The Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale is organized in the old foundry and the Raseborg region from 22 May to 4 September 2022. The Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale addresses topical issues in contemporary art, design and architecture, making room for something new and surprising. Its exhibitions invite artists, designers, architects, the public and the regional community to participate and encourage open questions. The three main exhibitions are Knots & Knits, a part of the U-JOINTS design research project by Anniina Koivu and Andrea Caputo; House by an Architect, a collection of eight wooden mini houses built on a meadow by an oak forest; and HIDDEN – „Forms of the Senses” by the Onoma artist cooperative, which explores multisensory experiences through arts, crafts and design. The Biennale also includes an Open Call for content to ensure a versatile parallel programme.

Sanna Lehto

“The Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale was founded to produce content and services that promote cultural tourism, which is gaining in popularity. In the past couple of years, the world around us has changed. The recovery and development of the cultural sector is now a common concern. Culture thrives on interaction. An essential task of the Fiskars Biennale is to provide artists and designers with opportunities to showcase their skills and to encounter their audience as well as each other. We couldn’t have found a better place for this than the Fiskars Village and its creative community,” says Biennale founder and curator Kari Korkman.

An overnight stay at House by an Architect is a multisensory experience. Light-structured, ecological mini houses are becoming increasingly popular. One of the special features of the Biennale is the House by an Architect exhibition, which consists of eight wooden mini houses in which people can also stay the night. The houses designed by top architects are up to 30 square meters in size and located on a sunny meadow by an oak forest. They are built responsibly following the off-grid principle, that is, utilizing renewable energy produced by, among other things, house-specific solar panels. This collection of mini houses is a uniform, experiential tour for Biennale visitors. The houses’ interiors have been curated by Ulla Koskinen, the founder and editor-in-chief of Asun magazine. The houses are available to buy and will continue their lives with new owners after the event.

The Biennale brings design details closer. Knots & Knits is the fourth part of the U-JOINTS research project and exhibition series by Andrea Caputo and Anniina Koivu. Seen for the first time at Salone del Mobile in Milan in 2018, U-JOINTS highlights the joints and connections used in design and architecture. Joints are rarely paid attention to as they are mostly invisible, hidden inside objects. The exhibition reveals these hidden details and invites visitors to appreciate their beauty and quality in objects and structures. In the old Granary of Fiskars Village, Knots & Knits unravels the history of textiles, fabrics and ropes. Whether it’s about tying rigging, lifting heavy objects, or wrapping lunch or a present – knots are everywhere around us. The knot is considered the oldest method of connecting things.

Onoma’s summer exhibition Hidden – „Forms of the Senses” discusses the importance and potential of our senses. Defined by their materials, artists and creatives function intensively in the world of the senses. At Onoma’s summer exhibition Hidden, the makers of works and objects discuss the importance and potential of the various senses in their work. What about those who interpret art and use objects? The way a work of art or an object is experienced and felt depends on many factors. Often, however, the interpreter is very much guided by the maker of the work or object.

“In everything we do and experience, we function with our senses, whether consciously or unconsciously. When an important sense deteriorates, breaks down, disappears or otherwise plays tricks on us, other senses jump in to compensate. That is when we realize how our multisensory body works and forms a perfect whole in terms of human mental and physical functionality and balance. There are many types of perfection in this sense. The uniqueness of the process is fascinating. The changes brought about by the rapid digitalization and the recent physical and psychological isolation have made it necessary for us to use our senses more holistically. We yearn for sensory experiences and the thoughts that they provoke. I think the theme of the exhibition is particularly topical right now,” says Laura Sarvilinna, the curator of Hidden.

Open Call for the parallel programme: Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale’s communality and diversity are ensured by putting together a polyphonic parallel programme of events organized by artists, designers, galleries and workshops in the region. There is room for a wide range of interdisciplinary events: exhibitions, performances, studio visits, art walks and artist dinners, and parties, for example. The Call is open until 27 February.

Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale, from 22 May to 4 September 2022

10470 Fiskars, Raasepori

www.fiskarsvillagebiennale.com