TEXT Daniel Butenschøn		ALTOTEM
Altotem by Karim Rashid for Totem		In the orthodox history of modernity, somewhere marginally below the Holy Trinity of Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier, lies the great Finnish Modernist, Alvar Aalto. A new generation of designers from all over the world – and America – are finding new importance in the subjects that inspired the great master of Nordic design, for instance the clarities of silence and light captured in the curve of an Aalto vase. Whatever the scale of Aalto’s designs, the same level of refinement and synthesis can be witnessed. Aalto’s creations manage to be simultaneously functional, austere, and joyful. Aalto’s famous 1937 cast glass vase is the inspiration for “Altotem,” the latest addition to Karim Rashid’s series of vinyl dipped desk accessories for Totem. Available in hot pink/clear or black/ hot pink, Altotem is the quintessential mix of sleek Nordic design and functionality, with the resurgence in pop and the computer generated ascendance of blobs. Indeed, it is the quintessential American contemporary tribute to Aalto.
Copyright © 2004 Totem Media, Inc.