Mr. Wolf Edition Two

Mr.Wolf

£5.99

ISSN 2001-1407

Edition Two

First Aid Kit | FM Belfast | Happy Socks | Thrift Shopping in Reykjavík Typography of Helsinki | Gallery Girls of Copenhagen | Craft Beer in Stockholm Ski Jumps in Oslo | Swedish Saunas | Danish Furniture | Copenhagen Coffee

Mr Wolf Magazine Edition Two

Laura Phillips The Editor Eleanor Downie The Art Director Amy Bridges The Illustrator Shane Willmet, Ross Barnes Contributing Designers PR and Marketing Teresa Nguyen Asia Pacific John Ludvigsson Europe Contributing Writers: Sondre Kveldsvik Askedalen Alex Ballas Annie Ferguson Ashlen Francisco Emily Hutchinson Cecilie Maagaard Jensen Lova Mattsson Kjellqvist Lisa Palm Lamerstedt Thomas Moir Jonny Rothwell Corbin Stevic Sharman Tanny Eliza Thompson Antti Virtanen

Contributing Photographers: Alex Ballas Caviar du Jour Viktor Erlandsson Karim Helgstrad Nour The Knack Collective Max Lewander Andreas Lindbäck Ellen Mendel-Hartvig Anne Moffat Paula Prats Linnea Syversen Ariane Temnikov

Proof Readers: Zoë Anderson Broede Carmody Lauren Downie Anne Moffat Sarah Moorhead Laura Stoddart Sasha Wilmoth

With thanks to: Zoë Anderson Tina Gnewski Tove Hidemark Kolbrún Hjartardóttir Josh Hodges Marte Hurlen Trish Lee John Ludvigsson Emma Pollock Philippa Randles Sam Walker

Sincere thanks go to our fabulous crowd-funding supporters: Isabelle Carr, Céline Debray at www.sérendipité.ch, Mandy Downie, Lauren Downie, Tim Hall, Lucy Hamilton, Alina Korovina, Clare McFarlane, Olivia Morgan, Catherine Read, Helen Wellard, Jacqueline Wortley An exceptional thank you for the generosity and support of Nick Carr and the Carr family.

Mr. Wolf Magazine is published by Laura Phillips.

For all general enquiries email info@mrwolfmagazine.com

Mr. Wolf Magazine is always looking for keen writers, photographers and video makers to cover creative projects between Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland. If you have an idea that has Wolf all over it, contact us at contribute@mrwolfmagazine.com

Mr. Wolf provides a compelling platform to communicate well respected advertising content. We're open to working with brands with an interest in Nordic design and style and tailoring an advertising package that suits the target audience.

To request our Media Kit send us an email at advertise@mrwolfmagazine.com

Correction Note Edition One: Fine Art with Magnus Jensner.

Magnus Jensner is the Chief Curator since March 2012 at Artipelag, a newly opened private Kunsthalle just outside of Stockholm. John Peter Nilsson is the new director of Moderna Museet Malmö since March 2012.

International Distribution: www.pineapple-media.com Mr. Wolf Magazine (ISSN 2001-1407) is printed by Grapho Paper Products and Production in Hong Kong on FSC Certified Paper.

Copyright © 2013, Mr. Wolf Magazine. Mr. Wolf Magazine is protected under the Australian Copyright Act 1968. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Requests for permission should be directed to info@mrwolfmagazine.com WWW.MRWOLFMAGAZINE.COM

Mr.Wolf Wolf now has glasses and his gaze has expanded. The far corners of the Nordic region are teeming with creativity, innovation and humour, it is all we can do to present the remarkable people behind it from Iceland to Finland and all that lies in-between.

This Edition we look at the emerging musicians on the brink of the international stage: MØ, Elliphant and Lune, not to mention our dance favourites, FM Belfast and Mr. Wolf anthem songsters, First Aid Kit. We look at the ladies launching Scandinavian musicians onto the Berlin scene and report on our summer full of hot long nights at festivals from Roskilde, to Øya; Flow to Way Out West and ATP Iceland.

In between a cycle safari of Copenhagen we spoke to the faces behind the roaring Danish contemporary art community and indulged our caffeine addiction at specialty coffee bar, The Coffee Collective.

The STHLM Brewing Co. was kind enough to invite us into their covert craft brewery in a secluded corner of Södermalm, while Britta and Kent Lindvall welcomed us deep into the Swedish woods to take a look at their Tree Hotel. We also managed to fit in a sauna in the south of Sweden and stalk the streets of Helsinki.

Very late one night I boarded a Marimekko embezzled Finnair plane at Helsinki’s Vantaa airport. As the midnight Nordic sun prevailed long into the Hong Kong bound flight, it didn’t fail to escape me just how far Mr. Wolf Magazine has come.

This is only our second edition and I couldn’t be more proud of its progress.

Most importantly it has been so humbling and encouraging to hear that you, our readers (dare I say, The Wolf Pack) like what we do.

Thank you, to everyone who has been involved. I hope you enjoy Edition Two. Laura

5

The Contributors Sondre Kveldsvik Askedalen is an Oslo based DJ and journalist who is reasonably ambitious and semi witty. He will always make you listen to a new remix that is without question better than the original.

Alex Ballas was born and raised in the small city of Münster, Germany, before his geography studies led him to Hamburg in 2009. His recent relocation to Iceland was a result of his enduring hunt for a good fika.

Amy Bridges is a painter and illustrator. She studied Fashion Design at Bath School of Art and Surface Design at The Arts University in England. Amy spent her childhood wistfully circling items in the IKEA catalogue, a calming affinity to Nordic design that eventually led her to draw Mr. Wolf himself.

Viktor Erlandsson is a Stockholm based photographer and designer with an interest in both the quirky and the obvious.

Viktor is the founder of Straight Design, a firm concerned with clear vision for everything from interior design to everyday objects.

Annie Ferguson is a student and freelance writer currently living and working in Melbourne. After completing her studies she hopes to travel the world, read piles of books and drinks gallons of tea.

Ash Francisco is a freelance writer currently living in Helsingborg, Sweden. Ash studied Media and Communications at Lund University and writes for Wolf on stories between Skåne, Helsingør and Copenhagen.

6

Emily Hutchinson is a freelance writer originally from Melbourne. After studying in Geneva and working in New York, Emily has returned home with not only a slightly heightened knowledge of cheese, but an appreciation of different cultures and how to best translate their stories through the written word.

Cecilie Maagaard Jensen studies English at the University of Glasgow. Originally from Denmark, she has spent the majority of life abroad, yet has through indirect means (read: Borgen, Danish pastries and Scandinavian Christmas traditions) stayed in touch with her deeply rooted Danish heritage.

The Knack Collective is a recently established photography and media alias residing in Melbourne, Australia. Having explored a broad range of cultural boundaries, many of their images depict motives of travel and adventure.

Max Lewander studied philosophy in Lund and photography in Svalöv, Sweden. He lives in Malmö, currently works for Amnesty International and likes nature in all its various shapes and forms.

Andreas Lindbäck is a half Swedish- half Brazilian documentary photographer with a penchant for fashion photography. He is based in the south of Sweden. Andreas studied film studies at Lund University and at UC Berkeley.

Ellen Mendel-Hartvig is originally from Stockholm and now studies architecture at Lund University, Sweden. Being in love with a certain Wolf, Ellen contributes when not busy broadcasting her radio show, doing capoeira or being out on hitchhiking adventures.

Anne Moffat is a Melbourne based photographer who just returned from studying at the Humbolt University in Berlin.

While living in Prenzlauer Berg Anne developed her keen interest in documentary photography and döner kebabs.

Thomas L. Moir is an Australian male who has lived and worked in the UK, Iceland and Australia. When he's not out watching live music, he enjoys travelling, trivia nights, documentary films and swimming. Recently he's been trying a new Bolognese recipe, the results of which are improving steadily with each attempt.

Sharman Tanny is a soon-to-be doctor with a creative edge.

While living in Oslo she learnt to deliver and care for babies from the unborn to the so-called adolescents, during which time she joined the Wolf Pack.

Karim Helgstrand Nour is a media student at Malmö Högskola. He lives to see the world, and tries to capture everything through his Pentax.

Ariane Temnikov is an illustrator, photographer and founder of Caviar du jour, a website focusing on lifestyle, design and fashion. She obtained her Masters from the University of Amsterdam, conducting her research in Moscow. She now lives in New York.

Paula Prats is a photographer from Spain currently living in Iceland. She studied Fine Arts at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and at the Emily Carr Art and Design University of Vancouver. Last year she moved to Reykjavík to work at the Photography Museum, she has been attached to Iceland and Nordic culture ever since.

Jonny Rothwell is a journalist, writer and photographer. The 32 year-old digital native divides most of his time between Dublin and Stockholm where he writes about music, culture, travel and technology. He doesn't like cheese.

Corbin Stevic is an engineering graduate on the run. Travel, design, music and sport are his passions, while his ambition is to find that dream job. Although unsure if it even exists, the search will be nothing but relentless.

Eliza Thompson is passionate about the Arts. She recently soaked up Nordic art and culture to her heart’s content while living in Oslo.

Antti Ilmari Virtanen is a masters student at the University of Helsinki with a work history of odd jobs in media and communications. He suffers from a serious pop culture addiction and is naturally drawn to the creative arts.

Shane Willmett is an architect, photographer and designer.

Originally from a small agricultural town in Far North Queensland, Australia, Shane has travelled widely including completing a portion of his studies at Lund University in Sweden. Shane also makes fabulous leather goods such as satchels, wallets and laptop sleeves.

7

number two:

11 12 14 16

18 19 20 23 24

26 28 30 36 44

Nordic Man

Thrift Shopping in ReykjavĂ­k

FM Belfast

What's the time, Mr Wolf?

Clog Couture

Nordic Disco Party

Field Notes

Ice Cool Spaces

Medals of General Valour

I Don't Care, I Love It

17 Get Happy

First Aid Kit

The Scandinavian Invasion

Street Party

In Our Prime

46 52 58

70 76 82 86

88 90 98 106

The Copenhagen Coffee Collective

Safa Hovinen

Copenhagen Culture Club

Stockholm Brew

The Architecture of Julien De Smedt

The Gallery Girls

Hej Hay

Tree Hotel

Get Your Cycle On

Beware The Swimming Hall Police

The Last Look

62 69

Hot and Steamy

Design in a Cold Climate

Create your own

SPACE www.squarespace.com

WEBSITES DOMAINS COMMERCE MOBILE 24/7 SUPPORT

DANA TANAMACHI Graphic Designer + Letterer

10

Nordic Man

The essence of Nordic style is simplicity. Keep it simple and your outfit will ensure you’re suited well for all occasions.

There is always that moment in the night where you have to decide - should I stay or should I go? A versatile wardrobe will always have you styled for those transition moments from work to the bar, dinner to the after party.

A white oxford shirt is a must have for any versatile wardrobe, easily dressed down or up. Teamed with slim chinos, it can be styled for any occasion. Chinos are the best pants to wear into an evening. Worn rolled up by day and let out for the night to unfold too.

Accompanied by a small day bag, all necessities for the swift transition are kept

with you like a fold away blazer. Add character to an otherwise traditional (though well composed) outfit with accessories - like the matching wallet and sock combination in electric blue shown here.

Whether you’re out for a fika in Sweden or strolling through the streets of Helsinki, your striking style will be effortless.

11

What’s the time, Mr Wolf?

Miró Watches If simplicity is your game, look no further than Miró watches.

The brand’s namesake is the Catalonian artist of course, famed for his surrealist paintings. Miró expressed contempt for the conventional; likewise, Miró watches are all but conventional.

Teaming elegant design with beautiful craftsmanship, these are the perfect all-round watches. Miró watches are made using polished stainless steel and soft leather straps, which means the watch transforms with time and wear. And the best bit is, they won’t break your bank!

Larsson & Jennings If you haven’t seen a Larsson & Jennings timepiece adorning the wrist of some darling socialite or fashion-blogger in the last twelve months, you simply haven’t been looking hard enough.

Larsson & Jennings takes the best of design in Stockholm and London to create pieces that are sophisticated, versatile, and oh-so-cool. Mr Wolf had a hard time choosing favourites from such a huge range of charming pieces. In the end, we couldn’t resist the Limited Edition bling. What a cheeky Wolf.

12

Searching for that perfect Nordic-inspired timepiece?

Mr. Wolf has you covered.

Words: A. Ferguson

Moods of Norway Moods of Norway is a vibrant and playful brand hailing from the small town of Stryn. Moods is all about creating happiness and fun, and stamping it with their iconic golden tractor. These watches are great if you’re after something more sporty and durable, with a bit of spunky edge. Quirky features, such as interchangeable straps and coloured watch skins give these timepieces a great deal of versatility. If you want to bring a spark of fun to your everyday, Moods of Norway is your answer.

JS Watch Co. Reykjavík Have you got your credit cards at the ready? Good. Now, the pieces from JS Watch Co may be steeply priced, but they are worth it. Specialist watchmakers, with complete care and devotion to quality, handcraft each watch individually. The workmanship is breathtaking. The Sif N.A.R.T watch featured (1) was designed specifically for the Norwegian Coast Guard.

This watch is super durable, super reliable, and as cool as the arctic winds of its homelands. The ERRO (2) is a one-off piece, designed for the charity KRAFTUR. The ERRO is now a collector’s item, unavailable to purchase, but Wolf couldn’t resist giving you a peek at such a beautiful timepiece.

13

Field Notes A record of the producers and purveyors of global designs and trends

Photo: A. Lindb채ck

Medals of General Valour Words: L. Phillips

Finnish jewellery designer, Katariina Guthwert has established a well-heeled stable of icons and idols in her series: Medals of General Valour. The brooch Medals are a colourful collection of high esteem worn from the streets of Helsinki to events with the Swedish Royal Family. Wolf has been a keen fan ever since stumbling upon Katariina’s work in the Helsinki Design District. Katariina explains her work: "I became a jewellery designer by accident when my mother-in-law introduced me to the field. I’m actually an Art and French teacher by day, but nowadays I do mainly jewellery.

"Since 2005 I’ve made many hundreds of Medals of General Valour with different pictures. Writers, artists, musicians and actors have been popular. I try to choose icons that I appreciate and adore. People order customised medals from me with pictures of their own idols and family members, for example. I take copyrights into consideration and therefore I don’t make medals with pictures that have been published after 1966. But customers can order medals with any picture if it’s for their own use. I find the medals beautiful and l thought they would maybe be worn as jewellery; I also love colourful ribbons as a material. My favourite medal right now is a black, yellow and white medal with a picture of really young Yoko Ono. 16

"Some of the figures are Finnish. Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, poet L. Onerva and writer Minna Canth are quite popular figures among customers for example. Personally, I often don’t wear jewellery at all. But I think my medals are bold and they show more of an attitude than a simple necklace. It’s a good excuse to be a bit decorated, even though customers would normally go for the Nordic minimalistic style.

"The current president of Finland’s wife Jenni Haukio wore one of my medals for the christening of the Swedish Princess, Estelle. It had a picture of a Finnish artist Helene Schjerfbeck, whose anniversary was celebrated this year in Finland. I didn’t know that she had a medal, and I was quite surprised at her boldness of using it in the royal christening. After all, in that occasion, people had ‘real’ medals of valour! I suppose she embraced her medal as a piece of jewellery, which it is.

"The Medals are for sale at different points around the Helsinki Design District. I think the district is a great thing for young designers by helping to promote and sell their work.

Nowadays however I’m moving on and doing new kinds of jewellery out of textiles. My new collection of necklaces, titled She Wore a Neon Ribbon, was recently presented in Helsinki Design Forum, hopefully it will be as popular!"

Get Happy Words: A. Ferguson

Mr. Wolf sits down with Happy Socks Founders Mikael Söderlindh & Victor Tell to find out about what it takes to create an international success story.

Our poor little feet are so neglected. Right down there at the end of our legs, we stuff them into holey socks and ill-fitting shoes. We scorn them for their smell and hide them away. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Mikael Söderlindh & Victor Tell, the creators of Happy Socks, are on a mission to “spread happiness” by recreating the humble sock, and bringing life back to our long-neglected feet.

It all began in the spring of 2008, when Mikael and Victor were sitting around with some friends in the grey gloom of a lazy Sunday. The only thing to brighten the mood on that cloudy afternoon was their brightly coloured socks. This was the beginning of Happy Socks. Their idea was to entirely redesign the sock, an item of clothing which is so vital to our everyday, but often so forgotten. Mikael and Victor wanted to make the sock something of beauty, something of “great design and great quality, offered at a fair price.”

The origins of the aesthetic draw on the history of simple and classic Swedish design. It is all about wearability, quality and practicality. Yet Happy Socks brings edginess to these origins, with new and unique colours and patterns. As the Creative Director, Victor’s motto is “All play, no work,” and the

bold designs clearly reflect this. In fact, the socks are design pieces in themselves; they can create or complete any outfit.

The wearability of Happy Socks as individual pieces was crucial to their design. They wanted Happy Socks to be an item of clothing you would be happy to show off. And how do you do that? How do you create the perfect sock for people all over the world? It is all about staying true to your origins while being “adaptable to the international market.” Over time, the manufacturing process of Happy Socks has been perfected, but most importantly, “the design is permanently evolving.”

This guarantees fresh new looks and consistent quality.

Since their founding, Mikael and Victor attribute the incredible growth and success of the company to “hard work” and “choosing the right partners locally.” Undoubtedly, huge international collaborations with brands including Keds, Adidas and Opening Ceremony have added to their success abroad.

With their unwavering commitment to a bold design aesthetic and quality, a “great attention to detail,” and a clever global marketing strategy, it seems like these über cool marketeers have the world at their feet. Now all they have to do is get their world onto your feet.

17

Thrift Shopping in Reykjavík Words and Photos: A. Ballas

Reykjavík is awash with vintage stores and their quality is legendary. For a small town, the popularity of vintage shopping may come as a surprise, yet it is the underlying factor for Reykjavík’s reputation of inimitable style.

The leaders in attainable Nordic retail, such as H&M, Monki and Weekday are still absent in Icelandic centres. Over the past decade as young Icelanders were going through high school, there were around three stores in central Reykjavík stocked with clothing sought after by teenagers. Sourcing outfits from only a handful of retailers resulted in identical uniforms for both school and socialising. Not to mention the lack of competition between stores stemmed high prices, inaccessible to student budgets. The need for something unique was huge. Wearing something borrowed from your grandmother or being the only one in the city with one particular jacket or dress was enormously popular. The huge demand for unique clothing lead to vintage stores multiplying around the country. All of a sudden people turned up to parties not all dressed the same.

While the first secondhand stores of this kind were founded in Reykjavík about 30 years ago, two-year-old Fatamarkaðurinn is a newcomer. “I think the trend is still building up slowly,” says Vaka, one of the staff members. “When it first started, it wasn’t as popular to go shopping in second hand stores as it is today, but it has become really trendy to shop here.” Nowadays, second hand shops have quite a high influence on Reykjavík’s fashion scene. “Pretty much every girl I know shops in vintage stores,” 18

continues Vaka. Shops like Fatamarkaðurinn not only provide cheap alternatives to Reykjavík high street retail, “all kinds of people come here,” says Vaka. Essentially everyone in Iceland is in pursuit of something to wear that no one else has.

Besides Fatamarkaðurinn, located at the end of the famous Laugavegur in downtown Reykjavík, there are several more second hand shops in the city centre. Two of them, Spúútnik and Nostalgia, are managed by the same owner as Fatamarkaðurinn. “At Spúútnik, the clothes are a bit more selected and Nostalgia really has designer clothes,” Vaka says.

But therefore at Fatamarkaðurinn one can find the better bargains and it is often worth taking the time and making your own choice. “People also come here to buy funny dresses for Halloween, for example,” Dagný, another employee says.

It is not the usual secondhand store environment that welcomes you at Fatamarkaðurinn. “Everything in the store is hand-picked,” explains Dagný. The store buys items from companies in the Netherlands that collect clothes from all over the world. There is not a style you cannot find in the store: from cowboy boots to old-fashioned slipovers to seventies dresses in bright colours.

Online shopping and budget airfares to the US or mainland Europe have eased the demand on Icelandic vintage stores, although their popularity remains strong. According to one Reykjavík local, if you ever meet a lost Icelander abroad, he’s probably just looking for the closest H&M.

Clog Couture Words: A. Ferguson

Mr Wolf recently caught up with Emy Blixt, CEO and cofounder of Swedish Hasbeens, to talk retro-inspiration and ecological design.

The story of Swedish Hasbeens begins with Anita; “the hottest mum in all of southern Sweden in the 1970s.”

The real Anita was a friend of Emy’s mother, and the proud owner of several pairs of ABBA-style plateau clogs, manufactured in a neighbouring town. When the clog factory closed down in the late-70s the clogs were forgotten, but Emy remembered.

In 2006 Emy purchased the remaining shoes from the factory, all 300 pairs that is. She rebranded them as “Emy Toffels” and began selling them from her attic. The official launch of the brand was 2007, when Emy teamed up with childhood friend, Cilla, with the simple vision to create beautiful shoes from natural materials. Cilla has since passed away, but she was able to watch Swedish Hasbeens grow from 5000 pairs to 50,000 pairs a year, which is certainly a tribute to her vision and hard work. Swedish Hasbeens are now sold in over 20 countries worldwide and have recently been spotted on some of the best feet in the business, including those of Hollywood darlings, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sienna Miller, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Undoubtedly this celebrity endorsement has done well to boost the brand’s marketability.

In the face of this burgeoning international success, Emy remains coolly focussed on her design vision. As the head designer, but with no training or previous experience in the fashion industry, Emy is driven by instinct. She draws her inspiration directly from history and experience. She says of herself; “I’m inspired by the quality of the 30s and 40s, the courage of the 60s, the colours of the 70s and the humour of the 80s.” Despite drawing from history, Emy does not want to get bogged down in the past. She wants the brand to be innovative and to strike a balance between all those things she loves. Her Swedish dictum is “lagom,” meaning not too much, and not too little. Most importantly, she wants her Toffels to be stylish whilst still being sustainably manufactured.

Due to Emy’s determination, the production of Swedish Hasbeens Toffels can be considered about as ecologically friendly as you can get, using natural materials such as wood and vegetable tanned leather. The tools and processes mimic those of the clog factories of the 60s and 70s that captivated her imagination. You can be assured that when you’re slipping your feet into a pair of Swedish Hasbeens you will be wearing a pair of shoes that are entirely unique, environmentally friendly and fully recyclable. Emy tells Mr. Wolf proudly, “Swedish Hasbeens shoes are good for the people wearing them, the people making them, and the world we live in.”

19

20

Ice Cool Spaces Designing for the Ice Hotel Words: C. Stevic

After starting out as a musician, then a blacksmith, KarlJohan Ekeroth has now found his niche. This talented Gothenburg designer, in collaboration with Christian Strömqvist, creates interesting and playful places for young people, or for those who are just young at heart.

Karl-Johan and Christian’s design firm, PinPin Studio, designs objects and environments for play. Most of the time that means designing for children. They work with anything from interiors to digital games, however it is arguably their work with ice that has afforded them the most attention.

"We have designed a suite at the Icehotel two times now.

Last year we made a suite called Kraken’s Lair and this year we made Beam Me Up. What we’ve tried to do with our suites is invite the visitors to take part in a story. It’s like you enter a scene from a movie, but it’s frozen in time.

Literally. We like to work with stories. Kraken’s Lair is based on the old mythological creature Kraken, from an old Nordic legend. Visitors to the Icehotel get involved in the story of Kraken breaking the calm surface of the water to reach around a helpless boat, dragging it down to the deep.

"Beam Me Up is based on a conspiracy theory concerning numerous UFO sightings around Jukkasjärvi and the Torne River (where the Icehotel is located). When you enter the suite you enter a clearing in the forest where you can see four UFOs right in the middle of their beaming operation. They have come under the cover of the northern lights and if you want to, you can partially step inside one of the beams to see how it feels to be beamed up.

"Designing for the Icehotel thankfully isn’t too difficult. Put it this way - you design something much further south in Gothenburg, and then you have to be very flexible when

you’re up in the Artic Circle. Of course you can’t make plans for everything that can happen during the building process of a room entirely made out of snow and ice, but the more experience you get from working with these kind of materials, the better you can plan your design from start.

"We have been involved in a couple of other ice projects that we have come across through working at the Icehotel.

One year we helped our friends from Japan to build their igloo village on the frozen Lake Shikaribetsu, in the beautiful Daisetsu National Park in the middle of Hokkaido, Japan. For two years we have participated in the Sapporo International Snow Sculpture Contest, also in Japan. But the strangest ice project I was involved in must be when I took part in building a fitting room for a Swedish ski clothes brand, entirely made out of ice, in central Stockholm!

"Working in ice and snow is a fantastic experience. It’s hard to explain the feeling of cutting into a one and a half ton block of crystal clear ice. It’s quite magical. The main tools you use for sculpting are a chainsaw and chisel. With a razor sharp chisel, making a cut in ice is like cutting butter. That is also one of the hard parts. It’s easy to take away too much.

It’s not hard at all to fall in love with ice as a material. Ice is really heavy but very fragile. We can borrow it for a couple of months during winter to make our sculptures but when the spring comes, it returns to the river."

A Gothenburg local, Karl-Johan is resisting the pull of the design community concentrated in Stockholm. He feels that Gothenburg is like many other second cities, more relaxed and friendly in a way. "I love Stockholm but I think I’m a very Gothenburg kind of guy (whatever that means!)"

21

I DON'T CARE,

I LOVE IT Nordic musicians are setting the tone of dance floors around the world.

We take a look at some of our favorite artists, and the Nordic music festivals that are keeping the beat.

Photo: M. Lewander

First Aid Kit First Aid Kit, the headlining tour de force comprised of sisters Johanna and Klara Sรถderberg, tell Wolf about their hit track of the same name.

24

"We were inspired by the amazing songwriter Buffy SainteMarie when we wrote Wolf, she has that mysticism that we find so intriguing. It's about loving and respecting the natural world and all non-humans. It seems to be something we civilised Westerners have forgotten to do. We seem to regard nature and animals as resources we can use for economical growth instead of companions in a larger sustainable ecological system. It's very frightening.

"We got to make the video for Wolf with the fantastic director Johan SĂśderberg who is someone we've wanted to work with for a very long time. We wanted to capture just that eeriness and witchy vibe, without it becoming too literal.

I feel like all people are naturally scared of the forest - I can hardly imagine anything scarier than walking around a big forest in the dark. There is something very timeless about forests, and they have always surrounded Johanna and me.

In Sweden the forests are where the trolls and witches can be found in old tall tales. We grew up hearing those stories, so it has probably inspired us. Wolves seem to be these magical creatures that both scare us and fascinate us. They symbolise true wilderness with their howling. There are no suppressed emotions. They are incredibly beautiful to look at, but I don't think we'd ever want to meet one on a midnight walk in the woods.

"As musicians, our journey so far has been a crazy, mostly unbelievable one. When our last tour was over, where we were playing all across our beautiful but very cold, Sweden

we had been on the road for 17 months straight! We're planning to take some time off now and continue to work on new songs, which we're very excited about. We take it fairly easy on tour and we always try to make sure we get enough sleep, stuff that might seem boring but very essential. We get to play music every night and we have so much fun, but it can easily get too hectic if we don't take care of ourselves.

"Playing Sweden is always a little different from the rest of the world. It becomes a little more personal somehow.

Perhaps because we speak Swedish on stage and do this so rarely at other times, since we mostly tour outside of Sweden. The last tour in Sweden was the first real tour we’ve done there though, whereas we've only played the bigger cities before. This time we went to smaller cities and saw more of our country, which we loved!

"There is no greatest moment in our careers. Some stand out, of course, like when we've been lucky enough to get to meet and work with some of our biggest heroes. While all of those meetings are crazy and inspiring, what really means something is just hearing that our music has had some kind of impact upon people. Whether it's looking into someone's eyes at a show and seeing them singing along to the lyrics, or a shy young girl coming up to us to thank us for writing these songs - those are the moments that are priceless."

Wolf has easily become the unofficial anthem to this magazine; we hope Johanna and Klara are ok with that!

25

FM Belfast

FM Belfast’s electro dance music keeps Reykjavík dancing long into 23-hour sunlight summer nights. Praised for a fantastic stage presence, FM Belfast has built up a widereaching audience resulting in sold-out tours.

Lóa: "My favourite thing about touring is of course seeing new people and new places. I’m also a big fan of sitting in cars and either playing video games or playing stupid games and having conversations about everything and nothing with the rest of the band. My favourite part about the live shows is when I forget where I am and just go with the atmosphere. I also like when something new happens, someone invents something or something random happens.

"The most bizarre show we’ve played was when all our equipment stopped working at the same time and suddenly a saxophone player appeared on stage wearing only white clothes. He did some really nice improvisation with a rapping guy that wasn’t a part of the band either. I really don’t even know where they came from...then Árni managed to fix everything and we could finish the show. My favourite place 26

to tour is... hmm I’m not sure. All places have their pros and cons I guess. Germany has always been very kind to us but Turkey is more exotic for us. I love France and I’m a big Scando- and Americanophile... if those are words. My dream is to go to Japan and also South America.

"When writing songs influences come from here and there.

I can’t really narrow it down. It’s mostly things that happen to us, or stories we’ve heard. Sometimes it’s just fictional. I can’t answer for all of us but when I’m doing lyrics I like making up stories, inventing it as I go along. But sometimes we only use portions of the stories, just the sentences we like. And we add on to each other’s lyrics all the time.

"There have been so many fun moments when we’ve been touring. Going to Austin to play at SXSW was incredible.

A few years ago we were playing at a festival in Germany where the late LCD Soundsystem played and we could watch it from the wings of the stage. It was unbelievable.

I saw Fever Ray in France, which was really beautiful. We played with Tune Yards at some small French venues in

The lovely Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir of FM Belfast gives interview responses so divine, Wolf could laminate every single one.

towns I hadn’t even heard about. I was completely blown away. We saw The Flaming Lips for the first time in Poland and saw Wayne Coyne orchestrate a human pyramid in the hotel lobby afterwards. I was star struck and just stood there and stared like a dork. When our last album was released we played in Paris and the people in the audience were the most welcoming people on Earth. Once a few Italian people brought a homemade tiramisu to our studio because they liked the band. It was the sweetest thing - also the tiramisu was great. We got to sleep in boats in Holland and Denmark, such nice memories!

"It’s very easy to be a big fish in a small pond in the Iceland music scene. Our modern music culture derives from the Do-It-Yourself attitude of the punks. This means that you

don’t really have to know anything, just do something. Of course Iceland has bands with people that have studied music, I’m just talking about the overall attitude and I’m sort of talking out of my ass here. I don’t really know the answer to why Reykjavík produces such fabulous bands."

As for the origin of the FM Belfast name? "I’m sorry, we don’t have a cool story for the name. FM Belfast was a name for an imaginary band we had. The name came up while sitting in a car, waiting for petrol or something. TA-DAH! This story should be laminated. It’s that exciting."

27

Nordic Disco Party Location: Berlin Words: A. Francisco

28

Steffi von Kannemann is one half of Nordic by Nature, a Berlin based group promoting and presenting Scandinavian music in Germany. From fiery beginnings to growing success, Steffi and Nina Legnehed started Nordic by Nature in 2010; bringing the music they love to German audiences, hungry for a Scandinavian sound.

"It all started about four years ago when I was sitting with a friend in this shitty bar somewhere in Mitte when all of a sudden this blonde girl spilled her drink on me, she kept saying sorry which totally did not help - we are talking red wine here and I reacted badly, getting a little physical in an altercation in which she lost three teeth. Naturally I felt really, really bad and offered to cover fixing her teeth, the only problem was that I had no idea how I was going to afford it! In the end I suggested we start a company together, focusing on financially well off countries, and make shitloads of money - all to be able to pay her new teeth!

"Both Nina and I have always worked in the music scene, Nina had a radio show and ran the first crunk club in Gothenburg and I used to put on hard-core concerts, so in 2010 we used the heat of the moment when everybody was moving to Berlin to start Nordic by Nature and during the first two years Nina was still missing those three teeth!

We finally got the money together after our first DJ gig in Switzerland but to be honest, this whole idea of Nordic by Nature was something we had deep inside of us just waiting to happen. Since Scandinavia has the best music in the world, it was the logical choice.

"This year we had two of our artists, Dinner and Rough Days For Diamond Trade, playing at Copenhagen’s Trailerpark Festival and two of the artists we promote, CTM and Halasan Bazar, in the line up too. Trailerpark has a strong emphasis on Danish electro music; we work with a lot of Danish artists and labels so we see Copenhagen as our second home. It was great to go there and see a lot of friendly and familiar faces. Since we were invited as their guests, we also put a mixtape together on our blog to get people excited to come.

"Nordic by Nature online is always updated with playlists from our radio shows. We will be launching a new radio show on Berlin’s independent electro station, BLN FM in October 2013 – Mr. Wolf is the first to know that by the way! We took a little break from broadcasting in order to come back with a completely new concept, inviting guests

onto the show each month to talk about current trends in the music and media world. When Nina and I were thinking about this new show we decided to use our own experiences in events, management, PR, DJing and blogging as a platform to discuss these topics with other people from the music world and give some insight back to our listeners. The first show will be about the future of blogging and we will be talking with Henning from No Fear Of Pop and Lucy vs. the Globe about blogs and their relevance.

We really want to give an insight into what we do, not only through music we curate, but also through our opinions on the industry. The radio show can be streamed worldwide, and is the easiest way to get to know Nina and I and our way of thinking, basically why Nordic by Nature is the way it is! Besides all the discussion, we won't forget to play all the current musical gems that are coming out of Scandinavia.

"Nordic by Nature makes me excited about my life every flippin' morning. I love to go to the office, meet my NBN partner Nina, Sibilla who works with me on PR, our two interns Marta and Sigrid and our office co-workers. We share our office with Joe from One Little Indian Records and Johann, a promoter and DJ in Berlin. These mates, knowing that Nina and I have control of our business and the fun in doing what we do are the best things about Nordic by Nature, but I also love the travelling and the interesting people we meet everyday. Of course there are also things that bother me, but I'm a really happy kid who found the perfect person to live her dream with. All these positives make it perfectly manageable to work 60 hours per week while not having the bonus of a houseboat and a castle in Tuscany!

"Germany is a major market for Scandinavian music.

It’s often the first place Nordic artists tour after leaving Scandinavia. In many cases Germany is the platform to launch international careers and Nordic by Nature has become a main channel that attracts German audiences to Nordic music.

"A new Nordic artist to keep an eye on is definitely Dinner, I see him as a mix between John Maus and James Dean.

I was never a big fan of the idea of managing an artist but when I was offered the job to manage him we couldn't resist. Dinner is a new kind of pop idol and I love the idea of a real pop star, one who can surprise me again and again.

"Although if I had to name my all time favourite Nordic artist it would be 80s Swedish pop duo Roxette."

29

The Scandinavian Invasion

In a year that saw the music industry swarming with frostbitten Scandinavian electro, Jonny Rothwell interviews three of the region’s coolest up-andcoming female artists to learn more about their work, smoking spliff, mental health and moody teenagers.

Ellinor Olovsdotter is the angel faced potty mouth known to musos by her stage name: Elliphant. Since bursting onto the scene the 27-year-old firecracker has been universally lauded with praise and routinely compared to industry luminaries such as MIA, Santigold and label mate Diplo.

Although Olovsdotter's Icelandic name can be traced back to an indigenous group of nomads called the Sami, she was born and bred in southern Stockholm. During her childhood she was raised in the leafy suburb of Katarina-Sofia where she lived a humble lifestyle with her mother and a large extended family. An expensive sound-system was one of their few valuables and Olovsdotter's most prized possessions.

"My mum had two kids with two different fathers and [my father] had four children with three different partners," Olovsdotter says. "It was chaotic but we were very tight. We listened to music constantly.

Everything from Sinatra to Zappa and it drove our neighbours crazy."

Though she enjoyed playing with words and writing poetry from a young age, school didn't come easily. Full of energy and easily distracted Olovsdotter often found herself in trouble. Much later in life doctors diagnosed her with ADD and dyslexia.

"The school system really fucked me up," she says. "Doing bad in school kinda brands you as a bad person. I was a 'kicker-kid' and a bit too aggressive. I couldn't sit there and if you can't do that then the system treats you like you can't do anything..."

Though the root cause of her behaviour was eventually identified, the damage had already been inflicted. Her interest in the Arts - painting and Swedish history specifically - had never been nurtured.

At age 15 she left school. A brief trip to India with her grandmother a year later awoke a desire to travel - something she admits would eventually have a profound influence on her direction in life.

"After just three weeks in India I knew l needed to return," she says.

"It was an amazing experience. No one hid anything. It was good, bad, 30

poor and totally in-your-face. In many ways, India was and still is, just like me - a total mix."

On their return to Sweden, Olovsdotter began waitressing in some of Stockholm's high-class restaurants to fund other trips abroad. She worked until she managed to save enough of her tips to return to India for six months. Around that time she tried smoking marijuana and found it helped her concentrate.

"My travels in India changed me," she says. "After years of being an aggressive kid I slowly transformed into a hippie," she says. "I never took any prescription medicine for my ADD or dyslexia. Smoking marijuana is illegal, dangerous and expensive in Sweden but it helped me focus and it’s something I'm not ashamed to admit I still do."

Unsurprisingly India's chaotic way of life starkly contrasted with that of Sweden. Stockholm's culture of consensus thinking didn't sit well with her.

"Everyone judges one another," Olovsdotter says. "Sometimes you have to prove yourself a little more - especially if you are open about smoking marijuana. I am much more than a grass smoker but I have never felt part of any group. When we were kids my mum never had any cash so unlike other girls, I was never in a choir or a dance group. To this day every time I see someone in a group I feel like puking. In a way I guess I have always enjoyed being independent and doing my own thing."

Throughout her twenties she grew more interested in photography but her passion for travel and music persisted.

Grimas Om Morgonen, a song about alcoholism by Dutch bard Cornelis Vreeswijk, resonated with her and became the first song she learnt to sing. She began singing alone and occasionally at campfire parties on her travels.

In her mid-20s extended stints in India were interspersed with excursions to Germany, France and the UK. In 2011, after a long night of clubbing she got talking to a musician called Tim Deneve at an after-

Elliphant

31

party in Paris. It turned out he also lived in Stockholm, was passionate about music and was determined to work in the industry. Although they didn't immediately hit it off, she admired his drive.

"Tim really felt we should do a music project together. At first I thought he was annoying but he was really, really enthusiastic. We met up a few days later and started messing around with overdubs and toplines. Initially we didn't have a plan."

When they returned to Stockholm they enlisted the help of Ted Krotkiewski to act as another producer. Soon after they divided the workload and settled on individual roles.

Olovsdotter would become the heart, face and soul of Elliphant. She focused on writing lyrics, melodies and chorus lines while Deneve and Krotkiewski conjured up the beats and hooks. Over the next few months they poured all their energy into the project and, even she admits, were a little surprised with the results.

"The guys would send me these naked beats and I would record straight into the computer to build a song, just like using a guitar or piano. I'm good with melodies and know how to write a chorus but the guys are great at mixing everything together. We complement each other’s skills."

Soon they partnered with Ten, a music production company that also works with other Swedish acts such as Icona Pop and Niki and the Dove. Throughout 2012, they released a steady output of tracks which successfully smudged the line between dancehall, dubstep and electro.

Late night gigs in forests and underground nightclubs followed - as did glowing reviews from Pitchfork and Dazed & Confused.

As innocent as she looks Olovsdotter is no stranger to controversy. On the track Ciant Hear It she cries: "I'm like a finger up your ass, why not give it to me?" Similarly dirty lyrics can also be heard on Tekkno Scene.

On Down On Life, undoubtedly the artist's standout track, the browraising line "waking up in a pile of shit" is offset by driving beats, filters that swell and sirens that weep. On Music Is Life it’s much of the same.

Elliphant seems content to duke it out on the top shelf. This brash, inyour-face formula doesn’t always work – but she manages to carry it off.

"When you go to your first real club gig and you're surrounded by beautiful sweaty people it’s a primal experience that borders almost on a religious act. Our aim is to create that atmosphere at our gigs."

Though her rise in popularity has been swift Olovsdotter's feet remain firmly rooted to the ground.

"About a year and a half ago I had my first real performance in Stockholm and I was so fucking nervous. I was overanalysing everything. I remember ringing Tim about six times a minute to ask him what clothes I should wear and what facial expression I should have. In the end it was very fun and my confidence has grown with each new fan that we've earned."

In person Olovsdotter is a bundle of contradictions. She's as brash as she's sensitive and as tough as she's vulnerable. Unconventionally pretty, her take on Jamaican patois is as endearing as it is perplexing.

"There are too many perfect ladies like Rihanna and Beyonce in the music industry," she says. "I want to change that. I love dark music and dirty words. Sometimes, when I'm writing lyrics I think 'is this even ok to say?' But, that’s me, I'm a filthy girl."

Earlier this year Karen Marie Ørsted, a Danish post-punk princess that goes by the stage name MØ, found herself at the centre of a hotly contested bidding war. Before the ink had dried on a contract with Sony the blogosphere had ignited with chatter.

Online tastemakers Pitchfork touted her as one to watch in 2013.

Keen to jump on the bandwagon The Guardian and The NME quickly 32

followed suit. The hype was undeniable. Like Elliphant it was a blistering start to her career and yet a long way off from humble beginnings in rural Denmark.

"I remember my father listening to Sam Cooke and Billie Holiday when I was growing up," she says. "I liked those old records. But when I was about seven I got my first album. It was the Spice Girl's debut. It spoke to me. I was so amazed and thrilled that music could make me feel different emotions. From that point on I wanted to create music.

It's where my obsession began."

During the years that followed her punk sensibilities came to the fore and bands such as Sonic Youth and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs replaced the Spice Girls in her record collection. She began writing lyrics and eventually started composing songs on a battered piano her parents owned.

"Over the years I've sung, played drums and bass in a lot of weird bands and music projects. My aim has always been to create music that stirs people."

Before stepping out on her own, MØ was one half of electro punk duo Mor. Meaning "mother" in Danish, she shared vocal duties and gigged with her childhood friend Josefine Struckmann during the band's five-year lifecycle. Their standout track - Fisse I Dit Fjase (Pussy in Your Face) - released in 2009, was moderately well received but made little lasting impact. Up to that point Mor had been Ørsted’s most serious project to date.

"We had a trashy sound a bit like Peaches. My vocals were bad and although we were a bit sloppy and clunky it was a lot of fun. I was taking it seriously but also trying to find my voice and my sound.

Looking back it was an important part of my evolution as an artist."

While gigging in NYC during the summer of 2012 the duo were invited to play the Spaz festival in Denmark. Their management encouraged them to record and release a new track to promote the gig on the internet.

MØ began collaborating on a track with Ronni Vindahl from No Wav, part of a song writing and production team based in Copenhagen and Los Angeles that works with Pharrell Williams, amongst others.

"I sent Ronni a few a cappella tracks by email. He started producing and mixing different elements together. When I heard the first cut I was like: 'Wow! Fuck! This is how I want my music to sound.' All the pieces fell into place. It was magical."

That track, christened Maiden, was released in May 2012 to critical acclaim. It marked MØ's first lonely step into the limelight. The atmospheric hooks and haunting vocals were present even if the production was a little lo-fi. By August the pair had established a workflow and another track, Pilgrim, was released.

On it she sings: “Old wise river take me to the sea, breathe free - like pilgrims.” If this is a critique of modern society could MØ like Elliphant be yearning for a simpler life free from distractions or judgement?

"Pilgrim is my middle finger to a shallow, plastic world, which causes illness to the body and soul,” she says. “We never find the time to come to peace with each other or ourselves because of all the constant noises, meaningless discussions and politics."

The production on Glass - one of her finest releases to date - glistens, while the chorus pirouettes like an uninhibited schoolyard chant. On it, MØ mourns the loss of her youth and sings about “days slipping away,” a recurring theme in much of her work. On the track XXX 88 with Diplo she asks “will the skies stay blue forever?” Ominously, her most recent release is called Waste Of Time. Should we be concerned by all of this doom and gloom?

“A lot of my lyrics are about being restless, in search of identity and having the rebellion of youth running through your veins,” she

MØ

33

says. “When I write lyrics I think back to my teenage years because that period of life was so crazy. You have all of these feelings and are transitioning from being a child to an adult. In a way I still feel like I'm going through that transition. It's still hard to figure out how life should be and what you should do.”

Her debut album is slated for international release later this year. MØ, like Elliphant, maintains the same approach to writing music that has resulted in her rise in popularity.

"I still compose songs on my family's old piano for the album,” she says. “However, Ronni and I record all the vocals and work with the arrangements in the studio. The album is going really well and should be out soon.”

The as yet unnamed album is inspired by life in general as well as the people around her and like Elliphant she tries not to heed the naysayers.

“I have many friends that are so confused about life. The album is about living and about being afraid of not doing what you should do. When crippled by fear doing nothing is a vicious circle some of us end-up in.”

Unsurprisingly, MØ admits she has always been attracted to the darker side of life.

“I like to play with the dark side. When I was 19 I didn't want to do anything. My priorities were getting drunk and partying. It's funny that people can be so selfish. It's not that I don't sympathise with them because I have been a moody teenager myself but young people in general are so melodramatic.”

And what about that cryptic name?

“Oh, that's simple. I took the first letter of both my surnames - Marie Ørsted - and put them together to create MØ. It's pronounced 'muhh' in Danish and means mother.”

Scandinavia’s other global export, Swedish House Mafia, officially announced their break-up by embarking on a series of global farewell gigs last year. In an appropriate if surprising development, a remake of one of their earliest hits Leave The World Behind was re-released in May 2013. Filmed by Volvo it featured the supergroup rambling around mountains and coastline in some of Scandinavia’s most scenic locations.

Linnéa Martinsson, aka Lune, provided the ethereal and breath-taking vocals on the four-minute-long film. Similar to Elliphant and MØ she combines unusual looks with a unique voice and a DIY attitude.

"People often ask if I am from Iceland because of how I look," Lune says. "But I’m originally from Söråker, a small village with just over 2000 inhabitants in northern Sweden."

While the 24-year-old appreciated music from an early age she initially chose a different and somewhat prestigious career path.

"My father and sister are into music and I have always enjoyed singing," she says. "I moved from the countryside to Stockholm when I was 16 because I was accepted into the Royal Swedish Ballet School.

"When I was 18 I moved to Brussels for about a year to continue ballet dancing. It is a nice city with a great dance scene. During that period I began to write lyrics, play the guitar and record soundscapes. I was thinking about using my recordings to accompany me when I danced. " Although Lune had some Belgian friends they were often occupied during the daytime and so she grew to feel lonely. Using GarageBand she focused on developing these recordings and, over many months, they became increasingly elaborate. She chose to write lyrics in English in an effort to reach as wide an audience as possible.

"As time progressed I took it more seriously, but kept the same approach to recording vocals and building layers upon layers of loops and vocals," Lune says. "When I was introduced to Adrian Lux (the

34

Swedish producer and DJ) I realised we had the same approach to recording. It felt natural to work together."

Lune recorded her awesome debut album, Music & Sports, with Lux and producer Carl-Michael Herlöfsson on Gotland - the remote, windswept Swedish island.

"We spent a couple of weeks in relative isolation recording the album," she says. "I recorded my vocals in an upstairs bedroom while Carl-Michael worked his magic downstairs. It was a great experience and the results are really atmospheric. It was such a beautiful environment to work and so easy to concentrate."

Life, nature and relationships are themes that are evoked through the album. Track-for-track the album combines atmospheric soundscapes and intimate vocals with driving beats. But Lune can still deliver a whopping coup de grâce after the glow sticks, strobes and drum machines have been put away. That Day, Boys n’Roses and the acoustic remix of Stay Sober are brittle, naked masterpieces.

"My interpretation and performance of the songs constantly evolve and change," she says.

"When performing live I really enjoy taking the audience on that creative journey with me."

Sebastian Ingrosso, one third of Swedish House Mafia, is also head of A&R at his own label: Refune. Ingrosso wanted to meet Lune after he heard the songs Teenage Crimes and Fire, which she co-wrote with Adrian Lux. "He was interested in my voice and learning about what else I could do. Ultimately I got signed to his label. We don’t see each other regularly but when we do it’s really fun."

It seems when Swedes collaborate the rest of the electronic world listens. But how did she end up recording the soundtrack for the Leave the World Behind video?

"Volvo asked the boys to do this project and they asked me if I wanted to be a part of it," she says. "It felt natural for me because they wanted a version of a song that was a bit deeper and an alternative take on the original. I think the result is great. A lot of Lune comes through in it.

"Most of the time we are working on different planets. The Mafia are huge! But we met somewhere in the middle and it was really interesting how we collaborated. We didn’t compromise and yet managed to create something that complements one another and that we could all be proud of. The result is phenomenal."

Lune’s gigs tend to border on theatrical performances and special effects are frequently used.

"I am constantly working on new songs and hope to record again in Gotland later this year. Towards the end of the year I plan to embark on an extensive tour."

It remains to be seen whether these three Scandinavian artists have what it takes to deal with the pressure and level of expectation that the main stage brings.

In their collective refusal to compromise and laser sharp focus, Elliphant, MØ and Lune are already avoiding some of the many pitfalls littering the music industry. Young, talented and bold, don’t be surprised if all three end up being mentioned in critics’ year-end ‘best of’ lists.

Watch this space.

Lune

35

Street Party

Three writers report from three very different inner-city festivals.

Oslo’s Øya, Helsinki’s Flow and Copenhagen’s Distortion festivals keep their cities alive long into the warm summer nights.

Øya Festival Oslo

Words: S. Kveldsvik Askedalen Despite being a 23-year-old working in the music industry I'm hardly the most committed of festival goers. Not since I was 18 had the thought of living in a tent for a week, fuelled mainly by crisps and warm cans of beer seemed overly appealing (if it ever was). This summer however, I was getting back into the game. Mr. Wolf sent me to Oslo’s Øya to find out more about the festival and whether or not it was possible to capture the true spirit of a festival in the middle of the city.

Wednesday: It’s 4 pm on the first day of Øya where I still haven’t picked up my pass yet. Walking towards the entrance of the Medieval Park, I was met by a monstrous queue of camouflage jackets, flannel shirts, snapbacks and skinny jeans, which I managed to sneak past to find a hidden stand labelled ‘Journalists Only.’

Crossing the bridge to the main area, I noticed how chilled out everyone seemed, not to mention how tidy the area was. Recycling bins were easily located and various slogans stating how littering is a crime against nature were spread out across the area. An obvious statement, really, but the festival grounds were the tidiest I had ever seen. The organisers had teamed up with local food vendors, green advertisement companies and had all official transport run on bio-fuel, all ideas of which would probably make Al Gore blush. Could this really be the utopia of a music festival, or was it just the quiet before the storm?

Downing a couple of quick (but expensive) 36

drinks, the words "Are you ready for Wu-Tang?" say "Wu...Tang!" emerged from the stage closest to us. Although it was impossible to make out most of the words, the American hip hop legends delivered a powerful performance, running through hits like "C.R.E.A.M," "Gravel Pit" and "Protect Ya Neck" with ease.

Next up was Australian indie outfit Tame Impala who played a good hour of open-guitarriff-layered-with-tasty-synths-and-washed-outvocals at the main stage. Kevin Parker's voice was so far in the background that it seemed like someone had strangled the microphone with a blanket, but their sound provided a welcoming soundtrack to the sun that was about to set over Oslo. I saw the chance to snap a photo and let my sexy collection of Instagram filters work its magic.

Wednesday's big headliner was Blur who probably won't need an introduction. Damon Albarn made a forceful lead figure in front of the packed field and had a stage presence very few other artists can match. With an extensive back catalogue stretching over twenty years, there was enough material to choose from, but it became obvious about twenty minutes in that most people had come to hear one song, and one song only. Random "woohooo's” emerged from the crowd and to everyone’s enjoyment, they did play Song 2 in the end.

Thursday: Feeling a bit rough from the night before which ended at Jaeger club, I arrived at Øya a bit later than planned. It was pouring down rain so I had kitted myself out with warmer clothes, only to realise that the trendy looking people now wore their wellies folded downwards (a new obligatory fashion statement). We decided to take shelter from the rain in one of the tents for a coffee

where I came to chat with a girl who had lost her friends in the crowd and urged me to accompany her to Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was everything I expected from the stories. It seemed like most people had met up largely because of the film ‘Sugar Man’ and not necessarily because he was the most interesting act on the lineup. But don't get me wrong; it truly was an outstanding performance for his age. I skipped the last few songs, indifferent to whether or not Rodriguez needed help down from the stage, and went to check out American rap artist Danny Brown.

Brown’s flow was impeccable resting on top of the Fools Gold-released bass-heavy beats, and even though he left out his biggest hits XXX and Grown Up, it was a banging one-hour set.

On my way to get in prime position for the headlining act Kendrick Lamar, I caught a good fifteen minutes of Grimes who had one of the most promising albums of last year. Standing in between two synths, singing (sometimes screaming) and almost punching the keys to death, she produced a dramatic stage figure which was interesting, for about fifteen minutes or so. Eventually the edginess lost its charm and I made my way back to the main stage.

Friday: If there’s one thing Øya deserves massive credit for, it’s how everything (literally everything) was running like clockwork. Every act was on time throughout the week and information was easily accessible due to the massive number of volunteers. If I had anything to complain about it would probably be the extortionate prices at the bar, but then again: I live in Oslo and should be used to this.

Ditching the clubs from the night before, I managed to drag myself down to the area around opening time on the third day of the

festival. To everyone’s relief, the sun was out again and Norwegian up-and-comers Alfred Hall kick-started the day with a set of indie pop tunes particularly suited for a day out in the sun. Most of Friday was devoted to hanging out in the sunshine and drinking beer before enjoying the wonderful Danish soul band Quadron who set the perfect mood for the idyllic surroundings.

Following Quadron were UK wonder boys Disclosure who did an excellent job of showcasing house music live to a crowd who seemed to be figuring out whether or not touching their own hair was a credible dance move. When playing club music live, there's a limit to what you can do on stage, but their sound was immense and with just the right amount of live triggered samples and percussion, they pulled it off effortlessly.

After a quick bite, more drinks and laughing at each other for looking like idiots with 3D glasses labelled "Kraftwerk," it was time for the major act of the evening. The German electronic music pioneers showed us exactly why our parents still talk about them with such enthusiasm and how they still keep pushing limits with their music and visuals.

The whole experience felt like something out of a Kubrick film and what made it even more amusing was the high-as-a-kite man who stood next to me. Singing along to the words (there’s not that many) and laughing, it seemed like the concert was his mecca of all things fun. All together now: Autobahn!

Saturday: On the last day of the festival, I had to go to work. I knew I was gonna miss out on a few bands, but cruising the Oslo Fjord while playing deep house on a boat was (let's face it) probably not the worst job in the world. I managed to get back to Øya around 8 PM to catch up with some friends and see the closing act of the week. Swedish electro pop act The Knife pushed the limits of stage choreography with about fifteen dancers, exotic percussion, and an outstanding performance from lead singer Karin Dreijer Andersson. Their sound felt rural, incorporating grooves so infectious it felt like we were almost programmed to dance to them. I couldn’t ask for a more appropriate closing act that marked the end of an era: next year the festival is moving location to Tøyen in the east part of town.

In retrospect, Øya felt a lot like "festival light."

Probably not as bad for you as a week at Glastonbury or Roskilde, but still leaving you with about the same after taste. The festival was built around music, and that’s exactly what I liked about it. You can drop by after work, in your lunch break (if you have that

kind of money) or go all-out-all-week followed by impressive club bookings in the city. For better or worse, Øya is exactly what you want it to be and is by far the most pleasant festival experience I’ve had yet.

Flow Festival Helsinki Words: A. Ilmari Virtanen

Flow as a venue combines a big music festival with art and design in a now-defunct industrial power plant milieu that is situated just a stone's throw away from the center of Helsinki. Musically, throughout the years the profile of the festival has evolved from a small, backyard jazz-soul-hiphop-rnb event into the place for showcasing current and new music, whether it be local or international.

There had been a lot of build up to the festival. You could follow the construction of the festival area at Suvilahti via Flow’s Facebook page, while the official Flow magazine set the scene with articles about design, music, movies, urban culture and current phenomena (although only in Finnish I’m afraid). There was a documentary released of the festival made in partnership with Nokia and the striking official festival merchandise was produced by the Finnish design brand R/H (you can read about R/H at mrwolfmagazine. com), exclusively for this year.

And that was just the lead up to the festival.

The actual event this year featured such artists as Alicia Keys, Public Enemy, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and Kraftwerk, hugely successful indie acts The Knife and Grimes, not to mention cult favorites like My Bloody Valentine and Godspeed You Black Emperor. In its tenyear run Flow has become huge, but it also caters to people wanting to see the finest of the left-field electronic musicians and DJs or the punk/folk/psych-rock acts.

Or you can just enjoy the architecture, art, carefully curated food stands (not your regular festival hot dogs served here) and atmosphere.

Smaller showcases and special programs were featured on the festival too. Among them was the Red Bull Music Academy hosting a workshop with well-known music producers along with DJ-gigs during the festival, a Boiler Room special for the club-heads and the Heineken Open Source stage where people had the chance to vote for any artist they wished for. There was the Future Shorts short-film showcase and the movie garage, Make Your Mark street art gallery, the hate destroyer installation,

panel conversations, modern day circus performances and so on.

Also worth mentioning is the Balloon 360 stage. The stage’s specialty was that the full 360 degrees of it was open to the audience, with the stage roof being a huge pressurised balloon. It was the outcome of an architecture competition held last year that remains a staple of Flow Festival, adding to the unique silhouette of the Suvilahti area.

The great thing about Flow Festival is that it lights up the whole city. After the gates to the festival area are shut behind you at the end of the day, official and unofficial after-parties are plentiful, if you know where to look.

Distortion Festival Copenhagen Words: A. Francisco

Since its conception in 1998, Distortion, arguably the highlight of the Copenhagen events calendar, has come a long way. From its humble beginning as a one-night party in Tivoli, to now attracting between 80 to 100,000 revellers a day, it is a festival that demonstrates the public’s love for the eclectic and all things street party. Strategically held from Wednesday to Sunday during the first weekend of June, and just as the Nordic winter clouds are starting to part, the sun will - if you're lucky like we were - finally pop out after months of unpredictability. The first two days showcased the inner suburbs of Nørrebro and Vesterbro with a mixture of pop up parties. Established venues joined the action by spilling out onto the street with beer gardens and performances.

As the sun set over the increasingly litter-covered streets, the nights provided a music lover’s dream. Todd Terje, Sebastian, Light Asylum, Vinnie Who, Erol Alkan and DJ Harvey headlined the stages of some of Copenhagen’s most infamous nightspots.

Shows were held in top music venues, but then some were in unknown, random and unusual locations, just to keep your intrigue well and truly sparked. A moment to remember for us was Thursday night’s party held under the largest bridge in Copenhagen, Langebro, busting out to the timeless mixes of Mickey Moonlight and Erol Alkan.

The shift of the party to the industrial island of Refshaleøen is a relatively new phenomenon for Distortion, giving the innercity residents a break over the weekend. This year both Friday and Saturday nights were held in a desolate industry yard that had been transformed into that of which festival dreams 39

are made. Shipping containers as stages, a double-decker stationary party bus, continual light shows, party boats, party tents, large fields to frolic in and a general good time attitude. Although it took a bus ride to get out to the island (hats off to the transport company who were absolutely killing it with more busses than you could poke a glow stick at) and due to the fact we are a bit partial to block/street/city parties, the crew at Distortion did a stellar job of providing something a little different to the usual program.

There are lessons to be learnt about the attitude of Distortion, and how a large city can manage such a massive attendance while still keeping the festival going from year to year. There is no doubt that sacrifices have to be made by Copenhagen residents for the good of the party, the clean-up, the noise and the disturbance to weekday commutes and errands. Of course there are many throughout the city that would prefer Distortion to die 40

out. We witnessed a pub largely displaying their contempt for the festival, ’Still not Loving Distortion,’ however on the whole, the festival seems to work, with minimal annoyance and ultimately good times.

The organisers have been smart in their tactics - one example is the availability of a street pass arm band, where wearers donate 110DKK towards the clean-up and the general maintenance of facilities on offer - a way of giving back to the free street party festival.

Attendees feel like they have contributed and help to ensure that the party will be back next year. Throughout the city during the lead up, there were advertisements on flyers and posters suggesting that picking up bottles and cans during the festival is a great way to earn cash. They also advertise that those lucky enough to have a Christiania bike can score some extra cash by transporting revellers around the city - too much dance can leave tired legs in need of a lift after all!

It’s arguable that the primary reason this festival works so successfully, when on paper is looks like a public liability disaster waiting to happen, is because of its location.

Copenhagen’s strength is its open-minded city space approach. The majority of residents take responsibility for what the festival offers and what it promotes as modern Copenhagen culture values. Giving the opportunity for attendees to buy the street pass armband is smart. It hands over a sense of ownership, so that the people are contributing to the maintenance of the festival, the city and the upholding of modern Copenhagen street and nightlife culture. It also ensures everyone else’s good time too: a true collective experience.. I can’t wait for next year!

Way Out West Festival Gothenburg, photos: M. Lewander Flow Festival Helsinki, photos: A. Ilmari Virtanen Distortion Festival Copenhagen, photos: K. Helgstrand Nour

In Our Prime Enduring passion and bold vision is the driving tour de force of Nordic innovation. We meet the people at the helm of entreprenurial business.

Photo: A. Lindb채ck

The Copenhagen Coffee Collective Words: L. Phillips Photos: A. Lindbäck

"The four founders of the Coffee Collective: Peter, Linus, Casper and I [Klaus], had been working in specialty coffee for a number of years as baristas, roasters, sales people, trainers etc. and had a lot of ideas for how we could improve the scene here in Denmark. In 2007 we founded The Coffee Collective. We specifically wanted to look more holistically at the whole chain from the farmer over the roaster to the final preparation of the coffee. We have one collective goal: to provide people with an exceptional coffee experience. It is a goal we seek to achieve through great taste quality and our Direct Trade model. We cooperate with farmers on a global scale and together we strive to develop a sustainable production and improve the quality of the coffee.

"We now roast at two locations. Our main roastery is at Godthåbsvej together with our office and third coffee shop.

In Jægersborggade they roast all their espresso in-house.

We're still a very small operator and want to primarily focus on Northern Europe as our market. Coffee doesn't travel well over long distances and it needs to be fresh when it reaches its final destination.

"Roasting our own coffee allows us to highlight the flavours that we're excited about. We love to bring out the bright acidity and floral aromas of a beautiful Kenyan coffee, but we also like to have other coffees that are perfectly balanced and smooth, such as our Guatemalan Finca Vista Hermosa.

Overall we want an assortment that doesn't just fill out a world map, but rather to have differentiated, characteristic coffees that fill out a 'flavour map'.

46

"It was essentially the founding idea behind the company to involve ourselves completely in sourcing coffees. We wanted to commit to paying high prices for quality and visit the farmers regularly. We are only buying coffees where we know and can document what the farmer has been paid. Visiting the farmers and establishing long-term relationships rather than shopping around from different middle-men has given us huge opportunities to select specific micro lots, experiment with processing, taste unique varieties and overall see quality improve over the years, as the farmers benefit from earning more. We've been buying from the same farms in Guatemala and Brazil since we opened and their quality keeps improving.

Last year the cooperative we've been buying from for the last three years in Kenya were the one to pay out the most money to its members in all of Kenya. We'd bought most of their top quality that year. It matters hugely to us that the producers gain from their quality.

"The concept of the "perfect" cup doesn't sit well with me.

There's no perfect wine or perfect dish. What is important to understand is that there's no single element that makes a coffee extraordinary. It's always the result of the farmer, the roaster and the barista (or yourself, if you're brewing at home). The key is to find identifiable coffees from single farms, mills or cooperatives. You need to find a roaster that has a style that you like (we all roast differently and quite often it’s more about finding someone who has a similar taste to you). Then in brewing just keep it simple. Get a decent burr grinder and a scale and weigh out your coffee

Barista, Lukas Kragelund

47

48

and grind it fresh every time. For filter 60 g. per litre of water is a good starting point. A simple filter cone like the Kalita Wave is my preferred brew method for home these days.

Don't think you need to buy fancy, expensive equipment to make good coffee. The raw material (the coffee that is) is much more important.

"To really appreciate a coffee I'd always drink it black brewed on filter. The best coffees can be wildly aromatic, with fragrant floral aromas, like jasmine and rose or fruity like berries, citrus or pears. I look for sweetness and acidity, a pleasant mouth feel and no bitterness. A good coffee shouldn’t be bitter at all.

"We're proud to have helped push the coffee scene here in Copenhagen and we see a growing interest in coffee.

Especially in getting to know the producer and the work behind it, which is great. We try to make it less about fancy brewing or trends and more about sourcing and being careful through processing and roasting. There's a few other roasteries emerging in Copenhagen beside the wellestablished ones, and we're hoping to see more baristas take the plunge and open their own coffee shops. The best

shops (in my opinion) are always the ones owned and run by an experienced barista.

"A central part of The Coffee Collective is to talk and educate on coffee practices, whenever we give a talk or interview we can see that there are still so many people who don't realise coffee is a fruit! What you're drinking is the processed seed of a coffee berry, which has been fermented, washed, dried, roasted, ground and finally extracted into water. When people realise how much work there is behind a cup of coffee and how the good is separated from the bad, they never think about coffee the same way. We don't aim to have people drink more coffee, but rather to enjoy and value more exceptional coffees.

I think Copenhagen is already a destination point for many coffee lovers. We have groups from Japan visiting regularly for example and we’re mentioned in international magazines.

We try to create spaces that also accommodate that need to really experience what we're all about. At Godthåbsvej you can spend half a day tasting coffee, doing food pairing and watching the roasting process. What better way to spend a day?"

49

The Step-by-Step Guide to the Perfect Pour according to Klaus Thomsen 1. Weigh out your dose 2. Grind fresh at the appropriate size (coarse for French press, medium for filter) 3. Ground beans have to be pressed until there's no air 4. Have good quality water (the cleaner the better and in many areas you need either a filter or to buy bottled water) 5. Let the water cool down after boiling for about two minutes so it's at 92-95 째C 6. For filter make sure you pour slowly and steadily 7. For French press make sure all the water and coffee is mixed. Let it steep for four minutes, then stir three times and skim off the foam on top before pressing 8. Always let your coffee cool down before enjoying. The better the coffee is the better it will taste as it cools down

50

Grind Beans

Pour Carefully

Let it Sit

51

Stockholm Brew Photos: V. Erlandsson

Stockholm’s Södermalm district is best known for its expensive rents, fashionable people and smart cafés. Densely populated, it’s an unlikely location for a brewery. STHLM Brewing Co. however is thriving. Producing a growing quantity of craft beer, brewing in the heart of the city never looked so good. Niklas Jakobson has grown the microbrewery from a small-scale hobby project to a nationally distributed operation, negotiating Sweden’s heavily controlled alcohol regulations with ease.

We went to visit STHLM Brewing Co. early one Wednesday morning to see Södermalm’s clandestine brewing practice first hand.

"My friend Tomas, who is today our head brewer, and I started brewing at home a few years back. Although my wife really didn’t appreciate it since we were working out of the bathtub of our small flat in the centre of Stockholm. We cooked up some fine tasting ales, and we started talking about the craft beer scene in Stockholm and Sweden. Only to realize that in this day and age, no one was brewing beer in Stockholm anymore.

Roughly 100 years back, there were a handful of breweries in central Stockholm that today have vanished. We just thought to ourselves, this must change!

"Since we started in 2010, with exactly no money to the project, we had some challenges.

Our small team grew with the addition of an old friend, Niklas Lenkel. Niklas is an engineer and a highly skilled welder, which we thought could be useful. In fact, he made our brewing equipment with only a small investment in steel, and a huge investment in time and dedication. STHLM Brewing Co.’s first ales hit the market in a few selected restaurants early 2012. Back then; we brewed roughly once a month, since all three of us had other 52

full time jobs. Ever since, our ales have been sold out, distributing to around 25-30 bars and restaurants in Sweden every month.

"We were lucky to have a range of great restaurants that listed our beers early on. That helped in getting the word out. Other than that, we have up until now tried to stay a bit under the radar. Since our production has been quite limited we wanted to avoid being overwhelmed by demand. However, now we are brewing more beer than ever and will start working in getting the word out a bit more. We have been invited to collaborate with some great chefs and restaurants in the near future that we are very thankful for. Collaborations like that suit a small company like ours where there is a very slim budget for marketing.

"The microbrewery movement in Sweden is well under way. New, small, interesting breweries are popping up all over the country.

So much has happened even over the last 2 years that I still haven’t had time to taste all the varieties of beer now available. I'm really excited about Åre Bryggarkompani, which recently started outside Åre in Jämtland, Pang Pang Brewery in Hökarängen and many more.

The interest from consumers is huge. People are really starting to discover full-flavoured ales rather than drinking diluted, super cheap beers that are widespread across the globe. These last years have been really exciting in Sweden concerning craft beers. Not only from Sweden but also to see how the selection of craft beer has exploded in Sweden’s state-run alcohol retailer, Systembolaget, and in restaurants.

"Since the alcohol legislation concerning beer production changed in Sweden in 2011, it is much easier to start brewing beer on a commercial scale. Having worked in the wine business for a while I already had the

experience of working with Sweden’s tax authorities, Skatteverket, regarding the taxes and declarations. In fact, we found finding the right location and facilities to brew the most difficult task of starting a brewery, more so than the legalities!

"When it comes to prices we had to concede that brewing beer by hand, with organic produce, in the centre of Stockholm will not make a super cheap beer. Our prices will vary slightly depending on the exact beer, but we are trying to keep the price down since we never want our beers to be a luxury item. We want them to be available to everyone that is keen to try something new and local.

"Being such a small brewery we have not yet started selling through Systembolaget.

That is still to come, hopefully as soon as the end of 2013, or early 2014. The buyers at Systembolaget have tasted a few of our beers and we are having a discussion on how we should place them amongst their selection.

"Our brewing equipment is pretty basic.

Named ‘Bryggverk1’ and hand built by Niklas Lenkel, it's original Swedish craftsmanship!

Brewing in the centre of Stockholm of course has its challenges. Space is of the essence when brewing beer, and to find the right spot at a decent price has been very difficult. We started out in my former office, in a cellar in Östermalm.

Historically it was used as a place to distribute eggs, over 100 years ago that is. From there we moved temporarily to Kvarnholmen where we rented a small space, which also had its flaws.

Now we have settled in a cellar in Södermalm that meets all of our demands, it’s the perfect spot to brew in the city!

"The label and branding of STHLM Brewing Co. was a secondary priority for us. Our production started before we even had a label

Niklas Jakobson (left) and Tomas Hallgren at their microbrewery on Sรถdermalm 53

56

or a name for the project. The focus was on making good beer. Sort of like, "if you build it, they will come." A good friend, Anders Bergqvist, who is a great designer, helped us with the label of our IPA and that has set a kind of standard for our branding. A few early labels included art from a close friend.

Our interests in art will also influence coming labels. We want to promote young, local artists by putting their stuff on our labels.

"Our aim is just to keep developing our beers. We want to produce full-flavoured beers and show consumers what Swedish beer is all about. Exporting to a few different

countries is already in the running, hopefully by next year. We have importers waiting for our production to grow enough for us to export. But first, we need to supply the local market. A long time dream is also to open up a brewpub in Stockholm. To create a place to meet for craft beers of all sorts, domestic and international, and have a burger or two. It will come; we just need to get the funding. Right now (August 2013) we are only selling one label, our India Pale Ale. However we brew smaller batches with all kinds of stuff and we have some seasonal brews coming up which I'm really excited about.

"And what makes a perfect beer? There is no one perfect beer. All beers are different, and should be different. All craft beer that is.

Taste is really subjective and therefore there is no perfect beer. That is one of the many things I've learned from working with wine. I'll drink one beer for a certain kind of food, and another one with something else. But one of the most important things to me is balance.

As with wine, the balance is very important. I don't want too much alcohol coming out, or too much hops hiding the malt flavours. I believe balance is the key in all styles of beer."

57

Hej Hay Danish design-duo, Mette and Rolf Hay, successfully unite pride in their Danish design heritage with an inclusive global outlook Words: C. Maargaard Jensen

58

At the first edition of Design Trade Copenhagen, Scandinavia’s new international trade fair for design and interiors, Mr. Wolf had the pleasure of meeting with Rolf and Mette Hay, co-founders of the Danish interior design company, HAY, for a chat about being Danish, Scandinavian, and citizens of an increasingly globalised world.

It is in many ways only fitting that Denmark finally should host its very own trade fair for design and interiors. Despite its small geographic size, Denmark has a remarkably rich cultural heritage in furniture design dating back to the 1950s and 60s when designers such as Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, Hans J. Wegner, and Børge Mogensen helped place Denmark at the top of the international market in designing high-quality and aesthetically unique furniture. Today, Danish design is once again attracting the world’s attention, with design companies such as HAY, Muuto and Norman Copenhagen experiencing great success internationally.

HAY, founded in 2002 and based in Denmark, is greatly inspired by the legacy of the classic furniture designers of the 1950s and 60s. However, despite being regarded as a prominent actor in the current trend of producing furniture and interior accessories that have a particular Danish or Nordic look, the Hay couple keenly emphasize that they do not in any way limit their sources of inspiration to a solely Scandinavian context.

Being Danish, Scandinavian, and citizens of a globalised world “Mette and I,” Rolf says, “we are very proud and happy to come from one of the countries in the world that has the strongest design culture. Denmark is our platform, and I, personally, do what I do today out of love for the classic Danish designers. But if we limited ourselves to working with Scandinavian designers, as some of our competitors on the market are doing, we would be limiting our sources of inspiration to a solely Scandinavian context.”

Instead, the Hay couple find inspiration through interacting with designers and customers from a broad pallet of cultures. Rolf continues: “There are such big cultural differences between many of the people we collaborate with; yet we are all brought together in the passion we have for what we do, which is creating beautiful design of a high quality. We would, for example, not be where we are today with our textile products, if Mette hadn’t gone to India.

Danish culture is so incredibly different from Indian; yet it is still possible for us to meet people who have the same values as us.

At Hay, we are interested in working with people who inspire and touch us, and do something new with design that we haven’t seen before. For us, what people do and stand for are more important premises for collaboration than where they come from.”

Mette elaborates on the international profile the company strives to achieve: “We have production facilities all over the 59

world, and work with designers from a broad range of countries. We see ourselves as an international company, and have never had a wish to be considered as creating particularly Scandinavian or Danish design. The fact that the products we sell apparently end up looking Scandinavian must be because both Rolf and I have grown up in Denmark, and are partial to designs that we, through our cultural heritage, have learned to perceive as aesthetically pleasing.”

Regardless of the current hype surrounding particularly Scandinavian furniture and interior accessories, design of the 21st century is, according to Rolf, developing into a highly global language and becoming less differentiated on a regional basis. “Ten years ago it was still possible to say that in Spain they like dark wood, and in Scandinavia we prefer wood in light shades – it is no longer possible to make such clear-cut distinctions.”

The modern consumer and Scandinavian progressiveness Mette emphasises this view, saying that the couple draw a lot of inspiration from the shopping patterns of the modern consumer when developing new products. “It is important not to underestimate the modern consumer. People all over the world today are taking an increased interest in their homes, often doing extensive research before making their purchases, and taking a lot of personal interest in the things they buy. In Germany, for example, the annual turnover for interior-design magazines has increased with something like 70% in comparison with fashion magazines.”

However, in spite of the effects of globalisation, Rolf also points out an area of the design industry where the Scandinavian countries stand out: “At the moment there might not be a big aesthetic difference between a piece of furniture that is produced by a Danish or a German design company; but there is an ethical difference. In Scandinavia, we can make high quality design at affordable prices. When you have a small golden egg, like Danish design from the 50s and 60s is, it is natural for there to be a reaction to the fact that back then they were not accessible to everyone because it was so expensive. We are the result of this reaction: we produce high quality design and furniture like 60

the grand designers did half a century ago, but we have as a key goal to make it accessible in a much broader context.”

According to Rolf, it is very special to live in a country like Denmark where school children know who Arne Jacobsen is: the classic furniture designers have become a dominant feature of our cultural heritage. “But,” Rolf warns, “it would also be dangerous to become stuck in this golden age and do nothing to innovate. Our mission at HAY is to bring something new to Danish furniture design, make it a part of a modern world, and make it reflect a modern culture.”

A media-created hype There can certainly be no doubt that HAY has become an international success: HAY furniture and interior accessories are available in more than 25 countries worldwide. Furthermore, Mette and Rolf have over the years collaborated with numerous high-profile international designers such as Swedish Clara von Zweigbergk, Dutch Scholten & Baijings, and most recently the Parisbased designers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, who were commissioned by HAY to create a series of chairs and tables specifically for the University of Copenhagen, known as The Copenhague Collection.

Rolf studies the French-designed furniture pieces that are exhibited at the trade fair, and remarks that they look quite Scandinavian in their design, despite being of French creative origin. Mette picks up his lead, asking, “So what is Scandinavian design, really? Could Bouroullec not just as easily have designed this collection in collaboration with, say, an Italian design company?” Rolf nods in agreement, and Mette continues: “But, on the other hand, then we speak to a Japanese journalist who desperately wants us to be able to say that our design is Danish, and a tribute to our proud Danish design heritage. In this sense, I think the media bear a large part of the responsibility for creating the present hype regarding Nordic design.”

Regardless of the current popularity of everything Scandinavian or Nordic in appearance, the Hay couple have successfully managed to assert themselves as a Danishbased design company who, although greatly valuing their Danish design heritage, have ambitions that go beyond it.

61

Hot and Steamy Words and photos: E. Mendel-Hartvig

Sublime Melbourne based skincare company, Aēsop, has collaborated with iconic Finnish textile designers, Marimekko, to produce a rather divine sauna duet. The body balm and body scrub were soothingly hydrating when Wolf trialled and tested them at Skåne’s Bjärred Saltsjöbad.

Taking advantage of the longer hours of sunshine, Wolf picked a late Friday afternoon to head to the sauna and take a first dip in the ocean. Foregoing a lakeside in a Finnish forest, Wolf opted for the coast of southern Sweden with Malmö, Copenhagen and the Öresund Bridge in sight.

It is a Finnish sauna ritual to shake your body of the stresses of your daily routine by rapping your back with birch twigs.

Aēsop’s body scrub is undoubtedly a more relaxing alternative.

Waiving the traditional approach did not however diminish the essence of the Nordic sauna ritual. The aromatic oils from fir

62

sprigs, sage leaves and pine needles remind you of the origin of this bathing culture as the scent of the Nordic forest lingers amongst the steam.

Walking back from the sauna on the long bridge to the shore both body and soul were completely relaxed and satisfied. It’s hard to say whether it was the effects from the sauna itself, the refreshing dip in the sea, the body scrub and balm or the endorphins from the breath-taking sunset that made Wolf throw off the winter fur. We were utterly content nonetheless.

Marimekko’s recent collaborations also feature Finland’s national airline, Finnair. On a recent flight between Helsinki and Hong Kong, Wolf was lucky enough to take a look at the process of adorning an aircraft tail wing with Marimekko design, see mrwolfmagazine.com for the story.

63

Sauna Party

Throw in a towel

A Nordic sunset is best accompanied by a sauna

A Swedish sauna at its best

Design in a Cold Climate

Safa Hovinen The Typography of Helsinki

Safa Hovinen designed the limited edition postcard set, ‘Helsinki Typography.’ A Helsinki local, Safa’s postcard series is a tribute to the city, turning the aesthetic of its streets and architecture into a design object unto themselves. The select 200 postcard sets are a striking snapshot of Helsinki, world renowned for its creative design community. Safa talked us through his process.

"I was interested in the concept of showcasing an aspect of Helsinki in an interactive way with a print product. As a designer I have always been close to typography and lettering, so that was a natural direction for me to choose. Very early on in the process I had several trips around the city centre to find and photograph the most interesting pieces of public typefaces and hand-lettering. I love colours but I tend to use them very selectively, the fewer the better because I think colour should have a meaningful role. In the pictures the neon orange pops out of the blue to give more attention to the shape in the typography. The postcard as a medium became an obvious choice, as it inherently has an interactive quality to it: you choose it, you write on it, you send it to a person you love. More interactivity is brought in with the QR code on each card, as the exact location of where the picture has been taken can be found and experienced!

"I produced the postcard series myself. The money I invested in printing and manufacturing the sets was worth two months' rent. Quality is very important to me, so I would rather produce a small amount of cards with a good 70

print, spot colours and great paper than a huge amount with mediocre grade. After all, the cost between select quantity and high quality is often the same as a larger print run at a lower standard. A lot of detailed handwork and hours went into making the packaging of the set. I am happy to have done it, though, that kind of manual labour can be therapeutic. I didn’t offer the sets to anyone before I had them ready. Now they are being sold in four design shops around Helsinki. This product is so Helsinki-oriented that I find it better if you come and buy them in the city. Then you also have the opportunity to use the set as a typographic map and tour around the city with the QR codes.

"Most of the typography and lettering that I selected for the postcard set is mounted straight into walls with bricks, metal or thick paint. They are old but they cannot be taken away as that would damage the whole wall. They have become a recognizable and valuable part of the building.

As a contrast to that, one of the neon signs included in the set (SÄHKÖ PAGALUX) has already been taken away!

Helsinki is a great melting pot of neoclassical, jugend and functionalist styles and architecture. I find them beautiful and exciting. Some contemporary architecture both respects these dominating styles and tries to find new ways of expression. One great example is the relatively new Kaisa library building. Another interesting library is being planned to be built in the city centre, too.

71

"Last year Helsinki was the World Design Capital, and during the year a lot of emphasis was put on design.

However, many local designers feel that the theme year did not really acquaint the Average Joe to what design is and why it is needed in everyday life. Most of the design education, working designers, companies and clients in Finland live in the Helsinki area. Helsinki is by far the biggest creative community in Finland. I find it vibrant and hardworking. People are well networked and individuals can easily find like-minded friends to work with new projects.

"Everywhere in Helsinki there is a strong emphasis placed on design. If you can find everything from the amateur A4 signs for flea markets and the underground indie gig posters, to the advertisements made by cultural institutions and the visual campaigns made with big money, your visual appetite is treated well. I enjoy being exposed to all these genres of graphic design in the public city space. Helsinki – and Finland in general – is a logical and practical society, and those are qualities that I also strive for in my work.

"I love this profession. The most important things I wish to accomplish when working are clarity of thought, total 72

honesty and good quality. These are things I do not want to compromise. I strive to be more of a holistic organiser of practical ideas than a mere stylist. I totally agree with Dieter Rams’s ten principles of good design but I also try to keep in mind that laughter and humour should not be forgotten!

Every profession is in fact a service profession: we should strive to serve the needs (not necessarily the wants) of whole mankind when making decisions in our work. This also entails that our design should be in balance with the ecosystem. The perfect creative project is one where I have the opportunity to really deepen into the subject and offer my expertise and ideas for creating a long-term visual language for an entity. When, for example, creating a visual identity for a company the designer is actually creating a whole system. I like that, thinking on a large scale."

Safa lives in Arabianranta, which is a beautiful mix of old industrial buildings and new residential architecture. Despite Helsinki’s great public transport system, Safa wishes the city would set up more routes for cyclists. His favourite part of the city? The nearness of nature almost everywhere you go in Helsinki, and the sea.

73

The Architecture of Julien De Smedt Words: S. Tanny

Julien De Smedt Architects is a multidisciplinary office that focuses on architecture and design, from large-scale planning to furniture. Founded and directed by Julien De Smedt, JDS currently employs some 50 people with offices in Copenhagen, Brussels and Brazil. The office has a wide portfolio of international work. Mr. Wolf talks to Julien himself about the Holmenkollen Ski Jump in Oslo, amongst other projects.

"The architectural scene in Scandinavia has drastically changed in the past 15 years. In 2001 when Bjarke (Bjarke Ingels of Bjarke Ingels Group or BIG) and I started our firm PLOT, there had not been a new office created in Denmark for over five years. Dorte Mandrup set up her architecture practice in 1995; apart from her there was hardly anything. You had a handful of old practices founded by great modernists, by then dead. Partners who could not maintain the ingenious ideas of their founders held the offices together and those practices handled most of the design jobs at the time. If you look at the amount of new practices today, it is astonishing. I would even say that the community is saturated. The market remains rather small, so most practices are working abroad as well. I would say that PLOT, and then JDS and BIG were always geared towards international interests. In Norway, there is a similar phenomenon with Spacegroup. From my experience, Swedish firms remain more local and conservative unfortunately.

"Scandinavia has a good international vibe right now.

There are multiple reasons for that: it is still relatively 76

unknown versus other, more sunny, destinations. So it is a place to discover. On top of that, Scandinavia has an aura of sustainable living, which completely tunes in with the current international concern about the environment. A lot of people look at Scandinavia with curiosity and are eager to learn from its well functioning society. We see a lot of people coming with an educational and business purpose. I believe that particularly in Denmark, the design culture of the 20th century and today’s architecture are huge contributors to that appeal. This exchange, together with media coverage, has also made it easier to export Scandinavian ideas abroad.

"When we approached the Holmenkollen Ski Jump project in Oslo in 2011, symbiosis was our primary concern. This project aimed to unify the various elements present in a ski jump into one single expression, shape and action, rather than having a series of dispersed pavilions and infrastructure on site. We managed to combine them into one organism.

The judges’ booths, the commentators, the trainers, the royal family, the VIPs, the windscreens, the circulation, the lobby, the entrance to the arena and the arena itself, the lounge for the skiers, the shop of souvenirs, the access to the existing museum, the viewing public square at the very top, EVERYTHING is contained into the shape of the jump in a magical synergy of programs and experiences.

"The project is based on a steel girder principle. The intelligence of it was to combine the structural elements, the programs required and the topography of the site into one shape that resolves everything. Halfway through the project

Julien De Smedt with the MIKE Bike. Photo: Nikolaj Moeller

The Holmenkollen Ski Jump. Photo: Marco Boella

Photo: Rasmus Andersen

we were challenged to take out the accessible rooftop terrace. This was a crucial moment to clarify what is probably in retrospect the most important aspect of the project: that the real icon is the city of Oslo and that we could not lose this viewpoint framing the most stunning view of Oslo.

"The Iceberg apartment project we were involved with in Aarhus Denmark in 2007 by comparison was quite a different process. The Iceberg was a project about sharing: both on an urban scale but also in the way the process of design was handled. We teamed with three other offices all based in Europe to achieve the final outcome. The idea was to form a creative pool that would come together to make a single building, instead of the usual teams that each give a project their own style. Here the style became the result of our collaboration.

"On the urban scale, we wanted to create the feeling of a neighbourhood with our building. And we also wanted to relate to the coming future neighbourhood. We argued that our building mass should go beyond the height limits imposed by the planning regulations and create these extreme peaks and canyons, allowing for the entire building to have views to the sea and even to our further back neighbours!

"In 2008, the project was put to a hold because of the financial crisis. It stayed that way for a period of over a year.

We thought it was dead. Then, an agreement was reached with a large pension fund to take over the project from the previous developer who did not have the financing in place anymore. The entire process following that change of client became about finding the right balance of respecting the project’s identity and applying program change. In the end the project is completely faithful and even improved from the original design.

"I think that the vision of the first client to mix various social groups in one building entity was very exciting. The idea was to literally combine social housing with market housing and thereby create a diverse neighbourhood. Technically, the project pushes the boundaries of prefabrication for the facades, where the sandwich incorporates the insulation and waterproofing as well as a terrazzo concrete outside finish.

"Juilen’s latest project, Makers With Agendas (MWA) is concerned with developing items around the dogma ‘does it deserve to exist?’ Their range of homewares was launched in Autumn 2013 at Maison & Objet in Paris, Design September in Brussels, MWA store in Copenhagen and the New Museum store in NYC. The MIKE Bike, crafted by MWA for example provides a highly considered solution for the needs of contemporary urban dwellers; it looks fabulous too."

81

Treehotel Is Taking Architecture To New Heights 82

Based in a remote forest in Northern Sweden, Treehotel consists of seven ultra-modern tree houses for holiday makers seeking an alternative to the classic beach escape.

Husband and wife duo, Britta and Kent Lindvall, are the masterminds behind this innovative and stylish living concept. We sat down with Britta to find out more about the project.

Words: E. Hutchinson

83

"We were originally inspired by a movie that a friend of ours produced, The Tree Lover. In the movie he builds a tree house, which he then rents out to guests over a few seasons. We took this concept further and developed the idea of a simple hut to tree rooms. There are seven rooms in total that are suspended four-six meters above ground and include the UFO, the Cabin, the Mirrorcube, the Bird’s Nest, the Blue Cone, the Tree Sauna and the Dragonfly. We had all Swedish architects design the tree houses, Tham Videgard, Thomas Sandell, Bertil Harstrom and Mårten Cyren. The biggest challenge they faced was to calculate the strength of the tree versus building. It required skilled engineers with experience. Then the courage to take a decision to build Treehotel without knowing how it would go.

The Mirrorcube was the most difficult to construct—it sits just on a single tree and weighs six tons. It can withstand storms, snow pressure and extreme cold. All of the tree houses can actually withstand the freezing Nordic winters with electric floor heating. We built Treehotel on the genuine experience of nature, so it’s a given that sustainability and ecological values are two pillars of our hotel operation. We chose material and construction techniques that make as little environmental impact as possible. We build on live trees without destroying the tree and we do not chop down any trees or damage nature while building.

"The structural strategy all comes down to the strength of the tree versus the weight of the structure. The Cabin, for example, is hanging on two laminated beams. The whole design hinges on these two beams. The beams are attached to the four tree trunks with brackets and the brackets are adjustable when the tree grows in width. The room weighs seven tons. A pine tree of our size can carry up to 20 tons.

"Both Kent and I were born in the countryside. We live here and the grounds are also near Britta’s guesthouse, which is the other hotel I have been pursuing since 2004.

The idea behind the remoteness of Treehotel is based on the experience of the forest and the silence of nature. It is just one hour’s drive from the airport and we are located

84

65km from the Arctic Circle providing guests who stay in the rooms during winter with stunning views of the Northern Lights. I think that choosing to stay in one of the tree rooms offers a unique sense of freedom - to look out over the landscape is soothing and allows your creativity to flow.

"When it comes to the guests who stay in the tree rooms, it varies. It is mostly for those who want to be in and enjoy nature, silence and modern architecture. The best thing about our hotel is that we have people from age 2-92 coming to stay. Lots of young couples, families with children, people who want a break from their busy lives. I choose which room I want to stay in based on my mood, or what mood I would like to be in, but the Cabin is the most popular.

"Above all, the Treehotel is a place where nature, ecological values, comfort and modern design are combined for an exciting adventure."

For Britta, the best way to describe staying in the trees is through one of her favourite songs by a Swedish artist Lisa Ekdahl: "High up in the trees where the birds live Wish I sit in peace and quiet Up among the trees in secret Restored my dignity High up in the trees where the birds live Will everything rest makes everything depend High up in the trees where the birds live Wish I sit in peace and quiet No one would know where I was No one would ask where I was I wished I could sit in trees and tilt my head toward the bark I wished I could believe a single day That I never needed to go to the ground"

85

Beware the Swimming Hall Police A cautionary discussion of the difficulties of showering in Icelandic public pools.

Words: T.L. Moir

I’ve been showering myself for the better part of a quarter of a century now. By my reckoning, I’m a confident showerer and a competent shower operator. You know, I could shower with my eyes closed, and often do so when unexpected bits of shampoo find their way in.

Yet each time I wander into an Icelandic swimming hall, I find myself feeling highly uninitiated.

As far as I’m concerned, as soon as you are standing under falling water, you’re showering. Unless a rogue bar of soap finds its way under the sole of your foot sending you into a sprawling splashing mess on the floor, not much can go awry, ja?

As your standard Icelandic Swimming pool regulations specify, there’s a lot more to it than that.

Such a complex task do such institutions deem showering to be that they feel the need to publish ‘how to’ signs on any vacant space of changing room wall, unearthing some of bathtime’s eternal mysteries, such as where to wash, how thoroughly you need to wash and for how long.

A particularly imposing sign on the wall of one of Reykjavík’s most popular swimming holes reads, “Observe! Every guest is required to wash thoroughly without a swimsuit before entering the pools. Thank you.”

The sign is accompanied by a picture of a genderless figure with cloudy circles over his/her/its hair, underarms, hands, genitals and feet, specifying areas to take particular care with (who would have thought hey, feet sometimes smell… ) Said sign is translated into five languages: Icelandic, English, Danish, German and French.

There are signs throughout the Icelandic countryside warning of active volcanos nearby, written only in Icelandic. The idea of finding yourself swimming in currents of about 1000 °C hot lava clearly poses a lesser threat than that posed by swimming near a stranger’s natural bodily oils.

The nudity is not something that bothers me. But the tyranny with which it is policed kind of does. And it’s not even the changing room attendants who are the enforcers. In fact, judging by the predominantly elderly clientele at many of these leisure centres, I imagine staff would have no problem at all if once, just once, old Hilda kept her swimsuit firmly attached to her body when bending over to scrub her feet.

One of my first visits to a central Reykjavík pool was chequered by an incident in the showers. A French friend and I strolled into the showers, 86

towels astride our shoulders. Neither of us bothered to read the sign, we were simply too excited about hitting the spas.

I’d heard you had to shower before entering the pool. So with board shorts still firmly elasticised to my waist, I stepped under a shower.

Within seconds of waterfall being imminent - I think I was still damp, yet to cross the threshold into wet proper - I heard a voice.

“Aye, read the sign!!!”

A very large, very naked Icelandic man had wandered over to my shower stall, a (presumably) communal bar of soap in hand (more on that later). He stood there, leering forward angrily.

I spun around and locked eyes with my naked aggressor. I had acknowledged what he’d said, although in order to get any closer to the sign required I had to get closer to him, which was not a prospect I fancied.

So instead I replied with, “What do you mean?”

He barked back, “No clothes.”

I was a little taken aback by his demand. Who was he to enforce such regulations? I considered confronting him and saying something awesome like, “Yeah, what if I don’t? What are you gonna do about it?!”

It dawned on me that I didn’t fancy any potential outcomes from such a confrontation. The first of which was standing up to him and therefore having to move closer to this much bigger, much more naked man than me. Alternately, there was the possibility of getting the sjitt kicked out of me by this much bigger, much more naked man. Or worse still, be publicly and unceremoniously undressed, by a very big, very naked man.

Our eyes still locked, out of the corner of my vision I spotted my sneaky Frenchman friend scutter by out of the showers and into the pool area, flashing me a brief ‘good luck, mon ami’ grimace, bearing more than a passing resemblance to the pink panther. I didn’t blame him.

My aggressor was awaiting my response, I briefly cast my eyes downward, as if to acknowledge his level of nakedness. At which point, something clicked over in his mind. He realised he was ordering a complete stranger, and a foreigner no less, to get naked, in a shower, less than a metre from him, while staring rather aggressively. He realised, shot a self-conscious glance around the showers, then backed off.

Once he’d returned to his stall I undressed. Briefly. My naked shower would best be described as token. I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. After nude showering for a grand total of about

twenty seconds, I slid my shorts back on, and made for the exit.

I reached the door, nearly. Before I heard a now familiar bark, and stopped dead.

“WITH SOAP!” “Excuse me?” I said, turning to him, brow furrowed to a thermal degree.

“I said, with soap! You have to wash with soap,” said old mate Thor, while working up a very impressive lather himself. Everywhere. With communal soap (hang tight).

I stood there staring, I’m ashamed to say. Surprised, and impressed at the gall of an ordinary albeit very soapy man to reprimand me. This man was not just an example of correct shower protocol, he was a shining case study in excessive rule-following.

Had I stared much longer, I’m sure I would have received nothing short of a full demonstration in how to access the deepest, most hardto-reach crevices in the land (which there are no shortage of in neither Iceland, nor on him).

I opened my mouth to retort, something like, “Make me!” Thankfully, I was spared ever discovering the fallout of these words materialising.

The next thing we heard was someone else’s voice from the entrance to the showers.

It was a pool staff member. He’d come to see what all the commotion was about. What proceeded was a brief exchange in Icelandic.

From what I understood, the gist of it was as follows.

Big naked dude: this skinny foreigner refuses to get naked or soapy.

Clothed shower attendant: for the last time this month, stop forcing our visitors to get naked and soap themselves for you!

After thirty seconds of chat, the attendant shot me a look, which I read as something like, ‘Better just hop out of here bud, you’re off the hook, this time. But we better be seeing your pale white ass next time you set foot in these showers, boy!’

For the following weeks I thought about the aggression with which I was commanded to strip and use soap that day. Neither of these rituals were beyond my comprehension, but the lengths with which the man travelled to make sure I followed the rules were fascinating to me.

You should know, I spent a lot of my childhood swimming in public pools and am fairly confident I didn’t once shower beforehand. In my mind, these weren’t essential steps in the process of public bathing.

I have very recently learnt that the chlorine levels in the pools in Iceland are slightly lower than those in other countries, which would explain this somewhat.

What I grew curious about was whether he was legitimately concerned with people like me bringing germs into the pool? Or whether years of following these guidelines had conditioned him to view showering as much of an imperative to a visit to the public pool as actually getting into the water?

Subsequent questioning of friends who grew up in Iceland has more or less confirmed the latter. The same way other countries may view putting your seatbelt on before hitting your car’s accelerator, or buying popcorn before entering the cinema, so was this to Iceland.

I was relatively convinced of this, but the closing argument came in the form of two little contradictions about Icelandic bathing culture that I’ll simply never understand.

If they are so very careful about hygiene and cleanliness in public pools, if it is considered sacrilege to enter the water with even the smallest bead of sweat or other bodily secretion on your being, why is it perfectly acceptable to rent swimsuits from the facility, should you happen to have forgotten to bring your own?

I assume these swimsuits are either lost/found and that they live in a dripping bucket behind the front counter with all the other rental swimsuits up for grabs. So while it’s not cool to swim near strangers’ bodily secretions, it’s totally fine to have them rubbed up all over your being, smothered inside a tight, claustrophobic, lycra pouch.

And secondly, communal soap! Just to be clear, soap is used to clean germs and bacteria from people’s bodies. Rubbing them all over your own body and calling it cleaning yourself? Really, Iceland.

So bathers, enjoy the thriving public pool culture in Iceland, especially in winter. There is almost nothing nicer than having snow float down around you while you sit submerged in a 40 degree pool. But please, please, just read the signs. I implore you to respect the regulations, even if it is only for a very short amount of time. And if you do happen to be prudish, over-zealous to take a dip, or just plain rebellious, best make sure a large soaped up do-gooder doesn’t happen to be watching.

87

Copenhagen Culture Club Wolf spent a hot summer in the Danish capital gallery hopping, sun bathing, cycling and attractive-people-spotting.

Anna Holm

The Gallery Girls Copenhagen’s contemporary art community is remarkably strong. As well as major national arts institutions such the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art north of the city and the Arken Modern Art Museum just to the south, Copenhagen also supports five prominent contemporary art centres.

The five differ in exhibition profiles and architectural settings while being unified in the active development of both local and international contemporary art.

We meet the faces behind these marvellous art centres to hear about what they do, what drew them to art and why they love living a capital so rich in contemporary art.

Photos: A. Lindbäck

Anna Holm Curator Overgaden Institut for Samtidskunst "Overgaden is situated by a canal in one of central Copenhagen’s most historic and beautiful neighbourhoods, Christianshavn, and occupies two large floors of a 19th century building, which used to house a printing works. The spaces are very distinct with their large iron-cast columns and chequered floor – Overgaden is far from a white cube – but even though the architecture is quite dominant, the spaces are well-proportioned and provide a great opportunity to experiment with the installation of the art works.

"I have a background in modern culture and art history, and before I became curator at Overgaden I was editor at the Danish online art magazine Kopenhagen.dk. What I found, and still find very interesting about contemporary art, is its capacity to address and visualise a wide range of urgent topics in today’s society. In my view, art still has critical potential, providing new ways of thinking about and experiencing the world. Art offers a space for contemplation and sometimes even adds magic to our everyday life, which I think is much needed in a rationalised society such as ours.

"Ever since Overgaden was established in 1986, its primary aim has been to facilitate and provide a platform for artistic experiments where both young and more established artists can develop their projects and practice on their own terms. Unlike many other institutions our programme is based on applications and our task is therefore first and foremost to create the best possible production environment 92

for the artists and curators we work with. Another important and on-going aim for Overgaden is to act as a catalyst and arena for debate, communication, and dialogue about art today – this being a focus area that we wish to intensify in the coming years. Besides an annually recurrent seminar, dedicated to investigating contemporary phenomena on the art scene in-depth, we are currently planning a debate series, addressing questions such as art and its mediation, funding and social responsibility.

"We currently present 10 exhibitions a year, and the majority of these are deliberately by Danish artists. But as it is part of our institutional raison d’être to promote and ensure publicity and visibility for local artists both at home and abroad, it is vital for us to establish international networks and extend people’s knowledge of Overgaden and our programme across borders. Exhibitions and discursive activities with international artists and academics stimulate this exchange, and in the past few years Overgaden has experienced an increased interest from abroad. Last year we were invited to the Armory Show in New York, which was a great opportunity to both promote Overgaden as well as artists from Denmark.

"I love Copenhagen because it’s so dynamic. Even though the city is rather small we have an incredibly vibrant and diverse arts community.

New artist-run exhibition spaces pop up all the time, demonstrating both curiosity and enterprise. Even though the interest in contemporary art has increased, I still wish that more people would become aware of all it has to offer."

Kirse Junge-Stevnsborg

Kirse Junge-Stevnsborg Artistic Director Den Frie Udstillingsbygning "I have been working at Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art since the spring of 2009. As the main person responsible for the institution I do work a lot with administration and management of staff. Together with the Director of Development we form a team of daily management.

"I hold a MA in Aesthetics, Culture and Arts Management. During my early career I had truly exciting internships at the Tate in London and at the Danish Contemporary Art Foundation as well as Gallery Nicolai Wallner here in Copenhagen. They were very inspiring years.

"Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art dates all the way back to 1898 when it was the artists’ house in Denmark. We have always functioned as a space for artists, free from the power and influence of the official state institutions. We present mainly exhibitions that are produced, initiated or chosen by artists. Den Frie is especially focused on contemporary artistic communities, collective exhibitions, artists associations and experimental groups and networks.

"We work very collaboratively with the artists. Our main exhibitions have their focus on current topics and relate in format to our unique architecture.

"I think Copenhagen has such a strong contemporary art community because we have a long tradition of diversity; the art centres for many years have thrived on being in competition. We have also had public institutions in place to secure a diverse art scene since the 1960s and there is still significant political and cultural support behind this system.

In later years the art centres have been much better at collaborating and signalling that contemporary art is crucial to the entire creative industry.

"At Den Frie we try to present both Danish as well as international artists. Our major solo shows are mainly with Danish artists, but we are by no means turning our backs to what is going on in the international art scene.

"The gallery is undertaking an extensive building program over the next 12 months. It is both an expansion, where we add new facilities to the house, and a restoration that brings the house back to its original architectural state. We will tear down a later architectural addition at the back of the house and then dig out the basement to make room for a new exhibition space, education space, archive, meeting room and a café. We will also add a new garden in an attempt to transform our little part of the city and make the area more appealing. These are needs that we have felt for years and believe to be necessary to meet in order to stay relevant today and into the future, as we want to open up the house to a larger audience. In this way we will preserve and improve the qualities of our unique, heritage-listed building while also making it a house in sync with the art scene today. " Kirse’s favourite thing about Copenhagen is its diverse, vibrant arts scene. “There is no such thing as one dominating art school anymore even though the scene is relatively small. Most Danish artists and art professionals travel quite a lot and are curious about what is happening internationally, so new tendencies, artistic expressions and talented artists can often be seen here pretty early on.”

93

Stine Høholt Photo credit: Per Morten Abrahamsen

Stine Høholt Chief Curator The Arken Museum of Modern Art "I lost my heart to the Arken museum back in 1997, when I started as an assistant and guide. For the last eight years I have been working as the museum’s Chief Curator. As head of the art department I am part of the translation of the museum’s vision and mission into exhibitions, research and education. My job implies leadership and interaction with many different people, I travel to see exhibitions, and engage in art at many different levels. It’s a lot of fun.

"I hold a MA degree in Art and Cultural Studies, and later, after having worked a couple of years I did a Ph.D. in Design History and Material Studies. I’m interested in the interface between art and culture. My brain enjoys the visual and the aesthetical dimension in life, so the art world feeds a mindset like mine perfectly. I also like the sensitivity I find in art.

"I am a big fan of artists that negotiate identity matters and cultural currents like Jesper Just, Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Tracey Emin or Frida Kahlo (whom we are showing autumn 2013). Artists don’t need to be contemporary for me to take an interest. Although I do have a huge interest in the contemporary, and this spring I have been working with the emerging Romanian art scene, which is incredibly interesting.

"Putting together a show is always a team effort, and what I enjoy the most is the inspiration from artists, colleagues and other art professionals. I get a kick out of good team spirit and working with ambitious people. Each exhibition has its own story, sometimes I work on an exhibition for more than five years, sometimes exhibitions are 94

done much quicker. But one thing never changes: You always have a very fixed deadline for the opening, which cannot be missed! So, it is a busy life too.

"Copenhagen has an openness towards contemporary art and aesthetics, which is great. But I also like the intellectual atmosphere of big cities like New York, L.A. and London. Each Nordic capital has its own unique identity. I find Copenhagen serious with an appetite for quality. The last couple of years I have worked with artists from India and China; in comparison they have a lot at stake. We do pay a special attention to the Nordic art scene, but we also see ourselves as part of a global world. As an art museum, our job is to provide an experience for our visitors and wider society as such. Promotion of local Danish artists is not our direct goal.

"The stunning architecture of Arken is a fantastic space for art works.

It is quirky and cool, as I recently saw someone describing it. I have always loved it, it is strong and expressive, but with a scale that suits everything from oil paintings to video art very well.

I couldn’t name a favourite exhibition of mine at Arken, I’ve liked too many, although some of the artists I admire the most are Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset.

"What is Stine’s favourite thing about Copenhagen? That I take my bike and go to see a fashion show by Henrik Vibskov very nearby, that architecture is flowering and on top of this we have a strong scene for literature, and a good mix of galleries and museum exhibitions. There are many things you can enjoy."

Line Møller Lauritsen

Line Møller Lauritsen Curatorial Assistant Nikolaj Kunsthal "I have been working for Nikolaj Kunsthal, Copenhagen Contemporary Art Centre, since December 2013. I have a MA in Visual Culture from the University of Copenhagen. I like contemporary art because it makes us reflect on our everyday life and the world we are a part of.

"Within the field of international contemporary art, Nikolaj Kunsthal focuses on art that reflects and addresses current political, social and cultural issues. Our exhibition profile is based on dialogue between Danish and international art, on bringing historical perspectives to new material and media multiplicity, stylistic diversity, art in public spaces, digitally based art and – last but not least – an openness to new developments. We show art that can generate, inspire and intervene in social debates. Nikolaj Kunsthal presents five to six Danish and international exhibitions every year, exhibitions that give visitors the opportunity to encounter experimental and innovative art, including our annual exhibition for children and young people. Our exhibition programme consists of solo or thematic group exhibitions that fill the monumental spaces in our historical building. Our galleries are ideal for exhibiting installations of multimedia works that incorporate the space around them as an important part of the artwork.

"Nikolaj Kunsthal is located within the former Nikolaj Church. The church has not been converted for its current purpose, but continues to live with the cultural heritage of an originally religious space, which is actively used in the art centre’s graphic identity and exhibition

profile. The profile is based on slogans that have religious content twisted to relate to art such as when Nikolaj Kunsthal declares “I’M NOT A CHURCH” or “LET THERE BE ART.” These slogans play on the link between the physical context of the church building and the contemporary role as an arts institution.

"This year I loved the exhibition on photographer Roger Ballen from August 2013. His pictures are both scary and beautiful at the same time, and they all tell a very interesting story."

95

Henriette Bretton-Meyer

Henriette Bretton-Meyer Curator Kunsthal Charlottenborg "I am just new to my role at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, I’ve been settling in the past week and look forward to being a part of a new team, unfolding the potential of the gallery and developing it as an institution. Before coming to Kunsthal Charlottenborg I was the director for six and a half years at Overgaden, previous to that I was based in Berlin for 10 years working as a freelance curator and lecturer. The time in Berlin turned out to be of great importance for my career in a number of ways. In the mid90s when I moved there, the Danish contemporary art scene was not at all as developed as it is today. In Germany I got to know a lot of artists my own age and I guess these acquaintances and friendships were an important starting point. Exhibition producing – with its spatial concerns, production of new work together with artists and communication on many levels – seemed natural as a career for me to pursue.

"Kunsthal Charlottenborg is one of the largest and most beautiful spaces for contemporary art in Europe. It presents an ambitious programme of exhibitions and events including talks, performances, concerts and screenings. This spread of activities is designed to speak to a wide range of audiences in Copenhagen and beyond, making Charlottenborg the main crossroads for contemporary art in the city.

"Copenhagen has a strong contemporary art scene, however for the last few years I’ve actually had a sense that other large Nordic cities, especially Oslo, have been ahead of the game. They’ve really emphasised strong international initiatives and different types of 96

institutions have made contemporary art their focus. Although, I do see now that new art spaces are opening up here in Copenhagen and that some of the existing ones are trying out new things which gives the scene as a whole a new energy. At the moment in Copenhagen there are many interesting artists and initiatives as part of the local scene.

What is lacking, perhaps, are more platforms for information, debate and criticism, especially in the media with large audiences such as TV and the daily newspapers. I also think that art should play a larger role as part of the school curriculum.

"Kunsthal Charlottenborg is situated right in the middle of Copenhagen, close to students, locals, tourists and many of the city’s other main cultural institutions. The exhibitions and projects on show at Kunsthal Charlottenborg often relate to the building in different ways thus showing both visitors and staff alike new ways of inhabiting this extraordinary piece of architecture.

"I haven’t been with Kunsthal Charlottenborg long enough to name a favourite exhibition of mine, however in 2002, when I was a freelance curator I co-curated the exhibition My Head Is on Fire but My Heart Is Full of Love at Kunsthal Charlottenborg together with Will Bradley and Toby Webster. The exhibition brought together works by more than 40 artists and juxtaposed older works for instance by Alexander Rodchenko, Yayoi Kusama, Robert Smithson and Man Ray with new works by artists such as Eva Rothschild, Richard Wright, Anselm Reyle and Bojan Sarcevic. Also, we included jewellery and Cubist furniture. So Kunsthal Charlottenborg was full of these amazing objects and looked really stunning!"

Anne Kielgast

Anne Kielgast Curator Kunstforeningen GL STRAND "I have worked as a curator at GL STRAND since 2006, which means I plan, conceptualise, fundraise and produce the exhibitions. I have an MA in Art History; all throughout my studies I’ve worked with art, artists and at different museums. I haven’t been disappointed; it’s a great job.

"The purpose of GL STRAND is to present contemporary and modern art through exhibitions that involve both young emerging artists as well as established artists with high profile international careers. On a smaller scale we also present modern art that dates from 1880 through to today.

"When planning our exhibition schedule, we’re looking for a variety in our program to present different standpoints within contemporary art. We wish to present the different practices that characterise contemporary art, and for some years we have had a special focus on cross-disciplinary aesthetics.

"Copenhagen has a diverse population generating a multitude of culture; music, visual arts and theatre. Culture in broad terms and making culture accessible to as many people as possible is a part of a Danish political wish, even though the area is under considerable pressure these days. However you will see a number of institutions; museums and noncommercial art spaces, being supported either by the state or the city.

"What is problematic about Copenhagen – the small size – is also a positive I believe. It is easy and convenient to visit the different art spaces around the city and quite a lot happens within easy reach.

Cycling around town, you always meet somebody you know with

whom you can discuss art – and it has become accepted that your kids come along too. The scene is relaxed and quite welcoming I believe.

One witnesses a growing heterogeneity these last couple of years with for instance many artist-run spaces and new galleries emerging in spite of the global financial crisis, which I find positive. Everybody is used to travel, and many galleries, kunsthalles and museums work hard to present ambitious shows in an international context. I would love to engage a larger audience in contemporary art: making art matter to people. There is a lot of competition on the cultural scene, and I would like contemporary art to be more visible and important for people.

"GL STRAND is an old heritage building in the centre of the city.

It is a great location with the pros and cons of such an old building.

Many artists – especially international artists – really like the unique architecture with the many small rooms with carved woodwork and mouldings as it differs very much from many gallery rooms that are designed as white cubes. Therefore we aim at inviting artists that are interested in the dialogue with the rooms and often in making sitespecific placements or installations.

"I have seen so many shows I’ve loved at GL STRAND over the years, it’s impossible to state just one. It has been such an honour having had artists such as Kara Walker, Eija-Liisa Ahtila and Yang Fudong presenting their work here. But I also very much enjoy the collaboration with younger artists, eg. the EXTRACT exhibitions that we do every year.

EXTRACT is an annual award show where we invite young, emerging artists who have just graduated from art academies throughout Europe to present an installation or a smaller solo presentation. The winner then receives an invitation to present a solo show one or two years later."

97

Get Your Cycle On

The Knack Collective show us their Copenhagen

The Last Look Mr. Wolf gets around. Whether you first spent an evening with Wolf in a log cabin, in an airport departure lounge or at home amongst your collection of Scandinavian homewares, we hope you adored it.

Here we take a look at our readers: The Wolf Pack.

Fabulous eyewear courtesy of Bailey Nelson Photos: A. Moffat

106

Sam first came across Mr. Wolf while a student at Lund University, Sweden. He’s been a keen reader ever since.

Sam wears KIPLING.

A native of Gothenburg, John most loves to fika with Mr. Wolf.

He is wearing JOYCE.

Philippa contributed to Mr. Wolf Edition One during her time at KTH Stockholm. Since then she always makes sure to keep up with all of Wolf’s news. Philippa wears MARCEL.

Zoe spent her Swedish summer holiday with Mr. Wolf. The light-hearted humour provided some welcome respite from her law studies. Zoe wears YEATS.

Josh became acquainted with Wolf in an airport departures lounge en route to his homeland of Norway.

Josh wears PARKER.

Marte first picked up a copy of Mr. Wolf in her hometown of Oslo. She brought it along to her summerhouse in Sweden where it now takes pride of place. Marte wears WELLS.

Bailey Nelson eyewear can be purchased online at baileynelson.com.au

See you next time.

Make sure to follow Mr. Wolf Magazine on Facebook for more online features

www.mrwolfmagazine.com