From Artek's FIN/JPN Friendship Collaboration with Finnish-Korean design-duo COMPANY, the Secrets of Finland ceramic vases celebrate the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Finland and Japan. Secrets of Finland is a family of six objects, each celebrating a seasonal ritual belonging to the Finnish calendar. When designing the objects, the design studio COMPANY imagined the gifts that the Finnish delegation would have brought to Japan a hundred years ago.
A family of ceramics with spirited functions celebrates the Finnish festivities and beliefs. According to Finnish folklore, In April, Finnish children welcome the end of winter by dressing up as witches and decorating willow twigs with feathers and small embellishments. Going door to door, the little witches expect small treats in return for their blessing. The Easter Dog Vase is a faithful friend of the Easter Witch Vase.
On Midsummer Eve in June, Finnish folklore says that if a girl collects seven wildflowers and sleeps with them beneath her pillow, she will dream of her future love. The Midsummer Dream vase offers room for seven flowers above the dreaming face of a Finnish maiden.
These decorative and functional objects are hand-made by Artek's ceramic partner in Portugal, based on a close collaborative development process with COMPANY founders Aamu Song and Johan Olin.