Fall asleep in Finland and wake up in Paris, is the motto with which the Institut Finlandais in Paris presents KOTI, a programme inaugurated on the occasion of the celebrations marking the centennial of Finland’s independence, which will allow visitors to experience Finnish hospitality right in the centre of Paris for 100 days.
KOTI means “home” in Suomi, but it is not in Finland; it’s only a stone’s throw from the Sorbonne, in Paris! This is where the Institut Finlandais is celebrating the centennial of Finland’s independence, with a project highlighting northern hospitality. For 100 days, until May 5, 2017, tourists will be able to book accommodations at KOTI through AirBnB: six huts created by designer Linda Bergroth inspired by the aitta, a Finnish hut built around the home to accommodate friends and relatives.
Divided into single, double and family rooms, KOTI’s rooms/huts can host up to 12 people a night. They are set up in a shared space containing a big table and benches designed by architects Mattila&Merz. While closed at night to allow guests to rest, KOTI will be open to the public all day for 100 days, offering a packed calendar of events: concerts, conferences, film screenings, even pop-up restaurants. Materials, architectural solutions, colours and events promising a full immersion in Finnish design, traditions and culture. Starting with the strong sense of “community” recreated in KOTI, a “common house” in which the rooms are not soundproofed and the living area is shared. KOTI is not an isolated project but part of Mobile Home 2017, a series of specific installations focusing on the concept of the "home" in Finnish institutions, not only in Paris but in Berlin, Brussels and London. At the end of the 100 days, the KOTI huts will be taken apart and set up again in the White Hall in Helsinki’s Tori Quarters, where a joint exhibition of all four installations will be held at the end of the summer.
(Agnese Bifulco)
Images courtesy of Koti - Institut Finlandais Paris
http://kotisleepover.com
institut-finlandais.fr
http://www.mobilehome2017.com/
http://www.lindabergroth.com/
http://mattilamerz.fi/
