Riikka Peltola

Riikka Peltola (b. 1994) is a fashion designer and fibre artist graduated from Aalto University with a degree in Fashion. She forms a relationship with fibres by exploring them through themes of care, stories and emotions. Layers of time and memory are linked in the materials of her works. The ability to adapt and change with prevailing conditions is reflected in the yarn made from fibres. She has a desire to understand the life hidden behind materials, as part of a mycelium-like ecology. The materials continue their life in the finished works. The fragility of the materials is understood with tenderness and observation. Peltola is interested in how the life of a material and an individual are linked to history, and how the past and the present are intertwined in objects. Building emotional connections tied to materiality is at the heart of her work. Fibres have a will of their own when they are allowed to shine in their wild state. An essential part of the creative process is interpreting the imagination realised through dreaming by means of textiles.

Riikka Peltola

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“The Sheep Jar family is a mixture of history and the present, people and more-than-humans. In 2018, I spent a month in northern Iceland, where I encountered sheep grazing freely. I was touched by their long, shiny, curly wool fluttering in the wind. I am fascinated by the uncontrollable nature of materials. The properties of sheep’s wool are influenced by factors beyond human control during its lifetime. The inside of the crocheted piece is made of paper yarn. My crochet skills are tied to my family history and my Finnish roots. Crafting with our hands has played such an important role in our survival throughout our history. I wanted to create something beautiful, where the fibre’s own personality could move freely. I ended up exploring the circular shape through space.”