Helena Kangasmäki
Biography
I work as a PhD researcher in the field of ethnology at the Department of History and Ethnology.
My research interests are related to Finnish material culture, the study of objects and cultural heritage. I have a Master of Arts degree in Art Education and I also have an Artisan degree. I have also studied museology and ethnology.
The working title of my doctoral dissertation is Furniture as cultural heritage and everyday object – Asko's design in the 1950s.
In addition, I work as a research seminar coordinator at the Department of History and Ethnology and as a communication secretary for Hela Researchers' Association.
Research interests
My PhD thesis deals with 1950s Finnish industrial furniture design from the perspectives of cultural heritage process and material culture research. In my research, I investigate how the ideals and objects of modern design from the reconstruction and so-called golden age periods became part of Finnish everyday life and cultural heritage. My research focuses on the furniture design of the Finnish furniture manufacturer Asko. In my research, I study with an ethnological approach the cultural heritage process, cultural-historical value and everyday meanings of Asko's furnitures, which have become "classics".