Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Curator’s Letter
Exhibition Design
The Exhibitors
Sun Art Installation
Credits
Foreword
At the turn of the millennium a new generation of talented Norwegian furniture and product designers caught the attention of the international media and the design industry. Recognising this, we, the Norwegian Design Council and the Norwegian Embassy in London, decided to develop a long term plan to support Norwegian design. The resulting initiative, 100% Norway, was launched at a gallery in east London during the London Design Festival in 2003. Innovation Norway and the Federation of Norwegian Industries later joined us as partners. Since its humble start, the show has changed and grown, but always with the aim of generating business for our design industry and increasing the profile of Norwegian design. During the London Design Festival exhibitors at 100% Norway are given the opportunity not just to showcase the diversity of Norwegian design, but also to network with representatives of the British, international and Norwegian design industries. The 10 years of 100% Norway exhibitions have generated some significant successes. The project has demonstrated to international media, designers, architects, buyers, producers and brand builders that Norwegian design is establishing an international reputation for innovation, quality and presentation. As a result of participating
in 100% Norway, several Norwegian designers and manufacturers have signed contracts with producers and retailers in the UK, Norway and the rest of the world. This year we are thrilled to announce the best and most exciting line up yet for our 10th anniversary show, one that will celebrate our past and look ahead to the future. The theme of the exhibition, chosen by our curators Henrietta Thompson and Benedicte Sunde, is ‘10 x 10’: 10 designers representing Norwegian design heritage and 10 up-and-coming designers looking to the future. Nordic light and nature have always influenced and inspired Norwegian designers, something symbolised by the Sun installation that has been brought from northern Norway to east London to be part of the exhibition. Enjoy the best of Norwegian design!
Norwegian Design Council www.norskdesign.no Royal Norwegian Embassy www.norway.org.uk
2 / 3
Foreword
Benedicte Sunde & Henrietta Thompson, curators
For a full decade, the annual 100% Norway exhibition has sourced and presented the very best contemporary product and furniture design coming out of Norway. The theme we have chosen for our 10th anniversary show is ‘10 x 10’. Celebrating our past and looking forward to the future in equal measure, the exhibition presents 10 designers that represent Norwegian design heritage (many of which have exhibited with 100% Norway in previous years); alongside 10 up and coming designers with an eye firmly on the future. As always, almost every product in the exhibition is a new design. Norwegian design has traveled quite a trajectory, not only in the history of this exhibition. For this year’s show we present the work of Norway’s design greats who have been producing fantastic, iconic products since the 60s and 70s, next to
new talents so fresh some haven’t even quite graduated yet (although you’d never guess from the quality of their work). In another first, this September 100% Norway is bringing the Sun to London. All the way from Tromsø in the north of Norway, this spectacular art installation promises to light up east London like never before. Light and Nature are two overarching themes of the exhibition this year, the inspiration behind many of the products, as well as forming the basis of the look and feel of the show itself, which for the second year we are thrilled to be working again with London based Norwegian duo, Hunting & Narud. We very much hope you enjoy the show this year as much as we have enjoyed putting it together. Please join us in celebrating our anniversary – may the sun shine on Norwegian design well into the future too.
4 / 5
Introduction
Henrietta Thompson
I often get asked how I came to be curating an exhibition of Norwegian design. And it’s a fair enough question: I might be a design writer, but I’m not Norwegian. (In fact, for the eight years that I have been working with my cocurator Benedicte Sunde over at the Oslo Design Council, and the amazingly hardworking team at the Norwegian Embassy here in London, I have been keeping a dark secret – I am actually part Danish!) So what am I doing here? Given that this year we are proudly celebrating the 10th anniversary of this exhibition, it’s perhaps a good time to look back on where we’ve come from and how this all came about. The first time I went to Norway professionally was 10 years ago, for a business conference in Alesund called Innotown. I remember it clearly, because the setting among the fjords was so breathtakingly beautiful and because the people I met were some of the most inspiring and warm characters I’d ever come across. I was also impressed by the design, in particular a trio of young furniture designers called Norway Says. That was the first year of 100% Norway back in London, then curated by a friend and colleague (and part Swede, I might add) called Bradley Quinn. He would also curate it the following year. When he left London for New York in 2005 there was a clear gap to be filled and – having had two years to get to know and love the young Norwegian design scene by then – I jumped at the chance. You could say that not being Norwegian is part of the criteria for this role. It’s about finding what will work
in London. It’s also about championing this slice of Scandinavia in a way that a native would never be able to do without coming across as arrogant. Arrogance is not a common Norwegian trait as many know. That said, it would be impossible to do this alone, and Benedicte’s insider expertise and Norwegian know-how is what makes this team work. Together we scout the country for fresh new talent and exciting new designs each year and bring the best of it to London. In doing so we hope to give these designers a platform on the world’s stage. Since that first introduction to Norwegian design 10 years ago, when I myself was just starting out, a lot has changed. The design industry worldwide was only tiny (compared to now at least) and the Norwegian impact on that was even tinier, overshadowed as it was by its famous Nordic neighbours in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. As the design industry globally ‘exploded’, what we hoped to achieve was for Norwegian design to find its voice within it. So has it? I would say yes. What was a handful of small studios is now a fully fledged scene. A real community, including many who are internationally renowned, has evolved, and Norwegian design is known as much for innovation, as it is for craftsmanship and style. As for 100% Norway, every year we learn a little bit more, try something new and hopefully do a little bit better than the year before. I hope for 2013, our anniversary year, we can demonstrate that Norwegian design has come of age, and move forward with the confidence that anything is possible.
6 / 7
Curator’s Letter
Hunting & Narud
Norway’s dramatic seasonal changes, endless summer light, long dark winter days and dramatic climate are prevalent at 100% Norway in 2013. The sun and the Nordic light, with everything that comes with it, were our main inspirations for the look and feel of the show. Lightness, darkness, transitional colours, elemental shapes and forms. To tie the whole exhibition together we wanted to reference a lot of the elements back to this. We have chosen the colour palette from the beautiful gradients found on the sky during sunrise and sunset. We were more than excited when we were invited to design the show for a second time, and honoured to design this special anniversary edition. Raw elements were another big theme for us, and we have decided to keep most of the materials in their natural state and honour materials such as wood, metal, paper and glass, which are all part of the design of the space.
We often get asked if we’re typically Norwegian designers, and we never really know the answer to that. It didn’t take long though before we realised that the themes in the show are very close to our personal design ethos and way of thinking too. The first things you’ll notice outside is the Sun, complimenting this is the constantine fence made with a transitional gradient, with colours taken from soft peach through muted yellow and pale green hues. These are one of the colours transitions we discovered when studying the Nordic sky during sunset. The outside space at the exhibition has been designed to be used, with lots of colourful outdoor furniture and a small canvas roof over the area to protect our visitors from any rain. There will be patterned decking and a little fireplace too.
8 / 9
The Exhibition Design
10 representing Norway’s design heritage
10 representing Norway’s bright future
Magnor Glassverk Cathrine Maske Disappearance of the Butterflies and Tokyo Box Collection
Figgjo Frøystad + Klock Figgjo Sans
Cecilie Moi Sindum Carrara
GU Heidi Winge Strøm HWS Fabrics
günzler.polmar Waxandstone
Northern Lighting Atle Tveit & Sven Ivar Dysthe Acorn and Butterfly Copper
Permafrost Archipelago, Shipping and Offshore
Ida Noemi & Caroline Olsson Epaulette
Peter Opsvik Swing
Kristine Bjaadal Svale, Siska, Keepsake and Cloche
Sundays Frame and Pouf Daddy
Tonje Skjervold, Vibeke Skar & Bielke+Yang Jewellerybox by Vist
Kristine Five Melvær Soft Bowls, Liquid Light, Obelix and Spring
Lars Beller Fjetland Equal and Cloche
VAD Torsteinsen Size
Wik & Walsøe Rustikk
Hunting & Narud Copper Mirror Series
Philipp von Hase Trialog and Spire
Strek Collective Bow
Sverre Uhnger Oo and Tuck
Cathrine Maske
14 / 15
Disappearance of the Butterflies and Tokyo Box Collection Manufactured by Magnor Glassverk
Originally studying ceramics at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Cathrine changed direction, keen to work with a new medium, glass. Due to the lack of formal glass education available in Norway, she spent three years in Helsinki working on her Masters thesis on how to successfully combine glass and photography. Disappearance of the Butterflies is a series of glass vases with images of critically endangered butterflies found in the areas around Oslo. Cathrine uses
photographic prints of the butterflies and applies them as transfers to the core of her vessels, so the insects appear suspended between layers of coloured and transparent glass. The Tokyo Box Collection is made of several elements in opaque and transparent coloured glass, which can be stacked in different color combinations. Cathrine’s aim was to make containers for food while creating objects that have a sculptural and decorative quality.
www.cathrinemaske.no
Figgjo: Frøystad + Klock
16 / 17
Figgjo Sans Manufactured by Figgjo
Marte Frøystad and Runa Klock first met at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts and immediately discovered that they had grown up in the same district of Norway; separated only by a fjord. Marte had early ambitions to become an artist, while Runa’s background included contributing to design- workshops, as well as some time working as a gardener and as a graphic designer. It wasn’t long before the pair began creating things together. Figgjo Sans aims to redefine the perception and flavours of a meal, using materials, surfaces and shapes that enhance the food experience.
The product is the result of a cooperation with one of Norway’s most reputed chefs, Even Ramsvik. Investigating how the shape, material and surface of eating apparatus can influence the taste of food, they researched traditional ways of eating from all over the world and found that besides traditional cutlery and chopsticks there aren’t actually many alternatives. Inspired by the sensual practice of eating from an oyster shell, Figgjo Sans is designed to work in conjunction with the taste receptors on the tongue to enhance the flavours of the dishes.
www.fplusk.com www.figgjo.no
Heidi Winge Strøm
18 / 19
HWS Fabrics Manufactured by GU
Heidi Winge Strøm started her own practice in 2009 and received an establishment grant from Innovation Norway the same year. She quickly started working on large-scale projects with well-known designers and architects. With her new HWS Fabrics collection she aims to highlight the process through which a textile is made, from design to final use, creating materials that interact with their environment. The beautiful textiles
appear to change depending on the angle and distance from which they are viewed and experienced. Heidi has created a fabric range inspired by materials in nature and by the production process itself. The collection uses natural wool and cotton as they are found in nature, with fine variations of colours, forms and materials. With the help of time, light and space, the textiles evolve visually and physically.
www.heidiwstrom.com www.gu.no
Northern Lighting: Atle Tveit & Sven Ivar Dysthe
20 / 21
Acorn and Butterfly Copper Manufactured by Northern Lighting
Based in Oslo, Northern Lighting specialise in the creation of lights for different moods inspired by the unique Nordic nature, culture and society. Since the company was established in 2005 it has grown fast and now distributes to 45 countries. A big supporter of homegrown design talent, Northern Lighting also work with a great variety of designers from all over the world. They all have one thing in common: a deep fascination with the mood-creating possibilities of light. This year the company is excited to reissue the Butterfly Copper lamp, originally designed by Sven Ivar Dysthe in 1964 and
an iconic Norwegian design piece. A highly functional, beautiful lamp, previously only available in white, it has been reimagined by Northern Lighting in heat-treated copper, creating a rough matt structure, different for every lamp, adding warmth and a new, contemporary character. Acorn by Atle Tveit is a smooth, tactile pendant lamp made from oak and aluminum. The repetition of shape from the top of the shade on to the top cup also adds an important binding element from top to bottom, an often-neglected element on pendant lamps.
www.northernlighting.no
Permafrost
22 / 23
Archipelago, Shipping and Offshore Prototypes
Permafrost was established in 2000 by four classmates at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. More than a decade of conceptual and inventive design has seen them develop everything from product design, furniture and interiors to graphic design and packaging. They have exhibited all over the world and have won numerous awards including the Norwegian Design Council’s Talent of the Year award twice, and the prestigious Red Dot award. Permafrost believe that innovation relies not on high tech materials or advanced manufacturing techniques, but from looking at a product from a different angle, finding a new perspective.
Their new collection of wooden toys, entitled Archipelago, Shipping and Offshore, are both playful and thought provoking, their bright minimal shapes addressing some serious questions about Norway’s national identity and heritage. Contrasting the innocent world of children’s toys with the gargantuan oil and shipping industries, they offer the opportunity to reflect on the origin of Norway’s current wealth along with the environmental impact of harvesting natural resources. The project was an exercise in simplifying and refining the shape and construction of these products, investigating how much could be removed from the objects, while still retaining their distinct personalities.
www.permafrost.no
Peter Opsvik
24 / 25
Swing Manufactured by HÅG (2002-2007)
For decades Peter Opsvik has aimed to inspire people to new, more dynamic ways of sitting. The Peter Opsvik studio has a strong focus on product design as a means for solving real-life problems. Their core competences are furniture design, interior design, ergonomics, environmental oriented solutions, engineering and communication. The studio works both independently and in close collaboration with major manufacturers, such as HÅG and Stokke. The Swing chair is inspired by the notion that people prefer movement to remaining motionless when our surroundings are conducive to it, and takes the playground
swing as its starting point. The chair is made of beech and is suspended by ropes from the ceiling or a simple pyramidshaped framework, with the height and tilt of the seat adjustable using its ropes and plates. The Swing (when suspended from the ceiling) uses just one tenth of the environmental load of a comparable working chair. According to the designer this ‘Factor 10’ reduction in consumption of resources will become necessary in industrialized countries in order to achieve global sustainability in the next 30 to 50 years and is an area of great concern to Peter and his team.
www.opsvik.no
Sundays
26 / 27
Frame and Pouf Daddy Manufactured by Sundays
Sundays creates all-weather furniture, built to stand the test of time, without compromising on good design principles. With more than 40 years experience in the marine furniture industry, they recognise and embrace the challenge of making fully waterproof products. Frame takes the clean, simple lines of Scandinavian interior design, outdoors. Though British himself, the designer Andrew Smith has lived in Norway for the last 20 years and was keen to create a line of high quality outdoor furniture that would survive the extreme Nordic climate. The cushions are made from porous foam allowing water to drain rapidly and the lightweight aluminum frame is also designed not to collect any
residual water, allowing airflow underneath the cushions resulting in a quick drying time and preventing the growth of mould. The fabric comes from Duo and Sunbrella and is fade resistant, water-repellent, stain-proof, breathable, mould resistant and easy to care for. Both frames and fabric come in a range of colors and finishes. Pouf Daddy, designed by Belinda Bjerke, is an extremely strong and versatile collection of bold, brightly-coloured soft blocks for indoor and outdoor use. Children (and adults) can use them to build towers, create cabins or bounce on them as they would a trampoline, but they’re equally useful as sunbeds, tables or extra seats.
www.sundays-design.no
Tonje Skjervold, Vibeke Skar & Bielke+Yang
28 / 29
Jewellerybox by Vist Manufactured by Vist
This multi-talented design team consists of Tonje Skjervold, a journalist and brand consultant; Vibeke Skar, a product designer; and graphic designers Bielke + Yang. After a lifelong search by Tonje to find a contemporary and well-designed jewellery box, the team decided to make their own. For most people, a jewellery collection constitutes some of the most precious items they own, both in a practical and emotional
sense, so it was important to try and create something of beauty and value to house them. Jewellerybox by Vist consists of three elegant boxes, each in different sizes and colors, and appropriate for both men and women, young and old. Shunning the leather and velour of traditional designs, this innovative collection is made from Corian and is lined in Norwegian wool crafted by Gudbrandsdalens Uldvarefabrik.
www.byvist.com
Torsteinsen Design
30 / 31
Size Manufactured by VAD
The Torsteinsen Design team consists of husband and wife Fredrik Torsteinsen and Solveig Torsteinsen, and their colleague, Vidar Øverby. Collectively holding over 20 years of design experience in furniture making, carpentry, and textiles. Fredrik comes from a long line of carpenters and has always been inspired by the functional yet organic shapes in the Scandinavian design tradition. With a studio forever filled with prototypes and models, theirs is a handson approach, and their products are always innovative, functional and cost effective.
Torsteinsen Design has received numerous awards for Design Excellence and often served as board and jury members for several Norwegian design institutions, for example the Norwegian Design Council, the Foundation for Design and Architecture in Norway and the Norwegian Organization of Interior Architects and Furniture Designers. The Torsteinsen Design team has created Size, a chair to sit in, not on. It is both highly functional and relaxed, suited to both home and office.
www.torsteinsen.no www.vad.no
Wik & Walsøe
32 / 33
Rustikk Manufactured by Wik & Walsøe
Wik & Walsøe have exhibited as part of 100% Norway since their debut in 2007, so our 10th anniversary wouldn’t feel right without them. Having left the security of successful corporate careers to join forces and set up their company together, Linda Svedal Walsøe and Ragnhild Wik have since been relentlessly pursuing their shared dream to create beautiful porcelain. Their success has been unprecedented, winning them multiple awards and a loyal, international customer base. Rustikk is a departure from the specialoccasion porcelain the duo has so far
become well known for. A hand-painted, hand-glazed collection of tableware, due to the formula of the glaze the design of the collection is determined at random, meaning that every piece is unique. It’s made of highfired feldspar, produced from pure, natural and lead-free materials and is one of the most sustainable materials available. The porcelain is burnt at very high temperatures, which makes it extra strong and completely impervious even before glazing. Rustikk’s glaze colours; intense coral, warm olive or delicate beige are designed to be mixed and matched to the customer’s personal taste.
www.wik-walsoe.no
Cecilie Moi Sindum
34 /  35
Carrara Manufactured by Inspireby
Cecilie Moi Sindum is a well established designer in Norway, creating great commercial successes with the Sentimento and Basic glass series, numerous custom designed products for leading companies in Norway and her own promising design studio in Denmark, set up with her business partner Manolo Folcarelli. She has worked
as a designer for 15 years and has a wideranging experience from product, retail, lighting and interior design to artistic decoration and creating architectural building elements in glass. Cecilie’s stunning glass Carrara tableware collection will make its UK debut at 100% Norway.
www.inspireby.com
günzler.polmar
36 / 37
Waxandstone Prototypes
Victoria Günzler and Sara Wright Polmar established their studio in 2011 after studying furniture design and interior architecture together at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Victoria and Sara are also two of the three initiators of Klubben, the ‘Norwegian Designers Union’, whose goal is to promote new Norwegian designers and their work, increasing collaboration and a sense of community between young designers. Nature and craft techniques are Victoria’s main sources of inspiration, while
Sara emphasizes playfulness and elegance in her process. They shall exhibit Waxandstone. The wax candles stand alone, with their slender form and wide base, needing no holder or candlestick for support. To underline their impermanence comes the Norwegian stone, a material perceived as stable and highly durable, the very opposite of wax. The range of colours in the stone influenced the shades for the candles, giving the two elements commonality despite their differences.
www.gunzlerpolmar.no
Hunting & Narud
38 / 39
Copper Mirror Series Gallery Libby Sellers
After years spent working independently as designers across bespoke furniture, product, interior and exhibition design, and meeting at endless international events, Amy Hunting and Oscar Narud officially joined forces professionally in 2012. Amy and Oscar are both half British, half Norwegian, and have lived and worked in London for much of the last decade. Not only do they have a stunning collection of products in the show, but will, for a second year running, design the interior of the exhibition space itself as well. As a design duo, their process begins with exploring a curiosity, be it for a material, a function or a human behaviour. One of their strengths comes from their distinctly different approaches to design:
where Amy is keen to explore and create new value from unused resources, Oscar focuses on functionality, and believes that the construction of a piece of design should be emphasized and celebrated. Their Copper Mirror Series, individually named Vega, Luna and Cara, uses the simple, raw materials of granite, steel and copper, all of which have long mining histories in Norway. Amy and Oscar have intentionally cut back on every element that isn’t absolutely essential, creating a set of mirrors that are as functional as they are sculptural. The mirrors are minimal and bold, but also quietly playful in their balance and moving parts, creating endless golden light formations and reflections.
www.huntingandnarud.com
Ida Noemi & Caroline Olsson
40 / 41
Epaulette Manufactured by Menu
Ida and Caroline met at the 100% Norway exhibition in 2011, where they were both showing independently, and will exhibit their first collaborative product as part of the 10th anniversary show. Both successful designers in their own right, they each founded their own independent companies and have displayed their products all over the world. Caroline has won the ELLE Deco Norway ‘Young Designer of 2011’ and Ida has won ‘Form and Expression 2010’ by the Norwegian magazine BONYTT.
The Epaulette is a beautifully designed and innovative frame system. The sides of the frame are held together by L-shaped corner profiles in copper, liberating the frame from any screws and fixed formats. Epaulette is the French word for ‘shoulder piece’, which is used as decoration or to show the rank of a uniform. The corners of a frame are what defines the silouette and could be looked upon as the shoulders of a picture.
www.idanoemi.no www.carolineolsson.no www.menu.as
Kristine Bjaadal
42 / 43
Svale, Siska, Keepsake and Cloche Prototypes
Kristine made her international debut as a designer in 2010, with prototypes including her widely noted tablecloth Underfull. She now runs her own design studio in Oslo. Kristine works out her ideas with her hands using clay, paper and cardboard, rather than sketching, and as a result the materials, surfaces and sizes of her objects relate to the size of her hand. With her designs, Kristine aims to add beauty to the rituals of everyday living. The tactile Svale cup with its embossed lines and handle-less cup encourage the user to stop what they’re doing for a moment and focus on the action of drinking, while the
wooden tray adds a hint of a special occasion and the feeling of treating oneself. The Siska collection consists of a simple French press and coffee grinder made of porcelain, cork, steel, wood and leather. Keepsake and Cloche are her first two products from an ongoing fascination with clay and the shape of the humble walnut. Keepsake consists of two wooden shells that can be used separately as small bowls, or together as a closed capsule. Cloche is a sculptural, porcelain form that can be used for serving as a small bowl with a playful wobble, or simply as a cloche for small dishes.
www.kristinebjaadal.no
Kristine Five Melvær
44 / 45
Liquid Light, Obelix and Spring, prototypes Soft Bowl, manufactured by When Objects Work
Kristine investigates communicative elements in her design work, bridging the disciplines of product design and graphic design. Her pieces focus on the potential of objects to communicate stories, helping to create emotional bonds between object and user. This year Kristine will exhibit four very different products, all with different functions and made using a broad range of materials. The Soft Bowl series consists of three incredibly smooth bowls made of expertly worked beech. They create three different landscapes that present their contents in varying ways. Liquid Light is a birch plate holding a glass carafe and a brass socket for a candle. When the carafe is filled with liquid and the light is lit, the glass sphere works as a lens that amplifies the light. The light is coloured
by the liquid and gives a glow to the dinner table. It was inspired by the Cobbler’s lamp from the 17th Century. The Obelix vases, in hand-made stoneware, appear to be alive and growing. The experimental lacquering process plays with the thickness and texture of the lacquer, creating rough and smooth surfaces mimicking the skin of plants, fruit and vegetables. The juicy colours and bold stripes stand out with or without the addition of flowers, and come in three shapes and nine colour combinations. Kristine’s Spring lamps stretch towards the ceiling like living flowers. The size of the lamps, with the tallest measuring 2m, gives the impression of a glowing forest. When the lamp is turned on, the fresh-toned textile changes from opaque to transparent.
www.kristinefivevemelvaer.com
Lars Beller Fjetland
46 /  47
Equal and Cloche Prototypes
Lars Beller Fjetland established his company Beller Design in 2011 while he was still a student at Bergen National Academy of the Arts. Now graduated, his work offers alternative ways of thinking about sustainable design, initiating his processes by thoroughly investigating material properties and seeking new and unexpected combinations from them. The Equal series consists of a chair and barstool made of ash and cast aluminium. Classic, durable and modern, with a distinct Scandinavian look, the inspiration for their construction was found studying various tools, bikes and domestic appliances. The cast metal is fused with the wooden parts by an ancient method used in the construction
of old hammers and axes. The ability of wood to retract, expand and be squeezed by adding or removing water is what holds this construction together. When the wood dries, it instantly wants to find its natural shape, form and density. The inherent force of the ash wood seamlessly locks the two materials together. Cloche is a lamp that creates a feeling of personal space in public areas like restaurants, cafes and libraries. The design is strongly influenced by nature, specifically the delicate bell-shaped blooms of the bluebell, alongside the bold industrial designs of the 30s and 40s. Cloche is a high-end product with a simple flat pack solution of just three parts – a rare combination of qualities.
www.beller.no
Philipp von Hase
48 / 49
Trialog and Spire Prototypes
Philipp was born and raised in Hanover, and for the last few years he has been studying at the Bergen Academy of Art & Design. While there he has embraced every element of Norwegian life and culture. Trialog is a highly ergonomic, threelegged, beautifully handcrafted wooden chair designed for reverse sitting, with a backrest that functions as an armrest when used backwards or sideways. Philipp noticed that when sitting in conventional chairs we often sink into the seat and don’t know where to put our arms and hands. With this in mind he set out to create a chair that encourages a more upright posture – something that is
both healthy and helpful for improving body language in social settings. Spire is a seed-shaped, three-legged ‘plantable’, made from solid maple wood and three-dimensional walnut veneer. The bowl in the centre is made from handmade porcelain. It was designed for a seed centre in Bergen, where visitors can learn about, purchase and swap seeds. The wooden surface plates can be opened to enable items to be stored inside. The central bowl can be used for planting herbs or keeping fruit, and can also be closed with a wooden or porcelain disk to create full tabletop surface.
www.philippvonhase.de
Strek Collective
50 / 51
Bow Manufactured by Fyresdal Tre
Strek Collective is a creative studio established by four Norwegian designers who met during their studies in Oslo and after five years of working together as a collective of independent designers, launched Strek in its own right. With every product they make, they aim to create meaningful experiences and useful relationships between the product and user. In the majority of their work they use natural materials.
The Bow stool has been developed in collaboration with Fyresdal Tre, a Norwegian wood manufacturer with long traditions handcraft. Their partnership has resulted in an innovative way of combining traditional and current design processes. By focusing on the connections and carvings in solid wood, they have developed a stool that can be easily stacked.
www.strekcollective.com
Sverre Uhnger
52 / 53
Oo and Tuck Prototypes
Sverre has exhibited his work across Scandinavia and in 2011 founded Klubben, the ‘Norwegian Designers Union’, with Sara Polmar and Victoria Günzler. His personal work is driven by a need to resolve a specific problem, and he believes that design is about solving a desired task in the most resourceful way. The Oo lamp was born from Sverre’s fascination with lathed wooden balls and how the same spherical shape in different sizes can be used together. The name Oo comes from
these two spheres of different sizes, imagining the base and the shade as two halves of wooden spheres, cut and used together. His Tuck sofa is inspired by the ability of textiles to soften a much harsher environment. The sofa is covered in soft padding in various colours and the fabric is tucked neatly into the corners, partially wrapped around the frame and attached with a traditional welt cord. The end result is clean and stripped back, showcasing the handcrafted wooden frame.
www.uhnger.no
Christine Istad & Elizabeth Pacini
Throughout history the sun has played an important role in people’s lives. In Norway perhaps even more so than elsewhere – in northern Norway people live without sunlight for almost six months every year. We call this phenomenon ‘dark hours’ or ‘polar nights’. During this period the sun does not rise to more than 6 degrees under the horizon during daytime. Depending on where in the country you are, the sun comes back again between January and April, and people mark its return with a big celebration. The experience of the sun through the senses is a natural part of the human being’s ability to feel the light; both visually and physically. Many designers have reflected upon this experience and – when developing lighting and lamps – tried to recreate it. The Sun installation is a symbolic representation of the sun itself, using a colour scheme which, like the sun, constantly changes from white to warm orange to
burning red. But this installation is more than a depiction of the sun – it also has a conceptual approach, exploring the bodily experience of sunlight, how it effects us emotionally and physiologically. The French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty described the sun and the light’s effect on humans as sentient beings. He expressed the following in his book the Eye and Mind, p 256-57, 1960: ‘The quality, light, color depth before [in front of] us are there only because they awaken and echo in our body and because the body welcomes them.’ It is this aspect that the artists Istad & Pacini are trying to unite in the light installation SUN. The installation first travelled from Oslo to Tromsø in northern Norway, to light up the city in a period where it had no sunlight. Now it has arrived in the UK to light up east London during London Design Festival.
www.artubeart.blogspot.no
54 / 55
Sun
Credits
Photo credits
p.22-23 Permafrost, Offshore, Shipping and Archipelago - toy, photography by Johan Holmquist p.24-25 Peter Opsvik, Swing chair, photography by Odd Steinar Tøllefsen p.28-29 Vibeke Skar / ByVist, photography by Mathias Fossum p.30-31 Torsteinsen/VAD, photography by Morten Brun
Publisher
Royal Norwegian Embassy in London
Curators
Henrietta Thompson & Benedicte Sunde
Editors
Henrietta Thompson & Benedicte Sunde
Graphic Design
www.vandling.co.uk
Copies
1500
Contact
Royal Norweigan Embassy 25 Belgrave Square London SW1X 8QD +44 (0) 20 7591 5500 www.100percentnorway.com
p.36-37 GĂźnzler & Polmar, Candle, photography by Strek Collective p.40-41 Caroline Olsson and Ida Noemi, Epaulette Frame, photography by Kaja Bruskeland p.42
Kristine Bjaadal, Siska, photography by Kaja Bruskeland
p.52-53 Sverre Uhnger, Oo and Tuck, photography by Jon Marius Nilsson