Aalto University visibly present at Frankfurt Book Fair

Aalto University is involved in implementing Finland’s largest cultural export project of all times.

The presence of the university at the Frankfurt Book Fair will be seen in a wide variety of ways. Pupils from German schools will get acquainted with Finnish culture at the fair by means of the inspiration provided by the FINNLAND.HOT. game. This new type of educational game contains functional tasks that the pupils complete in various parts of the fair area.

The game was born as a result of the we.learn.it cooperation project coordinated by Aalto University, and it has been built on the SmartFeet platform developed by Finnish teachers. The we.learn.it project, which is funded by the European Union, offers the possibility to schools across Europe to innovatively develop instruction together in the form of ‘research journeys’ that cross school frontiers.

The School of Arts, Design and Architecture publishing house, Aalto ARTS Books, is participating for the fifth time in the Frankfurt Book Fair. The publisher’s newest books are on display, such as the renewed edition of Pekka Korvenmaa’s Finnish Design, realized with the distinguished Victoria & Albert Museum. In addition, Professor Pekka Korvenmaa from the university will participate in the discussion on design at Finland's fair pavilion, organized by Design Forum Finland.

The Helsinki School, which represents art photographers from Aalto University, is releasing its 20th anniversary book at the fair. The commemorative work consists of essays and portfolios through which a review of the history of the Helsinki School’s operations and activities is created, but it is also directed towards the future and how this approach to photography is transformed via its artists. There are over 200 images in this work created by art photographers, as well as commentary from significant European photograph curators.

The visual appearance of the Book Fair theme, FINNLAND.COOL., has been designed by graphic design students Jinhee Kim, Anssi Kokkonen and Tommi Leskinen. Finland’s 2 300-square-metre fair pavilion on its part was designed by students Natalia Baczyńska Kimberley, Nina Kosonen and Matti Mikkilä from the Master’s Degree Programmes in Furniture Design and Spatial Design.

The pavilion (5.0 A79) will be filled by Finnish and Aalto University participants at the Frankfurt Book Fair, 8–12 October 2014.