Simo Heikkilä : 'Experimental Things' at the Alvar Aalto Museum

Monday, 30 October 2006 00:55

Helsinki, Finland - Simo Heikkilä is a well-established interior designer with a fine reputation and a long list of awards.  He has designed furniture from one-of pieces to whole ranges of industrially-produced furniture.  Heikkilä’s uncluttered exhibition design has also attracted praise both at home in Finland and abroad.  He has extensive experience as a teacher and is currently head of the wood studio at the University of Art and Design Helsinki.  On exhibit until December 3, 2006.

The last time Simo Heikkilä exhibited his work was at a one-man show at the Museum of Central Finland in 1996.  The works in the invited exhibition, opening now, have emerged over the last two years.  They include items of furniture, linked together by experiments in materials and construction, small utensils and light fittings for the home and a modest collection of jewellery made from recycled materials.  The exhibition is supplemented with Heikkilä’s own sketches and video material showing Heikkilä at work.

In the exhibition he wants to emphasise the importance of local design and local production, and criticise the disposable bric-a-brac produced by global industry.  Simo Heikkilä’s most recent award is the Asko-Avonius prize, given to him as a mark of his distinguished work in the field of Finnish furniture and interior design.

The Alvar Aalto Museum is sited on a slope leading down towards Lake Jyväsjärvi. Alvar Aalto's design for the museum building was completed in 1973.  The building, together with that of the Museum of Central Finland (Alvar Aalto 1961) form a centre of culture in the immediate vicinity of the University of Jyväskylä (Alvar Aalto 1951-1971).  Visit : http://www.alvaraalto.fi/indexe.htm