Thursday 15 August
at 15–22
Welcome to celebrate Russia´s vivid craft culture and its masters in Russia´s Holy Day event at the Design Museum during the Night of the Arts! On Russian´s Holy Day there will be free admission to the Design Museum and all kinds of events from 3 pm to 10 pm.
In Holy Day events the COMPANY designer duo, who is behind the Secret Universe exhibition, invites everyone to enjoy foreign culture in their way. The Holy Day events express respect for the cultures and craft traditions of different countries. The series of Holy Days continues on 15 August, when the Design Museum celebrates Russia and the crafts skills of Russian master practitioners.
The Highlight of the evening will be the work demonstrations of Russian matryoshka masters, who show us how a piece of wood turns into a matryoshka doll and how a spirit is painted into it.
The Service Counter will be open at the Secret Universe exhibition
Open from 3 p.m.–5 p.m.
Get to know objects and artifacts at the exhibition’s Service Desk by looking, touching and testing. The secret Universe exhibition includes the Service Desk in the Collection room. Behind the desk are over 200 products that were designed and made in the Secret Universe projects. The Service Counter is an experiential and participatory work where visitors can personally handle inspect some of the objects.
Community and Craft panel discussions
From 5.05 p.m.–5.40 p.m.
Panel discussion on the theme of Community and Craft explores the themes addressed in the Secret Universe exhibition. The panel consists of designers Aamu Song and Johan Olin, who have created the exhibition and Sani Kontula-Webb, the director of the Finnish centre of culture in St. Petersburg. Matryoshka masters Igor Napylov and Elena Napylova will also be taking part in the discussion. The event will be opened by the Director of Design Museum Helsinki Jukka Savolainen.
Matryoshka workshop
Non-Stop 5.30 p.m.–8.30 p.m.
In this free Matryoshka workshop, you get to paint your Matryoshka doll. The workshop operates on a nonstop basis with participation when a seat becomes free. The workshop is meant for everyone and no special skills are required.
Demonstrations of work by Russian master artisans
The demonstrations of work will be held at 6−7 p.m. and 8−9 p.m.
The high point of this Holy Day is a demonstration of the making of the traditional Russian matryoshka dolls by master artisans. Matryoshka master Igor Napylov will lathe-turn wooden dolls and master Elena Napylova will paint them. at the Secret universe exhibition space in from of the Holy Temple created by COMPANY.
In co-operation with the Finnish centre of culture in St. Petersburg
Matryoshka Master Class
Master Class can be observed at 6.00 p.m.
The audience gets to observe when Finnish designers and artists participate in the Matryoshka painting workshop lead by Matryoshka master Denis Korotkov.
Students of Finnish Russian School in Helsinki sing traditional Russian children’s songs
At 7.15. p.m.
The Students from the Russian School in Helsinki will perform Russian songs in the 2nd-floor exhibition space.
