Out beyond the farthest stars,
Where the cold of space spreads thin,
We endeavor to look out,
While they are looking in.
– adapted from Isaac Asimov. …(more)

What comes to your mind when thinking about the sounds in Helsinki? Trams, seagulls, the wind… 4’33″ by John Cage? Helsinki is quite minimal in its sounds – a quality that makes it special but also reflects what’s not happening in the city, leaving you longing for more variety, volume and spontaneous noise. On the occasion of We Are Helsinki magazine‘s music issue, we thought about redesigning Helsinki from a sonic point of view. …(more)

Inspired by two of my favourite thinkers, artist Yoko Ono and physicist Richard Feynman, this article is an experiment in physics and event scores. It quotes Feynman’s enchanting stories about a teeming nano-world for a 1983 BBC interview Physics is fun to imagine, recontextualising some of his thoughts as proposal pieces in the spirit of Grapefruit, an artist’s book by Ono.

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Napa Books invited us to have a Helsinki book launch at their gallery on July 10. We put up a miniature version of the Science Poems exhibition first launched in Paris in June and had a book party. Kiitos Napa! In August, Science Poems will go to Berlin. …(more)

This is a mini catalogue of OK Do’s Science Poems exhibition, launched at the 0fr gallery, Paris, in June 2010. The exhibition will travel around the world in the form of the Science Poems book and small-scale displays. Welcome to our next Science Poems party in Helsinki on July 10 from 6 pm onwards at Napa Gallery (Eerikinkatu 18)!

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What is the significance of merging design, art and science, and what is the best way to do this? Paola Antonelli, the Senior Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, met us on Skype to talk about the role of designers in science and society. …(more)

Anna Mikkola, a Berlin designer and friend with a particular interest in books and exhibitions, approached Anni Puolakka and Jenna Sutela of OK Do with an idea of doing a project on the life of publications. As it happened, OK Do was just planning Science Poems, their first book and exhibition, which felt like a natural point of departure for common ventures. So, the three ended up in a discussion about the both. …(more)

OK Talk brings together designers, artists and theorists operating in Finland and Britain to talk about emerging questions in design philosophy and strategic design. The series of events starts at Helsinki Design Week in late August, and travels to London in September 2010. …(more)

We collaborated with SAFA, Martta Louekari and Tuomas Toivonen by producing communicational material for two Snowball events on Finnish and Chinese architecture. The events were organised as part of Finland’s cultural programme for Shanghai World Expo. Based on our work with Snowball as well as our explorations on making places in Finland and China, we were recently also asked to edit a publication on the topic. …(more)

The principles of quantum mechanics, the study of energy and matter on the subatomic scales, are difficult for the human mind to understand. We are accustomed to reasoning the world on a scale where classical physics is an adequate approximation. But quantum physicists deal with nature in a counter-intuitive way; taking it as absurd as it is, and being concerned with multiple realities. I think I know what they’re talking about, because I have seen glimpses of parallel universes, within the ordinary, stretching my concepts of time and space. …(more)

Following the traditional mindset of science fiction, OK Do’s Science Poems project explores the poetry and multi-sensorial aesthetics of science rather than its functionality and logic. This summer, on June 4–6, 2010, it brought together a group of designers and artists for an exhibition at 0fr gallery and bookstore. The weekend also saw the launch of the Science Poems book which explores the topic through images and texts by us and the people around us. The book and the exhibition are now travelling around the world – the latest Science Poems party took place in Helsinki on July 10 at Napa Gallery. …(more)

The word ‘philosophy’ comes from the Greek word ‘philosophia’, literally ‘love of wisdom’. In preparation of the Science Poems exhibition and book, we felt the need for wisdom and a deep conversation about the role of aesthetics in science. What do art and design have to offer science? How and why should the disciplines be brought together? We sat down with Tomi Kokkonen, a philosopher at the University of Helsinki, to talk about aesthetics as a cognitive and critical tool for science – a tool for depicting subjective meanings and bringing science to life. …(more)

“The new generation of Chinese architects is neither interested in contemporary Chinese architecture nor the western style,” says Zhang Ke, one of the three principals at standardarchitecture, a Beijing office engaged in architecture, planning and design since 2001. “And we don’t want to sell Chinese style abroad, either.” In search of tomorrow’s architectural agenda in China, OK Do talked with four emerging local architects who presented their views on designing in and for the country undergoing rapid growth and massive change. …(more)

The Clues to Open Helsinki project by OK Do and Sitra aims to gather ideas that grasp the concept of Open Helsinki, the theme of the becoming World Design Capital year 2012. These ideas will be turned into a set of “clues” – big and small design ideas with an aim to inspire decision makers to turn Open Helsinki into reality. …(more)

Helsinki strives to become a true city – but what is it that makes one? Reflecting on what makes many cities, like New York or Berlin, irresistible, it is their gastronomic offerings we come to think of – city experiences created by gastronomy that comes from all over the world. Wondering about designing an international city by gastronomy, we decided to meet up with some of our favourite restaurant owners of foreign origin or interest. …(more)

Introduced by architect and artist Yukinori Maeda in 1997, Cosmic Wonder is a Japanese art organisation exploring the concepts of light and universal love through three independent projects: COSMIC WONDER art project, COSMIC WONDER Light Source fashion project and COSMIC WONDER FREE PRESS book project with the Zurich publishing house Nieves. …(more)

While in China, we visited the homely Shanghai studio of Singaporean Kok-Meng Tan (b. 1964) and Japanese Satoko Saeki’s (b. 1973) architecture and design practice KUU. Known for their critical design thinking, KUU applies a direct and simple approach across their design and writing as well as their teaching at Shenzen University. We talked with Kok-Meng and Satoko about Shanghai, sharing and encouraging positive chaos. …(more)

Having been asked to edit a publication (more information to follow soon) about young Finnish and Chinese views to architecture and placemaking, OK Do spent a week of March in Shanghai. The idea was not only to meet up with local architects and designers but also to take notes on Chinese ways of approaching life (and food). The photos for this story are taken with Qingdao, a local pocket camera from 1989 picked up on the way. …(more)

Designer Noriko Daishima runs a small shop, café and creative studio in her home in Shanghai. Located in the French Concession, on Xingguo Lu, she calls her place Le Petit Xiaoxiao (small, small, small) and keeps it open for friends and their friends during the weekends. Last Saturday, we visited Noriko for a chat and green tea. …(more)

Mr. Children project brings together children and professionals in the context of fashion. It explores the idea of children as head designers and adults as assistants and consumers. …(more)

OK Do met Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, both designers and Royal College of Art (RCA) professors, to talk about their work at the intersection of design, art and science. We also asked them to name the 3 most interesting areas or concepts in which design and science meet. Dunne & Raby’s 1–3 list links to our forthcoming Science Poems exhibition and publication. …(more)

OK Do met Marc-Olivier Wahler, the director and curator of Palais de Tokyo, to talk about his recent exhibition trilogy in the intersection of science and imagination, and about practices of curating and interpretation. We also asked him to name the 3 most interesting areas or concepts in which art and science meet. Wahler’s 1–3 list links to our forthcoming Science Poems exhibition and publication. …(more)

On the occasion of We Are Helsinki magazine’s style issue, we set out to explore how artists and designers can affect the style of a city. “With spontaneity and magic”, say designer and artist Nene Tsuboi and fashion designer Daniel Palillo. …(more)

OK Do met with chef Jouni Toivanen from the Helsinki-based Michelin star restaurant Luomo for a cooking lesson in molecular gastronomy. We prepared green tea ice cream. …(more)

Semi-professional design series explores the field of DIY from the perspective of digital tools and resources used for prototyping things that could only be imagined before. Evolving around technologies and platforms, and within multidisciplinary communities interacting with systems and each other, semi-professional design thinking often manifests as playful objects presenting new viewpoints to the world. The third part of the series looks at “useless things, designed with tools that are typically used for scientific purposes,” as Jari Suominen puts it. …(more)

The Science Poems mix sets out to explore the sound of science and the science of sound. The playlist ranges from sonic experiments and musical inventions to sounds and music deriving from science. But while science can be described as a systematic knowledge-base or a prescriptive practice, best sounds don’t usually make any sense. So listen, let dopamine set the mood and get lost in science. …(more)

Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby use design as a medium to stimulate discussion about the social, cultural and ethical implications of existing and emerging technologies. OK Do met the duo, both designers and Royal College of Art (RCA) professors, to talk about critical design and their work at the intersection of design, art and science. The interview breaks ground for our forthcoming Science Poems exhibition. …(more)

OK Do was invited to write a column for the renewed We Are Helsinki city magazine. We set out to explore our home town, and started a bi-monthly series on creative urbanism in Helsinki. Get We Are Helsinki in local restaurants and shops! …(more)

Last week, we participated in a panel discussion on New Finnish Classics organised by the local Euro RSCG agency as part of their research project on the future of Finnish design brands. One of the central topics was how to make international brands with Finnish values. The event gathered Finnish designers and executives from big companies such as Marimekko to smaller practices like OK Do as well as academics from the University of Helsinki and the new Aalto University to present their views on the present and the future of Finnish design. …(more)

A year has passed since the idea of OK Do came into being. Defying what John Thackara told us about acting instead of thinking too much about one’s role, we feel it’s time to reflect what OK Do is and what we want it to become. However, we are convinced that experimentation is the right way to find out the true spirit of OK Do. The following issues haunt us at the moment. …(more)

Spending the past six weeks in Paris, some random things occurred to me. This is a small inventory from the Paris night to surrealism and the architecture of Jean Renaudie. …(more)

We were asked to put something inside a box for the Boxes of Surprises advent calendar by Laura Väinölä. She commissioned 24 designers and artists to fill a cardboard box with things for Christmas and design a number on the cover. This is ours!

On the occasion of preparing a Paris exhibition under one of our projects, Science Poems, OK Do met Marc-Olivier Wahler, the director and curator of Palais de Tokyo. We talked about Gakona, Spy Numbers and Chasing Napoleon, the ongoing exhibition trilogy in the intersection of science and imagination, and about practices of curating and interpretation.

Oivallus (‘a sudden insight’ in Finnish) project explores the future of education in a networked economy. It is conducted by the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK. The project builds on critical dialogue within multidisciplinary groups of specialists, including Anni, Jenna and Martti from OK Do.

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Semi-professional design series presents the ancient phenomenon of DIY from a new perspective through digital devices and communication technologies, exploring new social contexts and technical means of making things. The second part of the series maps out semi-professional design practices that have evolved around technologies and platforms, and within communities interacting with systems and each other. …(more)

Last week, I curated a retrospective exhibition for the design agency Kokoro & Moi at Utrecht’s NOW IDeA gallery in Aoyama, Tokyo. The exhibition revolved around two events: organising a paper airplane workshop of the printed exhibition material with Mr. Takuo Toda, a local aerogami expert and the holder of the world record for the longest paper plane flight, and cooking Finnish food for Tokyo Design Week visitors at the gallery with Apartamento magazine. Focusing on people, the events depict a change of focus from strategies of display to strategies of participation. …(more)

All people design and think about the future. Some people materialise their ideas through sketching, crafting or customising. More and more people hack their electronics, make things on personal fabrication platforms and share their innovations online. Semi-professional design series aspires to understand the possibilities in this kind of non-institutional design, aiming at material artifacts and operating with digital tools. It is an exploration in free form and multidisciplinary approaches to artifacts straddling the categories of work and leisure, and of production and consumption. …(more)

Dispersed in Paris and Berlin, Ines Kaag and Desiree Heiss of the conceptual fashion label BLESS always talk about their work together. We learned this when we asked to interview both of them face to face, yet separately, with the same questions, since Jenna happened to be in Berlin and Anni in Paris at the time. Their kind refusal was explained by the fact that BLESS is something between the two, and therefore they don’t do interviews alone. So, we ended up in an email conversation with the twosome on the issues of identity and privacy as well as working together from two different cities. …(more)

We met Henrik Moltke, a self-designated openness evangelist and the Danish Creative Commons representative at café Granola in Vesterbro, Copenhagen to talk about online media and creative practices. …(more)

1. Get an idea

The idea of a design think tank sprang from our need to create a home for uncompromised thoughts, writing and doing. We wanted to create our own platform for collaboration and projects. The idea of OK Do was first discussed during a loud gig. We could hardly hear each other, but a couple of messy sentences were enough to deliver a common understanding. The idea of OK Do is great at least in a sense that it’s something that we believe in and really wanted to do. …(more)

After nine months of incubation, OK Do opened on September 11, 2009. The launch was a house party, hosted at a friend Tuula Pöyhönen’s place. The party was held in a home because we think it must be one of the most interesting and inspiring venues in the world. Moreover, the first OK Do party started a research project Home-Work-Home which looks at the idea of two merging spheres: home and work. Based on meetings with creative people, the project explores how the mixing of home and office affects creative processes, results and, ultimately, life. …(more)

I recently met with Nick Currie aka Momus, a Scottish writer, design journalist and musician who has lived in London, Paris, New York, Tokyo and now Berlin. Exploring his “inner Scotlands” as well as the country’s current efforts towards independence, he just released a book on one hundred and fifty-six Scotlands, which currently do not exist anywhere. …(more)

Martti Kalliala (OK Do, Renaissance Man) and me met with the musicians Samim Winiger and Miguel Toro to talk about the future of music and copyright. Reflecting on Winiger and Toro’s latest project Crashroots, an online platform for collaborative music production and distribution, we covered issues from process to product – from remixing to international music culture. The article starts Remix, a series of writings on sharing and ownership in creative practices. …(more)

Miska Knapek’s work in information visualisation is settled somewhere in between science and art. His Windtracing piece draws the story of the wind’s movement, taking place in Helsinki over one week (Sept 6-12, 2007). The introduction to Knapek’s work starts OK Do’s Science poems project. Following the traditional mindset of science fiction, Science poems recognises and investigates the poetry of science rather than its mathematical logic. …(more)

While in Helsinki, the director of Doors of Perception and a former director of Research at the Royal College of Art, John Thackara met with OK Do for coffee, meringues and a chat about the responsibilities, methods and education of designers. The interview starts off Strategies of Participation, a project around the design of encounters, interactions and collaborations.

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I first saw this photograph at The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. It is taken by Philip Kwame Apagya, a Ghanaian artist whose work sets a contemporary twist on traditional West African portraiture through painted backdrops that reflect affluent international culture. Here, a man and a woman pose as boss and secretary right beside the Booming Internet (2000) – a reality beyond their means.

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