Hirameki is a moment of epiphany, spark, inspiration. In autumn 2010, Design Forum Finland will stage a design export initiative at the Tokyo Designers Week - Hirameki Design × Finland - which will present the Japanese public with a fresh and multifaceted image of Finnish design. The exhibition will cluster the full repertoire of Finnish design, from technological innovations to individual designers, around a series of scintillating themes. The aim of the pilot initiative is to support design exports and promote co-operative ventures between Finnish designers and firms in Japan. The patron of the initiative is Stefan Wallin, Finland's Minister of Culture and Sport.
A representative group of today's brightest designer names along with companies utilising design in a key way will participate in Hirameki Design × Finland. Hirameki has been divided into colour sparks. The exhibition, curated and conceived by designers Harri Koskinen and Ilkka Suppanen, will narrate the tales of firms and products through seven colour themes. A green spark, for example, will unlock solutions for sustainable development. The exhibition will discuss how design can be used strategically in various phases of product development. Furniture, textiles, small-scale products and the quality of the design language in industrial products reflect the Finnish lifestyle, individual approach and desire to consider the user's perspective.
Contacts and multilevel cultural exchange between Finland and Japan have long fed expectations which this exhibition seeks to meet. Never before has such a broad overview of Finnish design been seen in Japan. Education and tourism opportunities, along with a presentation of Helsinki as the upcoming World Design Capital 2012, will also feature strongly in the initiative.