Iittala, the renowned Finnish design brand celebrated for its expertise in glassmaking since 1881, announces a collaboration with Damsel Elysium, the London-based experimental sound and visual artist. This artistic partnership fuses the avant-garde world of Damsel Elysium with Iittala’s century-long tradition of artisanal glassmaking, resulting in a captivating series of mouth-blown and handcrafted glass instruments and objects.
At the heart of Iittala lies a deep commitment to craftsmanship, innovation, and the exploration of glass as an artistic medium. Iittala’s glass, known for its exceptional quality and extensive colour palette, embodies the brand’s dedication to pushing boundaries while cherishing its rich heritage. The Iittala Glass Factory, founded in 1881, plays a pivotal role in maintaining the brand’s reputation as a pioneer in the world of glass.
Iittala is entering a new era with its newly appointed Creative Director Janni Vepsäläinen. While boldly looking ahead, it reinforces its commitment to craftsmanship by bringing the Iittala Glass Factory and its craftspeople to the front and centre of the brand and its creative core.
A combination of tradition and innovation
Iittala is now announcing a collaboration with Damsel Elysium, a London-based instrumentalist, composer, and experimental sound, visual and performance artist. The collaboration is a concrete step in Iittala’s in Iittala’s mission to strengthen free creation, testing and experimentation to artisanal glassmaking.
Combining the expertise of the glassblowers with an original artistic vision, can push the boundaries of glass know-how and create completely new kind of objects through which masterpieces of glass art can be born.
”Iittala represents the convergence of art, design, and craftsmanship. Our commitment to innovation and artistic collaboration defines the next chapter for Iittala. We want to invite artists to experiment, play and express their artistic creativity through glass, fostering close partnerships that celebrate the art of glassmaking and provide a platform for emerging talents,” Janni Vepsäläinen says.
Unique, handcrafted glass instruments and objects
For Damsel Elysium, the collaboration with Iittala marks a new venture into the realm of glass art. In partnership with Janni Vepsäläinen and the master glass blowers at the Iittala Glass Factory, they created a series of unique mouth-blown and handcrafted glass instruments and objects that embody a synesthetic exploration of sound, sight, and colour.
“I’m a multi-instrumentalist and composer. In this collaboration with Iittala, using glass as the medium, it felt natural to create beautiful and functional instruments. All of the glass objects in this series can be played, either with a bow, breath, or percussion. Some also function as listening devices, revealing a different world when placed to the ear,” says Damsel Elysium. ”Making music and crafting these glass objects shared a commonality for me – the elements of improvisation and experimentation.”
Showpieces expressing a playful mindset
The collection includes various horns, bells, and bottles with organic shapes. The objects vary in size, ranging from almost two meters long for the largest to about 20 cm high for the smallest. They come in several colours, including light lilac, peachy pink, red and clear. Some objects are free-blown, while others are shaped using a mould.
”For me, shape, colour, form, and sound are interconnected. When I hear something really loud I can feel the shape of it. Communicating in alternative ways and conveying something new are important to my artistic expression. Working with glass in these amazing colours to create an instrument that can be played was a dream. I could see the sounds when I saw the glass being formed,” describes Damsel Elysium.
The art pieces will be exhibited for the first time at an Iittala event in Stockholm on February 5th, 2024, where Damsel Elysium will also perform and use the items as instruments to create sound. They also crafted a soundscape for the event, recording it while working in the Iittala village. The soundscape draws inspiration from glass, glassblowing, and the surroundings of the Iittala Glass Factory.
The showpieces are presented simultaneously with the launch of Iittala’s new PLAY collection. The philosophy behind the PLAY collection is encapsulated by Alvar Aalto’s famous quote “Don’t forget to play,” which has also been integral in this collaboration.
”The Iittala PLAY is not just a collection of objects; it embodies a mindset – an evolving creative platform that has not only influenced the PLAY collection but also served as an invitation for Damsel Elysium to reimagine glass. I like to think of the objects in this art series as the showpieces of the PLAY collection,” says Vepsäläinen.
Formed by the master glassblowers of Iittala
Glassblowing is both industrial production and art. The Iittala Glass Factory encourages and supports its craftspeople in their artistic experiments by allowing them to use the factory’s furnaces to work on their own artistic projects. Free expression and art projects support the glassblowers’ professional growth. Like in this particular collaboration, which let glassblowers test their skills and enhance their expertise.
”I have worked as a glassblower for 28 years this year. Mastery of glass is an ongoing process, and there’s always something new to learn, adding to the fascination of the material,” explains Tero Välimaa, one of Iittala’s master glassblowers. “In this collaboration, we produced a diverse array of objects through improvisation and experimentation. Many of the objects were challenging, and the project again provided new insights into the nature of glass.”
“The knowledge, techniques, and skills associated with handcrafted glass were added to UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 6th, 2023. Iittala was one of the 17 entities in the field of glass supporting the nomination process from Finland. We take pride in seeing this integral aspect of Iittala’s work recognized on this prestigious list, and we want to even accelerate bringing creativity to life in the amazingly skilled hands of our master glassblowers and in the workshop of the Iittala Glass Factory. The most unique designs often emerge when traditional craft methods are used to create something entirely original and new,” says Vepsäläinen.
For high-resolution images, visit Grand Relations Image Bank
For interview requests or more information, please contact Liam Möller, PR Consultant, Grand Relations,
Liam Möller liam@grandrelations.com | +46-70 250 22 69