North is where the compass needle points. Determined geographically from every location, North is also experienced, imagined and interpreted through unique social, cultural and environmental contexts. North as a Meaning in Design and Art considers its particular significance for a number of artists and designers, past and present, and accounts for some of the local, regional and national identifications of their works.
The diverse and complex meanings of North or ‘northernness’ is a common concern for each of the essays, but each author – from the fields of architecture, art, design history, art history, art education, textile art, and cultural geography – approaches these particular meanings from unique perspectives. This publication was prompted by recent discussion of the Finnish and international artist-designers Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985) and Rut Bryk (1916–1999) for whom the North and especially Lapland was to become a vital part of their work and shared life.
Editors
Maija Mäkikalli is Lecturer at the Department of Fine Arts and Culture Studies at the University of Lapland, Finland. She is a cultural historian with a special interest in design and material culture.
Ysanne Holt is Professor of Art History and Visual Culture at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, UK. Her recent research focusses on contemporary art and northern UK cultural landscapes and environments.
Tuija Hautala-Hirvioja is Professor of Art History at the University of Lapland, Finland. Her field of specialisation is northern art and culture.
North as a Meaning in Design and Art
Maija Mäkikalli, Ysanne Holt & Tuija Hautala-Hirvioja (eds.)
Lapland University Press 2019
ISBN 978-952-310-931-5
209 pages
For more information:
Maija Mäkikalli, Lecturer
Department of Fine Arts and Culture Studies at the University of Lapland
maija.makikalli [at] ulapland.fi
Requests for a review copy:
publications@ulapland.fi