HELSINKI.- Kunsthalle Helsinki presents Kuohuva muotoilu - Sparkling Design, on view 16 June – 12 August 2007. In the summer exhibition produced by the Kunsthalle Helsinki, young Finnish designers and artists present their work: clothes, furniture, industrial and graphic design, innovative functional articles, jewellery, lamps, projects and events of all kinds. Sparkling Design is not an ordinary design exhibition – it transgresses boundaries, showcasing funny or outrageous ideas, new values and attitudes.

Sparkling Design showcases young designers who have not yet gained recognition in the public arena. They work in a fluid field, in collectives and teams, and their work often involves new terminology – customising, styling, personalising, tuning, pimping... But the new attitude also involves more serious questions about the ethics and values of design, as well as ecological issues. Many of the works in the exhibition are made of recycled or natural materials, from washing machine drums to dry banana peel to fish tails.

The show is divided into five thematic sections: Outdoor Experiences, Fashion and Beauty, Home Decoration, Nature and Trade, as well as a section presenting the work of the Bulgaria group, who have also designed the graphic identity of the show. The show includes individualised bicycles designed by the Anteeksi group, a musical bed, skirt and corset you can play by Mimosa Pale, the latest fabrics and garments designed by Maija Louekari, paper Christmas trees sold from a roll by Tuija Järvenpää, and lamps made of recycled material designed by Anna Holopainen and Aki Kotkas. The exhibition installations will be showcased also in a book to be published later at the end of June. Another version of the show will be produced for touring abroad.

An exhibition shop set up in the Kunsthalle foyer will have a selection of products on sale from the show’s participants. There is also a programme of complementary events that will take place in late July–early August and will be held in other locations. From 27 June to 5 August, Sauna Obscura by Heidi Lunabba will float on the waters of Töölönlahti Bay . The sauna doubles as a life-size camera obscura. Heated by a wood-burning stove, it will be open to the public during the Kunsthalle’s opening hours.