VALO Hotel & Work
VALO Hotel & Work, located in Helsinki, is a pioneering hybrid hotel that seamlessly blends accommodation and workspace solutions under one roof. Commissioned to create brand imagery for VALO, the objective was to visually represent the hotel's core values: light, nature, and sustainability — but in a surprising, memorable way.
Instead of photographing the hotel’s spaces, we brought its most essential elements: light, pillows, beds, and breakfast, into the heart of Finnish nature. This concept playfully highlights how deeply VALO’s brand is rooted in both comfort and the natural world.
The resulting images reflect the harmony between Nordic design and wild landscapes, offering a fresh perspective on the brand's story. By taking the indoors outside, the project communicates VALO’s vision of sustainable hospitality and the calming power of nature.
These images were created before the rise of generative AI, and I am currently working on a new series, incorporating AI as a tool in my creative process. As both an artist and a businessman, I find myself at the intersection of excitement and apprehension about the vast possibilities AI offers.
AI has the potential to imagine and create beyond human limitations, as demonstrated in the initial experiments I’m undertaking. I also see incredible opportunities in AI-driven services, some of which I am actively developing. Yet, I remain deeply connected to the craft and tactile experience of creation. There’s something profoundly human about using one’s hands and mind to build, paint, photograph, and write. It’s in these moments, when my hands are covered in sawdust in the woodshop or I’m adjusting lighting on a photography set, that I find a special kind of fulfillment.
This is a balance I wish to preserve. Not just for myself, but for future generations, including my daughter. I hope she too can experience the joy and depth that comes from engaging with the physical world, as well as the cutting-edge technologies that are shaping the future.