Markku Salo

The work of the Finnish artist and designer Markku Salo ranges from the ridged tumblers he has designed for Nude, to large-scale site-specific artworks – he recently completed 11 integrated stainless steel sculptures for a new hospital in Tampere – as well as electronics and graphic design. He has lived and worked in the glass village of Nuutajarvi since 1983 – a collection of old worker cottages and factory spaces dating back to 1793. These now accommodate a community of artists and makers including blacksmiths and ceramists and a glass hot shop. Designing, says Markku, is team work. Art is a solitary affair, where only the artist can make the decisions. For him, to do both creates an ideal balance.