Timo Sarpaneva
Timo Sarpaneva, a 'Ahtojää' (Pack ice) sculpture signed Timo Sarpaneva Iittala 1967.
Clear glass blown in wooden mould. Height c 40 cm. The lower part ca 24 x 24 cm.
Timo Sarpaneva was the architect of the EXPO 67 exhibition in Montreal. He designed the artwork 'Ahtojää' (Pack ice) for the exhibition. The large work (9 m x 4.5 m) was made of hundreds of glass elements blown into wooden moulds which were then attached to a steel base. Dozens of wooden moulds were made. One wooden mould could be used for an average of 8 sculptures, after which it was burnt out. Each glass element is a unique glass sculpture and additional glass parts were made in case of possible damages.
The "Ahtojää" glass sculptures are different from the other works in the "Finlandia" series. They are made with the same technique, with a slight difference in design: the lower part of the "Ahtojää" sculptures are square-shaped. When placed side by side, the artwork becomes an opaque surface in relief.
Marjatta Sarpaneva
Wear due to age and use. Marks and chips due to the manufacturing process.
Provenance
The collection of the Master Glassmaker Reino 'Reka' Löflund.
Reino 'Reka' Löflund was born in 1926 and at the age of 14 he started as an apprentice at the Iittala glassworks. He blew medicine bottles for the war industry as the youngest blower ever. After the war, he was employed as the master blower at the Iittala glassworks.
Later, Löflund was appointed as Master Glassmaker in charge of the entire production at the Iittala glassworks.
In the 1950s he began working with various glass designers, including Timo Sarpaneva. Reka Löflund developed several techniques and products with Timo Sarpaneva, including the Claritas, Arkipelago and Finlandia series.
Literature
Photograph of "Pack ice" artwork in Montreal -67 is featured in the book "Sarpaneva" by Kaj Kalin, Timo Sarpaneva, and Marjatta Svennevig (1986), on page 229.
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