Matti Klenell: A Magpie and a Deep Forest

(jiří macek) The Finnish brand of Iittala has enriched its aviary of decorative birds with several new and rare species. Unlike the previous birds, which were designed by professor Oiva Toikka, who has specialized in the design of birds since the early 1970s, the new species were created by Swedish designer Matti Klenell, who is younger by several generations. Moreover, he gave them a very practical feature because they serve as tiny containers.

Matti Klenell (b.1972) primarily focuses on the design of furniture pieces and accessories. His clients include Moooi, Muuto, SL Stockholm, Bals Tokyo, Offect, and the fascinating brand of Pyra. The two bird families of Harakka (Magpie) and Korpi (Deep Forest) place him alongside Oiva Toikki, Giorgio Vigna, and Anu Penttinen, who created the previous items in the bird collection from the renowned Finnish brand. If you wonder why the company asked Klenell for collaboration, have a look at his exhibition projects made from glass. Apart from their lightness and playfulness, one will enjoy the fact that they bear Czech traces. Some glass vases and sculptures, which were designed for his solo exhibition at the IngeMolin gallery in Stockholm, were made in the Ajeto glassfactory and demonstrate several principles that Klenell applied in the collection for Iittala. Harakka Birds are, like Ajeto urns and the Carambole vase, segmented into several individual layers that are put one onto another. However, their number is much smaller. One will be fascinated by their tenderness. Each part serves as a box or a container for storing tiny objects. The colors and workmanship of the entire collection, which was manufactured in Nuutajärvi glassworks, is amazing.

The products of the Finnish brand of Iitala can be found in the Czech Republic in the catalogue of Designor.

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