Mikael Silvanto has an MA degree from the Royal College of Arts in London. He works with Design Agency Jämsén Mäkelä Silvanto Sysiö, also known as aivan!. Aivan! seeks to clarify and shape the potential of the world around us. The group designs holistic solutions where effort and intelligence is invested in the logic and aesthetic of not only the product, but the actors and landscape interacting with it. The aivan! designers’ work is driven by interest in and curiosity about the design of the world: possibilities, problems, relationships and behavior — nature, space, buildings, objects and services.
08 RADIO
Mikael Silvanto wants to use technology to liberate old objects to a new physicality, promoting a joy of function and use. In the case of the 08 Radio, Silvanto highlights the act and accuracy of tuning. To reinforce this, he uses a ruler with a millimeter scale for tuning presented in extremely clear typography, and providing the material feel of a precision instrument. The concept is a radio-IN-a-scale instead of a scale in a radio: The tuning bar common to most analog radio receivers is magnified to a structural scale, while the radio itself along with the speaker travels along the rail to seek your favorite station. You can precisely find the station you want by sliding the entire radio unit on the scale — there is no need for dials. Fusing technology and plain old-schoolness in an interesting way, the 08 Radio was first presented at the Royal College of Art Design Products MA Interim Show in 2008. It is going to production and will be available later this year.
