Saturday 25 May 2024 at 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
In the Design Museum Gallery
Free entry / other exhibitions with a museum ticket
In the gallery of the Design Museum, a new communal museum work laboratory opens on in May 2024, inviting visitors to engage actively with the museum objects. D-Ark Lab serves as a living testing ground for experiments and novel forms of participation around the museum collection, paving the way for a new museum and fresh ways of experiencing it.
The public opening of D-Ark Lab will be celebrated on Saturday, 25 May 2024, with a diverse programme. The D-Ark Lab is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and there is program 1 p.m.–5 p.m. Admission to the Lab is free, entry to the other exhibitions with a museum ticket.
Programme
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Opening remarks and introduction to D-Ark Lab
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. On-duty guide at A&DO Lab
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Curator’s tour of “The Best Possible Model” exhibition
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Open Drop-in Workshop: What Do You Think About an Object?
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Curator’s tour: Explore D-Ark Lab
Speakers
Opening Remarks: Carina Jaatinen and Katri Viippola
Carina Jaatinen, photo: Anni Koponen
Ms. Carina Jaatinen is the director of Content Services in the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum since January 2023. She has more than 30-years’ experience in the museum and cultural heritage field both nationally and internationally. Her areas of expertise are museum and exhibition development, and she has worked among others as the Director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture, as the Interim Director of Development at the National Board of Antiquities, and as the Head of Exhibitions in the Finnish Science Center Heureka.
Katri Viippola, photo: Anni Koponen
Katri Viippola is the CEO of the Association for Finnish Work, who is interested in the development of work and working life. In her previous career, she has worked in the finance and insurance sectors as well as in the media industry, including at Varma, Keva, and Yle. In addition to her day job, Katri is involved in the boards of AD Museum Ltd, BSAG, Digital Commerce Finland, and NYT.
D-Ark Lab: What’s It About? – Petteri Kummala and Leena Svinhufvud
Petteri Kummala, photo: Anni Koponen
Petteri Kummala is the Deputy Head of Information Services and Research at AD-Museum since the beginning of 2024. He is responsible for the museum’s Research, Publications, and Library unit. With over twenty years of experience in museum and research work, he has worked at the Museum of Finnish Architecture’s archive, library, and as a researcher from 2003 to 2023.
Leena Svinhufvud, photo: Konsta Leppänen
Leena Svinhufvud has been the Head of Research at AD-Museum since 2024. She is an internationally recognized expert in design history and an adjunct professor of art history at the University of Helsinki. She has a long career in public engagement at the Design Museum, focusing on design education and museum learning related to design and collections, most recently in the joint A&DO project of the Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum (ado.fi, 2020–2023).
Curator’s Tour of the “Best Possible Model” Exhibition
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
The curator of “The Best Possible Model” exhibition, art historian Leena Elina Valkeapää, explains why the industrial arts of the 1870s are so fascinating and relevant. She has selected a range of the earliest objects from the Design Museum’s collections for the first exhibition in the Exhibition Lab.
Leena Elina Valkeapää, photo: Anni Koponen
Independent researcher, docent Leena Elina Valkeapää is an art historian and author specializing in 19th-century cultural history. She has researched topics such as the restoration of medieval churches, the life of Emil Nervander, the art historical expeditions of the Finnish Antiquarian Society, early industrial arts exhibitions, and the cultural history of national costumes.
Open Workshop: What Do You Think About an Object?
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Photo: Linda Svarfvar
In this workshop, you can write or draw your thoughts about the museum’s touchable objects. What memories come to mind from a coffee cup or a chair? What do you think of them? Come and share with us! The written thoughts and drawings will be collected.
Curator’s Tour: Explore D-Ark Lab
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Explore D-Ark Lab with curators Petteri Kummala and Leena Svinhufvud.
On-Duty Guide at A&DO Lab
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Photo: Johannes Romppanen
A&DO Lab is a traveling learning environment and exhibition about design and architecture. After touring five locations in Finland from 2021 to 2023 as part of the Design Museum’s Museum Vision project, the exhibition settles in D-Ark Lab and serves primarily as a base for school groups. A&DO Lab challenges us to consider what kind of architecture and design supports good daily life and sustainable development. What kind of environment do you want to live in in the future? What makes a good neighborhood?
D-Ark Lab
The Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum’s new laboratory delves into the heart of the significance of museum collections together with the audience. In D-Ark Lab, visitors can experiment, touch, discuss, and reminisce alongside the museum objects. Simultaneously, visitors can reflect individually and collectively on the stories unveiled through the displayed museum objects, and on how our own thinking relates to and shapes these narratives. What presentation method brings the stories of objects to life? Read more about the D-Ark Lab here.
