SCREECH! from METROPOLIA UNIVERSITY, Helsinki

For information about the Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences please visit http://www.metropolia.fi/en

The 2011 exhibition was constructed under the working title called "Screech!". Screech being the sound you hear when the needle of an old fashioned record player slides along the surface of a vinyl record. It is also the sound you hear when you realize something isn’t quite right, something is a bit strange, maybe uniquely new. Screech! gives the viewer the opportunity to awaken to new ideas.

The exhibition itself will be made to look like a shop. A shop where things are not like you would expect them to be. The shop will have elements of humor, irony, perhaps even sarcasm in it.

The textiles in the exhibition are made with mainly weaving and knitting techniques. The emphasis is on the skills to manipulate textile materials and surfaces in a contemporary way. Fabrics done with these traditional textile techniques will be embellished and modernized with the addition of embroidery and experimental surface construction.

The main objective in participating at Heimtextil is to familiarize textile design students with working in an international design environment. The exhibition is a perfect way for the Helsinki Metropolia University to bring the students to the centerpoint of a global textile fair, where they can see and experience activities both in the design context as well as business. The possibility to network with both other universities and their students and with possible future employers is also a big factor in the participation.

The participating students are at the moment on their second year studying for their BA in textile design. In this 2011 project there are students both from the standard education as well as from the group of mature students, who study during evenings. The students participate in a series of different courses, which are all aimed towards the exhibition. These courses include for example graphic design, innovative textile materials, marketing and communication. Naturally most of the courses are still mainly textile design based.