Irina Pått

IRINA PÅTT, DESIGNER: PLYWOOD, PAPER AND LIGHT

Dance and movement have always played important parts in Irina Pått’s life, and it is from these elements that she draws inspiration for her new lightworks. The reliefs are carved out of plywood, creating a three-dimensional space for the delicate line of light moving organically through the works.

Pått still vividly remembers the first neon lights in Helsinki appearing on the Lasipalatsi building in the 1950’s. They made a huge impact on her, and the artist’s work can be seen as paying a tribute to new ways of using light. She has been experimenting with different light techniques during her whole artistic career.

In year 2023 Irina Pått’s alluring lightworks were leading towards the exhibition Longing in the attic sauna at Runo Hotel Porvoo, and they could also be seen as part of the annual Lux Helsinki festival in January 2023.

Irina Pått lives and works in Helsinki.

– Fanny Tavastila, Visual Artist, Curator of Longing exhibition

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TECHNICAL DATA / MATERIALS FOR BIRCH PLYWOOD RELIEFS

Under the thin individually oated top layer of veneer, there are 11-29 layers of birch plywood that enables the final striping pattern of the wood. Primarily the plywood is 15 mm thick, the one with broad stripes has 11 layers, the one with thin stripes has 29 layers.

Manufacturing technology of plywood works:

Milling the surface gives the plywood works their characteristic striped image which is achieved by CAM (Computer-aided manufacturing) with CNC-machinery. This working process allows outer dimensions of the plywood up to; 1250 x 2200 mm. After milling the works are polished by hand.

It is possible to produce numerous combination options of the figures or patterns in size 300×400 mm to 1000×1000 mm, sizes of figures being from100x100mm to 800×800, repeating one or more figures and the mirror image of those. The starting point of the design has been the SEVEN DANCERS group or the abstract YYTERI pattern. New compositions are created by combining the figures in new compositions.

To prevent twisting, the works are finished on both sides with durable moisture-resistant water-soluble special wax (natural, white, or black).

The restrained colouring option on the surface could be the natural colour or white that blends into many spatial solutions.

Lights of the works:

A lasting result is obtained with bars going around the edges on the backside of the work, inside which the light LED points are located.

Design and light are combined in the works. LED: Osram Back LED L Plus, duration about 50.000 hours. The latest LED technique is used in the works.The lights can be on all the time. The works do not need framing as Paper Art works do.