white collection by ville kokkonen for artek

white collection by ville kokkonen by artek all images © artek photos by tuomas uusheimo

finnish design company artek celebrates 75 years and for milan design week 2013 they present ‘white’, a new collection of lighting solutions designed by the company’s design director ville kokkonen. comprised of four different fittings (a fifth is to be released later this year), ‘white’ is the result of artek studio’s research and use of light within domestic, office and public spaces.

‘white 2’ – standing and wall light

‘every year, thousands of new lamps are created around the world. some of them manage to introduce a new, unique form; others bring new technical solutions to the market. what these fittings usually have in common, however, is that they concentrate on making a spectacle of themselves and leave the light itself to play a supporting role. form and colour are the stars, and light gets sidelined. this was the starting point for the new artek lighting collection. white brings a new perspective on how we perceive lighting. it is time for white light to take centre stage.

the design was influenced by the effects of conceptual spatial installations on enclosed light, and it has also shown the path that lighting might take in the future. unlike many of its peers, white stays in the background and concentrates on providing the perfect frame for light itself. in visually overcrowded environments, white provides a fresh alternative. it neither shouts nor overburdens the space in which it is placed.

for too long, light has been overshadowed by the fitting. right from the beginning of the design process we felt that there would be room for a lamp that allows light to rule. the biggest tribute for white would be that people remember its soft light but have no idea how the lamp itself looked.’ – ville kokkonen

‘white 1’ – bright light table lamp

included in the collection is ‘bright white 1’ – bright light table lamp, ‘white 2’ – standing and wall light, ‘white 3’ – suspended light and ‘white 4’ – table light.

‘white 1’ – bright light table lamp

‘bright white 1’ – bright light table lamp

‘white 3’

‘white 2’

artek was founded by alvar aalto, aino aalto with nils-gustav hahl and maire gullischsen. when they first started out in 1935 their aim was to create an accessible, humane and experimental style for modern interior decoration, stemming predominantly from nature. as part of their 75th anniversary, artek has put together a video of architects and designers speaking about the finnish company’s legacy and impact on the design community.

video courtesy of artek