Architecture of Light

As part of his holistic architectural thinking, Alvar Aalto often also designed lighting for his buildings.

Aalto’s most prolific decade as a lighting designer was the 1950s, when he created bespoke light fittings for almost all the public buildings he designed. Most of the lights were crafted in a small Helsinki workshop called Valaistustyö Ky. The owner and manager of the family business was the skilled master metalsmith and electrician Viljo Hirvonen (1916–1975).

“Lampmaker Hirvonen”, as Aalto nicknamed him, needed no more than Aalto’s rough sketches and a few words with the designer to dash off a prototype . The most famous lamps to come out of their collaboration were given names evoking their appearance, such as Turnip, Bilberry or Flying Saucer. Various other metalwork components for Aalto’s buildings were also produced in Hirvonen’s workshop for two decades.

Aalto’s design philosophy continues to inspire new generations, and the Aalto light fittings manufactured by Valaistustyö have since become sought-after collectors’ items. Architecture of Light -exhibition opens up the collaboration between Aalto and Hirvonen in such a broad way for the first time.

The exhibition is based on the remaining assets of Valaistustyö Ky workshop , which were deposited to the Alvar Aalto Foundation in 2009 and are now an integral part of the foundation’s design collection. The extensive collection includes lamp molds, semi-finished and finished lamps, door handles and small objects from Artek’s store selections. In addition, there are tools, materials, and design-related drawings and documents.