2nd Cycle by Artek – A Sense of Sustainability
As Alvar Aalto, the famous Finnish architect once said: “Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new form.” Artek, the design company with Aalto among its founders, has taken the architect’s assertion as starting point for one of their recent projects.
Founded back in 1935, Artek is perhaps the most forward-looking one among the contemporary trend-setting design companies. Still producing the iconic pieces of design created by the genius Aalto and his fellow colleagues, Artek has decided to promote the values and importance of this significant design heritage. Led equally by Aalto’s ground setting ideas, as well as seriously good and cheap reproductions by IKEA, the company has started to collect some of the 8 million Aalto stools sold since 1935. These stools, found in vintage shops or friends’ basements, have created the starting point for 2nd Cycle. 2nd Cycle is a vintage shop in Helsinki, dedicated entirely to original design pieces by both Artek as well as other design companies. Among the products you can find the above mentioned superstar stool, various Aalto chairs and armchairs, as well as pieces like Tulip and Swan chairs by Eero Saarinen for Knoll and Fritz Hansen.
While some design giants look for sustainability through clever speeches about new recyclable materials and innovative production processes, Artek has once again shown to be one step ahead. With 2nd Cycle project, Artek is trying to put forward a different idea of design – a quality design of everyday objects that acquire value and beauty through use. Opposed to a consumerist idea of design, Artek’s 2nd Cycle items are part of the environmental strategy that wants to ‘raise the issue of conscious consuming, praise the authentic design and honour the importance of originality’.
