Man Matter Metamorphosis: 10 000 Years of Design
Text von TLmag
Brussels, Belgien
25.07.19
The 10 000 years of design – Man, Matter, Metamorphosis exhibition presented an unprecedented collection from the National Museum of Finland.
The exhibition presents an unprecedented collection from the National Museum of Finland. It brings into focus multiple dialogues from a primal origin: the end of the ice age, the arrival of man and first material interactions. The archives from the Archaeological and Ethnological Collections provided an unparalleled substance for these themes. Through a selection of content spanning 10 000 years, the exhibition examines the unique engagement of society towards ecosystem, energy sources, and matter. This timeless view presents the accumulation of knowledge and legacy of values that have proven relevant to Finland’s ingenious approach towards design.
Conceptualised through six original themes, the exhibition attempts to provide a kaleidoscopic overview of the development of material culture in Finland. The analysis is non-linear. It is also non-taxonomic. The purpose of this approach was to introduce alternative perspectives towards the understanding of Finnish design.
Ethnological documentation, 1929, collection of Finnish Heritage Agency (R), molecular engineering of biosynthetic hybrid materials research, Department of Applied Physics, School of Science, Aalto University, Helsinki, FI (L)
Ethnological documentation, 1929, collection of Finnish Heritage Agency (R), molecular engineering of biosynthetic hybrid materials research, Department of Applied Physics, School of Science, Aalto University, Helsinki, FI (L)
×Man Matter Metamorphosis
Research suggests that human biological and cultural evolution is closely linked to technological innovations. Material engagement was mediated through a supernatural bond between man and ecosystem. The discovery of resources provoked new understandings of reality, which led simultaneously to developments in material culture and symbolic expression. The symbolic character of man’s environment motivated intensified attention and sensory enlightenment. Exploration of material properties through intuitive manipulation—the use of all senses— was the starting point for an inherent dialogue between mind, body, and matter. The universe of knowledge and artefacts that results from this equation is a constitutive element of societies.
Mechanical prosthetic hand, wood, c. 1950s (R), Stone Age, Finnish Heritage Agency, Archæological Collections (L)
Mechanical prosthetic hand, wood, c. 1950s (R), Stone Age, Finnish Heritage Agency, Archæological Collections (L)
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Microscopic image of reindeer fur, National Museum of Finland, Conservation Centre (R), Pants with shoes, reindeer leather-fur, Skolt Sami culture, National Museum of Finland, Finno Ugric Collections (L)
Microscopic image of reindeer fur, National Museum of Finland, Conservation Centre (R), Pants with shoes, reindeer leather-fur, Skolt Sami culture, National Museum of Finland, Finno Ugric Collections (L)
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Karuselli, chair shell, moulded fibreglass, Yrjö Kukkapuro for Haimi, 1964 (R), Magical object, bear skull, National Museum of Finland, Ethnological Collections (L)
Karuselli, chair shell, moulded fibreglass, Yrjö Kukkapuro for Haimi, 1964 (R), Magical object, bear skull, National Museum of Finland, Ethnological Collections (L)
×10 000 Years
The land that today comprises Finland began to rise from the water approximately 10 000 years ago. The Baltic was first a bay of the Atlantic. As the ice receded, it revealed the outline and characteristics of the present territory. Human occupation – as well as wildlife – is recorded to have begun within present-day Finland during the end of the glacial period around 8500 BCE.
Exhibition views, 10 000 Years of Design of Finland Photos: © Tuomas Uusheimo
The above text is an excerpt of content from the publication which has been published to accompany the exhibition on view at The National Museum of Finland from 12.10.2018 - 24.2.2019. The exhibition was conceptualised, curated and designed by Florencia Colombo and Ville Kokkonen.
Unless otherwise noted, all images © Finnish Heritage Agency.
