Tour Alvar Aalto's modernist architecture in Jyvaskyla, Finland
When Finnish photographer Janne Tuunanen travelled from his base in New York to his home town of Jyvaskyla at the start of the pandemic, his plan was to take some time to slow down and spend the crisis closer to his family there. Soon, he picked up cycling and riding around town he rediscovered, after years of being away, the modernist architecture of Alvar Aalto; this lesser known, sleepy town in the western part of the Finnish Lakeland, is a treasure trove of the master architect's work.
‘I thought there might be material for a bigger project here,' he says. ‘I approached the Alvar Aalto Foundation about the project and they approved my pitch.' Tuunanen went on to create 17 images of Aalto's masterpieces in the vicinity, including the architect's own Experimental House and Jyvaskyla's main theatre, swimming pool hall and the local Museum of Central Finland.
‘It was my first time shooting Aalto and I felt I could bring a new angle to it,' he says. ‘Most of the existing photos of Aalto locations before this project are very documentation orientated. I thought there is a possibility to photograph them in a more visual manner, bring attention to details and focus on angles that haven't been used yet.'
The project, named simply ‘Alvar Aalto's Jyvaskyla', is a limited series and feels to Tuunanen as much a homage to the great architect's modernist work, as a personal tribute to the photographer's own hometown.
Tuunanen has used architectural elements in his work before, but never had the chance to create a project entirely focused on buildings. in fact, the series inspired him to take on more architectural work; he recently shot the newly renovated 1952 Helsinki Olympic Stadium, which combines modern design with mid-century architecture.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
First look: Western Mongolia meets Kew Gardens in John Pawson and Oyuna Tserendorj’s cashmere throws
Architectural designer John Pawson and cashmere designer Oyuna Tserendor have collaborated on a cashmere throw collection inspired by Pawson’s 70m Lake Crossing in the Royal Botanical Gardens
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
How to buy art: the accessible new market
Thanks to a growing pool of art advisers, digital intelligence and collector groups, buyers are better equipped than ever
By Annabel Keenan Published
-
The coolest design-led coffee shops in Seoul
Seoul counts more coffee shops per capita than any other city in the world – cut straight to our six must-visit spots
By Robert Schneider Published
-
Jean-Michel Othoniel embraces the endless light in Finland
Artist Jean-Michel Othoniel celebrates light in a major solo exhibition at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Finland
By Amy Serafin Published
-
Harlem-born artist Tschabalala Self’s colourful ode to the landscape of her childhood
Tschabalala Self’s new show at Finland's Espoo Museum of Modern Art evokes memories of her upbringing, in vibrant multi-dimensional vignettes
By Millen Brown-Ewens Published
-
The rich, creative life of Moomins creator Tove Jansson
Finnish artist and Moomins creator Tove Jansson was free, independent and nonconformist, as a new Paris exhibition delving into her life and work reveals
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Tom of Finland Art and Culture Festival continues its world tour
The festival popped up in London last week ahead of its LA event later in the year
By Sebastian Jordahn Published
-
Inside Ricardo Bofill’s Walden 7, a cathedral of postmodern curiosity
A new series by architectural photographer Sebastian Weiss takes us on a tour of Walden 7, Ricardo Bofill’s majestic Catelonian apartment building – a cathedral of utopian curiosity and community
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Daniel Steegmann Mangrané saturates Kiasma in scent, light and uncanny geometry
Daniel Steegmann Mangrané’s survey exhibition ‘A Leaf Shapes the Eye’ turns the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Finland into an immersive multisensory environment, and confronts pertinent issues about our place on earth
By Will Jennings Published
-
Heaven on Earth: architect Toshiko Mori curates Candida Höfer’s sublime new photography show
At Sean Kelly, New York, architect Toshiko Mori is curating a new show by Candida Höfer, spanning a 30-year period of the German photographer’s spatially sublime work
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
10 Wallpaper* photography moments of 2022, from piña coladas to Pipilotti Rist
The most memorable Wallpaper* photography moments of 2022, courtesy of our esteemed photo desk
By Holly Hay Published