October 18, 2005 at 4:44 am · Filed under Alvar Aalto, Architecture, Finland
Jeff’s architectural mission is here, to experience Aalto’s work firsthand. His home and studio is a good place to start.
This is Alvar Aalto’s home and his first studio. His office is behind the door ahead, but he spends most of his time at the desk where I am standing.
His living room. A sliding door, also shown ahead in this picture, leads to the studio above but unlike what you see, it was closed for the whole duration of Aalto’s occupation at this house.
When they finally ran out of space, they built a much larger studio. Note the models and chairs, they are the original prototypes of the famous designs.
Jeff accidentally ran into his tomb. Pretty neat, I’m sure he designed it, I think there’s a lot of analogies on his tombstone you can draw to his principles and practice.
October 10, 2005 at 1:38 am · Filed under Architecture, Finland, Food
As you can tell, this is a mightily cold place. Jeff kept reminding that we’re only 600 kilometres from the Arctic circle. The highway speed limits here are 120 km/h, it’s quite tempting to just drive there and back just to brag that you’ve been there.
But we held off our dreams of being chased by polar bears.
Vernacular Nordic/Scandinavian architecture does have a mystical quality, it remind me of Studio Ghibli’s work.
At their fish market (a real open air one, not like Sydney’s oversanitised one), they sell what they call Lapin food. Finland cuisine is, not exactly outstanding. Some stalls had signs trying to pass their rice creations off as “Finnish paella”. Pretty strange considering I was eating the real thing just days before in Barcelona.
This is their parliament, palace or government’s symbolic centre. Seeing this opposite the fish market makes you feel how cozy this country really is.
Here’s one for Benji Yap!!
This photo is taken at midnight (12am), could still see twilight.
