STUDIO YK
Design
Among the greats of Finnish design, Yrjö Kukkapuro defies categorisation. He lives as he designs, with a pragmatism that never compromises on experimentation and imagination, and he is a cornerstone of contemporary Finnish design and visual culture.
Much of a career that spans some 70 years, has originated from Studio Kukkapuro, the embodiment of his ideals, with its innovative undulating concrete ceiling, seemingly hovering above walls of windows, and so mathematically perfect it needed no interior columns to support the weight of its seemingly featherlight ceiling. Here on the outskirts of Helsinki, Kukkapuro lived and worked alongside Irmeli, his artist wife, and built his prototypes. Famed for his chairs – he thinks he has designed nearly 100 – Yrjö Kukkapuro is a true polymath who designed everything from furniture and lighting to exhibitions and fair booths. His status as a collectible designer means his work claims high prices at auction and several of his designs are being put into production again. The exhibition at the Espoo Museum of Modern Art (EMMA), Yrjö Kukkapuro – Magic Room, honours his prolific career.
Read more in Ark Journal VOLUME IX.
WORDS ALISA LARSEN
PHOTOGRAPHY JONAS BJERRE-POULSEN
STYLING SIGRID GRY LAURSEN
MAKERS OF MEMORIES
Finding balance through contrast is at the heart of the architectural and design practice of Fanny Bauer Grung and David Lopez Quincoces. Past and present. Simple and rich.
OPEN PLAN
In 2018 Belgian architect Bruno Spaas discovered a space, an empty shell, on the top floor of a 15-storey tower building in Antwerp and with his newly founded architectural office, he initiated a capacious and free-spirited project that could serve as his future business card.
CASE STUDY — INVENTIVE CRAFT
Today’s makers transcend time and space to mould their vision, imbuing objects with meaning and materiality.
STUDIO YK
Design
Among the greats of Finnish design, Yrjö Kukkapuro defies categorisation. He lives as he designs, with a pragmatism that never compromises on experimentation and imagination, and he is a cornerstone of contemporary Finnish design and visual culture.
Much of a career that spans some 70 years, has originated from Studio Kukkapuro, the embodiment of his ideals, with its innovative undulating concrete ceiling, seemingly hovering above walls of windows, and so mathematically perfect it needed no interior columns to support the weight of its seemingly featherlight ceiling. Here on the outskirts of Helsinki, Kukkapuro lived and worked alongside Irmeli, his artist wife, and built his prototypes. Famed for his chairs – he thinks he has designed nearly 100 – Yrjö Kukkapuro is a true polymath who designed everything from furniture and lighting to exhibitions and fair booths. His status as a collectible designer means his work claims high prices at auction and several of his designs are being put into production again. The exhibition at the Espoo Museum of Modern Art (EMMA), Yrjö Kukkapuro – Magic Room, honours his prolific career.
Read more in Ark Journal VOLUME IX.
WORDS ALISA LARSEN
PHOTOGRAPHY JONAS BJERRE-POULSEN
STYLING SIGRID GRY LAURSEN