Living and Working on the Creative Edge

By SONNA CALANDRINO

Fabulous Floors - Summer, 2005

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Readers of FABULOUS FLOORS first met artist Harri Aalto in the Spring '05 issue featured in "Floors to your breath away." Harri is the creative behind the Creative Edge Mastershop the "mixed media, masterpieces" you see on this the next.

His creations are part art, part science and part architecture.

Literally, it takes space age waterjet cutting technology to create the exacting piecework detail needed in his sculptures for the floor and walls. Harri draws on a background in fine art, a career as sculptor and painter. His works can be found in both private and public collections in Europe and Canada.

When Harri first began the present phase of his career, precious little stone was being put into homes in North America. In the intervening 15 years, he has come to see his visions evolve into unique insets and medallions, even palatial designs, just at the time consumers want homes which reflect uniqueness, customization and personal taste. (Many Creative Edge Masterworks are socially significant, too. Take for example their contributions to the creation of the astronaut memorial.)

Waterjet, Harri says, can do unique things with any material. Unlike other cutting processes, it doesn't matter what is being cut or how thick it is. A combination of water and tiny garnet particles fired at twice the speed of sound cut away material so precisely that stone, glass, metal, wood, resilient, laminate — any material — liter­ally can be made into filigree. "Already, we can create works of art of up to tens of thousands of pieces in onyx, marble and semi­precious stones, yet we have not begun to probe the boundaries of the capabilities for art and intrica­cy in insets and medallions," he says.

To Harri's way of thinking, anyone who wants WOW! at home or in the office can have it, ranging from customized Creative Edge Mastershop designs to pure one-of-a-kind. "Anyone can have a fine art floor (a fireplace or furniture, even) fit for royalty."