client experience concerns each and every business enterprise. Observing the needs of clients and users in the design stage will benefit the buyer and the business in the long run", notes Julius Oförsagd, the producer of the week’s corporate rallies.

The event addresses a whole range of audiences: students, enthusiasts, professionals, and businesses. There are exhibitions, discussions, seminars, networking, performances, design shopping, and fashion shows. The activities will take place in locations such as the University of Lapland, Arktikum, and the Korundi House of Culture.


Student expertise emphasized


The Arctic Design Shop has products made by the university’s design students. Photo from the design shop in 2013. Photo: Iiro Rautiainen.

The design students of the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland demonstrate their diverse expertise in many ways during the event. In the university's galleries you can get a broad overview of Arctic design and art – a total of seven exhibitions will be held in the F-building of the main campus, in Arktikum, and in Taigakoru jewellery shop.

In addition, you may visit the Faculty of Art and Design and listen to design professionals who have graduated from the University of Lapland. The Arctic Design Shop in Gallery Kilo has products made by the university’s design students. The week culminates in the Arctic Fashion Show held in Agora (F-building’s lobby) on Saturday 27 February.

To top off the design week, the Faculty of Art and Design will host the Cirrus meeting that collects together rectors, coordinators, and teachers from Nordic design universities.


Arctic design and the user experience as a basis for business development

For businesses, the day to attend is Thursday the 25th, when the main seminar Arctic Design and the User Experience as Business Developers fills up Korundi. In the morning seminar, user-friendliness and the client experience are examined from the viewpoints of service design, experience design, and digitisation.

Thereafter, a workshop for entrepreneurs backed up by top professionals will focus more closely on the morning’s themes. Next, the participants get an opportunity to network in Lehtojärvi at the Arctic Snow Hotel that is made completely of snow and ice.

The Arctic Design Week is arranged by the City of Rovaniemi and Rovaniemi Regional Development Agency in cooperation with the Faculty of Art and Design, Arktikum, the Korundi House of Culture, the Science Centre Pilke, and many other business partners and collaborators.


Strong areas of the Faculty of Art and Design on display

The Talviunessa – Winter Dreams exhibition demonstrates the design expertise of the students and alumni of the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland. The exhibition is held in Arktikum’s galleries Valo, Katve 1, and Katve 2. It consists of works made in the degree programmes of audiovisual media culture, graphic design, textile and clothing design, and industrial design. The exhibition is held Feb 23 – Mar 13 and the galleries are open Tue – Sun from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The opening ceremony takes place on Monday 22 February at 6 p.m.

In the Arctic Aesthetics exhibition the students of the University of Lapland process and outline the Arctic and Arctic design from the perspectives of nature, people, industry, materials, and art. In doing so, they also address their own field of education and the design industry from the perspective of the Arctic. A more extensive version of the exhibition was held in the Rovaniemi Theatre in autumn 2015. The exhibition will be held in gallery Seinä at the University of Lapland 22 Feb – 10 Mar.

Virtaa – painettuja tekstiilejä (The Flow – Printed Textiles) is an exhibition displaying prints designed and realized by 1st-year students and minors in the Degree Programme in Interior and Textile Design. The designed objects are kitchen textiles, such as table cloths, kitchen towels, and aprons. The materials have been hand-printed on natural materials, such as cotton and linen, using direct printing and pigments. The exhibition takes place in gallery Seinä at the University of Lapland 22 Feb – 10 Mar.

The Interactive Space department exhibits physical objects, wall projections, and sound recordings made by design students. The exhibition is in gallery Hämärä in the F-building and it is open 22 – 27 Feb.

Arctic Design Shop in gallery Kilo has products also made by the university’s art students, and it is open 22 Feb – 5 Mar.

Gallery Lyhty features Design Students’ Recycling Workshop in the F-building. It is open 22 Feb – 10 Mar.

Inspired by the Arctic in gallery Kajo presents a gift concept designed by exchange students learning Finnish design. The work was done in cooperation with the University of the Arctic. The exhibition is in gallery Kajo in the F-building and it is open 22 Feb – 10 Mar.

Arctic Fashion Show 2016 is produced by students of clothing design at the University of Lapland. It takes place on Saturday 27 Feb in F-building's lobby Agora at 6 and 8 p.m. This year, we have an Arctic Carnival to celebrate the dazzling, colourful, and cheerful return of the Faculty of Art and Design to the main campus. The show features international products as well as clothes designed by students of various phases of study.

The Jaqcuard exhibition gives you an introduction to Jaqcuard textiles made with a TC-1 machine. The fabrics have been designed and woven by second-year students of the Degree Programme in Interior and Textile Design. The designs stem from the Lapland Nature – Animals product line of Taigakoru jewellery shop. To see the exhibition, visit Taigakoru jewellery shop at Rinteenkulma shopping centre between 22 and 28 Feb.

All the exhibitions are free of charge. Welcome!


Further information:

Elsi Malkki
Company Developer, Rovaniemi Regional Development Agency
elsi.malkki(at)rovaniemenkehitys.fi

Julius Oförsagd
Producer, ADW corporate events
julius(at)jocproductions.com
Phone: +358 (0)40 866 8737

Leila Lipiäinen
University Teacher, University of Lapland
leila.lipiainen(at)ulapland.fi
Phone: +358 (0)40 484 4417

Arctic Design Week 2016
Cirrus meeting


ULapland/Communications/RJ