Punchbowl 1967
Tapio Wirkkala FI
silver
This Finnish designer took his inspiration from nature for his entire body of work. Sometimes literally as in the case of the Leaf Dish, but also in much more abstract forms such as his sculptures, or the silver dish and the hand-blown Venini vase, which for him represent the harmonious vibration between material and creator, given that both are made of the same substance.
“All materials have their own unwritten laws. You should never violate the material you’re working with. The designer’s purpose is to be in harmony with the material. The craftsman has the advantage that at every stage of the work his material is in his hands to feel and command. In industry, the material is constantly subordinate to some preplanned law and machinery and once the job has begun it’s difficult to make changes.” - Tapio Wirkkala
A Wild Thing, p. 119