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
THE REAL PHILLIP LIM
Phillip Lim has changed. The designer sees beauty in another way and his simple beachside shack on Long Island was a catalyst to a shift in perspective and priorities.
DOWN SIZE, UP CYCLE
When creative director at Marimekko Rebekka Bay and her husband Ricky Nordson decided to scale down their lives and living space, they knew their new Copenhagen apartment would require tailor-made design solutions.
FORMAFANTASMA
— THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Milan-based duo Formafantasma are agents of change, investigating through exhibitions, research projects, symposia and teaching the ecological, historical, political and social forces shaping design today.
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