AIVAN!
Standing together, Jarkko Jämsén, Antti Mäkelä, Saku Sysiö,
and Mikael Silvanto could be mistaken for a brainy indie-rock
band. And like a musical group, they have an output shaped
by the creative tension that arises from combining four strong-minded partners. “We’re very different and independent
characters, all vocal and visible faces of the company,” says
Silvanto, who nonetheless comes across as the front man.
“We can agree to disagree. There’s an ‘I’ in our ‘we.’”
Although Aivan! has tackled everything from medical devices
to stereo equipment and corporate branding, its primary focus is
boat design (including that of the Finnish president’s official
yacht) for local companies such as Marino, Paragon Yachts, and
XO Boats. (They all share a penchant for the sea, and their office
is located on an industrial dock.) For the World Design Capital
events in Helsinki next year, the foursome proposed building
quiet, energy-efficient boats that would offer city tours from
the Baltic. “Currently, what you have for experiencing Helsinki
from the sea is overcrowded tourist buses—noisy, ugly beasts.”
Aivan!’s design is a retro-looking wooden vessel with an
optimized hull (designed by Jämsén) and two electronic-
propulsion systems (a team commission from Oceanvolt) that
would allow the boat to cruise at 15 nautical miles an hour on
very little power. “We take up to eight people out for a few hours
with a great cake, a well-trained crew, and nothing but the
sea for sounds,” Silvanto says. “We’re designing the business
model, the entire vessel, crew outfits, and, of course, the cake.”
T d D A ip q s
Portrait, courtesy Pekka Homstrom; other images courtesy Aivan!
Far left: Radio 08,
with a sliding-rule
design by Mikael
Silvanto, remains
in the prototype
stage. Despite
receiving countless
inquiries about
the radio, Aivan!
has yet to secure
a manufacturer.
