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The Pulse of Family Business: Designing The Family Enterprise Award

In the video made by OneMinStory, glass artist Sini Majuri reveals the symbolism and inspiration behind the award piece as she shapes it in the historic surroundings of Suomenlinna.

It was a great experience to design an award for the Finnish Family Business Association. The choice of using mouth-blown glass as the material for the award resonates with the heartbeat of family entrepreneurship. Glass, a globally rare art form with a nomination pending for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, echoes the delicate balance of strength and fragility. It’s a dance of temperature and timing, much like the steady pulse that sustains a living being. In each glassblower’s breath, there’s a rhythm that shapes the material, paralleling the heartbeat of family-run businesses that throb with passion and dedication. Each generation brings its unique breath to the process, infusing the business with fresh ideas while maintaining the warmth of tradition.

sydän palkinto palkintoesineen suunnittelu, palkinnon suunnittelu, mittatilauspalkinto helsinki, lasipalkinto, mitalli, pokaali, mittatilauspokaali
Hearth is not just an organ that sustains life. It’s a universal emblem of love, passion and enduring strength – qualities intrinsic to the soul of family entrepreneurship – lifeblood of commitment and the pulse of generations working harmoniously.

Since the establishment of the award in 2004, and its renaming in 2012 as the Peter Fazer Award, the award celebrates the symbiotic relationship between tradition and innovation. This year’s recipient, MSK Group Oy, stands as a testament to this idea. As a multifaceted high-tech family enterprise, they exemplify the heart’s resilience – pulsating with a blend of heritage and modernity, echoing the continuous rhythm of progress.

lasitaiteilija, palkintoteos, mittatilauspalkinto, design palkinto, tilauspokaali, pokaali, mitalli, palkinto, lasi, contemporary glass, nykytaide, scandinavian design, helsinki, suomenlinna
Blowing the Glass Award for Family Businesses in the Historic Suomenlinna Glass studio Hytti.

The creation of the glass heart, a process rich in tradition and precision, was a narrative beautifully captured by Antti Sipilä and Samppa Fjäder from OneMinStory‘s team. Their documentation brought to light to the artistry of glassmaking. It’s interesting how the development of lenses, a milestone in human history, was predicated on the mastery of glass, illustrating the profound influence this material has had on our perspective of the World. Similarly, family businesses embody a cornerstone technology within the social fabric.

In every family business, like in the breath-controlled art of mouth-blown glass, there’s a steady, rhythmic beat of adaptability. This glass heart reflects the enduring spirit of these enterprises. It’s not just a symbol of recognition; it’s a metaphorical echo of the heartbeat that drives family businesses. In the core of every endeavor, there lies a pulse, a steady throb of identity and passion, pulsating towards a future that reveres its past while boldly embracing the new.

The video of the process is by OneMinStory.

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Exhibition in Suonenjoki

My exhibition Etiäinen reflects the beliefs and customs related to visiting traditions in Northern Savonia, mixing these with the pandemic experience. The dreamlike works are created from mouth-blown glass in Riihimäki, Suomenlinna and Nuutajärvi. Etiäinen, which premieres in the Kellarikalleria art gallery in Suonenjoki, is supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Join the Virtual 360 exhibition by Rautalampilehti from here.

Cell-series. Join the virtual exhibition by clicking the image above. Pic by: Markku Leskinen, Rautalampilehti
Orinnoro series. Pic: Tuire Punkki, Savon Sanomat. Click the image above to read the entire article from the Savon Sanomat newspaper.

The exhibition also highlights the cooperation in the field of Finnish studio made glass. I have worked with Kari Alakoski and Marja Hepo-aho from Riihimäki for years now. They specialize in the creation of massive sculptural glass. For example the voluminous Cell and Orinnoro series are blown by these master glass blowers. The Miekkavesi sculpture also has a special mixture of two very different mediums: fish skin and blown glass. Designer and cobbler Tytti Porvari from Mikkeli has made a fish skin belt for the glass sculpture. There are also multiple layered graal sculptures blown by me in Lasistudio Hytti ry, in Suomenlinna island. The exhibition venue, Kellarikalleria also has a special role in my journey as an artist. It is the very firs place I have seen art as a child.

The Mayor of the town of Suonenjoki, Juha Piiroinen opened the exhibition in Kellarikalleria gallery. Pic by Olli Kokander.
Tytti Porvari finishing the Miekkavesi sculpture that combines blown glass and fish skin belt. Pic by Jari Ikonen
See a video from the exhibition by YLE by clicking the image above. Pic: Marianne Mattila, YLE

I have collected material for the exhibition through newspaper ads as well as local social media, asking what sort of customs people have in their family. For example, coffee drinking has a rich tradition. It is very precise which cup is offered to the guest or how when after the invitation it is appropriate to go to the coffee table. Also, if the spoon, a knife or a fork falls to the floor it can predict weddings, male or female guests.

In some families, Grandma knew to make coffee before the guests arrived because she had Etiäinen. The footsteps walked inside and sat in the living room for coffee. The quest soon walked in. Etiäinen, the name of the exhibition means an impression of a person, that walks before us, doing everything we are about to do before us. It’s in a way a living shadow of a person.

One important story in the exhibition is by a 17 years old woman that was planning a small wedding party with her sister during the first months of the Pandemic. She wondered if soap bubbles can spread the virus; How something innocent and beautiful can become frightening. This theme is mirrored in the Cell-sculptures of the exhibition.

Kahvi-sculpture mirrors the coffee drinking traditions, etiäinen-omens and pandemic experience as a dream like scene. Pic: Tuire Punkki, Savon Sanomat. Read the article from the link

The exhibition is open in Kellarikalleria, Suonenjoki 2 – 24.6.2021. After this it will continue to Gumbostrand Konst&Form in Sipoo and Art Museum Eemil in Lapinlahti.