Alvar Aalto and the theory of play: Through analysis on Alvar Aalto’s furniture design

Alvar Aalto and the theory of play: Through analysis on Alvar Aalto’s furniture design

KAMAMOTO, Mayu

Article:

Play was an important concept for Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto (1898-1976). He emphasized the importance of play in design activities. Aalto seems to have been influenced by Yrjö Hirn (1870-1952), a Finnish aesthetician and author of Barnlek [Child’s play, 1916]. From the late 1920s to 1940s, Aalto designed not only buildings, but also furniture. In func-tionalism, which spread from the early 1920s, experimentation with wood for furniture played a very important role for Aalto. He emphasized that this experimentation was closely related to the idea of play. This study demonstrates Aalto’s suggestive idea through an analysis of his furniture design. It can be said that the concept of play guided him to develop this idea.

Play was an important concept for Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto (1898-1976). He emphasized the importance of play in design activities. Aalto seems to have been influenced by Yrjö Hirn (1870-1952), a Finnish aesthetician and author of Barnlek [Child’s play, 1916]. From the late 1920s to 1940s, Aalto designed not only buildings, but also furniture. In func-tionalism, which spread from the early 1920s, experimentation with wood for furniture played a very important role for Aalto. He emphasized that this experimentation was closely related to the idea of play. This study demonstrates Aalto’s suggestive idea through an analysis of his furniture design. It can be said that the concept of play guided him to develop this idea.

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DOI: 10.5151/despro-icdhs2016-04_007

Referências bibliográficas

• [1] Fleig, K. (1970) Alvar Aalto: 1922-1962, (Mühll, H. R. and Gleckman, W. B. trans.),
• [2] Hirn, Y. (1900) The origins of art: A psychological& sociological inquiry, London: Macmillan and co.
• [3] Hirn, Y. (1916) Barnlek: Några kapitel om visor, danser och små teatrar [Children’s play: Some chapters of songs, dances and small theaters], Helsinki: Söderström & C: o.
• [4] Hirn, Y. (1918) Leikkiä ja taidetta: Muutamia lukuja lasten leluista, lauluista, tansseista ja pikku teatterista [Play and art: Some chapters of children's toys, songs, dances and small theaters], (Lehtonen, J. trans.), Porvoo: Werner Söderström. (Original work published 1916).
• [5] Hirn, Y. (1926) Les jeux d'enfants [Child’s play], (Hammar, T. and Maury, L. trans.), Paris: Stock. (Orig-inal work published 1916).
• [6] Pallasma, J. (1985) Alvar Aalto furniture, Cambridge: The MIT Press.
• [7] Shildt, G. (ed.) (1994) Alvar Aalto: The complete catalogue of architecture, design and art (Binham, T. trans.), New York: Rizzoli.
• [8] Shildt, G. (ed.) (1998) Alvar Aalto in his own words (Binham, T. trans.), New York: Rizzoli.
• [9] Tukkanen, P. (ed.) (2002) Alvar Aalto designer, Helsinki: Alvar Aalto Foundation.
• [10] Zurich: Artemis.

Como citar:

KAMAMOTO, Mayu; "Alvar Aalto and the theory of play: Through analysis on Alvar Aalto’s furniture design", p-338-342. In: Wong, Wendy Siuyi; Kikuchi, Yuko & Lin, Tingyi (Eds.). <strong>Making Trans/National Contemporary Design History [=ICDHS 2016 – 10th Conference of the International Committee for Design History & Design Studies]</strong>. São Paulo: Blucher, 2016.
ISSN 23186968, DOI 10.5151/despro-icdhs2016-04_007