iittala Toikka Green Ibis Bird

About the Designer
Oiva Toikka Finland

Professor Oiva Toikka is one of the greatest names in Finnish glass. His imaginative, rich and bold glass art deviates from the streamlined aesthetic of Nordic design. He has worked in the performing arts for as long as he has in glass. The Birds collection is Toikka's best-known work. He has enjoyed an international career and received numerous awards, among them Lunning Prize, Pro Finlandia Medal, World Glass Now 85 Award, Kaj Franck Design Prize and the Prince Eugen Medal. The Kastehelmi range of glassware that Toikka originally designed in 1964 was also the outcome of a technical challenge. To celebrate Toikka's 50th, Iittala reintroduced a selection of the most popular pieces in the range in year 2010. The idea of using droplets of glass as decoration came to Toikka when he was thinking of ways of covering the joint marks left on the surface of pressed glass pieces by the production process.

Oliva Toikka's birds are more than a collection of artifacts, they are a collection of stories. The shape of some are inspired by nature, others originate in the mind of the artist. Each has its own character and tells a different story. Finding the character and expressing it in glass is the heart of the idea behind the Birds collection. Limitless imagination combined with a sophisticated knowledge of glass allow Toikka and his glass blowers to create small miracles of life.

Features:

• Individually handmade
• Made of hand - blown glass
• Dimensions: 8.07" H x 6.5" W