another year has passed and again a lot has happened on this blog. Today 6 years ago I started this project by formulating an ambitious goal of visiting all 80 Alvar Aalto sites around the world. Honestly by that time this goal seemed unreachable. However, today 6 years later I have visited 60 sites and the readership, which counted only a few hundred after the first year, has by now grown up to over 66 000! This blog attracts more than 2 000 readers every month. It is you guys who keep me motivated and going and I would sincerely thank you for that!
During the past 12 months I have visited two Alvar Aalto sites in Finland. One of Aalto's most famous work, Villa Mairea in Noormarkku and a much less known and almost forgotten site, the Yhteis-Sisu Corporation Housing in Hämeelinna. Plans to finally visit the Aalto Library in Vyborg couldn't unfortunately be realized this summer. Also the visit of Villa Kokkonen wasn't possible due to the very difficult opening hours of the site.
Also the seventh year will see new sites and there are already concrete plans existing to visit the Schönbühl Apartment House and Commercial Centre in Lucerne / Switzerland in December. I hope I will also be able to attend a guided tour of the Finlandia Hall in the upcoming year, in order to get to see more of the interior. Further I am planning to visit in Finland the Kainula Adult Education Institute in Kajaani and Villa Kokkonen in Järvenpää.
During the past months I have also been considering the idea to generate some earnings through this blog with adds. Nevertheless, I have dropped the idea as I would like to provide the content of this blog also in the future without any disturbing advertisements to you.
In this regard I hope you keep enjoying reading my blog. Stay tuned!
Congratulations Stefan! I am wondering what are you doing next, when you will complete your research about all the Alvar Aalto sites ;)
ReplyDeleteP.S. We want more updates!
Thank you so much for your feedback Ivanna and your question. I have been thinking about this for a while and perhaps I am gonna write a book based on what I did with this blog. Maybe something like a guide for people who want to visit Alvar Aalto sites. But I haven't figured it out yet. Nevertheless, I will keep you updated if I pursue with this idea :-)
DeleteI hope you realize all your projects and wish you super success! The book-guide project will be very useful and interesting.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I don't know if you already have this site on your list: the Finland pavilion in the Giardini area of Biennale di Venezia. It was designed as a small temporary structure but is still there after 60 years!
Thank you so much Ivanna for your encouraging words and good wishes! Thank you also for the tip, I wasn't aware of the Finnish pavilion at the Venice Biennale, definitely a site I have to cover when I will be in Venice next time!
ReplyDelete