Last month we previewed the imminent arrival of Aalto University’s Nokia Design Archive. Today the site opens to the public, with 700 curated entries and 20,000 items in a repository you can browse through via an interface that links the various strands of company history, conceptual design and presentations together.
‘What we had at the time were phones with black and white screens that could take calls and send a text message. At the time, we were asking: could the mobile phone be something more? What are our wildest dreams for what a phone could do?,’ remembers Professor Anna Valtonen, lead researcher on the Design Archive and a former designer at Nokia.
We’ve sifted through a few of our favourites from the dawn of the mobile multimedia age.
Nokia 252 in different colours, 1999
Hand drawn sketches, Blitz workshop, 1998
HumanForm Concept displays, date unknown
Nokia Monolith: 'Black handmade model of a communicator with stickers representing keyboard and UI design on the screen'
Handmade concept model, 1999
Responder phone sketch, 1994-1995
Nokia L'Amour Collection Launch, 2005
The powerhouse Nokia N95, 2007
The Nokia Design Archive can be found at Aalto.fi
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Vacheron Constantin unveils an exceptional astronomical clock at Le LouvreTo mark its 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin has created astronomical artistry in La Quête du Temps, now part of an exhibition at Le Louvre
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Herzog & de Meuron and Piet Oudolf unveil Calder Gardens in PhiladelphiaThe new cultural landmark presents Alexander Calder’s work in dialogue with nature and architecture, alongside the release of Jacques Herzog’s 'Sketches & Notes'. Ellie Stathaki interviews Herzog about the project.
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Beloved British screenwriter Dennis Potter inspires an exhibition with a difference at Studio VoltaireHilary Lloyd's multi-faceted exhibition at Studio Voltaire considers Dennis Potter's life and work, from much-loved TV classics to power inequalities
