The Summer Night’s Dinner in the city centre of Oulu on August 15 will gather thousands of people to a shared table to enjoy local delicacies and each other’s company. Proto – Designers’ Association of Northern Finland aspired to create a kilometer-long tablecloth as unique as the event itself.
The northern designer organisation partnered with one of China’s best design universities, the China Academy of Art in Oulu’s sister city Hangzhou. Five students from various disciplines worked together for over a year to understand our northern environment, explore the connections between Oulu and Hangzhou, and design textile patterns telling stories of culture, nature, technology, architecture, and people. A deep commitment to peace and friendship has guided the entire project.
Young design students Mao Xiaoyan, Sun Ping, Zheng Anqi, Zheng Hanyue, and Xie Jiayi discovered the themes and decided on the colour palette together, ensuring everyone could design their own unique pattern to fit the overall concept. The students collectively chose the slogan for the project: “Where people meet, hearts connect.”
This year-long design journey began with a workshop in Hangzhou, led by Proto member Susanna Sivonen. Throughout the way the students were masterfully guided by Professor Helena Hyvönen and lecturers An Yuxi and Zhou Yuanyang from the China Academy of Art. The entire project was spearheaded by Päivi Tahkokallio, Director of the Proto2026 design programme.
Cross-cultural projects like this require seamless collaboration. Heartfelt thanks go to the cities of Oulu and Hangzhou for recognising the potential of the sister-city bond, and to the Textile Laboratory in Hangzhou for professional printing of the fabrics. The Summer Night’s Dinner would not be possible without the communications experts of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture, the Arctic Food Lab developers of northern food culture, and the many professionals of the OSAO Vocational College.
The kilometre-long tablecloth is much more than a design piece; it represents a profound journey into cross-cultural collaboration. Understanding grows through human connection. As locals and visitors sit around the colorful tablecloths at the Summer Night’s Dinner on August 15, we hope the stories woven into the designs inspire countless new encounters. Summer Night’s Dinner is part of the Oulu2026 cultural programme and cultural climate change.
This autumn, an exhibition revealing the design process behind the tablecloths will open at the Proto Design Centre in Oulu’s Pikisaari. At the conclusion of the exhibition, a piece of the tablecloth will be gifted to each of the 40 municipalities participating in the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture year. Each municipality will decide how to use its piece, with the sole condition that it promotes peace and friendship.
