Rising along the ever-changing waterfront of Copenhagen’s harbor at this year’s 3daysofdesign festival was a 22-foot-tall monolith undulating with variegated aluminum extrusions. Unbeknownst to those on the ground, this semi-enclosed, temporary structure replicates the exact outline of the iconic sperm vessel designer Alvar Aalto developed for the Finnish glassware brand Iittala 90 years ago. It was designed by a local multi-talented studio TABLEAU and manufactured by the Norwegian supplier of sustainable metals Hydrothe monumental undertaking was a clear celebration of the design principles that govern Scandinavian design, carried over to all three countries represented.
“To be given the opportunity to design a stand for Iittala to celebrate the anniversary of such an iconic design as the Aalto vase is a dream come true and something we are deeply grateful for,” says Julius Værnes Iversen, Founder and Creative Director of TABLEAU. “We wanted to create an impressive pavilion that gives visitors a space to experience the beauty of design.”
The pavilion is a game of scale if ever there was one: an almost meta-evocation that reinforces the inherent links between object and architecture. Aalto was trained as an architect and practiced in a variety of disciplines with few constraints, making the translation from boat to habitable structure seem particularly appropriate.
“Bringing the Alvar Aalto vase to this scale required both the right material and engineering know-how, and the properties of aluminum extrusions made it the ideal choice for this type of architecture,” says Asle Forsbak, Hydro Extrusions Marketing Director. “The project proved that it can be done at scale with a low carbon footprint.”
After the display’s short run, the slatted modular components were recycled and re-entered the company’s production cycle. “We’ve done our best to stick to a single, iconic shape,” he adds.
Inside, versions of the former – the full range of the reissued Aalto City Vase collection – were strategically suspended on discrete, almost invisible bases. True to the original form, this revamped offering comes in carefully calibrated colorways that reflect the seaside capitals: Berlin, Amsterdam, Tokyo, New York, Helsinki and, of course, Copenhagen. Deep cobalts, pure whites and sparkling golds are offered. Like the structure itself, the iridescent quality helps to articulate the dramatic yet decisive curves.
To learn more about each party that contributed to the creative synergy, please visit iittala.com, hydro.comand tableau-cph.com.
Photo by Howard Holmaas.
