The 2023 edition of the course engaged the students in critically inquiring, exploring, and experimenting with glass and its manifold dimensions. Through the topic PRESERVE we contemplated what glass leaves behind and what is still ahead. We reflected on the relationship with material, energy and resources and on the meaning and value of craft and craftsmanship in a contemporary context.
Teachers: Kirsti Taiviola and Sara Hulkkonen
Glass blowers: Slate Grove, Zachary Compton and Kaappo Lähdesmäki
Photography: Anne Kinnunen
The 2021 course introduces the use of glass in construction and public art. The assignment is to design a donor wall for Aalto ARTS. This is a public artwork that could be placed on the glass façade of Väre. The artwork is meant to grow piece by piece as ARTS raises funding. Through writings and discussions, we also become acquainted with the relationship between money, art and power.
The course is part of an international research project & exhibition Glass – Hand Formed Matter, initiated by Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin.
Lecturer: Kirsti Taiviola
Photography: Anne Kinnunen
2020 edition of the course will engage the students in critically inquiring, exploring, and experimenting with glass and its manifold dimensions.
Together we will reflect on what glass leaves behind, and what still is ahead; on the relationship with energy, material and resources, their extraction, (ab)use, and disposal; on the meaning and value of craft and craftsmanship in a contemporary (design) context; on the (ir)relevance of local, embodied, tacit bodies of knowledge and skills.
The course is part of an international research project & exhibition Glass – Hand Formed Matter, initiated by Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin.
Lecturer: Kirsti Taiviola
Photography: Anne Kinnunen
The theme is Centerpiece – objects for discussion. The challenge is to explore how an object can stimulate, initiate, or guide a discussion around a dinner table. Students have been asked to explore, discuss, and think what kind of topics they would like to bring to this table; they have then engaged with glass to guide, develop, and materialise their ideas and concept.
Glass Challenge Course Autumn 2019
Teachers: Kirsti Taiviola and Gianluca Giabardo
Final Critique Guest: Maarit Mäkelä
The theme is Water. We have collaborated with Aalto ENG's water research team, Finavia and Nuutajärvi Cultural Foundation. The goal is to find ways to engage with different water-related topics through glass. After an initial collaboration with the water research team, a number of area of intervention have been framed and dealt-with individually by the students.
Glass Challenge Course Autumn 2018.
Lecturer: Kirsti Taiviola
Photography: Anne Kinnunen
Water resources are limited and vulnerable in many places in the world. Design students and water researchers joined forces to visualise sustainable water solutions in the Fragile Water exhibition.
The exhibition Fragile Water brings attention to our use of water.