Aalto and Armanto – surnames that harmonize with each other in an exceptional way.
With the Finnish-American skate star With Lizzie Armanno and with Finland’s most internationally known architect Alvar Aalto however, there is also a genuine connection.
This connection is opened by the exhibition Colors, which presents Armanno’s, 31, career so far and the Tokyo Olympic sky, which is on display at the Aalto2 museum center in Jyväskylä until mid-September.
– I feel that this is a perfect bridge between Finnish culture and skating, because even today many of the skaters do not know that Alvar Aalto designed the first naturally shaped pool that was suitable for skating, Armanto says.
The pool in question can be found in the yard of Villa Mairea in Noormarku, Pori. Armanto hopes that with the exhibition, Aalto’s respect will grow even more in skateboarding circles.
– I would like to know what he would think about skating, because I know that he thought fitness was important, which was not common in his time. Skateboarders are also kind of visionaries and boundary breakers, so I think he would have fit the culture.
Wavy print design
Armanto, who represented Finland at the Tokyo Olympics, got to know Alvar Aalto’s production and Artek’s history more deeply when designing his competition outfit.
– I got a lot of visibility for my overalls in Oympia and it was featured in the fashion magazine Vogue. Since then I have been in contact with the Alvar Aalto Foundation. One and a half years ago we started talking more seriously about setting up an exhibition and now we are here, which feels unreal.
As the sole representative of the Finnish national skateboarding team, Armanto got to design his own competition outfit for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Inspired by Aalto, Armanto wanted his outfit to have the design language of swimming pools and the famous Aalto vase.
The same design can be seen on the laver in the exhibition, the fabric of which Armanto had finished the night before the exhibition opening.
A special feature of the exhibition are, among other things, five stools 60 designed by Aalto made from Armanno’s old skateboards, whose seat parts are printed with the shapes of five different pools that became important to Armanno through skateboarding.
Armanto has skated in all the other pools in Jakkaro, except the pool in Villa Maire, which is used by the museum.
Pictured are locations well-known in skate circles, such as the Bondi Bowl located on Sydney’s Bondi Beach and The Cove, located in Armanno’s hometown, in Santa Monica, California.
The Artek stool 60 in question is also illustrated in one of Armanto’s previously designed skateboards.
– By designing graphics for skateboards, I get the opportunity to share my passion and describe the things I like. Looking back like this, it’s really cool that I got to work with Artek and have my own collection.
The life of a superstar
All his life, Armanto has acted as a certain kind of pioneer and trailblazer. Among other things, she is still the only woman to have been on the cover of Transworld Skateboarding magazine during its 30-year history. Armanto has also appeared in Vogue after the Olympics.
In addition, Armanto has designed, among other things, his own shoe collection, several skateboards and directed the American punk band Surfbort’s music video for the song Lot Lizard 93.
Armanto wants to be an example for future generations and shows with his actions that it is not necessary to limit yourself to strict frames.
Paraikaa Armanto is finishing the renovation of his house in Los Angeles, for which he also got inspiration from the architecture of Alvar Aalto.
Paris is missed
After the Tokyo Olympics, Armanto has published two longer skate videos and he is currently working on a third one.
Armanto will not be seen at the Paris Olympics. However, with active and versatile training, he strives to have a long career ahead as a skater as well.
– If you ask any skater, they have problems and injuries, but they haven’t stopped me from doing what I love, Armanto says and adds that he will focus on cheering on his friends at this year’s Olympics.
– I think it would be amazing to be one of the first women in the world who has had an entire career around skating. No woman has been a skateboarder all her life before, but they have also had to choose another profession, Armanto continues.
Finland’s skateboarding culture speaks
Nowadays, Armanto visits Finland about once a year. This time, her husband, a Belgian professional chef, Axel Cruysberghs with.
– For example, we have gone skating in Tampere, where there is a really nice setting. It was my husband’s first time skating there and he was completely blown away.
– In addition, Tampere has a really neat skate hall made with a lot of work. You get really good at skating in those, because after that it’s much easier in real parks.
On the wall of the exhibition space, there is a huge picture of Armanos skating in another park that was made as a work of art, located in Suvilahti, Helsinki. The park going by the name Suvilahti DIY has been ordered to be demolished and its fate saddens Armanto.
– I think it’s sad that they are trying to build something else on the site. It is so unique and special, not only to the local community, but also to the global one.
Armanto says that people travel to Finland to skate there.
– It’s skating in its purest form. There is no reason why the world’s best skateboarders don’t come from Finland. There is a great framework and community support here. I think it’s just a matter of time.