Aalto: Architect of Emotions, a documentary film about the distinguished late Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto, was released on October 13th, 2023, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of his birth. The film is a tapestry of beautiful moving images and music that shows the process of how Aalto gave shape to his ideas all over the world. Not only does it follow his life and body of work, but it illustrates the love story between Aalto and his first wife, fellow architect Aino, for the first time. In addition to rare family photos, archival footage, and testimonies from concerned parties, we get a window into the unknown side of the couple through their intimate letters. Upon her arrival in Japan before the film’s release, we spoke to the Finnish director, Virpi Suutari, about the insights behind making the film and her thoughts on Aalto’s work. 

Virpi Suutari
Virpi Suutari was born in 1967. She is a film director and producer based in Helsinki, Finland. She is a member of the European Film Academy. Suutari’s film, Aalto: Architect of Emotions, won Best Music and Best Editing at the Jussi Awards, the Finnish equivalent of the Academy Awards.

Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto was born Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto in Kuortane, Finland in 1898. He was born to a land surveyor father and enrolled in Helsinki University of Technology in 1916. Aalto was born in a family of generational foresters and grew up loving trees since he was young. He established his own architecture office in 1923. In 1935, with his wife, Aino, he founded Artek to sell furniture, lamps, textiles, and more to the world. Aalto designed over 200 buildings in his lifetime, known for their masterful and superb combinations of organic shapes, materials, and light.

Aino Aalto
Aino Maria Marsio-Aalto was born in Helsinki. She enrolled at Helsinki University of Technology in 1913. She joined Aalto’s firm in 1924 and then later married Alvar. Her name became known after the release of her glass, Bolgeblick. She was Alvar’s private and public partner until she passed away in 1949.

A story based on the director’s adolescent experience with Alvar Aalto’s architecture

—―How did you first encounter Aalto’s architecture and works?

Virpi Suutari: Every Finnish person has encountered Aalto buildings, design objects, or furniture because we have so many Aalto buildings. Almost every Finnish family has some Aalto objects at home. We have Aalto kindergarten furniture, and in schools, we have furniture designed by Aino Aalto and other people from Artek. It’s part of our everyday life. 

But what made me make this film was my childhood memories in my hometown, Rovaniemi, which is by the Arctic Circle in Lapland. It was destroyed and totally burned down in the Second World War, and in the 50s and 60s, Finnish architects, including Alvar Aalto, came to the rescue and started designing the city again. Aalto designed many magnificent monumental buildings for Rovaniemi, and one of them was the Aalto library, which I visited almost every day after school. The winters in Rovaniemi were harsh and cold—it would drop to minus 30 degrees. I used to go to the Aalto library because I needed a warm place, and it became a dear place for me. I loved everything about it: the shape of the main library hall, the leather chairs, and the beautiful glass lamps. I was also studying at the music school in the Aalto Theater, so I was in the Aalto buildings a lot, and those memories stayed with me. 

I’ve been making documentary films for around 30 years, so I thought it was time to explore Alvar, Aino, as well as his second wife, Elissa Aalto, more carefully. I wanted to get to know them personally, but I also tried to understand why my experience in the library was so magnificent. What was so special about it? What was their architectural thinking? I wanted to understand that and share it with everyone else in Finland, Japan, and other countries.

――Alvar Aalto is such an iconic figure not only in Finland but internationally. Did you feel any pressure to make a documentary on him? How much time did you spend on the research?

Suutari: That’s a very good question because almost every Finnish person has an opinion on Aalto architecture. All the Finnish taxi drivers think they are the best critics of Aalto architecture (laughs). They’re critical but very proud at the same time. But then, there are Aalto Puritanists, who are these Aalto fans who think you shouldn’t say anything critical about Aalto. 

Everyone has an opinion, but I knew that for my own view on Aalto, I needed to make my own film—a film that aesthetically came out of me—based on careful research. The core of the film had to be in my own childhood memories of my experience of the Aalto buildings. I knew there had to be this atmosphere of love, humor, and warmth. I knew that if I did my research well, I could do whatever I felt was the best with the material and be confident about it. That’s what I did. It was like the Aalto couple moved into my home for four years. I was constantly researching and thinking about them, so much so that I had dreams about them. In the end, my husband was tired of them. He is actually the voice of Alvar Aalto in this film because he’s an actor. When the film was finished, he told me very gently but firmly, “Maybe it’s time Alvar and Aino move out of our house and stay outside the gates of the house” (laughs). But now they’re in Japan, which I’m happy about.

――I was pleasantly surprised that this film is very human. It’s not just talking about their work. There are human relationships at the core of the film. Why did you decide to make a documentary with this kind of approach? 

Suutari: I didn’t want to make an academic theoretical film. I wanted to do good research behind the film to ensure I didn’t make any mistakes, but I wanted to make a film anyone could enjoy. You don’t have to be an expert to see this film. Of course, you can be an architect to see it because I’m sure there are new things even for researchers and experts. But ordinary viewers can get so much out of it. I want to make films that can speak to anyone. Of course, I’m interested in the buildings, all the details, and beautiful objects, but I’m interested in human beings. That’s what I’m interested in as a documentarist.

It was important for me to look behind the scenes to figure out who Alvar Aalto and Aino Aalto were. Also, it was important to shed light on Aino Aalto’s role and her importance in creating Aalto architecture and design because she did most of the beautiful interiors we admire in the buildings they designed together. So, it was time to credit Aino and his second wife, Elissa. 

“ But what touched me the most was Aino’s loneliness in her last years”

――It was interesting to learn about Alvar and Aino’s relationship, personalities, and how they collaborated through letters. What surprised you the most when you read those letters?

Suutari: I was surprised by how modern they were in their thinking. We tend to think people who lived 100 years ago were old-fashioned, but they were living in their own time. The Aalto couple especially wanted to be modern in every aspect of life. They were interested in new technology and broadening their ideas of sexuality, physical health, and things like that. That was a surprising element for me. 

But what touched me the most was Aino’s loneliness in her last years. Alvar Aalto was a very outgoing extrovert. He had a wonderful, charming personality but was also quite self-centered. Sometimes, Aino Aalto handled being the CEO and artistic director of the Artek furniture company by herself. She had two teenage kids at home and was an architect, so she had a lot to handle. Aino was quite alone when Alvar Aalto worked at MIT in the United States. It was pretty touching to read those letters; she was constantly blaming herself for her feelings of loneliness and how she couldn’t think bigger like Alvar Aalto. 

What also touched me about Alvar’s letters was his repeatedly craving and missing those first years they started working together. He always dreamt about that period when things were easier between them, and they were discovering new modernism together. He repeatedly wrote about craving to be back in that mental state of working together.

――The film features precious family photos and all kinds of family archives, and we get to see who they were as a couple. What did you discuss with the Aalto family in making this film? Did they give you a list of do’s and don’ts?

Suutari: It took a while to get their trust, but once I got it, I met Aalto’s other family and his grandson several times. With their trust in my project, they were open and didn’t give me any restrictions. Of course, I was in dialogue with them and would tell them what I’d do. But I was totally free to do whatever I wanted to do with the materials. I was very aware that some of the materials were delicate, like the drawings that Alvar Aalto did of Aino on her deathbed. You have to have a sensibility to use that sort of valuable material. 

I’ll always remember the moment Aalto’s grandson came to my office. He opened his car, and there was this big brown box. We carried it to my office, and I started reading the letters that were in there. Then I told my assistant, “Okay, we’re making the film.” That material gave me the confidence to make a film that isn’t just about architecture but much more—about this timeless creativity between a beautiful couple.

――I read that Aalto was influenced by Japanese architecture in his projects such as Villa Mairea. When researching for this film, did you feel the influence that Aalto had from Japan?

Suutari: I think so, and people wiser than me have said there are Japanese influences in that house. For example, there is the winter garden, which reminds me of some Japanese features and spaces. They never visited Japan, but they certainly had some Japanese literature. At the time, in Stockholm, there was a famous Japanese tea house, and many architects were influenced by it. Researchers said Aalto probably visited that tea house as well and got ideas. Also, his use of wood: it’s like the forest has entered the interior. In the living room, there are these wooden pillars. So, there are some similarities to Japanese thinking, like how the interior and the exterior are in dialogue. 

Villa Mairea is probably the most beautiful private house I’ve ever visited. I had the pleasure of staying there with my film crew and saw the house in different lights, like the morning light, and sitting by the fire in the evening. We also went swimming in the beautiful kidney-shaped pool and experienced all the luxuries. In those moments, you think, “Oh, what a wonderful profession it is to be a documentarist!” (laughs).

――In many documentaries, we see talking heads one after another and often get a very academic impression from them. But in this film, all the comments by experts were only in narration. It’s wonderful we get to be immersed in the whole world of Aalto along with the beautiful music. 

Suutari: It was certainly our intention to make it like that. It’s challenging to make a film based on archives when the subjects are no longer here. The challenge was how to make the film fluid and organic and clean the dust away from the archive material. The soundscape, music, and editing had big roles in achieving that. It was a big, important choice to leave all the talking heads out and create one big narrator out of several narrators. It was more work for me to do it that way, but I think it made the film much more organic and beautiful, and the viewers could dive into the world of Aalto. 

A film where the viewer can feel the beauty of the details, the Aalto couple’s forte

――After watching this film, I came to like Aalto more than before. Could you share with us if you have any personal favorite architecture or furniture that Aalto designed?

Suutari: Well, I’m sitting in the Artek store in Tokyo right now, and I’d like to have all the beautiful chairs and lamps from here (laughs). But I promised myself when I finished the film that I’d get myself a Paimio chair, and I did. It’s probably not the most comfortable chair to sit on, but it’s something I love every day when I look at it. It’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s like a sculpture, but you can sit on it too (laughs). This film process made me realize all the details because the Aaltos were masters in creating details in the buildings. All the door handles, handrails, and, of course, furniture and glassware were carefully thought through. The beauty relies on these details, and you get to see them more clearly after seeing the film.  

――Is there anything you’d like to say to the Japanese Aalto fans and film enthusiasts looking forward to watching this film?

Suutari: I hope you check this film out because it gives you an enchanting, exceptional tour of the Aalto buildings worldwide. Not only can you see buildings in Finland, but you can also see ones in the United States and many European countries. If you can’t afford to go to those places immediately, it’s much cheaper to go to the cinema, buy a ticket, and be in those places. Also, you can dive into the beautiful love story of one of the greatest modernist couples, Alvar and Aino.

■Aalto: Architect of Emotions
Title: Aalto: Architect of Emotions
Director: Virpi Suutari
Year: 2020
Distribution: Doma
Advertising: Valeria
Supported by: The Embassy of Finland, Tokyo, Finnish Institute in Japan, Japan Institute of Architects
In association with: Artek, Iittala
2020/Finland/103 minutes/ (C) Aalto Family (C)FI 2020 – Euphoria Film
Official website: aaltofilm.com
Out in theaters nationwide on October 13th, 2023

The post Pulling Back the Curtain on Alvar and Aino Aalto in the Film, Aalto: Architect of Emotions appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

When I was in high school, I tried to fake Avedon’s pictures

――Thank you so much for your time, and welcome to Japan!

Chad Moore: Thank you for having me. I was here in December 2019, and then all the covid stuff happened, so it’s been almost two and a half years.

――How many times have you been to Japan?

Moore: I think this is my eighth or ninth time. I came here for the first time with my friend Ryan [McGinley] when he had a show in 2012. I’m excited to be here.

――Could you tell us a bit about your back ground? Where did you grow up?

Moore: I grew up in Tampa, Florida. I moved to New York in 2008, so I was 21. I’ve lived in New York ever since then.

――Why did you decide to move to New York?

Moore: I always was fascinated with New York. It’s kind of cheap to fly from Florida to New York, so my friends and I would go up and visit every now and then. And then two of my friends who I grew up riding BMX bikes with, they moved to Williamsburg. I had a car that I had saved up for in Florida, and I ended up getting in a car accident. Everything was fine, but I was able to get the insurance money for it. So I just took that, and I took the train with all of my things to New York, because you can bring all the stuff you want on a train. And then I moved into this loft that we called the Snake Lounge. It wasn’t like prime Williamsburg back then, but it was probably one or two years before Williamsburg became really popular because there was nothing there. Then I ended up moving to Chinatown which I’ve kind of lived off and on in.

――How did you get into photography?

Moore: I rode BMX from when I was 10 years old. I still ride but not on that level anymore, I’m too old to get hurt [laughs.] It’s kind of like skateboarding, so you get a video camera and film your friends and take pictures. At the time, I was riding for a company called Profile, and we’d go on road trips with people, and you always travel with a photographer. And one of these guys gave me a point-and-shoot camera. It’s kind of like a natural progression, I guess.

――Are there any photographers who inspired you to become a photographer?

Moore: It may sound weird because our pictures are nothing alike, but Richard Avedon. There’s a ton of people, but I guess Avedon was really the one because for a while when I was in high school, I tried to fake Avedon’s pictures with white walls and friends.

――How did you meet Ryan McGinley?

Moore: So all these BMX guys moved to Williamsburg at the same time, and this guy Scott was going to the School of Visual Arts and told me that there was this flyer [at school].  It’s kind of crazy to think about how it worked, but it was pre-Instagram and stuff, so I guess the only way you could advertise an internship was on a flyer. I didn’t really know how everything worked, but I went in and this guy Marc [Alain] gave me the job. Marc is kind of the one that changed my life. I mean obviously Ryan, but Marc for sure. And then me and Ryan just became really good friends.

――What was the craziest experience you had when you worked with Ryan?

Moore: We did this cave series. I think it’s one of his best works, but it was hell when we were doing it [laughs.]  Because it was three months of going down into these caves all across America. We went down the east coast and then to the south, up through California and then back over the top of America. So I’ve probably seen more caves than any caver ever will. They are hard to find and it was just crazy. But looking back, it was the most amazing experience.

The title of the photo book is from a song by the band Even as We Speak

――Do you usually use film cameras?

Moore: Yeah mostly, but I don’t really have like an allegiance. A lot of night sky stuff is digital because it works better for that. Also, film is just super expensive now, and it takes too long to get everything back and stuff like that. But it’s kind of fun, it’s like Christmas when you get back 20 rolls of film.

――What is your favorite camera?

Moore: I use a Yashica T4 and the Canon 1V — sometimes I use a Nikon 850 that has the red filter taken out to capture night sky images better.

――You just made a beautiful book, called Anybody Anyway, with Super Labo. How did the project come about?

Moore: Yasunori [Hoki, the owner of Super Labo] emailed me.

――Did you know each other?

Moore: No, but I’ve been a fan of Super Labo since I can remember. I remember I was with my friend, and I was like, “This guy just emailed me!” They were like, “What the f**k are you talking about!?” And I was like, “No, this is the coolest dude, he makes books.” So it’s quite an honor to be able to do this. He came up with the most of the ideas. We work on the layout together, and the binding, the cardboard cover and the slipcase… It looks really nice. I’m really happy with it, and also it’s just a great excuse to come here.

――What is the message behind the title, Anybody Anyway?

Moore: It’s from a song by the band Even as We Speak. I steal a lot of stuff from music. The song was on a playlist made by Stuart Murdoch and It was kind of a random discovery, but I thought the title was fitting.

――I read that this project is an exploration of the pre- and post-covid world for you. How did the pandemic affect your creative process?

Moore: All my pictures are really of people, except for the night sky stuff. New York was completely shut down and I spent a lot of time with my roommate, Sasha. So I took pictures of her, but usually, I’m taking 20 rolls of film a week and it went down to nothing. But also, it was kind of depressing, too. You didn’t really want to get out and do stuff. So a lot of it came from just going through archival stuff, and looking over things I had missed that I’d already taken, and then going on some trips to do the night sky stuff once things opened up. So it kind of became a different way of working.

――Was it artistically interesting for you in a way?

Moore: Kind of, because a lot of what I do, photography, is not taking pictures every day, 90 percent of it is on the computer and then also emailing and stuff like that. So in one aspect, it was nice because it took away the sense of urgency and there was no deadline or anything, and you could actually focus on what you want to do. But also in the end, I wasn’t able to really work at all. So there was actually a plus side to it. Also, New York is really cool-looking when there’s no one there. I would ride my bike into Times Square, and it just looked like a zombie apocalypse scene.

――Many of your landscape photos have skies in the background. What does it mean for you?

Moore: Especially during the pandemic, you kind of think that you can’t photograph people, but the night sky kind of has the same energy. It’s like a human spirit, I guess… not to sound too crazy  [laughs].

――How do you keep the balance between creativity and commerciality?

Moore: It’s always been hard to do that. I feel like I really try to work now with only people that I trust. Like I do some fashion stuff with my friend Fernando, who is the most brilliant creative director. I trust him and he would never make me do something that wasn’t up my alley. So It’s picking who you want to work with. Because otherwise it’s not even worth the money that you’re getting paid.

Relation between photographic works and Instagram

――Now, with smartphones and Instagram, almost everyone is taking pictures every day. It’s nice to be able to see the work of your favorite artists so easily, but Instagram can be toxic as well. Any thoughts on that?

Moore: A lot of people complain about Instagram and stuff like that, which I could completely agree with. Because it’s made everything so fast, and no one’s really caring about the quality. But at the same time, it gives a lot of people that wouldn’t necessarily have a platform a voice to show their stuff. During quarantine, IMA had a photo contest and asked me to judge, and they found all these kids and they are so cool. But if Instagram didn’t exist, some of them are in high school, so they have no way to show their pictures. So in some ways, it’s great, you know? But at the same time, there’s nothing more special than seeing something printed on a wall, instead of just scrolling through a five-inch screen. So it’s give and take, but I’d say we kind of have to live with it.

――You mentioned that you have been here many times. Do you have any favorite spots that you always come to when you’re in town?

Moore: There’s a really cool place. We tried to go there the other day, but we got kicked out. It’s a rooftop of an old apartment complex that was made for the first Olympics here, on the edge of Harajuku and Shibuya. But you’re not supposed to go up there, obviously. So you have to go down to the lobby and hope the guy doesn’t see you [laughs.] The other day, I brought everyone and the guy was like, “No, you don’t know anyone who lives here, get the f**k out.” Anyways, I always go there, it’s one of my favorite places.

――I read that you also like little back alleys in Tokyo?

Moore: Yeah, they’re just so cool. We went to Golden Gai last night, and I just love how everything is just so crazy and tiny and so beautiful.

――If you could take a photo of anyone, who would that be?

Moore: That’s a great question. I would love to photograph Brad Pitt, Morrissey…I don’t know. I have to think about that one.

――You are a big inspiration for a lot of people in Japan as well. Do you have any advice for people who want to become a photographer?

Moore: A lot of people ask me that, and I think it’s all about just constantly taking pictures.

――What are some of your biggest inspirations now?

Moore: This whole trip has been pretty inspiring, because I hadn’t been here for so long. So it’s just good to walk around. Even though being jet lagged sucked, it’s really cool to wake up at six or seven in the morning, when no one is on the street, and you’re at the biggest crossing in the world. Or even just walking through the alleys. Yeah, so just being here, it’s pretty inspiring.

Chad Moore
Born in 1987 in Tampa, Florida. Chad Moore worked as an assistant to Ryan McGinley before striking out on his own and leading a new generation of artists in downtown New York. He has published several photo books, including 2016’s critically acclaimed Bridge of Sighs. Moore’s works have been exhibited internationally at such institutions as the Foam Museum (Amsterdam), Stieglitz 19 Gallery (Antwerp), Galerie & co 119 (Paris), and Agnes b. (New York, Tokyo). Anybody Anyway is his sixth monograph of photography, following MEMORIA (2019).

Super Labo
Founded by Yasunori Hoki in 2009, Super Labo is a publisher specializing in photobooks. Hoki has produced projects for a number of world-renowned artists, and more than 120 photobooks have been released under the imprint as of 2022. In March 2019, the SUPER LABO STORE TOKYO opened in Jimbo-cho, Tokyo.
www.superlabo.com
www.superlabostoretokyo.com

Chad Moore: Anybody Anyway
Date: May 13 – June 26, 2022
Time: 12pm – 6pm (Closed on Sundays and Mondays)
Location: SUPER LABO STORE TOKYO 1-4-11 Kanda-Sarugaucho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Admission: Free

Photography Masashi Ura
Edit Jun Ashizawa
Translation Nao Machida

The post “Anybody Anyway”: What Chad Moore sees in the world before and after covid appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.