Iita Villiina Jaakonaho Finnish, b. 1996

Iita Villiina Jaakonaho, born 1996, is a glass artist and a maker. She comes from a small town in Northern Finland and right now se is making her work in Småland in an area full of glass studios and people who share the same passion for this material. Her interest towards handcrafts comes from family. Knifemaker and bladesmith as a father and mother doing visual arts and performances have been a huge influence for her.

Glass came into her life 2015 when she started the glass school in Finland and after that glass led her to Sweden. She finds the inspiration to her work from the Nature of the North but a big part of it comes from her childhood.

”I value the fantasy we had as children when we were playing together and imagined all kinds of things. The best memories of mine are when playing. I would imagine I was a fairy or a princess or sometimes even a troll. In my mind I would design everything around me, the home, clothes, what kind of tableware I would have. It was the nicest part of playing when we would share to each other how everything would look like. Today many seem to forget the freedom to imagine as they get older. For me glass is giving it back. For many years I used to consentrate to the technical side of glassmaking, to master the craft but lately I have taken it as my mission to jump out of my comfort zone. I realise that as soon I let go of the limitations I set to myself as a glassmaker (and a human being) the playfulness is bubbling over. The imagination takes control of the steering wheel and the most craziest and funniest ideas are coming alive. I wish to share a bit of that bubbling feeling trough my work and remind us to embrace our inner children by continuing to imagine all kinds of things and worlds and sometimes even disappear into them. For a little while at least".