Creating original and aesthetically sustainable designs

The Aalto University Shop introduced new glass vases by Jukka Jokinen and Heikki Konu in late 2020. Jokinen and Konu are internationally awarded industrial designers, who both have Master’s degrees from Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture. Jukka Jokinen studied Collaborative and Industrial Design and Heikki Konu took part in the Contemporary Design Master Program. The duo met during their Bachelor studies in Aalto and started collaborating during the first years.

What inspired you to create the vases currently available at Aalto Shop?

At the beginning we were inspired by experimental design methods. We started by experiment with glass blowing at the Aalto Glass Studio and ended up building new types of glass blowing tools ourselves. The Multi glass series is based on the new kind of modular glass blowing mold developed in this process.

What did it take to make the vases and how do you manufacture them?

The modular mold can be used to produce unlimited amounts of forms by stacking the mold layers in different order. The final Multi products are made in co-operation with professional glassblowers. The Multi glass series combines artistic and industrial perspectives for the production of glass objects with minimal and clear aesthetics.

What kind of things are important to you as designers? What motivates you as entrepreneurs?

We started our own design company, Jokinen Konu Design Oy, after graduation. As entrepreneurs we are motivated by being able to create our own designs and decide about the actions we want to make related to our business. This freedom also brings with it the responsibility of our own actions and taking initiatives.

Jokinen Konu avoid following any trends but we rather want to create original and aesthetically sustainable designs. In the design process, it is important for us to think before doing. Questioning the obvious is one of our key principles: we like to strip the challenge down to the bone before starting something new. The outcome of the design process is characterized by functional properties and aesthetic beauty. 

The Helsinki based design duo is driven by experimental and material oriented design methods. They believe in the power of teamwork, while they have gained attention together and individually in the Helsinki 5G contest, Dubai Design Week and Habitare Design Competition. Jokinen Konu won the 1st prize in the International Glass Design Award 2018 and were nominated for the Formex Nova 2020 Nordic Designer of the Year Award. The Multi glass pendant lights are part of the new collection of Finnish design lighting brand Innolux.