Invisible by Alvar Aalto Foundation

invisible or i g i n of p r o d u ct i d e n t i t y

6 international alvar aalto design seminar au g u st 2 1 – 2 2 , 2 0 1 0 , j y vä s k y l ä , f i n l a n d th

i nv

isi

PROGRAMME SATURDAY 21 AUGUST, 2010 Seminar venue: The main auditorium of the University of Jyväskylä

Chair:Timo Salli 11.00 Registration begins at the seminar venue 13.00 Welcome Esa Laaksonen, Director, Alvar Aalto Academy 13.15 Opening/Introduction Timo Salli, Chairman of the Seminar board 13.30–14.15 Inga Sempé [France] 14.20–15.05 Hans Maier-Aichen [Germany] 15.15–16.00 Opening of the Lobby Bar, interviews with Sempé and Maier-Aichen Moderator Mark Isitt 16.00–16.45 Ross Lovegrove [UK] 16.45–17.00 Interview with Lovegrove in the Auditorium and closing of the 1st seminar day 19.30–20.30 Reception at the Alvar Aalto Museum (address: Alvar Aallon katu 7)

21.00 > Party, Jyväskylä Theatre

21.00 Light buffet and glass of wine 22.00–midnight Live music SUNDAY 22 AUGUST, 2010 Seminar venue: The main auditorium of the University of Jyväskylä

Chair: Stefan Lindfors 10.00–10.30 Presentation of student projects created for the seminar 10.30–11.15 Monica Förster [Sweden] 11.20–11.35 Interview with Förster Moderator Mark Isitt 11.35–13.00 Lunch break 13.00–13.45 13.45–14.30 14.35–15.00 15.00–15.45 15.45–16.30

Simo Heikkilä [Finland] Clemens Weisshaar [Germany] Interview with Heikkilä and Weisshaar in the Lobby Bar Naoto Fukasawa [Japan] Interview with Fukasawa and the closing panel in the main auditorium chaired by Timo Salli

[The origin of product identity]

is v in

e l ib

The 6th Alvar Aalto Design Seminar explores the creative process of the designer, something that does not show in the final product. What does the design of an industrial product comprise? How does the designer decide what to show and what not to show? And what is the role of art and creativity in mass production? What is the relationship of commerciality to functionality and beauty? Speakers also address the issue of how to design a long-lasting and durable product. What type of corporate setting produces a high-quality result? How does one create a classic? Lying behind the identity and quality of a piece of applied art that has become a classic is often a successful match of functionality and beauty. Yet, the role of art as a material for product identity has often been overlooked, even if it is obvious that with classic products art is precisely the glue that provides them with a long life and improves their quality. There is always that “invisible” something that produces the insightful ideas.

Timo Salli Chairman of the seminar board Aalto University School of Art and Design www.taik.fi

Timo Salli

Hans Maier-Aichen

[Finland]

[Germany]

Chairman of the seminar board Aalto University School of Art and Design

Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe

www.taik.fi

http://solaris.hfg-karlsruhe.de/ www.authentics.de

Timo Salli is a professor at and head of the Applied Art and Design master’s degree programme at the Aalto University School of Art and Design. He also works as a designer. Salli’s background is that of a metalworker and welder. He has studied at the Lahti Design Institute and University of Art and Design Helsinki.

Snowcrash, a design collective to which Salli belonged, had a successful entrant at the Milan Salone furniture fair in 1997. Snowcrash designers believed that the home of the future would be furnished with light, flexible and adaptable products. A computerised home can function with such products. Since Snowcrash, Timo Salli has worked in the fields of product design, exhibition architecture and acted as a curator and producer of design exhibitions. One of his most memorable works was the exhibition 100 from the year 2000, when Helsinki was an official European City of Culture. In 2003, the first results of the new Applied Art and Design master’s degree programme led by Salli were shown at the Milan furniture fair: the well-publicised and well-received Saunabus (www.saunabus.org). It was followed by the projects New Dining Luxury and Imperfect Home, shown in Cologne and Milan 2004–06, and the most recent project, Lovesick (a joint venture, Milan and Berlin 2010).

Hans Maier-Aichen is a professor of product design at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design. He regularly lectures at various universities in China and other Asian countries. The interaction with students and emerging designers from different cultural backgrounds is of major significance in his daily work as a teacher, author and consultant in the field of design. In 1980, Maier-Aichen founded the Authentics brand, one of the most famous design-driven consumer product companies. To develop the new trademark, he attracted young talents to his design team and challenged them to design products for daily use. Now, thirty years later, he wants to position a generation of either craft-based or so-called conceptual designers as rebels operating against “the market” – against industrial production, consumerism, globalisation and any other system that he feels has been tainted by the financial crisis. His early experience with Asian, African and South American product cultures in the ’70s and ’80s – as a cultural adviser for the Common Market – leads him back today to the question “What will happen with Design for the Other 90% in the future?” Hans Maier-Aichen has recently curated an exhibition, Lapse inkuva? Time, for the Experimenta Design Biennale 2009 in Lisbon, showing design projects from 18 young international designers who have initiated border-crossing practices involving cognitive sciences, socioecology and the fine arts as a response to a growing mainstream industrial design mentality lacking innovative identity.

Felipe Ribon©

Armoire souple containers, Moustache, 2009

Brosse containers, Edra, 2003

Pleated hanging lamp, Cappellini, 2003

Ruché sofa, Ligne Roset, 2010

Sempé has collaborated with the Italian companies Cappellini and Edra. Currently, Sempé works with French companies such as Ligne Roset, Moustache, Domestic, Baccarat; Italian companies such as LucePlan; Scandinavian companies such as Wästberg, David Design, Hjelle, Almedahl’s; and the American company Artecnica. She has also had a solo exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2003.

Plisse extensible hanging lamp Luceplan, 2007

Leo Torri ©

Magnifing glass box, VIA, 2007

Vapeur lamps, Moustache, 2009

Inga Sempé’s aim is to find new uses and shapes for everyday objects in daily life. She conceives objects that could suit the interiors of the elderly and that could also be bought by younger people. Sempé describes herself as a proponent of anonymous culture – the culture of flea markets where she used to go twice a week as a teenager. “I have always been more interested in a corkscrew than Manet paintings, so I guess being part of the creation of objects that would go in shops or have life in homes is what I really care about.”

Inga Sempé is a designer who focuses on objects, lighting, furniture and fabrics. She opened her own studio in Paris in 2000. Sempé graduated from ENSCI-Les Ateliers (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle, Paris) in 1993. In 2000–2001 she held a scholarship at the Villa Medici, Académie de France in Rome. She was awarded the Grand Prix de la Création en design de la ville de Paris in 2003.

Inga Sempé www.ingasempe.fr

Fillioux et Fillioux©

Sofia Sanchez & Mauro Mongiello©

[France]

Felipe Ribon©

Inga Sempé

Ross Lovegrove

[The United Kingdom]

Lovegrove has said that he is more of an evolutionary biologist than a designer. The designer’s guiding principle is “organic essentialism”, which means reducing the form of a product to the extreme. Organic essentialism also means that products should be comfortable and compatible with the human anatomy. Some of the other keywords he attaches to his design philosophy are “democratic”, “universal” and “biological”. Lovegrove’s products aim at holistic environmental thinking. The starting point for the design of a car is its function as a means of transport and its assimilation into the environment as an organic part thereof, rather than the creation of a status symbol for differentiation. Lovegrove reflects on how good design could be used to further improve the welfare of the community.

DNA Stairs

Moroso supernatural chair <

Gingko carbon table

Ty Nant water bottle

The hallmark of the industrial designer Ross Lovegrove is organic forms and structures. Lovegrove is well-known for his ability to take a material to its extreme: the basis of his design is intelligent and innovative use of materials. In his designs, Lovegrove makes use of the possibilities of modern technology with the aim of developing the alliance between forms and technology. He often produces small series of experimental products that are not intended for commercial production.

Lovegrove Studio www.rosslovegrove.com

RIDON motorbike

Bone chair

Monica Förster [Sweden] Monica Förster Design Studio www.monicaforster.se

Monica Förster’s design studio in Stockholm works worldwide with clients such as Poltrona Frau, Tacchini, Modus, E&Y Japan, Offecct and Swedese. Förster has studied at Konstfack University College of Arts Crafts and Design and Beckmans School of Design in Stockholm. She has received many design awards, including Designer of the Year 2007 and 2006 in Sweden.

The shapes of Förster’s objects often refer to nature. A small forest becomes the basis for a room divider, a lofty cloud inspires the concept for a portable room, and the rhythm of chair backrests surges like the sea. Förster is interested in impressions constructed out of fabrics and folds too, and many of her objects remind one of feminine forms. She has also designed the world’s first ergonomic office chair for women. Lei is the result of a lengthy study on female sitting postures and is ergonomically designed to prevent occupational injury.

Monica Förster’s design is composed of many sentiments and even contradictions – creating something new, strong, useful and poetic. Her work is characterised by the meeting of pure forms, the use of either vivid colours or no colours, and a curiosity about new materials and new technologies. Always trying to work in a cross-disciplinary way, she invents and renews typologies in industrial, furniture and object design. Cloud, inflatable portable room, Offecct Wing, light fixture, Zero

Esedra, seating poof, Poltrona Frau

Drop, stool, Modus Furniture

<<<

Lei-office chair, Officeline, 2009

Mix, vase, Skruf

Simo Heikkilä

Yamagiwa Corp.

Heikkilä continues the tradition of clean-lined Scandinavian design. His furniture is characterised by exposed structures, ergonomics and purity of materials. In his work, Heikkilä is interested in experimentation, collaborating and being supported by craftspeople. Through this collaboration he has been able to increase his knowledge of different materials, use it in his design work and share it through his teaching.

Avarte ltd Sentti textile, Marimekko Profiili T, Avarte, 2003

A4 lamps, 2009 <<

<<<

TZ, 1984

<<<

Metri, 1988

Defending local manufacture is important to Heikkilä. In 2003, he implemented an exhibition entitled Local = Lokal = Lukaali. For the exhibition, he designed apartment interiors, confining himself to basic objects that are absolutely necessary for living. The objects were produced in the workshops of Finnish craftspeople and companies investing in product development and design. Alongside local manufacture, Heikkilä wishes to support cultural heritage. In 2005, he organised a Leuku (Sami knife) workshop, which focused on supporting and reinforcing the manufacture of “the big knife”, a basic tool in the natural economy of the Sami.

Simo Heikkilä

Simo Heikkilä is a furniture, interior and exhibition designer. Heikkilä set up his own studio in 1971. Currently, he works as the head of the Wood Studio at the Aalto University School of Art and Design. During his career Heikkilä has won many prizes, including the prestigious Pro Finlandia medal in 2003. He is also the “father” of the Alvar Aalto Design Seminar: his original concept of a seminar focusing on design is now organised triennially.

Simo Heikkilä

Studio Simo Heikkilä www.periferiadesign.fi

lmari Kostiainen

[Finland]

Chikako Harada

Simo Heikkilä

Remix, 2006

Clemens Weisshaar

[Germany]

Mathias Ziegler

Kram/Weisshaar www.kramweisshaar.com

Reed Kram and Clemens Weisshaar founded Kram/Weisshaar in Munich and Stockholm in 2002. The office specialises in the design of spaces, products and media and engages designers, architects and engineers from Germany, Spain, Sweden, the UK, the US and Japan. 15

Triton, Classicon

Vendôme

Jailbreak, installation setup, for Torino World Design Capital 2008 <

With their seminal projects for Prada’s Epicenter Stores in Los Angeles and New York with Rem Koolhaas, and their work for Authentics, Classicon, Moroso and Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg, the team has quickly garnered wide international recognition. Works by Kram/ Weisshaar have been included in a number of design collections: the Vitra Design Museum, the Pinakothek der Moderne, the Centre Pompidou and The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA.

Kram/Weisshaar closely links products with the planning of production processes. Their aim is to combine traditional production methods with the latest technological innovations. Kram/Weisshaar’s breakthrough project was Breeding Tables: a table with legs designed by a computer. With this project, the designers abandoned the idea that a product should always be a reproduction of one prototype. Breeding Tables uses a new kind of process that enables mass production of unique products.

Breeding Tables, Under license by MOROSO

Naoto Fukasawa

[Japan]

Naoto Fukasawa Design

Design is not something that provides a stimulus to people’s emotions. Fukasawa says: “I believe that it is something that is blended into unconscious, unaware actions. It also harmonises something as one part of a whole and ensures that it isn’t conspicuous. The rules of haiku poetry are called ‘objective portrayal’: it’s not about expressing one’s own view, but composing a poem objectively, giving the facts, and in doing so expressing one’s sentiments. Design, I believe, is completely synonymous with this.”

Soho, Magis

Grande Papilio, B&B Italia <

N310, Samsung Electronics

CD Player, Muji

According to the Without Thought philosophy, people or physical entities naturally attempt to harmonise unthinkingly (unconsciously) with the environment or situation that surrounds them. Even when using an object, they are not thinking about that object as they use it, just as we are able to walk more naturally if we are not consciously thinking about the floor or our legs. “Action” is therefore not being explicitly conscious or acknowledging the situation around us, but sensing or feeling it with our physical person. We cannot become aware of our surroundings by only “looking” with our eyes – it is more like “touching”, feeling all the subtle information that is involved.

Hidetoyo Sasaki 佐々木英豊

Naoto Fukasawa has worked as a design consultant and designer in Europe, Japan, and other parts of Asia. His design experience is both diverse and broad, ranging from electronics to furniture, and is recognised globally. He continues to hold his Without Thought workshops, which explore his personal perspective regarding people’s unconscious memories and actions providing an approach to design.

Humidifier Ver.3, Plus Minus Zero co. ltd.

SEMINAR BOARD aimonomia

GENERAL INFORMATION www.alvaraalto.fi/designseminar/2010/ Venue The seminar venue is the main auditorium of the University of Jyväskylä (designed by Alvar Aalto 1954–55). Language The official language of the seminar is English.

REGISTRATION FEES Early bird by July 23rd, 2010 Full registration €150 Students €50 One day €120

After July 23rd, 2010 Full registration €220 Students €80 One day €120 Prices include VAT 22% Members of SAFA (Finnish Association of Architects) are entitled to a 15% discount on the full registration fee.

Timo Salli, industrial designer, professor, chairman of the seminar Sari Anttonen, interior designer Simo Heikkilä, interior designer Vuokko Nurmesniemi, textile designer, Academician Esa Laaksonen, architect, director, Alvar Aalto Academy

CONTACT PERSONS Aila Kolehmainen, PR & communications, Alvar Aalto Academy, aila.kolehmainen@alvaraalto.fi Tel. +358 40 776 9192 | Fax +358 9 485 119 Tomi Summanen, project coordinator Alvar Aalto Academy, tomi.summanen@alvaraalto.fi Tel. +358 44 555 7337 | Fax +358 9 485 119

PRESS 19

Huippu Design Management Laivurinkatu 37, FI-00150 Helsinki Tel. +358 9 679 043 communications@huippu.fi

Final registration deadline via Internet by August 13th 2010. www.alvaraalto.fi/designseminar/2010

ORGANISERS

After August 13th, registration is possible at the seminar venue before the lectures.

Contact address: Tiilimäki 20 FI-00330 Helsinki Finland academy@alvaraalto.fi

Alvar Aalto Academy and Alvar Aalto Museum

No cheques accepted We recommend payment by bank transfer or credit card payment (Visa/MasterCard). Invoices will be sent only upon request. An invoicing fee of 5 euros will be charged.

www.alvaraalto.fi www.alvaraalto.fi/designseminar/2010

University Properties of Finland Ltd.

i nv Ministry of Education

isi

i nv

bl i s i