Elle Interiör, the Swedish edition of the Elle Decoration magazine, has chosen the Vattenblänk pattern designed by artist Astrid Sylwan for Marimekko as the fabric of the year 2011.
The selection was announced on 6 February 2012. All winners will be among the finalists in the Elle Deco International Design Awards. The candidates for the international final are chosen by the different editions of Elle Decoration worldwide, and the results of the final will be announced at the Milan Furniture Fair in April.
In their collaboration, Marimekko and Astrid Sylwan have broken down the barriers between industrial design and art. The award-winning Vattenblänk (glittering water), together with two other patterns based on Sylwan’s paintings, were launched in the autumn of 2011. The vibrant and captivating prints brought a new kind of strong, abstract, painterly quality to Marimekko’s interior decoration collection. In Vattenblänk, the main emphasis is on movement, the power of flowing water. In addition to fabric, ready-made interior decoration items are also available in this pattern.
Astrid Sylwan lives and works in the Enskede district of Stockholm, Sweden. A graduate of Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Sylwan was nominated for the 2010 Carnegie Art Award. She is inspired by rhythm, movement and colour as well as paint as a material. Sylwan represents a strong female perspective in the world of abstract art.
Here a little more info about her, found on Marimekko:
My greatest artistic influence: Artistic influences can be so overwhelming that they are hard to get past. An extraordinary exhibition can take weeks to recover from. I used to have artistic house gods but I don’t anymore. I try to search within myself.
My most important mentor: I have a handful of close friends and colleagues that constantly impress and challenge me and never let me forget that I can do better.
The word that best describes my creative philosophy: Work. You can’t think yourself to a good painting. Working, failing and finally getting there makes progress.
My first memory of Marimekko: When I was a small child my mother wallpapered my room in strong yellow striped wallpaper. She also painted my furniture in the same intense yellow and hang curtains with Maija Isola´s Unikko in navy blue, orange and yellow. I loved my room, it was as if the sun was always shining in there, an endless summer.
The Marimekko product I use all the time: The salad bowls. I first got one as a work sample and it quickly moved from my studio into my kitchen. Now I have two and I use them all the time for everything.
The most important thing to remember when decorating a room: At the moment I’m hooked on lighting. Different kinds of light sources and dimmers that enables the room to follow the time of day.
The pattern I’m most fascinated with right now: Manhattan by Josef Frank.
I relax by: gardening.
The smell that reminds me of childhood: Fresh cut lawns and melting butter.
Source: Elle Interior
Photos: Marimekko