Ihme is Finnish for ‘wonder’, ‘miracle’ or ‘marvel’. It is what public art can be at its best, introducing something extraordinary to everyday life.
The Pro Arte Foundation promotes visual art by producing and arranging high profile, multidisciplinary contemporary art projects. One of them, the annual IHME festival, invites internationally recognised artists or groups of artists to make new, temporary works of art in public spaces in Helsinki every spring. The annual IHME artists so far are Antony Gormley (2009), Susan Philipsz (2010), Superflex (2011), Christian Boltanski (2012) and Miroslaw Balka (2013).
Kokoro & Moi has been leading the brand development, art direction and design of the Pro Arte Foundation as well as IHME productions and promotional campaigns for Pro Arte Foundation and IHME activities, since 2008.
The IHME logo is a take on a certain kind of miracle with an everyday twist – imprints of religious figures on toast.
Ihme is Finnish for ‘wonder’, ‘miracle’ or ‘marvel’. It is what public art can be at its best, introducing something extraordinary to everyday life. The IHME logo is a take on a certain kind of miracle with an everyday twist – imprints of religious figures on toast. The IHME logotype appears on a piece of toast – not as an imprint but written with mayonnaise (this remains Kokoro & Moi's single artwork created with high cholesterol sauces). IHME artworks take place in public spaces, so the brief was to create graphic elements that mark out active areas for the artworks, and also to fool around with the idea that art can be dangerous. These elements, together with the peculiar colour and typography palette, create the festival's and the foundation's annually transforming identity.