Sacred Scandinavia

edited by Sheila Kim-Jamet -- Interior Design, 12/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

While some may worship at the altar of Marimekko, Iittala, and Nokia, Finland's international design reputation leans more to the secular than the sacred. "Sacral Space: Modern Finnish Churches" redresses this imbalance, celebrating a dozen places of worship through models, drawings, photographs, and videos.

Assembled at New York's Scandinavia House, the objects and images bear witness to Finland's postwar church-building boom, during which prominent architects, designers, and artists developed a unique ecclesiastical style. Highlights such as Alvar Aalto's Church of the Three Crosses, completed in 1958, and Kristian Gullichsen's Kauniainen Church, 1983, prove that the faithful can be transported by beautiful modern architecture just as effectively as by a Gothic arch or stained-glass window. January 18– February 19; 212-879-9779; scandinaviahouse.org.