Winner of Nova Design Award coming to Formex and Gallery Pascale

Winner of the Nova Design Award 2012, Mari Isopahkala, will be appearing in person and exhibiting her products at Formex next week. An exhibition of her work will run concurrently at Gallery Pascale – a chance for the general public to admire her designs. Participation at Formex and the exhibition at Gallery Pascale make up part of the Nova Design Award, which is presented at the fall Formex each year.

“It’s so exciting to be able to put on a proper exhibition of my products in Sweden. It’s the first time ever and I feel deeply honored. I hope I’ll see a lot of people at both exhibitions and that I’ll get to know the Swedes a little better,” says Mari Isopahkala.

Mari Isopahkala has recently been working extensively in glass and this is also the tone-setting material in the exhibition at Gallery Pascale. Mari is currently producing the ALTAI crystal glass collection, where every glass is unique and the collection pays homage to traditional craftsmanship and handicraft.

“Last fall, I visited the glassmaking center of Murano in Italy, and the exhibition at Gallery Pascale will be the very first time I’ll be showcasing my latest glassworks made by master glassblower Pino Signoretto,” continues Mari Isopahkala.

Besides glassworks, Mari will be showing her jewelry and lighting design in the exhibition.

“Mari belongs to a new generation of promising young Finnish designers who are making rapid headway. As a gallery owner, I’m absolutely thrilled to have her here. Her products are in a class of their own, they’re original and exciting, and yet she preserves the traditional pure Finnish style and closeness to nature. I’m convinced that we’ll be seeing a lot more of Mari Isopahkala in the future,” says Pascale Cottard-Olsson at Gallery Pascale.

Mari Isopahkala won the Nova Design Award with the following motivation:

“Mari is a freelance designer from Helsinki who works on a wide front and moves freely between furniture, jewelry, lighting and interior design. Common for all of her products, however, is that each emanates from her desire to tell a story about the object and to evoke feelings and reactions in the viewer.

Mari Isopahkala has been selected as this year’s Nordic Designer of the Year for her exquisite jewelry, gorgeous home furnishing fabrics and intriguing glassware. In a sculpturally interesting and imaginative way, she successfully extends the strong Finnish design tradition into new expressions. Her creations go above and beyond the ‘lovelier everyday items’ motto!”

The jury consisted of Pascale Cottard-Olsson, founder of Gallery Pascale, journalist Lotta Lewenhaupt, furniture designer Anya Sebton, Professor of the History of Design & Crafts Kerstin Wickman, as well as design writer and creative director Hanna Nova Beatrice.

The prize consists of two parallel exhibitions: one at the spring Formex trade fair and one at Gallery Pascale, which gives the general public a chance to see and buy the winner’s products, as well as an article in Plaza Interiör magazine and an activity worth up to 50,000 SEK. The exhibition at Gallery Pascale will run until 2 February 2013.

Formex will take place on January 17–20, 2013, at Stockholmsmässan. Formex is the meeting place for innovations, business opportunities, trends, knowledge and inspiration. The fair is held twice a year, with more than 800 exhibitors, 25,000 trade visitors, and 800 media representatives.

To find out more, please visit www.formex.se or contact Ida Mlowe, Press Officer, ida.mlowe@stockholmsmassan.se or +46 8 749 44 13