Life and Emerging Design in Finland

In connection with the “100th Anniversary of Finnish Independence: Finnish Design Exhibit” held from January 14th to March 20th, 2017 at the Fukuoka City Museum, Kari-Hans Kommonen and Aalto University professors, experts in Finnish design, were invited from Helsinki, and seminars was held on Finnish culture and the future of Finnish design. Professor Yasuyuki Hirai also made a talk based on collaborative research with Aalto University conducted at the Faculty of Design, Kyushu University. The venue also displayed personal accounts by students about their studies abroad in Finland, as well as exhibits introducing Finnish design.

■Exhibit Details
Panels and models introducing life in Finland

■Capacity
First 50 people to arrive

■Program
12:30- Reception
13：30-13：35 Opening Remarks
13：35-13：45 Personal Accounts of Finland by Students
13：45-14：00 Lecture: “Global Design Projects”: Kyushu University Professor Yasuyuki Hirai
14：00-14：15 Lecture: “New Media Design” Aalto University Rasmus Vuori
14：15-14：30 Lecture: “Finnish Game Design” Aalto University Miikka Junnila
14：30-14：45 Lecture: “Social Design” Kari-Hans Kommonen
14：45-15：30 Talk Session
Panelists: Kari-Hans Kommonen, Rasmus Vuori, Miikka Junnila, Professor Yasuyuki Hirai
Moderator: Yumiko Takamiya (Specified Nonprofit Corporation Community of the Culture with and for Children)

■Profiles
Yasuyuki Hirai
After serving as an associate professor at Kyushu Institute of Design (currently Kyushu University), he currently teaches as a professor at Kyushu University Graduate School of Design. He implements and researches design concepts and inclusive design, a human-centered design approach, as a consultant for various companies and in collaborative projects.

Rasmus Vuori
Vuori conducts education, research, and practical application of new media art & design in Helsinki, Finland. He is the head of the New Media Design & Production major at the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture Media Lab since 2006. His area of expertise is design that is interactive and made using computer creation technology.

Miikka Junnila
Junnila is a game designer based in Helsinki, Finland. He has been teaching in the Game Design & Production major in the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture Media Lab since 2011. He creates designs that combine elements of systems and stories in games.

Kari-Hans Kommonen
Kommonen is a founding member of the Aalto University Media Lab. He served as the director of the ARKI research group from 1997 to 2017. He currently conducts research with Kyushu University with an expertise in design in society and culture.

Enquiries: Kyushu University Faculty of Design
Mail: kidnext@design.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Web: Kyudai Innovation Design NEXT

This seminar received assistance from the 2016 World Premiere International Researcher Invitation Program “Progress 100.”