Lightness

A visual essay of Ilkka Suppanen's designs that showcases the poetry of light manifested in different contexts, including essays from eight contributing writers. "Lightness: Ilkka Suppanen Design" offers a compelling look into the work and philosophy of one of the most celebrated Nordic designers, Ilkka Suppanen. Known for his collaborations with international brands such as Marimekko and Cappellini, as well as his conceptually driven, socially engaged, and experimental projects, Suppanen brings a thoughtful and imaginative approach to furniture, product, industrial, and conceptual design. This book brings together essays by leading thinkers and a curated selection of Suppanen's work, exploring lightness as a theme in design, from adaptability to liberation. With reflections by Suppanen himself and co-edited by curator Gustaf Kjellin, the book offers a poetic lens on design's potential to uplift and transform. AUTHOR: Ilkka Suappanen (*1968) is one of the world's best known contemporary Finnish designers. Suppanen studied architecture at the Technical University of Helsinki, Interior and Furniture Design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, with one year at Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. In 1995 he founded Studio Suppanen in Helsinki. Throughout his career, his work has expanded across various sectors, including architecture, product- and furniture design, from coin design to radical concepts for the automobile industry, as well as projects for the casteless in India and the homeless in São Paulo. Suppanen's works have received numerous international design awards, been exhibited worldwide at institutions such as the Venice Architecture Biennale, MoMA in New York, and are in the permanent collections of museums such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris. For his contribution to the Scandinavian design scene, Suppanen has been awarded two of the largest Nordic design awards: the Torsten and Wanja Soderberg Prize (2015) and the Kaj Franck Design Prize (2020). 60 illustrations