Marimekko textiles on display in France
Finnish manufacturer not well known because its clothes are too practical for the French
By Minna Nalbantoglu
While planning an exhibition of Marimekko textiles for a museum in the north of France, curator Sylvette Gaudichon Botella pondered what preconceptions the French might have of Finland.
Well, Finland is a cold country, with lots of snow. It is dark, colourless, and Santa Claus lives there.
"We said to ourselves that we should break all stereotypes. We decided to make a garden out of cloth", Gaudichon Botella said at the opening of the exhibition. "We wanted to show what these creations of the north are, with their special kind of warmth and joie de vivre."
Now the textiles of the cold country are glowing in their full colours as a massive carpet on the floor of the art museum.
The Marimekko exhibition at an art and industrial museum called La Piscine in Roubaix in the north of France is one of the biggest exhibitions of Finnish design in France.
There are textiles, clothes, and other products from Helsinki’s Design Museum and from Marimekko, but the exhibition was compiled by the French museum itself.
There are also Finnish vases and chairs on display.
The Marimekko exhibition is part of a broader series of events showcasing Finland in Roubaix. On the day that the exhibition opened, there was a dance that brought together hundreds of people. All citizens were invited to try the Finnish tango. Other performers included the world-renowned male choir Mieskuoro Huutajat, which gave a typical high-volume performance of rhythmic shouting, as well as Jimi Tenor.
Marimekko is not well known in France. With the exception of serviettes; the company’s products are available in Paris apparently in only one shop. Marimekko’s creations are far from the traditional French thinking on what the purpose of clothing is.
"Marimekko clothes are practical and easy to use. You can put a skirt on in the morning and forget it", Gaudichon Botella says. In France this is not considered a good thing.
"In France, people wear clothes in order to be noticed. Clothes are worn because people want to show something of themselves. Marimekko clothes are not complicated enough for Latin countries."
Gaudichon Botella was deeply impressed by the extensive artistic freedom and appreciation that Marimekko extends to its designers. She feels that the fact that each piece of cloth bears the name of the designer is a marvellous touch.
The exhibition in Roubaix includes Marimekko textiles over a number of decades. Exceptionally, the cloth is framed, as if it were a painting on the floor. Gaudichon Botella would like to have them on display in such a way, because she has seen a picture of designer Maija Isola painting her textiles on the floor.
Her daughter Kristiina Isola, who is also a Marimekko designer, feels that the presentation is most successful. "It is surprising how people from another country and another type of culture have been able to find just the right aspects of Marimekko", said Isola, who was taking part in the opening of the exhibition.
The French will get a massive dose of Finnish textiles this autumn. In Caen there will also be a Marimekko exhibition - one that has been touring several countries.
Marianne Aav, director of the Design Museum says that interest in Marimekko around the world is so great that the museum has two touring exhibitions.
The Marimekko boom has also become something of a burden for the museum. There does not seem to be enough personnel to organise the exhibitions. They are also an expense for the museum. For instance, the Design Museum paid for half of the expenses of the Roubaix exhibition.
"We have made a firm decision, that when these exhibitions are over, we will go back to just one exhibition", Aav says.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 27.10.2006
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MINNA NALBANTOGLU / Helsingin Sanomat
minna.nalbantoglu@hs.fi
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Marimekko textiles on display in France
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