Books make the best bulky Christmas gifts

Welcome to Weekly’s inspiring selection of bulky Christmas gifts. This year we’ve seen fascinating books published related to Finland, from design agencies to trees and primitive technologies.

 

Finnish designers and agencies

Secret Universe: Manufacturing Secrets and Spirituality

An endearing book by Aamu Song and Johan Olin’s design agency Company to explain their methods that are indeed fascinating! Aamu and Johan use the so called traditional methods, which in this time and age feels downright rebellious. This book takes us on their factory journey across the world.

Doghnuts to Muffins

For those interested in urban life, this book features 19 international urban design experts pondering the challenges of current and future cities which condense in rapidly growing areas and shrink elsewhere. The articles address the forces that affect our cities and the directions in which they are being developed.

This book was published to celebrate Architects Harris-Kjisik’s 30th anniversary.

Borrowing Positions: Role-Playing Design & Architecture

This Finnish-Estonian book is about the design and architecture-related live role action plays (LARP) organized by the Helsinki-based Trojan Horse collective in 2017 and 2018. What are the opportunities offered by larping when used as a tool for design and architecture? The book invites us to test different roles and thereby study our daily routines from a new perspective.

Björn Weckström: Myyttien muotoilija (The Designer of Myths)

Jewellery designer Björn Weckström has beaten his own drum for a long time, and here he recounts his career in his own words. Although his work hasn’t been very appreciated in Finland, he has worked strenuously to follow his own vision. Weckström is a great storyteller, so this autobiography in Finnish is highly entertaining.

Parks, trees and handicrafts

Maiseman tekijät (The Landscape Makers)

Landscape is an important factor in the city, affecting its attractiveness, functionality, ecology – everything about it. This book introduces 46 landscape architects in their own context. It was co-produced by the landscape architecture programme of the Aalto University, the Finnish Association of Landscape Architects and the Finnish Garden Art Society.

Working with Wood: A Nordic Perspective on Cabinetmaking

This book lists tree species and their characteristics from the point of view of cabinetmakers. Edited to celebrate the Nikari brand’s anniversary, it addresses the finesse of the field and the importance of handicraft

Trees

For those interested in trees, this book provides a cross section of these marvellous giants. Published as an exhibition catalogue, it introduces the works and thoughts of photographers, architects, sculptors, philosophers, climatologists and botanists.

Trees have seen the most amongst the living organisms, and they still offer an endless array of research material.

Low-tech Magazine

This is a printed website. Sounds peculiar, but here’s what its creators say: a printed work enables learning the content even without electricity and internet access – or when the solar-powered site is down on a cloudy day.

The book presents 32 articles from the website addressing low-tech solutions, such as trolleybuses, handheld drills, manure fertilization, wind power and getting from London to New York in 3.5 days without flying.