The talk uses Alvar Aalto’s 3-legged stool as a framework to re-evaluate the pillars of Finnish design – what Antti Nurmesniemi calls the four legs of a table – education, memory, profession and promotion. Each pillar is explored through anecdotal notes from Aalto’s career. What can a table with three legs tell us about the Finnish design industry and what implications does it have for the public? The performance involves an assistant and the Stool 60 intended to demonstrate ideas in the talk.

Speaker: Emery Norton is a designer and editor living in Helsinki. Recent projects have involved Design Museum Helsinki, Garret Publications, New Academy, the Visual Resources Centre at Aalto University, Selim Projects Helsinki, the Finnish Architectural Review, Musica Nova Helsinki, The Eriskay Connection (NL) and Factory Gallery (KR).

His work has received national recognition from institutions in Finland, Canada and the UK including Vuoden Huiput, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, It’s Nice That, the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada and DX Canada’s former Design Museum. He is currently editing a book series about oral histories in Finnish Design.

The event will also be streamed, link below.

Graphic Design: © Emery Norton