#feministfriday episode 491 | Finnish art
Good afternoon everyone,
This week we head to the land of the lakes, AKA Finland, for two very different artists whose work I am nonetheless jamming on.
Alma Pihl was one of two woman designers at Fabergé, and whilst I don't want to play that down as an acheivement the fact that the other one was her aunt, and that her father, grandfather and brother were all also Fabergé jewellers probably gave her a bit of a leg up in the space. This pendant is utterly delightful though so she makes it to Fem Fri:
Each jewel was to be completely unique, created from high quality materials but, so as not to seem like bribes, the value was to be in their design rather than the excessive opulence of material use. Alma Pihl was placed in charge of this expedited and important order. Alma Pihl’s work on Dr Nobel’s commission began immediately following his visit in January. Searching for inspiration, she famously gazed out of her frost covered workshop window and noticed sunlight glistening across the ice fractals forming on her window pane.
How a Young Russian Woman Revolutionised Fabergé's Designs | Russian Art | Sotheby’s
Sotheby's Russian Works of Art sale on 26th November features a magnificent jeweled pendant created by a young designer in the Fabergé workshop, Alma Pihl.
Okay so PERFORMANCE ART. It's not always my favourite form but the quiet anarchy of Pilvi Takala's The Trainee really engages me. This all happened at Deloitte btw:
We see the trainee sitting at her workstation in the consultants' open-plan office space, or in the tax department library all day doing nothing. One of the videos shows her spending an entire day in an elevator. These acts or rather the absence of visible action slowly make the atmosphere around the trainee unbearable, forcing the colleagues to search for solutions and to come up with explanations for the situation.
Masking laziness in apparent activity and browsing Facebook during working hours belong to the acceptable behavioural patterns of a work community. However, sitting in front of an empty desk with your hands of your lap, just thinking, threatens the peace of the community and breaks the colleagues’ concentration. When there is no ready method of action, people initially resort to avoidance, which fails to set their mind at ease if the situation drags on.
Pilvi Takala — The Trainee
Portfolio of artist Pilvi Takala
Love,
Alex.