This presentation was used to introduce a paper presented in Nordichi12, in Copenhagen, Denmark. O

1. Breakdowns in Participation
A case study in the museum
Dr. Mariana Salgado
Head of the Master in Business Administration in User Centered Design
User Driven Innovation Centre
Laurea University of Applied Sciences
14.10.2012

2. The Secret Life of Objects
Esineiden Salatut Elämät
Design Museum
Helsinki

4. The Secret Life of Objects
Mariana Salgado- Media Lab TAIK- April 2008

11. Enhancing collaborations
with external partners

12. “
Yrjö Kukkapuro (1933-)
Arcs and colours Rocking chair
“Experiment”
birch laminate, tubular steel, wood, leather
1982
Avarte Oy
Excellent chairs, cute, humorous. I Yrjö Kukkapuro graduated in interior architecture
fantasised about these chairs for a long from the Institute for Industrial Arts in Helsinki in
time and at some point a suitable pair 1958. The basis for his design is in ergonomics.
Kukkapuro has made an impressive amount of
came. The chair is like a pet. It smiles and furniture for public spaces in his career.
gestures to me like a funny rascal, in its International postmodernist currents gave rise to
own way, each day. No other lounge chair the “Experiment” collection of furniture by
does the same, but the morning starts well Kukkapuro, first exhibited at the Milan furniture
when I read the newspaper in its arms and fair of 1982. The success of “Experiment” was
drink my morning tea in it evident in the fact of it being featured in 32
different newspapers and trade magazines.
Yrjö Kukkapuro (this was a link to the designer’s
company:
http://www.avarte.fi/english/designers/yrjo-kukkapuro/
)

13. Including the whole
museum community

14. “ Spaceless space
I recently heard a lecture by a Spanish artist called Roc Pares. He has worked with
the idea of a virtual void. I see a certain similarity between Kåhre’s and Pares’
works, except that Pares works with the means of virtual reality and Kåhre’s piece is
purely based on the physical. Both works also remind me of an article “Psychology
and Nothing” written by Eliot Hearst (1991, American Scientist, 7, 432-443). Hearst
writes about how hard it is for us humans to think about something that “is not” and
that we are programmed to deal with things that “are” and “exist.” Thinking about
Kåhre’s piece, it might be that we are programmed also to perceive “what is” and
not “what is not”.
Galleria virtual: The website of Roc Pares’ work Galería Virtual.
Comment left in Conversational Map.

15. Acknowledging audience
participation as strategy

16. “ This thing is very good, says an open-sea fisherman. It’s amazing
how the designer has got the idea of letting water pass through the
head of the fish, thus making it wobble in a nice way that the big fish
can’t resist.
Comment left at The Secret Life of Objects
.

17. Combining participation and educational activities

18. “ Ode to a light (Ode to Objects)
“ Anti-Ode to a Lamp (Ode to Objects)
A man invents a lamp
that is not a lamp
He hides the lamp
inside ice.
The block light
it shines;
Warmth
Coolness
Joy
the past
I don’t understand its form
I am already cold Mysterious on
I want warm light, yellow and graceful calling us to it
revealing all.
A woman invents a new lamp
she places it inside Iina
the sun.
Every morning it smiles
at her
through the gap in the curtains.
Nana
.

19. Interactive hinderances

21. Allowing new formats

22. “ Aalto vase
Definitely one of the most well-
known pieces of Finnish glass
design in the world. I live in the U.S “ Minimal
All this Finnish design makes me want
and have this vase at my home in
to listen to minimal techno music.
many sizes and colours, and it
makes me appreciate the artistic
talent we have in Finland
“ Grandmother
There is a Savoy vase in every Finnish
home. The size and colour just varies.
It’s suitable for everything: flowers, fruit
and stones. It is a true Finnish classic.
“ Finnish design inspires me whenever I
buy objects. Their high quality makes me
think twice before choosing an object.
They are practical, sit well with furniture,
and their use of materials is good. Hard
to say how much I appreciate your
Original in English. designs.

23. Aiming for transparency

24. “ Eeronauts
The furniture by Eero Aarnio has prompted a particular fan club: the
“eeronauts.” All around the world, they have incorporated his work
not only into everyday life, but also into pop culture, from sci-fi to
Playboy. These signs cover magazines, videos, movies, etc.
Comment left at The Secret Life of Objects
.

25. “ Visitor’s comment
I have heard a story about these scissors,
where the colour of their plastic part is a result
of the prototype process in which they used
“ Answer from museum’s staff
The story is true. Fiskars had made a
juice extractor before that. The juice
extractor used orange plastic that
some leftover pieces of plastic that happened accidentally ended up on the scissors
to be orange, the orange that afterwards was handles when the first syringe was
used… is that story true? chosen. Workers were involved in the
decision, and the colour orange was
Comment left at The Secret Life of Objects. chosen for the handles.
.
Comment left at The Secret Life of
Objects.

26. Thanks!
mariana.salgado@laurea.fi
mariana.salgado@iki.fi