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).
-
Molly Goddard on creating a community of contemporary brides
As new Molly Goddard bridal wear is released, the designer talks about creating romantic but real wedding dresses, while three recent brides tell the stories behind their own Goddard gowns
By Jack Moss Published
-
Palazzo Roma embodies the heritage of Roman noblesse
Palazzo Roma, part of the Shedir Collection, boasts eclectic and eccentric interiors by Giampiero Panepinto
By Luke Abrahams Published
-
Boise Passive House’s bold gestures support an environmentally friendly design
Boise Passive House by Haas Architecture combines sleek, contemporary design and environmental efficiency
By Ellie Stathaki 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
-
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
-
‘Site Unseen’ explores viewing and documenting architecture through photography
The Center of Contemporary Photography in Melbourne invites us to ‘Site Unseen', an exhibition about different ways of viewing and documenting architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Ricardo Bofill’s La Muralla Roja as captured by Sebastian Weiss
As a tribute to architecture icon Ricardo Bofill (1939 – 2022) we revisit Hamburg-based photographer Sebastian Weiss’ captivating photo series on ‘La Muralla Roja’, first published in 2020
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated
-
A photographic trip through America’s roadside façades
In her ongoing series, The Mother Road, Hayley Eichenbaum documents the tainted romanticism of roadside architecture on Route 66 in the American Southwest
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated