Timo Sarpaneva

Timo was commissioned in 1981 to design the Colin King Grand Prix award to be presented to Raymond Loewy, the most influential designer at the time. Timo chose clear glass as the material for the prize and named his work 'Gateway to Dreams'. The glass sculpture's design expression was ethereal and strikingly architectural.

Inspired by the skillful work of Iittala's glass blowers and cutters, the artist developed the Kohinoor collection of hand-cast and hand-finished artistic sculptures. The tool used to create the air bubbles in the glass was called the 'hedgehog'. It was a simple block of wood with nails that were pushed into a mould where half of the glass mass was cast. The nails sank into the molten glass, creating small cavities that would be left with air when the next glass casting was poured into the mould. Finally, the inner part of the finished moulded glass was shaped using a special graphite tool. After cooling, the finished objects were sanded and polished. The Kohinoor sculptures were part of Iittala's Pro Arte series.

Marjatta Sarpaneva