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The Futuro House has been featured in many exhibitions over the years. This section aims to chronicle some of those exhibitions.
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Internationale Kunststoffhaus Ausstellung | 1971 | Added 112712
Update 042713
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Achim Breiling recently sent me a link to an old version of the website of the company that owns and uses the Orebro Futuro House captured by the Wayback Machine [In Swedish | Google translation to English here]. The video is very low res but it includes a little footage of the Futuro House displayed at the Lüdenscheid exhibition. The video is in Quicktime format and, depending on your browser settings and what plugins you have installed, a player may appear below. If it does not or the video fails to play it can be accessed using this link to the Wayback Machine. Original Information 112712 In 1971 the Internationale Kunststoffhaus Ausstellung der Welt [German | Google translation to English here], or IKA as it was often known, opened. The "International Plastic House Exhibition of the World" was located on a site of some 70,000 square meters outside the German town of Lüdenscheid and showcased a large number of plastic and potentially portable housing units; included among them was the Futuro House. Although the exhibition attracted some 500,000 visitors over the period 1971 to 1973 it was not a financial success; perhaps due to unwillingness on the part of the public to accept the concepts on display and perhaps because the early 70's saw the Oil Crisis and the subsequent large increases in the cost of oil based products including plastic. Whatever the reasons the exhibition generated losses of some 3 million marks and the organizers, Sauerländische Freizeit- und Erholungsanlagen Baugesellschaft (SABAG), ultimately declared bankruptcy and the property was foreclosed on in 1975. The website lwl.org [German | Google translation to English here] provides some more specific dates stating that the IKA was initially open from 080171 to 103171 and then again from 043072 to 083172. The plan was actually for 5 years with new additions on an annual basis but that plan never came to fruition. I have found nothing which details the fate of the Futuro House [or for that matter the other buildings that were displayed at the exhibition] but it is sometimes reported that the Futuro displayed in Lüdenscheid was the one purchased by Charles Wilp [German | Google translation to English here] and subsequently located on the roof of his property in Wittlaer near Düsseldorf. A number af articles found on the website of Essen based newspaper WAZ provide us with a little more detail on the exhibition along with some very cool photos. In a 090412 article titled Ausstellung floppte, Jugend rockte [German | Google translation to English here] we learn that 40 years on there is virtually no evidence of the exhibition left behind in the area. We are also told that [assuming the Google Translation is correct] the slogan for the IKA was "It's not far to Lüdenscheid". This article is accompanied by the photo below [Courtesy of WAZ] which shows a panoramic view of the exhibition campus; the Futuro can be seen top center. 
Photo © WAZ In another WAZ article, this one from 042112 titled IKA 1971 - Orion auf der Höh [German | Google translation to English here] we learn that the exhibition opened on 080171 and that by October the exhibition had seen some 300,000 visitors. However many were disappointed with ticket prices and the "tasteless" furniture in many of the homes. Ultimately not a single home was sold at the exhibition. The photo below [Courtesy of WAZ] of the Futuro and Monika Geitmann, Miss IKA 1971, accompanies this article. This same photo also accompanies an 080511 article on come-on.de [German | Google translation to English here]. 
Photo © WAZ In a third article titled Die Zukunft endete 1975 [German | Google translation to English here] and published 071108 we learn that the "scientific advisor" to the exhibition was German author and architect Rudolf Doernach [German | Google translation to English here]. As advisor and curator to the exhibition Doernach also edited the exhibition catalogue; I would like to obtain a copy of this catalogue but so far I have not been able to locate one for sale anywhere so if anyone has any ideas I would love to hear from you. The two photos below accompany this article; as far as I can tell they are undated but they appear to show the Futuro in a partially disassembled and perhaps derelict state. The site itself also appears derelict and these shots make me question whether the Futuro was in fact the one purchased by Charles Wilp or whether it ended up being destroyed following the failure of the IKA. 
Photos © WAZ You can find more photos of the Internationale Kunststoffhaus Ausstellung der Welt and the Futuro in this WAZ photo gallery and also on the website europeana.com. Photographs from the Internationale Kunststoffhaus Ausstellung der Welt have also been used to illustrate a number of articles in books and magazines about the Futuro and by a strange coincidence three of these were added to my collection around the time I was writing this piece. The three images below are, from top to bottom:
The three photos above are deliberately low res photos from my copies of "PreFab Houses
 " and "Homes: Today and Tomorrow ". My intention is to illustrate this article and not to provide copyright infringing images to be copied and reproduced elsewhere so please respect the author's rights and if you would like to use the book's content purchase your own copy. Thanks!
In addition to the two books mentioned above the 092171 issue of Hobby: Das Magazin der Technik features an article about the IKA along with a single photo of the Futuro.  
Sources & Reference
Finn-focus Export Fair | October 1968 | Added 042013
In October 1968 the Futuro House made its first appearance outside Finland and arguably its first appearance before a "mass" audience [an audience that included both regular "Joes" and "VIP's" - among the latter was British Royal Princess Margaret]. The Futuro that was displayed is now located in Estonia.
The definitive Futuro reference, the book Futuro - Tomorrow's House from Yesterday By Marko Home and Mika Taanila, tells us that the Futuro was installed aboard the "Finn-Partner" ferry moored on the Thames. The exhibition was: "... intended to showcase Finnish expertise in various fields of commercial endeavor ..." The British national newspaper The Daily Mirror reviewed the show at the time; of the Futuro the paper said this: "This object, looking like everyone else's idea of a flying saucer from outer space, is the Finnish idea of a perfect weekend cottage." Home and Taanila tell us that the "Futuro" house was not actually known as the "Futuro" house prior to the Finn-focus Export Fair; it actually got dubbed with the name "Futuro" at that time and as we all know the name "stuck."  I have not seen very many photos showing the Futuro at the Finn-focus Export Fair; the one to the left is courtesy of Marc Berting of 70's Futuro House; one of the longest running Futuro House websites.
However I recently purchased a copy of the Auction Catalog for the 2007 Christie's Paris Auction "Arts Décoratifs Du XXème Siècle Et Design" which was held on 112707 and included the auction of a Futuro House. That catalog included several photos of the Futuro at the Finn-focus Export Fair and these can be seen below. It is interesting to note that one of the photos clearly shows the Futuro located inside somewhere and not located on the deck of the ferry so we have to assume that the Futuro was displayed in at least two locations during the course of the Finn-focus Export Fair.
Please note that the photos displayed below are from my copy of the Christie's Catalog and are only intended to illustrate this article and not to provide copyright infringing images to be copied and used elsewhere.
Sources & Reference
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Over the years the Futuro House has been featured at many exhibitions all around the world. Futuro's have been exhibited for a number of different reasons; among them for marketing purposes, as an art object or refurbished and on display as an architectural icon. At the time of writing [112512] this is the newest section of The Futuro Project and will grow over time to chronicle many of these exhibitions.
MUDAM - Tomorow Now ... | 2007 | Added 120812
Update 042013 It is not unusual to think you have figured something out about the history of a Futuro only to then find something else that suggests maybe you have not figured it out. I was quite certain the Futuro exhibited at MUDAM was the Belgian Futuro owned by Philemon Vanlangendonck but now I have my doubts. I recently purchased a copy of the Auction Catalog for the 2007 Christie's Paris Auction "Arts Décoratifs Du XXème Siècle Et Design" which was held on 112707 and included the auction of a Futuro House. That catalog, from what I would consider a very reputable source - one of the premiere auction houses in the world - indicates that the Futuro sold in Paris was the one displayed at MUDAM. However all of the information I have indicates that the Futuro of Philemon Vanlangendonck was still owned by him long after the Paris auction. That would clearly suggest that while the MUDAM exhibition did feature one of the three Belgian Futuro's [a fact confirmed by the Christie's catalog] it was not the one owned by Philemon Vanlangendonck. For more information check out the catalog on my "Collection" page. Original Information 120812 In 2007 there was an exhibition at the Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art [known as MUDAM] in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg that featured a Futuro. The exhibition was titled "Tomorow Now - When Design Meets Science Fiction" and it ran from 052507 to 092407. The MUDAM exhibition was curated by Björn Dahlström and Alexandra Midal with Mathieu Lehanneur serving as Scenographer. The MUDAM Facebook Page tells us that "Tomorow Now - When Design Meets Science Fiction" "... investigated the subject of science fiction not merely associated with the omnipotence of anticipation and futuristic predictions, but in its coincidence with the emergence of the furniture design discipline. The exhibition, homage to Hugo Gernsback, Luxembourg-born inventor of the term "science fiction", explored decoration elements as well as design itself, the standardized products as well as experimental architecture, the most contemporary forms in art as well as the most daring innovations in design." To assign Gernsback sole claim to inventing the term "science fiction" is perhaps a something of a stretch and Wikipedia tells us that: "His contributions to the genre as publisher were so significant that, along with H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, he is sometimes popularly called "The Father of Science Fiction". The impressive shot below, one of my favorite MUDAM Futuro photos, was taken by Original Rudie on 091107 and showcases not only the Futuro on display at MUDAM but also the very cool architecture of the exhibition hall itself. The photo is displayed under CC 2.0. 
The two photos below are courtesy of the website parisdeuxieme.com.  
So, one of the photos is of the Futuro, but what is the other I hear you asking and why display it here; this is a website about the Futuro House after all? The second photo is actually of a work by Mariko Mori titled "The Oneness Aliens" that was displayed at the MUDAM exhibition at the same time as the Futuro and Mori's "aliens" actually found their way into a photo with the Futuro House. It is hard to get an idea of the scale of the "aliens" from the photo above so I cannot be sure if the photo below is real, the Futuro and the "aliens" posed around it, or a photo shopped image. The aliens are clearly Mori's aliens and whether real or photo shopped it makes for quite an interesting Futuro photo. 
I found this photo a long time ago and I now have no idea where it came from. If you know the origin of this photo please let me know so I can provide proper attribution. Thanks. In a 112707 sale titled "20th Century Art And Design" high end auction house Christie's sold a Futuro House in Paris, France. The December 2007 issue of Christie's Magazine contains an article about the Futuro and the auction. The photo below is from my copy of the magazine and is of the Futuro displayed at MUDAM. 
The article also contains the following text: "The rare Futuro house to be offered in the upcoming 27 November sale in Paris was the highlight of the exhibition "Tomorrow Now - When Design Meets Science Fiction" at the brand-new Luxembourg MUDAM museum for modern art this summer." This text is a little ambiguous; it could be interpreted as meaning that "a" Futuro was displayed at MUDAM or "the" Futuro that is offered for sale was displayed at MUDAM. Until recently I had always thought that the Futuro at MUDAM was the French Futuro and interpreted one way this excerpt from the article backs up that theory. However I am now of the opinion that the Futuro displayed at MUDAM was in fact the Belgian Futuro and not the French Futuro. The primary evidence for this is a pdf file sent to me by Achim Breiling [and on the web here] that lists the exhibits at the exhibition and on page 4 we find the following listing which to me quite clearly tells us that it was indeed the Belgian Futuro that was displayed at MUDAM: "Matti Suuronen, Futuro Home, 1968-1969, Collection Philemon Vanlangendonck" We can also find a little evidence to back this in the photographic record. Scroll back up the page and take a look again at the top image, the one by Original Rudie, and look closely at the roof left of center and you will see there is a small secondary roof vent about half way between the center and the edge of the unit. If you take a look at the French Futuro there is no photograph old or new, pre or post refurbishment, that shows such a feature. I guess it is possible it could have been added for the MUDAM exhibition but that seems incredibly unlikely, add a feature for just that exhibition and then remove it again - in my opinion the absence of that feature on the French Futuro confirms what I learned from the pdf file - MUDAM did not display the French Futuro. I have not seen a photo of the Belgian Futuro that shows any view that could confirm the presence of this feature on that unit but I am willing to bet if one turns up we will see that same secondary roof vent and in the meantime I believe the pdf file referenced above is sufficient evidence that the MUDAM Futuro was "borrowed" from Belgium. Of course as is common with the Futuro there is always room for doubt and little is absolutely certain so if you have better information or can correct something please let me know. Sources & Reference
RADAR - The Eagle Has Landed ... | 1990 | Added 122312
A Futuro was exhibited as a part of the Radar international environment and urban art exhibition in Kotka, Finland in 1990. Information about the exhibition and in particular about the use of the Futuro can be found in chapter one of the book "Futuro: Tomorrow's House from Yesterday  " edited by Marko Home and Mika Taanila. The photo below is from the book and shows the Futuro at the radar exhibition.
This is a low quality photo from my copy of "Futuro - Tomorrow's House From Yesterday
". My intention is to illustrate this article and the Futuro on display in Kotka not to provide a copyright infringing image to be copied and reproduced elsewhere so please respect the author's rights and if you would like to use the book's content purchase your own copy. Thanks!
Marko Home also authored an article in the Summer 2012 issue of EMMA Magazine which contains similar details to the book and discusses the emergence of the Futuro into the world of contemporary art in the 1990's. The Radar exhibition in Kotka was one of the primary catalyst's for the "transformation" of the Futuro into an "art object". The text of chapter one of the book, titled "From Snowy Slopes to the Foot of Minarets", used to be available online on desura.fi but the content is no longer available there, however it can still be accessed using the Wayback Machine here. The article from EMMA can be found online here. Radar was an extensive outdoor exhibition that ran from 062890 to 090290 in the town of Kotka, Finland. The exhibition was curated by German Norbert Weber. Radar featured works by 16 artists and among them was Helsinki born Jussi Kivi [Finnish Wikipedia page | Google translation to English here]. Kivi's contribution to Radar was an installation titled "The Eagle Has Landed - Unidentified Flying Object - An Exhibition About UFOs". Kivi's installation consisted of two containers which contained various UFO related paraphernalia along with Matti Suuronen's original prototype Futuro 000 rented for the purpose. The Futuro hosted a twin screen UFO themed visual presentation created by artist Ilpo Okkonen. "The Eagle has Landed" had its challenges from delays in preparing the exhibit to cost over runs and in the end attendance at the exhibit was less than expected; all in all it could be considered something less than a success. The intention of the exhibit was as informative presentation on the theme of UFO's rather than as a contemporary work of art but despite that and the lack of success the exhibit is credited as being one of the inspirations behind the Futuro finding an additional role in life as a contemporary art object and its subsequent appearance in many exhibitions in that guise. Thus while many , Kivi included, considered the Radar installation something of a failure we might conclude that it was actually a huge success given its influence on the world of Futuro and the increased audience Futuro gained over the years as it appeared at numerous exhibitions. Sources & Reference Return To The Top Of The Page
Skop | 1996
Currently in research
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SKOR | 2001
Currently in research
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