Browsing by Author "Autio, Johanna"

Rugdesigner Eija Rasinmäki has produced ragrugs since 1970. She wanted to renew the Finnish ragrug so that it would be suitable also for demanding interior design. In the study the essence of Eija Rasinmäki's rugs and the changes it has experienced from 1970 to 2011 is depicted. This includes both the external composition and the message of tradition it emits. The connection between the changes in the rugs and the context where they were created is also explored. Additionally, through examining the changes in the rugs essence, the challenges with combining tradition and modern idiom are contemplated. This was a historical case study. The main material I studied consisted of Rasinmäki's rugs, photos and brochures of the rugs and the collections, the interviews of Eija Rasinmäki and the newspaper clips she has collected around the topic over the years. Other material offered by the textile factory was used as supporting material for the study. The designs of the rugs have clearly changed from 1970 to 2011. There were changes in colour, weave, texture, patterns, composition, size and shape. I divided the rugs into developmental periods according to the major design changes: Loimaa period 1970 - 1978, Early Oitti period 1979 - 1983, Success period 1984 - 1989, Recession period 1990 - 1995, Quiet period 1996 - 2003 and India period 2004 - 2011. The changes in the design were caused mainly by market and economy. They both restrict the design process and direct it by demanding efficiency and affecting customer preferences. Also the designer's own intentions behind the design process change with the spirit of the times. Tradition became a brand for Rasinmäki's rugs. The message of tradition was emitted through the material, manner of manufacturing, patterns, composition, colour and shape. There were no major changes in material and manner of manufacturing, but other elements did change causing the message of tradition to vanish in the 1980's. The problem with combining tradition and modern is their dissimilar nature, other tending to conserve, other to change. Calling the rugs tradition and ragrug binds them with a certain restrictive image, and the conflict between the product and the brand confuses the customer. An artrug may have been a better term.