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Laura Maldonado´s thesis work is called: The Blue Moment. Maldonado explains: ”In my view the Blue Moment is not just an atmospheric phenomenon, it is part of the Spirit of Finland that exhibits the given character of the place and defines it.”  This inspiration was a starting point to of the study of her exploration and experimentation which was carried using only in Finland found Spectrolite stone. Stone´s colour has all the shades of spectrum and reflects from golden browns to darkest blues. Spectrolite was discovered by accident in 1941, years later, 1973 first cutting and polishing workshop started to make Spectrolite jewels in Ylämaa.

This stone is mostly used in jewellery, but because currently carried out operations in the stone production, there is a large quantity of leftover stone material which is lack of promotion. The amount of Left over stone reserves in south eastern Finland is 10 million cubic meters which annually grows.  Thesis´s goal was to find new use of that material.

Maldonado started experimentation and exploration: ”I started to cut the stone in to slices of between 1mm and 7 mm depending on the reading of the stone done before the cutting”.  Also, the first material composite mixture was done soon after with clear glass plus Spectrolite stone.

In her thesis Maldonado goes through experiments with stone and several different materials:  cement casting, polyurethane finish, Ceramics glaze test with Spectorlite powder for example Maldonado explains: “After having spent more than six months testing the Spectrolite stone with different materials in the laboratories and workshops, I had the summary of the working process to clarify the results obtained and to arrive at conclusions.”  She had now in her hands best choices and proposals for new possibilities to use Spectrolite in new ways.

Laura Maldonado process makes left over material to be as usable as any unused stone material.

Master thesis work of Laura Maldonado Guisado: The Blue Moment.

Product and Spatial Design, Department of Design