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EAGLE-EYE CHERRY – RESTLESS BUT ROOTED ISLES OF DENMARK CRAZY FOR CULTURE: SWEDEN’S CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS NORWEGIAN FOOD AND DRINK SPECIAL
PROMOTING BRAND SCANDINAVIA
ISSUE 62
MARCH 2014
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Enabling real
achievement Mannaz is an international frontrunner in customised executive and project leadership development. Adopting innovative and efficient learning methods, we empower people development and business success. With offices in Copenhagen, London and Hong Kong and an international network of over 375 associated facilitators we have global reach.
You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter M Knowledge and learn more at www.mannaz.com/intl
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Scan Magazine | Contents
Contents 8 14 COVER FEATURE 8
46
Eagle-Eye Cherry: restless but rooted The star behind Save Tonight has grown up, become a dad, and learnt to live in the moment. Scan Magazine talks to Eagle-Eye Cherry about his love for the super hit, growing up next to Talking Heads, and going on an unforgettable journey in aid of charity.
DESIGN 14
60
22
Architecture aplenty
Winston Reid: Maori Viking Having spent his teenage years in Denmark and played for Danish Superliga club FC Midtjylland, footballer Winston Reid still chose to side with New Zealand’s national team. Scan Magazine meets the West Ham United player.
24
From Svalbard to Haderslev We have got the travel bug, and from the Arctic Ocean, halfway between Norway and the North Pole, to Haderslev at the south-east of Jutland, we discover some unusual gems. To top up on history, we stop by at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde on the way.
A Taste of Norway Just when you thought Nordic cuisine could not get any hotter, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall went to Scandinavia and found a sheep’s head on a plate. But Norway’s culinary traditions owe gratitude to much more than smalahove.
In this month’s Design Section, we revisit some of our favourite Scandinavian architecture firms, learning more about office buildings with world-class air quality, interior design by personality type, and stunning zero-energy private homes.
FEATURES
Finland’s Finest Ranked the most competitive country in Europe and third overall in the Global Competitiveness Report 2012, Finland is a place where seemingly everything works. A reliable financial market, thoroughly sound infrastructure, and social and political stability all add to an environment where innovation flourishes. Scan Magazine presents the evidence.
BUSINESS 79
Top security, marketing and HR tips To say that this month’s Business Section is jampacked is to put it mildly. We learn how to hire the right people, how to keep oil rigs safe, and how to talk to dogs – and that is only the beginning.
CULTURE 100 Nordic Noir fest and Danish director extraordinaire As Nordicana ends after another sold-out weekend of book signings and panel discussions themed Nordic Noir, Scan Magazine meets the nostalgic film director who is not scared of sex, drugs and rock‘n’roll – nor to turn down big budgets.
SPECIAL THEMES 28
Free from traffic jams and high stress levels, Bornholm with its cliffs in the north and white sandy beaches in the south is a part of Denmark that can easily be forgotten – but should not be. Here’s a tribute to the isles of Denmark.
50 58
61
Isles of Denmark
33
Cultural Highlights of Sweden As Umeå in the north of Sweden warms up as Europe’s Capital of Culture 2014, we head to Sweden for the very best of Swedish culture. Fast-forward to p. 33 to see what we found.
REGULARS & COLUMNS 11
We Love This | 12 Fashion Diary | 70 Restaurants of the Month | 73 Attractions of the Month
75
Hotels of the Month | 93 Conferences of the Month | 98 Humour
Issue 62 | March 2014 | 3
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Scan Magazine | Editor’s Note
Dear Reader, I am expat enough to still feel a little bit robbed of that Sochi 2014 ice hockey gold, even though I had never once watched a single Olympics competition before leaving Sweden. I am also expat enough to know, almost care, that despite the ice hockey misfortune, we did perform incredibly well throughout the games; and still Swedish enough to find it difficult to congratulate the Norwegians on their predictable yet so amazingly impressive success. It is strange what happens to you when you emigrate, suddenly far more aware of the pros and cons of your country and its nation, yet unable to stop yourself from becoming a cartoon version of the national stereotype. Fascinating, then, that the idea of Swedes as consent-seeking team-players and Danes as impatient innovators has turned out to be more than just prejudice – at least if you ask the brains behind Garuda, featured in this month’s Business Section, which, by the way, is a real treat, jam-packed with everything from canine communications to coworking trends. But there is something for Scandinavian expats of all kinds in this issue of Scan Magazine: a whole special section on Swedish culture, countless features on Norwegian food and drink, a Dan-
ish isles special for nostalgic Danes, and interviews with some of the brightest entrepreneurial stars hailing from Finland right now. That is in addition to an interview with Winston Reid, the West Ham United player who takes the meaning of the word expat to a whole new level, having grown up in New Zealand, spent his teens in Denmark – and had to choose a national team. While expat might not be the correct label for Eagle-Eye Cherry, this month’s cover star and the voice of Save Tonight, the now-settled father tells Scan Magazine that there is a restlessness that comes with growing up between America and Sweden and touring extensively as his father’s roadie. And somehow, that makes sense. I was 15 when the super hit was released, completely oblivious to the fact that I would one day become an expat – but perhaps the restlessness was there. Perhaps that was Cherry’s secret.
Linnea Dunne Editor
SCAN M A G A Z I N E
Scan Magazine Issue 62 | March 2014 Published 07.03.2014 ISSN 1757-9589 Published by Scan Magazine Ltd Design & Print Liquid Graphic Ltd Executive Editor Thomas Winther Creative Director Mads E. Petersen Editor Linnea Dunne Graphic Designer Svetlana Slizova Copy-editor Mark Rogers Contributors Stine Gjevnoe Signe Hansen
4 | Issue 62 | March 2014
Maya Acharya Ulrika Kuoppa Kjersti Westeng Marjorie de los Angeles Mendieta Astrid Eriksson Sara Mangsbo Joanna Nylund Julie Guldbrandsen Stephanie Lovell Stian Sangvig Mia Halonen Anette Berve Camilla Huuse Sanne Wass Elin Berta Else Kvist Julie Lindén Emmie Collinge Aija Salovaara Lisa Gustafsson Magnus Nygren Syversen Karl Batterbee Mette Lisby Sara Schedin Anja Elen Eikenes David Nikel Anette Fondevik Maria Smedstad Sophia Stovall Anna Taipale Christina Cadogan
Hannah Gillow Kloster Christina Toimela Ingvild Larsen Vetrhus Didrik Ottosen Ellinor Thunberg Ndela Faye Sanna Halmekoski Malin Norman Ian Morales Maria Malmros Thomas Bech Hansen Ulrika Löfdahl Karoliina Kantola Nia Kajastie Emelie Krugly Hill Tina Lukmann Andersen Sales & Key Account Managers Emma Fabritius Nørregaard Mette Tonnessen Johan Enelycke Jonna Klebom Advertising marketing@scanmagazine.co.uk To receive our newsletter www.scanmagazine.co.uk/newsletter To Subscribe www.scanmagazine.co.uk/subscribe
Scan Magazine Ltd 15B Bell Yard Mews Bermondsey Street London SE1 3TY United Kingdom Phone +44 (0)870 933 0423 info@scanmagazine.co.uk www.scanmagazine.co.uk © All rights reserved. Material contained in this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior permission of Scan Magazine Ltd. Scan Magazine® is a registered trademark of Scan Magazine Ltd. This magazine contains advertorials/promotional articles
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Scan Magazine | Contributors
This month’s contributors Camilla Huuse is Norwegian and moved to London two years ago to pursue a degree in Journalism at Kingston University. She is a passionate writer, a news junkie and a London lover who is always on the hunt for a good story.
David Nikel is a British freelance journalist and entrepreneur living in Trondheim, Norway. He moved to Norway in 2011 and began recording his observations on the country and the quirks of the Norwegian people in his blog www.lifeinnorway.net.
Fascinating people are among Camilla’s biggest passions, and writing for Scan Magazine has given her the opportunity to speak to and write about such people on a regular basis. Writing is something you will always see her doing, be it sitting at the kitchen table at home in Norway or out travelling the world.
Of particular interest to David is the Scandinavian obsession with English football, and trying to get his head around the mechanics of skiing. In addition to writing for magazines about the topics of Scandinavia, travel and innovation, he helps Norwegian companies to improve their global communications.
Camilla’s main interests are food, wine and London’s exciting city life, and there is nothing but a smile on her face when the three are combined. No better person, then, to tell this month’s Scan readers about a booming brewery in Norway (p. 66) and the world’s northernmost syrup factory (p. 63).
The March issue of Scan Magazine sees David talk to some of the people behind the co-working boom in Norway (p. 91).
Monica Takvam is a Norwegian photographer who came to England in 2005 to take a degree in photography. After graduating, she started freelancing, and her work has regularly been published and exhibited in England and Norway since then. She now divides her time between London and Scandinavia, working mainly on editorial commissions and on her own practice.
Hannah Gillow Kloster moved from Norway to England in 2008 to pursue a degree in English Literature and invest in her passion for the written word. After graduating she somehow fell into writing TV listings, while being active on the London book blogging scene, which exists, but mainly on Twitter.
Monica loves travelling and cannot sit still for long. She has travelled extensively on journeys throughout Europe, Asia and the US, always with a camera and a curious eye, and she often works in different countries. She is interested in how we see and perceive ourselves and others, and is therefore often taking portraits and other pictures of people for her projects and commissions. When she does sit still, she works from her studio in London, with a strong black Scandi-style coffee on the desk. In addition, she curates exhibitions and projects with other artists’ work. Monica’s photos can be seen in this month’s business feature about Scan The Market (p. 86-87) and at www.monicatakvam.com
6 | Issue 62 | March 2014
In 2012 she moved to Chicago, where she is completing a master’s degree in Digital Humanities, combining words and technology in any manner possible, while working as a freelance writer and being the mother of one grumpy cat. Despite being further away from home than ever, she is still fiercely Scandinavian, and can often be found standing in line at the Swedish Deli of Chicago’s Andersonville, desperate for some Norwegian brown cheese. This month, Hannah examines what mining and democracy have in common, in a feature about The Norwegian Mining Museum (p. 73).
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Your Shortcut to Scandinavia Bergen
NORWAY
Oslo Stockholm Bromma
SWEDEN Aalborg
Gothenburg
Aarhus
UNITED KINGDOM
DENMARK Billund
Manchester
London City
GERMANY Brussels
Düsseldorf
BELGIUM
SWITZERLAND
Munich
Zürich
S n acks
Me als
Drinks
ba.com
Pap ers
Lounges
Smiles
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Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Eagle-Eye Cherry
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Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Eagle-Eye Cherry
Eagle-Eye Cherry Restless but rooted In 1997, the world fell head over heels for him as he sang about saving tonight. Today, as Scan Magazine finds out, Eagle-Eye Cherry has grown up, become a father, and is more interested in seizing the day. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: The Umbrella Group
“I was only three when my dad put me behind the drum kit for the first time,” says Eagle-Eye Cherry about the career path set out for him. “I lost my first tooth playing drums.” Born in Stockholm to jazz musician Don Cherry and painter and textile artist Monika Cherry, he did not reflect on the family’s lifestyle of going on the road a lot and eventually packing up and heading for New York. “As a child, you pretty much accept what you’ve got, don’t you, and it’s not until you grow up that you realise that perhaps you had it quite different. We lived next door to Talking Heads for years and I used to hear them rehearse Psycho Killer, but it’s only as I’ve grown up that I’ve come to realise what a big deal that was.” Yet, there is no denying that the constant stream of artistic influences and exciting everyday moments of his childhood years very much shaped who Cherry is today, and though he did try a slightly different path for a while, studying drama and acting for a few years in New York, he admits that getting a traditional job never even crossed his mind. “I guess I felt the need to do something else, to do my own thing, and that’s what acting was to me. But I’ve
always felt like I had to be on stage. It’s not like I could’ve gone and become a policeman – my dad would have gone crazy.” Moreover, there is a restlessness that will not go away. “I was perhaps always the one who wanted things a tiny bit more organised and planned out, and that was part of the reason why I ended up moving back to Sweden,” says the singer. “But I’d been a roadie with my dad from the age of 17, and when I didn’t tour for almost a decade, I really felt it – the restlessness kicked in. It was like a home-coming for me when I started touring Europe again. I had really missed that life.” Platinum success Eagle-Eye Cherry released his debut album, Desireless, in 1997 and hit it big across the globe that same year with the hit Save Tonight. The song has remained his trump card ever since, and you could forgive him if he wanted to shake it all off in favour of new beginnings and different musical references. But more than a decade and a half later, Cherry still loves the track for what it has given him. “I don’t understand why some artists hate their hits, that luxury of having an ace up your
sleeve that you can throw into the set at any point and you know that people will love it. Titiyo [Cherry’s half-sister] and I sometimes argue about the fact that she’ll do gigs and not play Come Along. I don’t know, Save Tonight took me around the world.” If anything, Cherry regrets the timing of the album’s success. The title track is a cover of one of his father’s songs, but he passed away little over a year before the album was released. Then Desireless went on to sell four million copies worldwide and being certified platinum in America. “I wish my dad had been alive when all this happened. All the cheques he would’ve got…” Had to return to life Riding the wave of platinum success, Cherry toured extensively and released another three albums during the first three years of this century. But then things went quiet. “I was exhausted,” he says. “I hadn’t paused, and then I realised that friends had stopped calling. I felt a bit like life had disappeared, and I had to return to it.” Other than a live album, the fans would get to wait. It was not until 2012 that a new
Issue 62 | March 2014 | 9
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Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Eagle-Eye Cherry
full-length release finally saw the light of day, and the journey had been far from straight-forward. The music industry had changed, and by the time Cherry found the right record label to work with he was yet again thrown into the depths of grief as his mother died.
“Then I thought that if someone as private as Sophie Zelmani can do it, I can too – and I’m so glad I did.” Uplifting charity single
“Life-changing things happened. It was so difficult when my mother died. And then, in 2010, I became a dad, and I really wanted to experience that fully.” Songs that had been years in the making, and lyrics like those of Your Hero and Alone, suddenly gained new meaning.
In aid of children’s charity SOS Barnbyar, Cherry and Zelmani joined fellow pop stars Uno Svenningsson and Darin on a journey to the Philippines to visit the charity’s children’s villages in the capital Manila as well as the slums outside the city from which many of the children had come. As part of an overwhelmingly emotional journey, the artists were asked to compose a song about their experiences.
That Cherry ended up returning to the spotlight sooner this time around was somewhat of a coincidence, as he insists that he had had no intentions of participating in a TV show. But the bug for travelling had been there for a while, so when Sweden’s TV4 called about the En Resa För Livet (A Journey For Life) project, he asked to get the summer to mull it over. “I had wanted to take a trip like that, a trip of substance, but I wasn’t sure about doing it in front of a camera crew,” says Cherry.
“A mid-tempo uplifting track with inspirational lyrics about having dreams, it’s got the guitar sound of Eagle-Eye’s most famous hit, and the sort of epic pop chorus melody that is associated with Darin,” wrote Scan Magazine’s music columnist Karl Batterbee about Dream Away, the resulting single courtesy of Cherry and pop star Darin of Idol fame. “Working with someone of a different musical generation and with such a different voice and register, and a great pop sensitivity too, was
10 | Issue 62 | March 2014
just fantastic,” says Cherry. “All in all, the experience was life-changing. How these kids can be so positive and full of energy… and then people in Stockholm are all bitter and walk around moaning – it really does make you think.” Now, the restlessness is back. With a handful of acoustic tracks and a number of other different projects on the go, Cherry is not just planning a new album but also a family trip to Los Angeles. “My daughter is named after my grandmother Daisy who lives in LA, and I want them to meet,” he explains. “We’re going to go and just have some family time and hang out for a while, and hopefully by the time the album is ready we’ll feel that it’s time to return to Sweden again.” Read more about SOS Barnbyar at www.sos-barnbyar.se and support the charity’s work by buying the single Dream Away. For more information, please visit: www.eagle-eye-cherry.com
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Scan Magazine | Design | We Love This
We love this... Start the new season afresh by giving your home interior a little spring clean. Clear out, clean up and introduce a few fresh touches that will energise your space. Here are a couple of decorative objects that can revive a room in a jiffy. By Julie Guldbrandsen
Inject some life and vivacity into your hallway with a colourful runner like this yellow and turquoise rug by Pappelina. Available in four Marble has had a great comeback and we can understand why. We simply love these glass jars with
different lengths, from 70cm x 150cm to
lids in grey or white marble. Three sizes available. From £27 to £33.
375cm. Prices start at £95 to £217.
www.nordstjerne.eu
www.husandhem.co.uk
Sweet dreams. Put a cute spin on your bedroom
This candle by Karmameju will invigorate Elegant candleholder by Ester & Erik.
your space with a clean, cheerful scent. Pure
Comes in four different finishes. We
essential oils of lemongrass, sweet orange
suggest combining the different polishes
and lemon in combination with lavender and
for an effortlessly contemporary look.
geranium create an atmosphere of balance,
£6.95.
freshness and new energy. £39.
www.husandhem.co.uk
www.karmameju.com
interior with this sweet owl print bed cover by Soft Gallery. Comes in a baby and junior size as well. £68.50. www.softgallery.dk
Issue 62 | March 2014 | 11
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Scan Magazine | Design | Fashion Diary
Fashion Diary... Think pink! It is the colour of romance and passion, and it has been reigning the catwalks for several seasons now, having become a firm fashion favourite. From delicate powdery-pink to bold bubble-gum and warm fuchsia, it makes a lustrous addition to simple separates and injects instant charm. By Julie Guldbrandsen
A cool shirt in a relaxed cut by Selected Femme. The boldness of the print makes it an impeccable companion to white denim; alternatively, you can make an artistic impact and pair with the coordinating trousers. £65.
Marry romantic allure with street style
www.selected.com
cool in this oversized wool coat by Ganni. The sugary-pink colour is offset by its menswear inspired fit, which gives it a refined edge. £240. www.ganni.com
Embellish your look with feminine The pastel watercolour print on Selected
Soften a tomboyish look consisting of
charm in pink accessories like this
Femme’s trousers makes it a standout
distressed jeans and a tee with a pink
scarf by Pieces. It makes for an easy
style. For an elegant look, style them
cardigan. This fuchsia knit by Jacqueline
adornment over sweaters. Wear with
with a cashmere knit, or go fashion-
de Yong adds a lovely warm touch. T-shirt,
neutral separates for a fresh spring
forward and combine with the matching
£6.50, cardigan, £12.50, jeans, £24.90.
look. £16.
shirt. £75. www.selected.com
www.only.com
www.pieces.com
12 | Issue 62 | March 2014
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Scan Magazine | Design | Hilfling Design
The Lyngby Vase (Lyngby Vasen) is relaunched in white, green and black in three sizes: 15 cm – DKK 299; 20 cm – DKK 499; 25 cm – DKK 799
Historic Danish design – with a modern touch An old classic is back. Hilfling Design has recreated the iconic Lyngby Vase, which has not been in production since 1969. Soon, even more of the traditional Lyngby porcelain will be relaunched – based on the original design, but with a modern twist. By Sanne Wass | Photos: Hilfling Design
With the Lyngby porcelain comes a piece of Danish history. The cylindrical fluted vase, also known as the grandmother vase, was designed in Denmark in the 1930s and originally produced by Porcelænsfabrikken Danmark. Though it is unknown who the original designer was, the Lyngby Vase is considered a classic design icon. “Most people have come across the vase at some point. Some have seen it at a flea market; others remember it from their grandmother’s living room. People recognise it,” explains Daniel Hilfling, designer and director of Hilfling Design. Porcelænsfabrikken Danmark closed in 1969, and the Lyngby Vase was not produced for 43 years. Then, in 2012, Hilfling Design brought the vase back to life: a new and modern look, but with the great-
est respect for its unique history. “We are faithful to the old design but we contribute with something new, and we give the vase a contemporary touch. We are for example designing black vases because it goes well with today’s trends,” says Hilfling, who has a background as an architect.
“The design appeals to a great many. It is sold in small, exclusive design shops in central Copenhagen, and at the same time it’s popular in some hardware store in Northern Jutland. It has become a design of the people,” says Hilfling. The products of Hilfling Design can for instance be found in the large retail chains Imerco, Kop & Kande, Illums Bolighus and Salling, and are increasingly sold abroad. Soon a set of floor vases will be launched, followed later this year by a full dinner set. Hilfling will not yet reveal any details – merely that the new series matches the current design and colours.
While the original shape and sizes are preserved, Hilfling Design has introduced new colours and finishes. In addition to the classical white, the vase is now available in a matte green and matte black. A broad appeal Hilfling Design is relatively young but growing rapidly. The story began in 2012 with the Lyngby Vase, followed by the Lyngby Bowl last year. Today, Hilfling Design is available in 300 stores across Denmark, with 85,000 items sold already.
The Lyngby Bowl (Lyngby Skålen) is available in white in three sizes.
For more information, please visit: www.hilflingdesign.dk
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Villa Viken, one of the villas in the Ross Limited Edition series, is the most technologically intensive private home in Sweden. Photo: Mikael Damkier
Live in a work of art With his Villa Victor awarded European Property Awards’ Best Architecture Single Residence in Sweden last year and more inquiries than he has time to even consider, Pål Ross is the architect who brought life-affirming architecture to the previously nogo area of private housing and took it by storm. Today, thanks to a Limited Edition series, more people can have the privilege of living in a work of art. By Linnea Dunne
When we spoke to Pål Ross of Ross Architecture & Design last year, we got to know an artist and engineer who refused to put life in a box, insisting that square houses are illogical – because nothing in nature is square, and indeed, people do not move in squares. Today, the architect takes that very same idea to a whole new level as he talks about the award-winning zero-energy house Villa Äntligen: “Traditional zero-energy houses tend to make people depressed. But what’s the point of living green if you walk around feeling half-dead all the time?”
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Zero-energy – with windows “Pål Ross doesn’t draw houses, he creates homes,” said a former Ross customer – a sentiment perfectly embodied by Villa Äntligen, the zero-energy private home so brilliantly different from what we have learnt to associate with ecoconsciousness that it won the Haninge Building of the Year award in 2013. “We managed to avoid creating a boring, nearwindowless square,” says Ross, explaining that windows are the first element to be eliminated in the search for energy efficiency.
What Ross did to reach the same results without compromising on the happiness of the house’s inhabitants was to recycle and modernise the old concept of detachable winter windows. In a collaborative effort between the architecture firm and its partner window factory, a discreet but particularly insulation-effective triple-glazed window was created, with an attachable window opening inward. Behold Sweden’s lowest u-value windows, add groundbreaking foundation engineering using highinsulation recycled glass, and it is no wonder that the result has been celebrated.
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The Ferrari of homes Also widely noted, yet a far cry from the understated wood-panel eco villa, is Villa Viken, the most technologically intensive private home in Sweden. Fulfilling every last desire of the most tech-savvy of customers, this house is confidently smart and sassy, perfectly complemented by a Ferrari parked on the driveway. Think home cinema, spa section and state-ofthe-art technological solutions in regards to everything from VVS and electricity to sound. Villa Viken is part of the Ross Limied Edition series, a collection of 12 different private residences, all available for Ross fans with a more restricted budget or who simply cannot wait until the architect is next available. “We simply had so many more enquiries than we had the capacity to commit to, so this was our way to give more people the pleasure and privilege to live in a Ross house,” says Ross, comparing the Limited Edition collection to an artist’s lithographs. “I come from a family of artists, so I’m quite comfortable with that idea.” Reaching new heights The privilege referred to, that of living in a custom-made, top-quality, life-affirming environment, at this point has its own strapline: live in a work of art! Printed
across one of the hurdles at the world’s biggest indoor horse riding event, Stockholm International Horse Show, the slogan made a quirky statement, complemented by a scale 1:10 Limited Edition house right next to the hurdle, suggesting that Ross architecture is reaching new heights. Aptly so, one should say, as the firm is keen to position itself as a market player brave enough to embrace change and new technology sooner rather than later. Through a partnership with BMW, all the company cars will be replaced by the brand new electric car, BMW i3; and another collaboration, with environmental technology company Rehact, will see the creation of a series of demo houses throughout Stockholm, showcasing the recently-patented, groundbreaking heating and cooling units with a record energysaving rate of 85 per cent. Reaching new heights is putting it mildly. That is before you ask Ross about his dream of transforming the future of nursing homes. Relentless drive and stubborn ideas appear endless, something the architect ascribes to his roots: “People from Småland are known for their persistent approach to business. I sometimes think that this is my key strength – and perhaps my greatest weakness. I'm incredi-
Ross’s Villa Victor won the European Property Awards’ Best Architecture Single Residence in Sweden last year. Photo: Mikael Damkier
With Villa Äntligen, Pål Ross proved that a zero-energy house does not need to be a near-windowless square.
bly bad at giving up, but thanks to this perseverance and skill I have done what people thought impossible.” But let us not forget the other keyplayer, the co-founder and co-owner without whom the firm might have never been born. “I married an architect, not a teacher,” said his now-wife Deirdre, having discovered Pål Ross’s graduation project at a time when he was still teaching at a Waldorf school. That was the beginning of Ross Architecture & Design, and the beginning of some of the most groundbreaking, brave architecture Sweden has ever seen. Ross Architecture & Design is not scared to try new things, as the audience at Stockholm International Horse Show was made aware. Photo: Mikael Wahlström
For more information, please visit: www.ross.se
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The completed UPM headquarters boast impressive energy-saving features, innovative utilisation of wood, and a stunning façade, acting as gateway to the new Alvar Aalto street development. Photos: Marc Goodwin
Modestly confident – drawing on heritage for groundbreaking modern solutions With an illustrious awards collection and an impressive portfolio of projects for big clients including Nokia and the Finnish Parliament, Helin & Co Architects has been a major player in shaping Finland’s cityscapes. Between extensive experience of office environment design, a love of wood and Finnish cultural heritage, and a founder and director who describes architecture as an all-encompassing hobby, the firm certainly deserves its reputation as one of Finland’s architectural greats. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Helin & Co
It was a tricky brief that was put up for bidding when the new UPM headquarters were to be designed. City zoning put demands on the building to be L-shaped, and the roof top had to be of a specific height. In addition, the office building was to be the first on the new Alvar Aalto street and act as a gateway to the new development.
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Setting design free That Helin & Co won the contract is unsurprising considering its expertise within office environment design, but Mariitta Helineva, one of Helin & Co’s residential architects who worked on the project, thinks that the firm’s creative and flexible approach was key to its success. “We tried to free the design from the strict L-shape required, adding the half-cone-shaped Bioforum gallery space and the pyramid-shaped wooden bridge to help break the symmetry,” she explains. The benefits of wood – wood being a bit of a Helin & Co hallmark, according to founder and director Pekka Helin – were utilised to the max in this project, the firm’s creative approach leading to some groundbreaking architectural features. UPM’s own WisaGrada, a type of bendable plywood previously only used in the furniture industry for seats and chairs, was used for the development of a veneered ceiling system for the meeting rooms and office floors, while Wisa-Phon, a sort of plywood sandwich material with rubberboard in between, otherwise primarily used for truck and shipping containers, helped soundproof the walls of the meeting rooms. From top to bottom, the energy-saving features of the office building, which was completed last year, make quite the statement. “The building is in the process of reaching LEED (Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum,” says Helineva. “It has the highest standard of internal air quality and control, and stainless steel nets on the façade help with sun protection. The rules and regulations for the insulation of façades and windows are quite tough in Finland.” Thanks to cultural heritage – and a grit pit With awards to its name such as Environ-
mental Construction Project of the Year 2001 and Roof of the Year 2006, as well as the State Award for Architecture awarded to Mr. Helin himself twice, there is no shortage of evidence that the firm has both the expertise and the commitment to achieve some game-changing results. But to the main man, architecture remains what he calls an all-encompassing hobby, or a lifestyle choice, like an integral part of his being.
the successful UPM headquarters design reflects the firm strikes residential architect Helineva as a tad backward – after all, the project is about the client, not about the architecture firm. “In our design process, we work very closely with the client,” she says. “Our aim is to exceed the expectations of the client and produce modern solutions. Good architecture has to serve the end-users’ needs.” Now isn’t that a recipe for success?
“I was playing with small boards of wood in a grit pit and realised that the mountainlike terrain was perfect for adding buildings and creating tracks – just like planning a city,” he says of the moment, at the tender age of five, when he realised that he wanted to be an architect. Offering services ranging from large-scale city planning to the product design of a door handle, and having designed the tallest wooden office building in Europe, Helin & Co boasts a portfolio full of large public complexes and urban multi-use sights. But while the use of wood, and wood in combination with steel and glass in particular, is characteristic not only of the recent UPM headquarter design but also of the Helin & Co style, the director refuses to take full credit, pointing instead to the Finnish cultural heritage. “Having lived in scanty, bare conditions, we have developed an authentic understanding for materials,” he explains. “Finns have built wood and stone churches from scarce raw materials, so the Finnish construction culture stems from the world of pure materials and austerity.” Modern solutions for end-users’ needs Established in 1999, Helin & Co has won in excess of 40 competitions for contracts, and the offices in Helsinki and Turku never seem to see a quiet day. Yet, the question of how
Top & middle: Extension of the Finnish Parliament Building. The Atrium (Photo: Voitto Niemelä). Exterior, Nightview (Photo: Michael Perlmutter). Above: Metsätapiola, restaurant interior. Photo: Mandi Halonen Left: Finnair headquarters. Photos: Marc Goodwin
For more information please visit: www.helinco.fi
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Elegance and ecology to every extent Tuomo Siitonen Architects is an award-winning architecture office consisting of 15 leading architects and designers. Working on a broad range of projects, from town planning to interior design, the company emphasises elegance and ecology in all its architectural solutions, no matter the scale of the project. By Nia Kajastie | Photos: Tuomo Siitonen Architects
Tuomo Siitonen Architects has over 50 award-winning entries to Finnish and foreign architecture competitions, while Tuomo Siitonen himself has years of industry experience. He spent 15 years working as a professor of architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology TKK and is the only architect to date to have been awarded the Finnish State Art Prize for Architecture twice.
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While presenting the award, the jury noted: “Tuomo Siitonen’s recent work
shows uncompromising professionalism in challenging settings and an admirable ability to revitalise. The renovation of Alko’s (the Finnish alcohol monopoly) plant and headquarters into the Helsinki Court House was a huge undertaking, where the old was transformed into the new, without losing the original spirit of the building. Taking the place of the Salmisaari coal stockpiles, the insurance company Varma’s red-brick office buildings are now a cogent part of the cityscape. The plan for the Helsinki Leppäsuo block opens new perspectives into Finnish housing architecture.” With its impressive portfolio, Tuomo Siitonen Architects is often working on some of the biggest and most demanding proj-
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ects in Finland. The renovation of Alko’s plant into the Helsinki Court House won the award for Concrete Structure of the Year and was, like the Varma office buildings, the largest project of its kind that year in Finland. Sustainable architecture A recurring theme in Tuomo Siitonen Architects’ work has been the importance of sustainability and the ecological requirements of different-sized projects. “We take into account the unique conditions and potential of each site,” explains Siitonen. “It is important to bear in mind the requirements set by sustainable development. The key elements in our design are the users, the location, the purpose of use, and the human factor, which is more important than ever.” The ‘Modern Wooden Town’ plan for the west bank of Porvoo river, a winning entry for a competition, is a whole district representative of modern timber building methods, while the ‘Open Innovation House’ at Aalto University is an example of an on-going project with a high LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Another project emphasising Tuomo Siitonen Architects’ commitment to sustainability is the studio building created for ceramicist Karin Widnäs. A real architectural pearl, emphasising Finnish closeness to nature, it was built using only local materials and making the best use of local expertise, renewable natural resources and geothermal energy. The jury for the Finnish State Art Prize for Architecture describes Siitonen’s work as follows: “His architecture is characterised by a confident and clear allocation of masses supported by the choice of simple materials. The complex buildings have been fashioned in a functionally logical and rational way, and are sited in their environment with a perceptive sense of location. Including details and interiors, the carefully-planned buildings stand for both reason and emotion.”
Arkkitehtitoimisto Tuomo Siitonen Oy Veneentekijäntie 12, FIN 00210 Helsinki Tel. +358 9 8569 5533
Top: Helsinki Court House - refurbishment of the old alcohol factory. Photo: Jussi Tiainen. Bottom: Studio Widnäs. Photos: Rauno Träskelin
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Thon Hotel Opera, Lobby. Bold, cold colours, defined shapes and reflective surfaces.
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Thon Hotel Oslofjord, Lindholmen restaurant. Cold pastel colours, arched shapes and surfaces with a shine.
Personal space Interior design firm Trond Ramsøskar AS creates spaces infused with their users’ personality and individual preferences. Whether it is harking back to the eighties through the renovation of an atrium or designing ballet-themed hotel rooms, the company never ceases to come up with something new around every corner. By Maya Acharya | Photos: Espen Grønli
Trond Ramsøskar had been developing his personal project for many years before his interior architect firm took shape in 2010. Today, six interior architects work as part of the Trond Ramsøskar team, and together they undertake each project with one unwavering goal: to create good rooms that sell. Keeping it simple Ramsøskar thinks that the best rooms are those that people want to buy. “I be-
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lieve that people choose places based on simple and uncomplicated needs,” he says. “Satisfying these doesn’t entail having designer furniture or the most luxurious accessories, but it’s about understanding individuals and their specific requirements,” he explains. For Ramsøskar, the key to achieving this is finding a solution based on the user’s identity. This is the foundation for the firm’s working method and subsequently the essence
of the company motto: analysing and conveying your personality. “We use something called ‘personality types’,” explains Ramsøskar. “For example, one type might like strong, cold colours, defined lines and shiny surfaces, while another may prefer warm pastels, rounded shapes and ornate surfaces. Defining these types and approaching interior design in this way helps us to better understand cus-
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tomers’ identities, something that is crucial for achieving good results.” Rather than focusing on trends and fads in society, Ramsøskar prefers to focus on personality, carefully analysing and discovering what will best suit the user. This applies to concept design for hotels, shops and offices just as much as the personal design of houses and other properties. “Without transferring a dose of personality into the building, it is impossible to reach the right market,” he emphasises. This strategy ultimately results in a very varied range of projects, each with its own particular creative expression. However, Ramsøskar is known for having one unifying streak: a lack of caution when it comes to colour. The firm is known for its bold and imaginative use of textures and lively nuances. Reconnecting with Retro One of Ramsøskar’s most extensive projects was the redesign of Thon Hotels, one of Scandinavia’s largest hotel chains. This included creating ballet-themed rooms with a theatrical appearance at Thon Hotel Opera, in line with the hotel’s location next to the opera and ballet house in Oslo. A recently completed project is the interior
of Thon Hotel Bergen Airport. The hotel serves as a perfect example of adapting interior aesthetics to cater to users’ needs. Airport hotels are known to be, as Ramsøskar puts it, “places where you feel a bit stuck.” That is why he wanted to ensure that the hotel’s interior would be as bright, comfortable and pleasant as possible, so that guests would not feel so isolated. Ramsøskar, who also collaborates with Sissel Berdal Haga, head of design for the Thon group, mentions that one of his favourite projects was the interior rehabilitation of Thon Hotel Oslofjord’s atrium, part of a postmodern building from 1985. “I really believe that it is important to understand the concept of retro when working with hotel interiors,” he asserts. “We revived the original flooring and used the iconography of palm trees to recreate the soul of the hotel from its eighties heyday. We used colours such as pink and turquoise, which you could argue are quite terrible colours, but in this case they worked perfectly to draw in an audience that experienced their teenage years during the eighties and could identify with that nostalgic feel.” An all-encompassing experience As for the future of interior design, Ramsøskar predicts that hotels in particular
Thon Hotel Oslofjord. Bold, warm colours, natural shapes and surfaces with natural textures.
will move towards providing a more wellrounded experience in which everything from atmosphere and design to menus and graphics will become increasingly important. “Today’s array of social and digital platforms is also part of this development, as it has created a meeting place where people can share their detailed descriptions and experiences of hotels or restaurants,” he notes. Another important factor, according to the designer, is focusing on local roots. “A hotel in London wouldn’t automatically work if you just placed it in Oslo – it might feel alien. That’s why, in order to understand the users, you have to understand where they are from,” he says. “I think the importance of having an allencompassing experience that gives you the feeling of being somewhere totally unique is gradually being realised. By unique I don’t mean that you necessarily have to be in the world’s most fantastic place, but that you have to be somewhere that is different, out of the ordinary – somewhere worth visiting.” For more information please visit: www.ramsoskar.no
Thon Hotel Munch, Lobby. Warm pastel colours, rounded shapes and ornate surfaces.
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Scan Magazine | Feature | Winston Reid
Winston Reid in action. West Ham Vs Manchester City.
Discovered by the Vikings – but Maori at heart Winston Reid was just 11 years old when he moved from the other side of the world to Southern Denmark with his mother and Danish stepfather. It was a complete culture shock for the young lad, who still remembers how hard his first Scandinavian winter was. The 25-year-old Premier League player has come a long way since his football talent was spotted a couple of years later. But his life’s toughest decision came when choosing to play for New Zealand’s national team instead of Denmark’s. Both his biological parents are Maori, and feeling part of that heritage played an important role.
boys,” he says. And to someone who has had to move around and adjust a lot from a young age, comradeship is important. Culture shock Friendship was something Reid also found among the Danish children and which helped him get over the initial disorientation. “I came from Auckland, a city with 1.5 million people, to Sønderborg with about
By Else Kvist | Photos: Rob Newell
It is an unquestionably striking 190centimetre tall West Ham United defender who enters the foyer to sit down for a chat at the club’s training ground. But Reid is not the stereotypical football prima donna and tends to shy away from the limelight, instead letting his feet do the talking on the pitch. Yet he appears both smart and completely down-to-earth as he opens up
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about his memories of growing up in Denmark, chatting away in fluent Danish with a slight Southern Jutlandic dialect. It is his first day back training following an ankle injury, which put him out of action for three months and ruled him out of New Zealand’s vital World Cup play-offs against Mexico. “It feels good to be back with the
Winston Reid playing for FC Midtjylland. Photo: FC Midtjylland
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40,000 people – so it was a culture shock,” says the footballer. “I arrived in April, a time of year when I was used to swimming and playing several sports outside. The first winter was really hard with snow and everything, but slowly I got used to it. I was about to begin year five at school and the other kids had started learning English, so it made it a bit easier communicating. It took me about a year and a half to learn Danish.” Reid continues: “I felt accepted back then, it was no problem at all. I think they thought it was exciting with someone coming from the other side of the globe, who was a bit different. But of course when you are young and you play football, or another sport, then it automatically makes things much easier.” Talent spotted It was during a youth game for SUB Sønderjylland that a talent spotter for FC Midtjylland eyed up Reid’s potential. He was then offered a place at Denmark’s first football academy in Ikast before signing a full-time contract with Danish Superliga club FC Midtjylland a year later. “Again I had to get used to a new town and moving away from my family. But it helped being a part of a group of boys who were all in the same boat. We were together 24-7 and never bored. It was among the best years of my life; we had good comradeship, and the academy taught me some useful lessons for later in life.” Then in 2010, after a superb World Cup in South Africa, Reid got his big break when he signed for West Ham United and is now earning an estimated £30,000 a week.
so that was an important factor too. I felt I could do more to help the kids and football progress down there.” “I lived in Denmark for 10 years and had a really good upbringing there,” Reid continues, “so of course I have some sort of sense of belonging there too – even though I probably won’t go back to live there when my career ends.” Today, Reid lives in Canary Wharf with his Russian girlfriend,
Yana. His contract with West Ham United expires next year, and what the future holds is still uncertain. Winston Reid was last year voted Hammer of the Year by West Ham fans. He played 15 games for Denmark’s national U-19, U-20 and U-21 teams. He has played 17 games for New Zealand’s national squad.
Gut instinct Reid’s decision to play for New Zealand’s international team, which he is now the captain of, despite having played for Denmark’s under-18, under-19 and under21 national teams, was a pivotal moment. “It’s definitely the hardest decision I’ve ever made. But in the end, I followed my heart or my gut instinct,” he says. “The more I thought about who I was, the more I felt that I was from New Zealand. There aren’t many Maoris playing in the national team,
Winston Reid in action. Leicester Vs WestHam game.
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With a mish-mash of objects, paintings and old furniture, Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg is an unusual hotel to say the least, aiming to mirror the lives of the miners and workers who once lived in Svalbard.
Charismatic hotel with soul In 1999, Mary-Ann Dahle took a chance. Wanting to share her wonderful experience of living in Svalbard, she spent her last savings on renting some old wooden barracks and opened up a small hotel. Fifteen years later, she is the proud owner of Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg, a hotel completely out of the ordinary. By Kjersti Westeng | Photos: Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg
Born in Finnsnes in Northern Norway, Dahle is a well-travelled woman with an appetite for adventure. She grew up in Kristiansand and has since lived in many different places around the world. However, when her friend invited her to come and live in Svalbard, she was hesitant. Located in the Arctic Ocean, the Svalbard Island lies halfway between Norway and the North Pole. “At first, I didn’t think it was for me. But despite my doubts, I moved up in 1997, and it turned out my friend was right: I absolutely loved it,” she says. The story of Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg started just two years later, when she found the
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old wooden barracks originally built for construction workers and miners. Having spent her last money on rent, she searched through storages for furniture and things she needed for the big opening.
Word spread quickly, and the hotel was an instant success. Fifteen years later, MaryAnn’s Polarrigg has more than tripled in size to a total of 42 rooms, a restaurant, an outside bar and the AuroraSpa. Not a standard hotel The hotel is divided into three buildings: the mining rig, the luxury rig and the transportation rig. Additionally, the AuroraSpa is located in a newly-renovated building where visitors can enjoy marvellous treatments for both body and face. All of Dahle’s profit is spent on refurbishment and expansion. “It is an ongoing project. I’ve built my hotel on the princi-
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Scan Magazine | Travel Feature | Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg
ples of recycling and reusing, as well as the historical aspect,” says Dahle. Most visitors are surprised by what they see once they walk through the front door: a mish-mash of objects, paintings and old furniture. Wanting to offer her guests a taste of the real Svalbard and the lives of the miners and workers who lived here, Dahle has maintained the authenticity of the old wooden barracks. By collecting various items from when the mines were in use, she has created a spectacular, museum-like atmosphere. The hotel has soul, a distinct character and a wonderful, relaxed vibe. The rooms have no TV; instead, they are filled with colour and life, such as paintings done directly on the walls. “When I started expanding, my guests were concerned that the hotel would lose its character. It never will. I have created something authentic and different, unlike other hotels of the same size,” Dahle explains. The hotel restaurant, The Winter Garden, is an experience in itself, with walls and ceiling made of glass so that you can admire the beautiful landscape while you eat. This is where the Orient meets the Arctic, and surrounded by exotic plants you can enjoy both Thai food and Arctic specialities, all made from scratch. “I use local ingredients and free-range meat of the very best quality. I would never even touch farmed fish,” says Dahle, who makes sure she does her part when it comes to environment care.
and summer fast approaching, Dahle has a number of summer activities to recommend. Svalbard consists of huge, impressive mountains, and even as an experienced hiker you are bound to be absolutely blown away by the incredible scenery. Another great way of seeing Svalbard during the summer is by kayak, boat trips, cruises or by dog sledding on wheels. In August, Dahle arranges her own autumn festival with music and entertainment for all ages. Additionally, the hotel bar is popular all year around. Rompa Bar has an outdoor hot tub and barbecue which can be lit upon request. While the sun never sets during the summer months, the experience is the complete opposite in the winter. A lot of visitors come to Svalbard during the winter months to experience the magical Polar
nights, where the sun is at least 6 degrees below the horizon and the famous northern lights light up the sky. There are plenty of activities to choose from in the winter, such as dog sledding, snow scooter safaris and ice caving trips. One of Dahle’s personal favourites is the snow scooter safari to the gorgeous Tempelfjord. “On a clear winter’s day it is absolutely stunning. You can go all the way up to the glacier front, see seals popping up from the water and polar bears walking around. It’s an unforgettable experience,” Dahle finishes.
For more information, please visit: www.polarriggen.com
The Arctic experience of Svalbard Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg is located on Skjærringa, just a five-minute walk from the town centre of Longyearbyen. With spring
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Scan Magazine | Culture Feature | Viking Ship Museum
Visionary Vikings of Roskilde Open every day of the year, the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark, offers a unique opportunity to experience life in the Viking Age through an extensive collection, including the world-famous permanent exhibition of five ships housed in the Viking Ship Hall, designed by Professor Erik Christian Sørensen. Through exploration of these magnificent ships, each built for its own special task, visitors are launched through the striking history of the seafaring Vikings. By Sophia Stovall | Photos: Werner Karrasch
Ever wondered what it would be like to live like a Viking? With the impressive location on the Roskilde fjord, visitors can learn about life as a Viking before heading straight onto a boat and onto the fjord, following the same routes as the Vikings before them. Experimental Archaeology From 1 June to 19 October, The Viking Ship Museum will be hosting ‘Experimental Archaeology’, a programme of events and activities exploring a more hands-on approach to archaeology. Visitors, including children, can watch and learn traditional Viking techniques brought together by skilled weavers, carpenters, sail wrights, silversmiths and many more, using authentic processes and materials. Carve your own runes, stamp your own coin or paint a warrior shield. For the full schedule of events, visit the website as activities vary day by day, but be sure not to miss the festival ‘Vikings and Craftwork’ 16-17 August.
expanding network of trade routes: Ottar from Norway, Persian Abhara, and Theodosious who lived in the nucleus of Byzantine Constantinople. Artefacts on display have come from as far as China, Persia, Zanzibar and European lands such as Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Denmark, Germany and Poland to give visitors a thorough understanding of the networks that existed during the 9th century. Through the sights, smells, opulent silks and spices, artefacts and displays, visitors get the chance to discover the reasons behind the expansion of maritime communications and trade networks during the Viking period.
The World in the Viking Age 11 April sees the arrival of the allencompassing ‘The World in the Viking Age’ exhibition, developed through collaboration with the Archaeological project ENTREPOT, Maritime Network Urbanism in Global Medieval Archaeology, and the interaction design company YOKE. Innovative digital interactive design enables visitors to experience and interact with the maritime routes, innovations and developments within an international context. Three guides, contemporary to one another, will steer the audience through the
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For more information, please visit: www.vikingshipmuseum.dk Vindeboder 12 DK-4000 Roskilde +45 46 300 200
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Scan Magazine | Culture Feature | Visit Haderslev
you will be spoilt for choice: when you are not canoeing across the picturesque Haderslev Lake, why not enjoy a horsedrawn carriage ride through the old town? There are plenty of experiences for both adults and children, with tailor-made events and activities for the whole family to enjoy. For guides and suggestions, including information on Haderslev’s six blue-flag beaches, pop by VisitHaderslev’s website.
With a well-preserved, historical town centre and plenty of exciting outdoor activities on offer, Haderslev is a hit with adults and children alike.
Getting a good night's sleep is an important part of your holiday. Book one of the recommended hotels in the heart of Haderslev, and you will be guaranteed the best base and service during your stay. If you prefer a bit more of an adventure during your visit, take advantage of the beautiful scenery, hiking and cycling possibilities with VisitHaderslev’s camping passport. As one of Denmark's leading camping areas, Haderslev boasts 10 local camp sites. If camping is not for you, stay instead in one of the many traditional Danish summer houses along the coast.
Holiday in Haderslev The official tourist office VisitHaderslev offers a comprehensive guide to the wide range of activities and attractions available in Haderslev, including information on outdoor pursuits, history, shopping and music for individuals, couples, families and groups. Whatever you are looking for, VisitHaderslev will help you find it. The comprehensive website offers advice on all kinds of questions, from accommodation enquiries to wedding planning. By Sophia Stovall | Photos: VisitHaderslev
Explore the old town with the Cathedral and the square in the town centre which, despite the devastating fires in 1627 and 1759, is well-preserved, boasting countless houses dating back to the 1500s. Haderslev Cathedral is part of the Brick Gothic Route, which stretches from Poland via Mecklenburg Vorpommern to Haderslev, from where you can watch the guard parade or join a historic walking tour through the old town. If you want to delve deeper into the heritage of Haderslev, VisitHaderslev offers a number of guided tours where ‘watchmen’ lead you
through the 700 years of the town’s history. Travel 30 kilometres out of Haderslev to explore the grandeur of Gram Castle, the largest Middle Age building outside Copenhagen, built over three centuries. Planning your holiday From hiking, sailing, cycling and walking to fishing, canoeing, disk golfing and geocaching, Haderslev has activities for all tastes. Sailing enthusiasts will enjoy Haderslev’s three marinas: Aarø, Aarøsund and Haderslev. If you are planning on spending the summer in South Jutland,
VisitHaderslev Nørregade 52 6100 Haderslev +45 73 54 56 30 bureau@visithaderslev.dk www.visithaderslev.dk
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: ME RK E A H L T NM E
IA D EC S OF P S ND A
ISL
Proudly presenting the island of Bornholm Bornholm is a very special part of Denmark, quite unlike the rest of the country. Cliffs in the north. Deep rift valleys. A huge forest with ancient beech trees, rugged rocks, deep forest lakes, and miles of broad, white sandy beaches in the south. Bornholm contains a huge variety of landscapes and different sights. Text & photos: Bornholms Velkomstcenter
There is a lot you will miss when you head to Bornholm: long traffic jams, high stress levels, pub crawls, and vast hotels dumped on the beach. Instead, you will have to make do with some of Europe’s best beaches, the idyllic tranquilly of tiny, half-timbered fishing villages, and scenery that gets under your skin, not least because we hold the Danish record for hours of sunshine. In many ways, Bornholm is a world of its own: a place with its own heartbeat, its own pace and its own language. The island also has its very own climate, where the spring is dominated by cascades of cherry blossom, anemones and wild garlic. The summer arrives slightly late, only to last much longer than elsewhere in Denmark. Once the rocks, sand and water have soaked up the sun, the island hangs on to summer for a long, long time. Bornholm offers great cultural variety. Tradition and progress go happily hand in
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hand, and everything is easy to get to. Old crafts such as clock making, the mills and the smokehouses live alongside the most advanced glassworks, modern architecture and art exhibitions. Bornholm’s culinary range has much to offer, too, including organic products ranging from cheese and sausages to sweets and chocolate. The traditional cuisine using only local produce is becoming increasingly popular, mostly due to the fact that the many chefs of Bornholm have successfully made their own versions of local dishes in accordance with modern traditions and tastes. Visit the many smokehouses with their production of herring, salmon, mackerel, prawns, mussels and other fruits of the sea and try the locally-made sweets, toffee, liquorice, icecream, red wine, beer, brandy, crackers, biscuits and honey. And it is not just Bornholm natives who know about the high quality of these products – they are now export items.
For outdoor activities, Bornholm is a paradise. The breathtaking landscape is perfect for all kinds of outdoor activities, including climbing, surfing, abseiling, kayaking, mountain biking, diving and countless other action-packed activities in the open air. All it takes is an urge to try something new. Bornholm is a fantastic island. More than half a million people visit the island every year and, in fact, about 80 per cent of our visitors are regulars who return for more of that special Bornholm spirit.
Tourist information office: Bornholms Velkomstcenter, Ndr. Kystvej 3, 3700 Rønne. Phone: +45 5695 9500 Email: info@bornholm.info www.bornholm.info
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Islands of Denmark
Freedom and flexibility in scenic surroundings Boosted by its idyllic location on the strikingly beautiful island of Bornholm, Hotel Balka Strand is the quintessence of Danish ‘hygge’. With a tireless focus on personalising every stay according to the guests’ wishes, the hotel offers the ideal long- or short-stay holiday experiences for anyone wishing to explore Denmark’s Sunshine Island. By Stine Gjevnoe | Photos: Hotel Balka Strand
Situated in scenic surroundings just outside Nexø, the second largest town in Bornholm, Hotel Balka Strand offers its visitors an unparalleled opportunity to relax and emerge into the laid-back, cosy lifestyle of the islanders. With the island being easily accessible by plane and ferry, Hotel Balka Strand welcomes visitors from all over the world and offers a flexible and adaptable repertoire of holiday options suited to everyone’s wishes, be it a short spring vacation or a longer summer stay. With its idyllic location and a mixture of double rooms, studio apartments and larger family apartments, all accessed through a lovely, peaceful garden, Hotel
Balka Strand is an ideal choice of accommodation for anyone wishing to explore everything Bornholm has to offer. Married couple Charlotte Koefoed and Benny Schou, who run the hotel, aim to organise every stay around guests’ specific needs and wishes. “Freedom and flexibility are central to our business. We want to provide the setting for an unforgettable stay in Bornholm,” Koefoed explains. In addition to the close proximity to one of the country’s finest beaches and some beautiful nature reserves, the hotel offers an array of activities and facilities including a heated pool area with outdoor furniture. When wanting to explore the history, magnificent landscapes, and seaside villages of
Bornholm, cycling is the classic and preferred mode of transport for getting around, and Hotel Balka Strand of course has a popular rental service. While summer is naturally the busiest time, the hotel is open and can facilitate large-scale conferences and private events all year round. Koefoed and Schou are now in their third season at the hotel and emphasise their focus on freedom and flexibility. “Everything in Bornholm is easily accessible by car, foot or bike, and we can assist our guests on all practical issues, giving them the necessary ease to enjoy a relaxing stay,” Koefoed concludes.
The married couple behind Hotel Balka Strand, Charlotte Koefoed and Benny Schou, emphasise an inherent focus on freedom and flexibility as part of their aim to help visitors with any wishes they may have.
For more information, please visit: www.hotelbalkastrand.dk
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Active relaxation for the whole family By Signe Hansen | Photos: Dayz Resorts
With six different resorts located in magnificent natural surroundings and presenting an array of activities, Dayz Resorts offers everybody the chance to enjoy their holiday just the way they like it. Whether you want to hike Silkeborg’s beautiful hills, chill by the sea, or bike through the West Coast’s open widths, you will find a convenient base for it at Dayz Resorts. The six resorts, all located in Jutland, are hugely popular with families from not just Denmark but all the neighbouring countries. Marketing assistant Hanne Toftgaard Pedersen explains: “All our resorts are located in beautiful natural surroundings and on top of that offer an array of activities. This means that whether you want to just relax, enjoy nature or take part in the many activities, it’s possible – we call it active relaxation, because you get both.”
While heated indoor swimming pools and beautiful nature are found at all resorts, other attractions are specific to the individual resorts. Water worlds, bowling halls, in- and outdoor play centres and a skiing slope are among some of the facilities sure to make a splash with the younger generations. But older generations are also well looked after with offers such as golfing, badminton, wellness, mini golf, restaurants and much more. “We also see a lot of grandparents visiting with their grandchildren, and what we generally hear from our guests is that they love it here because it is so nice to get the chance to do something together in beautiful surroundings,” says Pedersen. For more information, please visit: www.dayz.dk
The special Bornholm feeling By Marjorie de los Angeles Mendieta | Photos: Hotel Siemsens Gaard
Nested in the rocks of North-East Bornholm lies Svaneke, the easternmost and smallest borough in Denmark. It started as a fishing hamlet in the 13th century but rose to prominence as a seafaring town of some significance in the 15- and 1600s. Today, Svaneke is known as one of the most historically-significant towns in Denmark with regards to the town layout and house exteriors. In 1975, the town won the Council of Europe’s gold medal for its preservation of its architectural heritage.
Overlooking the town port and the Baltic Sea, the old merchant’s house of Siemsens Gaard dates back to the 1600s. Since the 1930s, the house has functioned solely as hotel and restaurant, and its old inner courtyard, named the Dauphine’s Garden, now offers the promise of a sea view meal surrounded by Denmark’s largest collection of English Roses – a collection inaugurated by Queen Margrethe in 2006. In the summer season, the garden hosts a weekly barbecue buffet accompanied by
a jazz concert. For those who do not opt for wine to go with dinner, the hotel serves speciality beers from the local Svaneke Brewery. The hotel’s classic yellow-tinted, half-timbered exterior is typical of Bornholm architecture, and needless to say, the interior has been overhauled to meet modern demands with bright, spacious rooms and suites, a spa, sauna and a fitness room. Situated in downtown Svaneke, Hotel Siemsens Gaard is just a short distance away from every corner of the town. Just behind the hotel lies the town square, hosting a biweekly town market, which draws a crowd from the entire island of Bornholm. But its location also makes the hotel an ideal starting point for excursions along the charming east coast or the dramatic north coast of the island, as well as bicycle rides to its enchanting midlands. For more information, please visit: www.siemsens.dk
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The seaside resort from another time Almost hewn into the craggy rocks of the north-eastern coast of Bornholm lies the perhaps most enchanting town of the island: Gudhjem. Hidden from sight behind the trees lining the main road until the very last moment, the red rooftops of the typical deep-red and bright-yellow Bornholm houses beckon from below, as the incredibly steep drop of the main road through the town leads downwards to the rocky piers of the harbour. By Marjorie de los Angeles Mendieta | Photos: Melsted Badehotel
The dramatic scenery makes it hard to believe that just south-east of this place, the rocks recede, and the quiet getaway of Melsted Badehotel lies perched on a terrace of a gently sloping grassy hill just above a most pristine white fine-grained sandy beach. Basking in the summer sun, the white Functionalist hotel building with its blue window frames is the perfect envisioning of a seaside resort from a bygone era of the 1920s or ’30s. The hotel grounds boast an English-style croquet pitch, and there is even a putting green catering to the golfers staying at
Melsted when visiting the three nearby golf clubs. Two renowned Copenhagen chefs who opt to spend the summer season on Bornholm run the hotel restaurant, and the gourmet menus consist mainly of local Bornholm products. Put simply, Melsted Badehotel’s hallmark is a laid-back, cosy feeling. Hotel owner Lise Hjort Madsen insists that part of the allure of the resort is the fact that staff and guests are all treated as part of one big family. The special atmosphere of the hotel is reputed to be what attracts a large number of regular visitors each year.
So what is really the secret behind this getaway recipe – this concept of wholesome relaxation? It might be the bright and tastefully-furnished rooms or the panoramic ocean view from the restaurant as one enjoys the breakfast. It might be the lazy murmur of the waves by the bathing jetty or the exquisite taste of the gourmet dinner tickling the taste buds. It might be the high skies and the special warm glow of the Bornholm summer afternoons, or the quiet tempered evenings on the room balcony enjoying a glass of wine conversing with the neighbour. Likely, it is the combination that creates the special, intangible welcoming feeling of Melsted Badehotel that cannot be described but merely experienced.
For more information, please visit: www.melsted-badehotel.dk
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The annual kite flying festival at Fanø takes place this year 14-28 June.
Flying high in slow-living Fanø, Western Denmark’s hidden treasure
ple come from the States, Japan and Australia to fly the many kites above one of Europe’s biggest sandy beaches, where you are even allowed to drive your car all the way down to the clear blue water.
At the most western point of Denmark lies a small island, which has not had the same exposure as other Danish holiday attractions such as Skagen or Bornholm over the years, but has just as much to offer. By Tina Lukmann Andersen | Photos: Danibo
If you are looking for the perfect spot for your dream beach wedding or somewhere to live the quiet life for a week, the somewhat neglected island just off Denmark’s west coast is a perfect fit. For one thing, the Fanø summer season runs from Easter to early November, which is longer than its two greatest competitors, Skagen and Bornholm, at the northern and eastern corners of this fair country. And if you do choose to come during the winter, you can enjoy the luxury of catching and eating your very own fresh oysters. Furthermore, Fanø is situated within a national park, and you will see how the beautiful scenery is made the most of by seals lying in the sun and visitors renting a house or flat from Danibo, the largest distributor of holiday accommodation on the island. Hanne Thyssen and her sister have taken over the running of the family business
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from their father, who has been renting out holiday cabins and apartments since 1979. Today, Danibo has 650 houses and apartments in all price ranges for Fanø visitors to relax in when not out enjoying all the things the atmospheric island has to offer. “Fanø is slow living – the clock simply stops when you are here,” says one young guest. Whether you are looking for water activities, cycling lanes, fishing, or an authentic history experience walking down the narrow streets of the two maritime towns, Nordby and Sønderho with their old houses and museums, the 56square-kilometre island has it all. Every year, the island hosts the world’s biggest kite flying festival, catering for visitors of all ages from all over the world. “Here Fanø goes worldwide and really becomes visible on the world map,” says Thyssen and goes on to explain that peo-
The ferry from Esbjerg only takes 12 minutes and leaves every 20 minutes during the summer season. The kite flying festival takes place this year 14-28June.
For more information, please visit: danibo.dk
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CU
LT UR SPE AL C HIG IAL HL TH IGH EM TS E: OF SW ED EN
Umeå, Europe's Capital of Culture 2014. Photo :Jorgen Wiklund/imagebank.sweden.se
Sami Footwear. Photo: Tina Stafrén/imagebank.sweden.se
A culture-packed year in Sweden By Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, Sweden’s Minister for Culture
This year is a special year for Sweden’s cultural life since Umeå, alongside Riga, is the European Capital of Culture. The city offers a wide range of cultural activities such as music festivals, theatre performances, exhibitions and much more. For example, recently-inaugurated Guitars – the Museum is home to one of the largest collections of vintage guitars in the world. Another example is the new Väven cultural centre in Umeå, hosting the 2014 Film Festival. The festival draws inspiration from the northern countries and the rest of Europe and will feature screenings in several of its new digital cinemas. The 2014 Film Festival is the starting point for a long-term film initiative in Umeå with regular screenings and festival activities in the Väven building. The programme for Umeå 2014 is based on the Sami calendar with its eight seasons. I think this is a golden opportunity for tourists as well as locals to learn more about the Sami cultural heritage and explore cultural life in Umeå. I would recommend visiting Umeå’s website (below), which holds useful and detailed information in English about the activities that take place during different times of the year. In the capital, the Royal Dramatic Theatre will be showing ‘Emigrants’, a play based
on renowned Swedish novelist Vilhelm Moberg’s epic novel. Director and choreographer is the internationally-acclaimed Mats Ek. Moreover, the Royal Opera in Stockholm faces a complete renovation and refurbishment but still puts on plays in front of large audiences. The opera with its repertoire of classical and modern opera productions draws huge crowds, and the internationally-known Swedish soprano singer, Nina Stemme, has had frequent performances here. The building itself is well worth a visit.
I hope that many visitors get the chance to discover a wide range of cultural activities in Sweden this year! Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth Minister for Culture
Supply of cultural activities for children is great in Stockholm, and several museums offer activities for children during weekends. For example, Moderna Museet, or the Museum of Modern Art, on the Skeppsholmen Island, puts on ‘family Sunday’ every week during spring. The exhibition ‘Surrealism and Duchamp’ opens this month and stays open all summer. Another favourite among children is the National Museum of Science and Technology, where you can experience the exhibition ‘100 Innovations’, which showcases the most important innovations in history as rated by the Swedish people, or watch 3D films with special effects at Cino4.
Sweden’s Minister for Culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth
For more information about Umeå’s year as Capital of Culture, please visit: umea2014.se/en
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The 25-metre tall masts of the Vasa ship give a majestic impression, but her destiny was tragic.Svante Hampf, CEO and co-owner of Kaffa Roastery.
The ship that leads the way to the past 25-metre tall, its masts visible from many of Stockholm’s heights, the Vasa ship is not just a landmark but a vessel full of secrets of life in the 17th century. This year, the Vasa Museum adds to the permanent exhibitions about the ship that sank and rose again with a temporary exhibition about the events that shaped the world at the time – far beyond the Baltic Sea. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Anneli Karlsson
That the tragic destiny of Vasa turned into such a success story is quite the lucky coincidence, as information officer Martina Siegrist Larsson explains. “She only made it 1,300 metres before she sank during her maiden voyage in 1628, spending over 300 years at the bottom of the sea, but it is thanks to the brackish water of the Baltic Sea that she is as well preserved as she is today. The type of mussel that eats into the wood can only survive in salt water.” Persistent wreck researcher Anders Franzén finally found the first piece of the ship in 1956, and after five years of preparation, she was salvaged. Today, the stories behind the ship tell us about the people who drowned when Vasa sank, and the historical events that led to the commissioning of such a timeconsuming, costly build. With exhibitions
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displaying belongings of some of the Vasa passengers and examining the many sculptures decorating the ship, you can learn about all of the above and more at the Vasa Museum in Djurgården. This year, said historical events will be put into a global context, offering new as well as former visitors more than ever. With a brand new exhibition hall, in addition to a larger, much-improved foyer and shop, the Vasa Museum presents ‘Meanwhile’, an exhibition exploring the first half of the 1600s through stories from across a more connected world, where ideas, commodities and illnesses started to spread as big ships crossed the oceans. In China, an emperor takes his own life. In India, a princess dies upon giving birth to her 14th child. European states start establishing colonies, and
Poland-Lithuania becomes the greatest kingdom of Europe. Vasa was built at a time when the idea of the universe was dramatically changing. “Whose story should we tell?” asks Siegrist Larsson, pondering the difficulty of establishing concrete facts in cultures of oral traditions. “Should we take a Swedish viewpoint or listen to the stories of different continents? It is a complex issue but at the same time very stimulating and interesting.” ‘Meanwhile’ is an attempt to broaden the perspective and put Vasa into context. Follow her masts to find the way to a forgotten world.
The new exhibition Meanwhile looks at the different significant events that took place across the globe in the first half of the 1600s, aiming to put the story of Vasa into context.Photo: Fernanda Peruzzo
For more information, please visit: vasamuseet.se
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Cultural Highlights of Sweden
The lemonade tree based on the one in the tales of Pippi Longstocking
A treasure chest for all ages Very few authors have left a legacy as big as the one Astrid Lindgren left behind when she passed away in 2002. In her childhood home in Vimmerby, this legacy flourishes and is now preparing for an extraordinary homage to the beloved author and her fondness for nature and the wilderness. By Astrid Eriksson | Photos: Astrid Lindgrens Näs
Astrid Lindgrens Näs is the birthplace of Scandinavia’s most famous children’s author, Astrid Lindgren. This is where she was born, over 100 years ago, and people from near and far are still flocking to visit her childhood home and the scenery surrounding it. This is also the place for the only permanent Astrid Lindgren exhibition in the world, The Whole World’s Astrid Lindgren, an exhibition about her authorship and life. This cultural treasure is now preparing for a new tribute divided into three chapters that are sure to amaze. The chapters are all part of a garden series where beautiful gardens, floral creations and installations will be built and shown in homage to Lindgren’s written works, the person she was, and the emotional legacy she left behind for future generations. Chapter one: meetings Chapter one will open on 14 June and is going to create a bond between the main
big issues Lindgren frequently battled with in her writings – questions about bravery, standing up for what is right, and perhaps the most complex and astonishing of them all: what it means to be human.
buildings at Astrid Lindgrens Näs. It will guide visitors from Lindgren’s childhood home to the beautiful Vicarage and further tell the story of Lindgren and her inspirations. Art installations by Swedish artists Emma Karp Lundström and Magnus Lönn will explore the theme ‘meetings’, one often depicted in the literary works of Lindgren. An open-air café in a beautiful apple orchard and a playground with swings and climbing towers will make Astrid Lindgrens Näs a treasure chest for people of all ages. Be sure not to miss this first chapter in the trilogy homage to the author who leaves no child or grown-up unaffected. And add a reminder to your diary, because one year after the opening of the first chapter, the second will open to the public, themed with garden rooms of emotions based on Lindgren’s literature. The gardens will make visitors want to linger and contemplate on the
Astrid Lindgren on her porch. Photo: Vimmerby Archives
For more information, please visit: www.astridlindgrensnas.se
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A world filled with stories, laughter and surprises By Emelie Krugly Hill | Photos: Junibacken Archive
Junibacken is a fantastic fairy-tale world based on Astrid Lindgren’s and many other famous Scandinavian authors’ books for children. Step into a colourful world full of fun and meet Pettson and Findus, Moomin and many others.
nibacken has a children’s lounge based on Elsa Beskow’s much-loved children’s books. In the lounge, children can crawl into a hat house, ride on a field mouse or slide down a giant mushroom.
after generation of families, from all corners of the world, mesmerised. Here, it seems that the possibilities for adventure are endless: you can play in Pippi Longstocking’s house, Villa Villekulla, or catch The Story Train, which takes you on an exciting journey through Astrid Lindgren's magical fairy-tale world, narrated by Lindgren herself.
Junibacken was established in 1996. The idea was developed by actor Staffan Götestam, who always found museums boring as a child. He had a vision to build anything but an ordinary children’s museum – something playful and interactive. He shared his thoughts with the late Astrid Lindgren, whose work he admired and wanted to incorporate and showcase. She agreed, but on the condition that other writers and creators were involved as well.
“The idea is to both encourage and inspire children to read more books. We have a wonderful multilingual children’s book shop that is very popular,” says Maria Reuterskiöld, marketing manager. Junibacken is also the proud owner of one of Sweden’s largest children’s theatres with several performances daily.
This resulting children’s cultural centre is now a huge success, leaving generation
Junibacken is collaborating with Stockholm’s largest airport, Arlanda, where Ju-
For more information, please visit: www.junibacken.se
Sweden’s beating heart By Elin Berta | Photos: Vallonbruken
As one of the birthplaces of the industrial revolution, Vallonbruken holds a significant place in Sweden’s history. The ironrich area became a match made in heaven alongside the Walloons’ unmatched wrought iron technique, propelling Sweden to take the lead as an iron exporter. The introduction of compulsory schooling for all, public libraries, and the pension system gave rise to Sweden’s strong welfare state.
the 1600s and through to the 1800s, and there is no shortage of activities to keep visitors entertained. “One of this year’s highlights is ‘Vallonbruksveckan’, a week (9-17 August) when all the forges showcase their unique features. This year’s theme is food and beverages, and visitors can enjoy a trip to the brewery to sample delicacies from the region,” says Kicki Lidén, communications officer at Vallonbruken.
Today, Vallonbruken is a non-profit institution, characterised by its rich cultural heritage. Located just north of Stockholm, and soaked in history, the villages with their manors and forges still retain many of their original features, and some of the churches date back to the 13th century. Guests live like kings and queens in manor houses, or in one of the forges where the Walloons lived and worked in
Folk music and the traditional key fiddle, or nyckelharpa, play a huge role here during Swedish festivities, such as Midsummer and Valborg. While visitors come to celebrate a legacy, Kicki Lidén says they are also “wined and dined while living beautifully.” Sprawling parks surrounded by crystal clear ponds and leafy vegetation make it a natural getaway for those looking for rural tranquillity.
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For more information, please visit: www.vallonbruken.nu
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Cultural Highlights of Sweden
Above: From late March onwards, the work of German artist Paetrick Schmidt is shown in hope to attract a younger audience. Right: In their exhibition, Swedes Angelica Kristenson (below right) and Yvonne Jeppsson (above right) present a dialogue the two artists have had for many years.
Art with a contagious silliness A year ago, Scan Magazine wrote about the beautiful Ronneby Kulturcentrum and the outstanding exhibitions it features all year around. This spring, the work of German artist Paetrick Schmidt is exhibited, as is that of Swedes Angelica Kristenson and Yvonne Jeppsson, whose exhibition ‘Two painters in dialogue’ is the result of a longlasting friendship.
ness in its expression,” says Lundström when explaining why Paetrick Schmidt was chosen as another of this spring’s exhibiting artists. With the hope to attract a younger audience, the German artist will show works of various techniques: three-dimensional objects, collage, drawings and digital. ‘Graffiti week’ 10 years
By Sara Mangsbo | Photos: Ronneby Kulturcentrum
The enthusiasts at Ronneby Kulturcentrum spend a lot of time finding new, engaging exhibits. “We want to attract a broad audience to our centre, and we are looking for an extensive range of different modes of expression and techniques,” says culture assistant Maria Lundström. This is made obvious by both former and forthcoming exhibitions, and the centre keeps attracting new visitors while maintaining the interest of returning guests.
New exhibitions Two new exhibitions open at the end of March. Old friends Angelica Kristensson and Yvonne Jeppsson met at the Royal Institute of Art in 1980 and have ever since kept up a dialogue about art and the hardships of life. The exhibition, initiated by the women themselves, is a result of this dialogue. Anyone interested in hearing an actual conversation between the two is welcome to the opening of ‘Two painters in dialogue’. “His art has a contagious silli-
In addition to its exhibitions, Ronneby Kulturcentrum organises an annual graffiti week. 2014 marks the 10-year anniversary and Håkan Robertsson, initiator, explains that it was initially somewhat controversial among local politicians. “In the past, you expressed your opinions in a certain way. Today, a mixture of media is being used and graffiti is one of them. It’s a matter of freedom of speech.” The week of creative workshops is open to the public and takes place at the end of May. Highlights of 2014’s exhibitions: Summer: Blekingar. Exhibition of works by artists living in, or with a connection to, the province of Blekinge, selected by a jury. Autumn: Swedish and Japanese textile artists come together in an exhibition called A trace of Shibori –
a sense of belonging.
The art gallery is open Tuesday-Friday 11am-4pm and Saturday-Sunday 11am-3pm.
For more information, please visit: www.ronneby.se
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Cultural Highlights of Sweden
advice to people in the sector, but in being a source of knowledge it also wants to think new on every level. “We like to think of our experience as a useful source for everyone. Much like we explore other countries’ ways of improving their museums, we would like other countries to take a look at us, allowing us to give something back by being a source of inspiration not only here in Sweden.”
The Swedish Exhibition Agencys office is based in Visby. Photographer: Håkan Ludwigson
Graffiti workshop. Photo: Per Björklund
Creating a culture of innovation With a mission to develop and inspire, the Swedish Exhibition Agency explores the world of innovative ideas. By visiting museums, artists and conferences around the globe, the organisation hopes to inspire the Swedish exhibition sector. By Elin Berta
Founded in the 1960s to build travelling exhibitions, the Swedish Exhibition Agency has gone through several changes, all in the spirit of its current mission. Today, it is a journalistically-driven organisation with focus on developing the Swedish museum culture through global monitoring. One of the more recent big changes came about when the Swedish Ministry of Culture decided to move the organisation from Stockholm to Visby, on the island of Gotland. “Unfortunately we lost a lot of historical knowledge as a consequence of the move,” says Staffan Forssell, general director. “But on the upside we were left with new staff, hungry for change.” With 25 specialists in several fields such as technology, contemporary art and communication, the agency cooperates across borders to collect information and knowledge. “We constantly travel the world, searching for new exciting ideas
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and methods,” Forssell continues. “By visiting galleries, museums, conferences and artists, we collect information that we transform into workshops and articles available for everyone in the Swedish exhibition sector.”
The Swedish Exhibition Agency monitors global trends and technologies in the exhibition field and converts that knowledge into development projects in collaboration with Swedish museums. Photo: Miraikain - National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation - in Tokyo / Johan Pousette.
Every year, exhibitors can apply to join the agency on a selection of trips, giving them an opportunity to take part in the global monitoring. “By bringing people from outside of our organisation we also get a broader perspective on what we see. It’s always good to have an extra pair of eyes,” Forssell says. But the organisation’s search for innovative ideas not only takes it across geographical borders. With the aim of keeping an open mind and finding inspiration everywhere, it visits conventions on widely different fields, including computer games and fun fairs. In addition, the agency offers
Staffan Forssell, general director of the Swedish Exhibition Agency. Photographer: Marco Gustafsson.
For more information, please visit: www.swedishexhibitionagency.org
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Cultural Highlights of Sweden
Best museum in Sweden, says TripAdvisor
By Sara Mangsbo
Photos: Göran Billeson
In 2013, The Swedish Air Force Museum in Linköping, Sweden, received the Traveller’s Choice award on website TripAdvisor. Based on customer reviews mostly from foreign visitors, the honour put the museum on the European map. Cultural and societal aspects are what differentiate the Swedish Air Force Museum from its comparables around the globe. The discovery of an old DC-3 in the Baltic Sea in 2003 was the start of a big redesign, and today it reflects the devel-
opment of Swedish military aviation from the early pioneers to the present day. “Our overall aim is to trigger the interest of the vast general public, and we want to put all the air forces in a societal perspective so that more people can relate,” says museum director Mikael Parr. For anyone with a curious mind The museum, which is a product of the Swedish Ministry of Culture, addresses children first and foremost, as well as anyone with a curious mind. By keeping the
joys of discovery in mind when designing the exhibitions and activities, the museum has proved to be a perfect example of when learning and playing go hand in hand. In the science centre, families can explore together through experiments and even try to manoeuvre an airplane in one of the simulators. Mascots Drakel and Viggo make another popular addition to the Swedish Air Force Museum experience. They provide the little ones with specially created maps and audio guides, and in the summertime they even arrange guided tours just for kids. For more information, please visit: www.flygvapenmuseum.se
Indulge in a cultural overdose in Gothenburg
By Ulrika Kouppa
Photos: Göteborgs Konstmuseum
Amidst exuberant street life, where main boulevard Avenyn meets Götaplatsen square, lies one of Northern Europe’s most exciting and prominent visual arts centres, the Gothenburg Museum of Art. Erected in 1923, the museum’s art collection includes nearly 70,000 artworks, making it as big as the entire Tate collection in the UK. One of the world’s finest collections of Nordic Art from the turn of the century, it is housed in a prominent period setting, where paintings by Nordic artists Edvard Munch, Ernst Josephson, Carl Larsson, P. S Krøyer and Anders Zorn can be found. “This is one of the state-of-the-art visual arts museums in Northern Europe. We have broadened the concept by showing contemporary national and international visual art alongside cartoons and children’s book illustrations,” says director of Gothen-
burg Museum of Art, Isabella Nilsson. The museum holds collections from the 15th century to the present day, including international modern and contemporary art. Visitors to the museum can experience older Dutch and French art, including important works by Rembrandt, van Gogh, Monet and Picasso, to name a few. “We also have works by Francis Bacon and Henry Moore on display,” says Nilsson. “We are constantly rehanging and we’ve received three stars in the Guide Michelin Vert; our guides receive a lot of praise from visitors. The variety and high quality of the museum’s collection make it a surprising experience!” A popular retreat after cultural indulgence overload is the alfresco dining area overlooking the Götaplatsen square, open during summer – the perfect place to unwind and reflect, before returning to the hustle and bustle.
The exhibition ‘Friction of Ideas: Gauguin, van Gogh, Bernard’ (19 July-19 October 2014) shows exclusive works. (Vincent van Gogh, Olive Trees, Saint-Rémy, 1889, Göteborgs konstmuseum)
The exhibition ‘A Painted History: Swedish 19th century History Painting’ (22 February-28 September 2014) illustrates Swedish glory and disasters in great detail. (Johan Fredrik Höckert, Queen Kristina and Monaldeschi, 1853, Göteborgs konstmuseum)
For more information, please visit: konstmuseum.goteborg.se
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Clockwise, from top left: Nässelfrossa is one of the larger cultural events in the county of Blekinge in the south of Sweden, with around 150 events across eight days. Photo: Ylva Silverbern. The old school in the parish of Jämshög, where both Harry Martinson and Sven Edvin Salje, also a famous author, got their primary school education. Photo: Åke Bondesson. Famous author Harry Martinson’s belongings on display in his old school, which now serves as a museum in his and Sven Edvin Salje’s honour. Photo: Åke Bondesson. The Dutch artist Anja Roemer working with a sculpture for Diabas Sculpture Centre. Photo: Roel Faassen.
A small town with a big love of culture With a modest population short of 13,000, Olofström is for many people mainly known as a big player in the Swedish automotive industry. But last year, the small Swedish town was awarded a prize for being the cultural municipality of the year. By Elin Berta
The birthplace of Swedish author and Nobel Prize winner Harry Martinson, Olofström has a strong literary identity and a long narrative tradition. The old school in the parish of Jämshög, where both Martinson and Salje, also a famous author, received their primary school education, now serves as a museum, telling the story of the their lives. “This year we are arranging a festival in the honour of Sven Edvin Salje, celebrating what would have been his 100th birthday,” says Anna Lundholm, secretary of culture at Olofström council. The strong tradition of storytelling is expressed further by the annual festival Nässelfrossa, firmly rooted in the local heritage and attracting thousands of visitors during one week in June. In addition,
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the new event Berättarkraft, also a literature and narrative festival, aims to encourage literacy promotion and creative activities in the schools of Olofström. Throughout the year different fellowships organise a large number of performances and concerts, and as an extension of the narrative tradition the folk music festival Midvinterton has become a popular feature that attracts people from all over the country. “We believe that everyone should have the possibility to enjoy culture. For instance, our goal is to allow every child in our preschools and all students in primary school to experience professional performing arts twice a year,” says Lundholm. Olofström has been an industrial community since the beginning of the 1900s.
“I think it’s important to cherish the cultural heritage of a community, and to do so by putting it into a modern context,” Lundholm continues. With the innovative project Art & Technology, both European and regional artists work together with local technology companies to develop new products, and the goal is to create new job opportunities in local businesses. “We are brave enough to think outside the box and take pride in local strengths. I find it encouraging that even those projects that aim to create more jobs and economic growth are investing in encounters between culture and business.” For more information, please visit: www.visitolofstrom.se
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Cultural Highlights of Sweden
Iris van Herpen’s extraordinary creations blend fashion and art and make for the perfect opening exhibition at the Textile Museum of Sweden’s new premises. Refinery Smoke Collection (left), Groninger Museum, Photo: Bart Oome. Escapism Collection (right), Groninger Museum, Photo: Bart Oomes
Textile explosion Once Sweden’s textile capital, and still today at the forefront of textile and fashion production, Borås is the place to go for lovers of patterns, prints and design. At the new and improved Textile Museum of Sweden, the secrets of past textile factories meet the promises of future textile innovations. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Textile Museum of Sweden
“It is exceptionally spectacular, something far beyond your wildest imagination,” says Ulrika Kullenberg, museum director of Textile Museum of Sweden. “It’s where fashion meets art – exactly what we had in mind for our first exhibition.” She is talking about the Iris van Herpen exhibition, running from May to September this year, and by first she means under a new roof. On 23 May, the Textile Museum of Sweden will open the doors to its brand new premises as part of the Textile Fashion Center, housed in an old factory with walls steeped in texile production history. “It’s a real opportunity for us to be a part of this textile cluster,” says Kullenberg. “We’ll be next door to the Swedish School of Textiles, with access to their showroom. Moreover, we’ll be right at the heart of this centre for science, culture, innovation and business, and the premises are much better suited to our needs.”
Textiles everywhere, all the time The museum works across five key areas: fashion, design, art, textile industry, and innovative textiles. Compared to its older incarnation, the museum will now be “slightly more youthful, more energetic.” In addition, a brand new permanent exhibition will be opened, exploring the use of textile in areas most people would probably never have pictured it. “Textiles are everywhere, all the time – and we want to highlight this versatility,” says the director. “Generally speaking, it will be like a world of patterns and shapes – like a textile explosion.” As the Textile Fashion Center is sure to be one of Sweden’s most textile-dense areas and with the Textile Museum of Sweden’s specialised textile library, unique in the Nordics, it is a fair assumption that the great textile ideas of the future will start here. As such, interactivity will be key at the museum, with an entire open square dedicated to getting visitors involved in the
creative process. “Active dialogue and debate are crucial to us, but creating something together with our visitors is equally important,” says Kullenberg. “I hope that one day we’ll be able to create future exhibitions in collaboration with them.”
In May this year, the Textile Museum of Sweden opens its doors in brand new premises at the Textile Fashion Center in Borås.
For more information, please visit: boras.se/textilmuseet
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An exciting musical journey under the midsummer sun By Ulrika Kuoppa
The dramatic scenery where the sun never sets in Northern Sweden is the backdrop for a classical music adventure. This year, the line-up for Festspelen Piteå offers a lot of surprising acts. The festival is heading for its fourth decade as one of the leading high-end classical music happenings in Sweden. “The artists, handpicked for the festival, are here because they know how to cap-
CEO and artistic director Katarina Fallholm. Photo: Marie-Therese Carlberg
Divine members Gabriella LambertOlsson, Caroline Gentele and Jacqueline Miura. Photo: Marica Rosengård
ture an audience and take them on a musical journey,” says CEO and artistic director Katarina Fallholm. The festival dates back to 1982, when prominent musicians were invited to come to Piteå School of Music to educate future classical musicians. Since then, the young students have prospered under the tutoring of internationally-acclaimed mezzo-soprano Ann-Sofie von Otter, baritone Peter Mattei, Austrian baritone Wolfgang Holzmair, pi-
Eclipse’s members John Martin Bengtsson, Angelo Rasmus Høgset and Johan Christer Novsjø. Photo: Per Heimly
anist Matti Hirvonen, and violin teacher Saschko Gawriloff to mention a few. “One of our most loved opera stars, Malena Ernman, who always surprises the audience and mesmerises with her voice, will perform during the festival,” says Fallholm. Female opera trio Divine will add excitement to the programme, as will Eclipse’s three Scandinavian male voices in perfect harmony, and many more acts. One of the more surprising guests is the Olympic figure skater Alexander Majorov, who will perform an ice skating show during the festival. “The audience can look forward to a truly memorable week, where anything can happen. A festive feeling is guaranteed when the whole town gets involved in welcoming its audience,” says Fallholm and adds, tongue in cheek: “This is our Hogwarts, with plenty of classical music, witchcraft and wizardry!” Tickets available at: www.ticnet.se Dates: 13-18 June www.festspelen.se
Colourful art from home and away By Astrid Eriksson | Photos: Bror Hjorths Hus
In the city of Uppsala, you will find the art museum Bror Hjorths Hus. Bror Hjorth (1894-1968) is one of Sweden’s most acclaimed artists, and here, his colourful modernist artworks are displayed in the artist’s former home and workshop, offering an art experience out of the ordinary. Bror Hjorth made a name for himself through his creative and original ways of expression. With sculptures, paintings and drawings, he paid homage to love, music and life, and his art has put him on the map of Scandinavian artists whose legacy is sure to live on for generations to come. The museum’s exhibition hall offers temporary shows at all times. This spring, for example, Bror Hjorths Hus is proud to present the work of praised Australian illustrator and author Shaun Tan. In 2011, Tan won the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and this exhibition,
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which is on display from 5 April and until 1 June, will feature a selection of his original illustrations. After that, the exhibition will travel to a few other locations in Sweden before returning to Australia. Be sure not to miss Bror Hjorths Hus: while the artwork is truly amazing, the lush garden is in itself worth a visit, making the perfect place to enjoy a cup of coffee and pause to reflect.
For more information, please visit the gallery’s website or Facebook page, and learn more about upcoming exhibitions and art displays: www.brorhjorthshus.se www.facebook.se/brorhjorthshus
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Costume by Endre Nemes, Gala performance at the Royal Opera, 1949.
Costume detail by Alexander Golovin, The Firebrid, 1910.
Part of an installation by curator Charles Korolys.
Dance is a universal language Waltz, boogie or swing your way to Dansmuseet in Stockholm to explore a multicultural world of performing arts and culture. Fascinating exhibitions and activities are part of the fun. By Ellinor Thunberg | Photos: Cato Lein
Dansmuseet, the Museum of Movement, covers everything from 1920s ballet to West African dance workshops at its new location in a busy pedestrian street in the Swedish capital. “Our work is more comprehensive than what our name implies. One might think that it is simply a collection of pointe shoes and tulle skirts, but we do so much more,” says director Erik Näslund. Founded by cosmopolitan art connoisseur Rolf de Maré was born in 1888 into one of the wealthiest families in the country. He was one of Sweden’s most prominent cultural personalities, an art collector, ballet director and museum founder, but is most famous for launching the experimental Swedish Ballet in Paris in the 1920s. The modern art connoisseur travelled the world and was fond of handsome men and elegant parties. Dansmuseet launched in 1953, but its founder, de Maré, is ever so present 60
years later, with a new permanent exhibition in his name. “He was a cosmopolitan globetrotter, curious about foreign cultures and countries. The new permanent exhibition is a journey following in his footsteps around the world,” says Näslund. Influential Russian Ballet You can also admire the second largest collection of costumes from the Russian Ballet in Paris (1909-1929), no matter what time of year you pop by. The groundbreaking ballet was a trendsetter that influenced the world far beyond the performing arts scene. “There was no radio or television at this time, but they still managed to influence everything from the fashion houses in London, Paris and New York to interior designers, shops, restaurants and hotels. It can be hard to understand that it all happened so quickly, without any help from media,” says Näslund.
The independent museum has evolved over the years, targeting a wider audience. Näslund explains how it is sometimes associated with classic ballet only, but visitors can join in on everything from children’s activities and dance performances to film screenings this year. “We are a multicultural museum in a small format. Many visitors are surprised to see the wide range of work on display.”
The permanent exhibition Rolf de Marés Dansmuseum.
For more information, please visit: dansmuseet.se/en
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Cultural Highlights of Sweden
Cool encounters at Grenna Museum By Ulrika Löfdahl | Photos: Mikael Juhlin
On 11 July 1897, S. A. Andrée, engineer and Sweden’s first balloonist, set off on an epic voyage to reach the North Pole. The goal was to geographically map the vast, unknown area by flying over it – a rather grand idea. The flight was disrupted three days later, when the balloon quickly lost hydrogen and had to land on the pack ice. The explorers were not hurt, but the real and gruelling adventure had now begun: the struggle to survive the Arctic. At the Grenna Museum in Sweden, the Polar Centre takes you along on the challenging and fatal expedition of Andrée and his two companions. “The Andrée expedition is really outstanding – it never fails to deliver a captivating adventure and encapsulates all the essences of a good story: optimism, escapism, tragedy and love,” says Håkan Jorikson, director at Grenna Museum. Grenna Museum boasts an exclusive collection as well as an important piece of Swedish polar history, of which Andrée’s polar expedition is one of the best known. Spectacular images and artefacts such as measuring instruments, a camera, a sleigh and personal
belongings including Andrée’s pipe can be seen at the museum. For those who really like to relive history, a small collection of replicas of Andrée’s clothes, including a blazer, two woolen jumpers, an undershirt and a ballast bag, can be purchased at the exhibition. The blazer only comes in 97 copies and is embroidered with an ‘A’ across the heart – embroidery which, according to the museum, was most likely done by Andrée’s unofficial dame, Gurli Linder, a Swedish author and feminist. The Grenna Museum also offers insight into many other expeditions, not only to the Arctic but also to Antarctica. “It is a very rewarding and exciting time for the museum,” says Jorikson, “as we are in the midst of planning the expansion of our site to also include more contemporary collections.” The first publically-visible result of the refurbishment will be an exhibition called ‘Refotografi’, opening on 10 May. A photography exhibition based on Tyrone Martinsson’s research on historical photography and its resurgence today, it will also present lectures on the project, photography and glaciology. “The images
Meet the king of the mountains By Malin Norman | Photo: The Royal Hunt Museum Elk Hill
The grounds of Ecopark Halle-Hunneberg have been managed by royals since King Gustav Vasa’s time. Still today owned by the state, the area hosts annual royal hunts for elk, deer and other wild animals. The Royal Hunt Museum Elk Hill is located in the Ecopark, in the county of Västra Götaland, Sweden. The park was inaugurated by King Carl XVI Gustaf in September 2004, and Sveaskog is managing the 7,000-hectare area with the twin-plateau mountains Halle and Hunneberg. The main purpose of the Ecopark is preserving the natural resources and maintaining a healthy quantity of moose. There is a lot of interest amongst tourists to see what is normally referred to as ‘the king of the forest’, but in this case, ‘the king of the mountains’ seems more fitting. “Thousands of visitors
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come here every year to spot our majestic moose,” says Ola Selin, guide at Elk Hill. There is a long history of local residents using the area for hunting and to collect timber. In 1351, King Magnus Eriksson named the mountains ‘a royal park’, and 200 years later King Gustav Vasa decided that all hunting should be reserved for the king. The royal hunt
are aesthetically beautiful to watch, but also give an important insight into the ongoing climate change. Comparing images from the past and the present, it becomes evident how the Arctic has changed with time, especially over the last sixty to seventy years,” Jorikson explains. Come and see for yourself. For more information, please visit: www.grennamuseum.se
was introduced by King Oscar II in 1885, as a way of controlling the quantity of moose. Nowadays, King Carl XVI Gustaf is the host of the annual hunt, an event popular especially amongst international guests. The Royal Hunt Museum Elk Hill hosts permanent exhibitions about the history of hunting, the Ecopark and its wildlife. The interactive exhibitions are popular amongst children, in particular the one about the elk’s senses and the hunting simulator. There are also events and activities such as guided walks and safaris.
Guided Elk Safari Mondays & Thursdays - 3 July - 21 August 2014 Opening hours June-Aug Mon-Sun
10.00-18.00
Feb-May
Tue-Sun
11.00-16.00
Sep-Dec
Tue-Sun
11.00-16.00
January
Tue-Fri
11.00-16.00
For more information about the Royal Hunt Museum Elk Hill, please visit: www.algensberg.com
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When worlds collide By Maria Malmros | Photos: The Royal Armoury Museum
that existed in real life.” The exhibition incorporates 16th century artefacts with pieces from the HBO TV series Game of Thrones, and Oscar-winning costumes from the films Elizabeth and Elizabeth – The Golden Age. The dramas explore the characters’ quest for power and love in brutal wartime. King Gustav II Adolf fell at the battle of Lützen in 1632, and his war horse, Streiff, attracts throngs of visitors. The handker-
The Swedish Royal Armoury Museum showcases coronation items, weapons, and carriages, in all their splendour. Each artefact narrates a part of the Swedish royal history from the 16th century up until the present time. The objects are much more than remnants from the past, perhaps best exemplified by the mystery and drama surrounding the assassination of Gustav III at the 1792 masquerade ball. Visitors can catch a glimpse of the king’s dress, bullet hole, and the smoking gun. One of this year’s highlights includes ‘Maktspel’ (‘Power Games’). Malin Grundberg, director at the Royal Armoury Museum, says: “History is intertwined with popular culture through its depictions of characters
chief that Gustav Adolf’s mourning queen, Maria Eleonora, wrapped his heart in is another prized possession. The museum easily holds the attention of its youngest visitors, as children explore armour and try out garments in the Play & Learn room, or go on guided tours with the Castle Mouse. The Royal Armoury Museum incites the observer’s imagination, reinventing the notion of an artefact; every piece becomes a storytelling device that takes the visitor on a thrilling journey to the past, while making the connection to contemporary life.
Left: Streiff Right: Erik XIV's Shield
For more information, please visit: livrustkammaren.se/en
Oslo
Frederikshavn
Gothenburg Varberg
Grenaa Belfast Dublin Dun Laoghaire
Karlskrona
Cairnryan
Holyhead
Liverpool
Kiel
Gdynia
Rosslare Fishguard
Harwich Hook of Holland
Drive to Sweden with Stena Line Let Stena Line help you take the strain out of driving to Sweden. With a choice of short routes with frequent crossings and longer routes with overnight journeys we can help to make your journey more relaxing and convenient Onboard our ships you will find a range of facilities all designed to make your crossing as comfortable as possible. Remember to book early for our best fares. Welcome onboard!
www.stenaline.co.uk or call 08447 70 70 70
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: ME T E S H L T INE
F IA EC ND’S P S LA FIN
A solution-driven country with doors open to East and West As one of the most open and competitive economies in the world, Finland has established an international reputation for reliability and top quality. Finland is ranked the most competitive country in Europe and third overall in the Global Competitiveness Report 2012. Text & photo: Finpro
According to Fitch Ratings in 2011, Finland’s economy’s AAA status “is underpinned by sound public finances, a solid external position, high income per capita, demonstrable political and social stability and an impeccable debt service record.” Three years on, Finland still has the same top credit rating. Finland is a country where everything works. Red tape is minimal and according to Transparency International, Finland is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Innovative high-tech industries Finland has established a reputation for innovative high-tech industries and is the birthplace of Nokia, formerly the world’s leading mobile phone manufacturer. Today, the country boasts a strong gaming sector, with highly successful companies like Rovio and Supercell.
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Finland’s power grid is the most reliable in Europe, while the price of electricity is one of the lowest. Google, TelecityGroup and Yandex, among others, have chosen Finland as a secure and cost-effective location for their data centres. The relationship between R&D intensity and competitiveness factors is very strong, and the knowledge transfer between business and academia has been one of the key factors in Finland’s track record of innovation and economic success. Finland is also a global leader in energy efficiency, clean industrial processes, and bioenergy.
the world, and they are trained by one of the best educational systems globally. In addition, the country offers a central location in the expanding markets of Northern Europe, home to 80 million consumers, and provides an ideal entry point to Russia and the Baltic states. Finally, the country has highly functional infrastructure and modern logistics and communications networks. Helsinki Airport provides the fastest flight connections from Northern Europe to Asia, including direct flights to many major Asian cities.
Competent professionals and strategic location According to WEF’s recent Global Competitiveness Report, Finland has the best availability of scientists and engineers in
For more information, please visit: www.finpro.fi
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Finland’s Finest
A director of a software company attested that his team, after playing one of AltoGame’s games for just 45 minutes, was able to generate more ideas than in a whole year.
Discover innovative solutions through virtual collaboration With AltoGame’s pioneering agile tools, your business will see not only rapid results, but also long-term learning gains. Founded in Helsinki, AltoGame brings together all that Finland is renowned for: creative design, innovative technology and excellent education. By Stephanie Lovell | Photos: AltoGame
In this fast-paced, globalised world, traditional approaches to problem-solving and team-building simply do not cut it anymore. When Eija and Olli-Pekka Mäkirintala joined forces, combining their extensive experience in art-based and scientific coaching methodology, they conceived AltoGame – the only agile software on the market that has been proven to produce tangible results. Unlike traditional e-learning solutions, the two games offered by AltoGame are multipurpose, allowing you to pose reallife business questions yourself or define your own vision for new products or services. By inviting as many of your team members, shareholders and customers across the globe as you like, together you can play your way to innovative solutions.
Democratising innovation and teamwork “Although gaming elements are involved, it’s more like a virtual environment where goal-oriented collaboration takes place using elements of social drama,” explains Eija, CEO. “You step into a totally different space that enables you to come up with better-quality ideas and make betterinformed decisions.” In Lateral Gallery players walk around a virtual gallery, drawing inspiration from the art to brainstorm out-of-the-box solutions together. Agile Avenue is where you put these ideas into practice, taking on different roles and testing out different scenarios, without the added pressure of real consequences. All players remain anonymous and hierarchies do not exist, so everyone is free to express themselves and let their imaginations run wild.
Rapid idea generation Since their launch last October, the games have been extremely well received. They are currently being used in an international environmental project in the hope of uncovering innovative ways to radically reduce CO2 emissions. Elsewhere, they have been used as a novel alternative to job satisfaction and focus group surveys. “The director of a software company told us that after playing the game for just 45 minutes, they were able to generate more ideas than they had done in a whole year,” says senior partner Olli-Pekka. With these unique tools, your business has a real opportunity to break the mould and step ahead. Give the games a go and see how innovative and agile you can become.
AltoGame is something to be experienced. Try out demo sessions at: www.altogame.com
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Finland’s Finest
Find and feel the places – without seeing them The first ever mobile application for the visually impaired, using crowdsourcing, BlindSquare describes the environment where you are and where you are about to go. By Karoliina Kantola | Photos: Viljami Pirttimaa
Internet and smartphone user, you probably know Foursquare, the social networking platform where you can check in at different places or add them to your map; you can both provide other users with information and see the information they have added. See, especially. But what if you were not able to see? That was the starting point for Ilkka Pirttimaa, CEO of MIPsoft and the innovator of BlindSquare, in 2012. “A friend of mine was talking about a friend of his, who would need a mobile application for blind people. I started to think about what mobile devices would have to offer to the blind,” Pirttimaa explains. Having been a coder for three decades and created Apple applications for a couple of years, Pirttimaa started to work on
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a location application, all with the blind and visually impaired in mind. The result was BlindSquare: an iOS-based application working like Foursquare but adding a voice. With the help of Foursquare and Open Street Map crowdsourcing, it gives you precise, audible guidance of the surroundings: the shops, the bus stops, the parks, and more. Hearing is indeed the sense blind people rely on. That is why the ears cannot be blocked by headphones. Thus, the guidance is given using bone conduction, a headset allowing sound to travel via bones. “It is augmented, not replaced, reality,” as Pirttimaa puts it. “In the beginning, I did not know any visually impaired people. Then, when showing the first version of BlindSquare to the Blind People’s Association, I got lots of tips on how to develop it.”
Thanks to the cooperation with the target group, Pirttimaa was able to create an application that found users from thirty different countries in just three weeks. Today, there are users in sixty countries, as well as dozens of testers from twenty different countries who try the upcoming version, giving feedback and helping Pirttimaa to make the application even better. In just two years, BlindSquare has gained 150 new features. “For example, based on the feedback, BlindSquare got a simulation feature. It carefully describes the chosen area, even in a different country. As such, users don’t need to be afraid of new places, because they know them already,” says Pirttimaa, promising that yet more features are still to come.
For more information, please visit: blindsquare.com
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Sweet little rebellion By Anna Taipale | Photos: Makea Elämä
If you are craving some sweet stuff with which to brighten up your accessorising routine, look no further. Makea Elämä jewellery has it all for you. Heli Vihervaara first started experimenting with polymer clay while studying to be an artisan. Her children’s aunt was into Japanese manga role-playing and needed some colourful gear. Inspired by the cute, unconventional accessories seen in Asian magazines, Vihervaara started making jewellery shaped like different types of sweets. Upon graduation in 2010, Vihervaara established her company, Makea Elämä (Sweet Life), and her clientele now extends from babies to grannies. “One 85year-old lady came to my shop and picked up pink liquorice earrings to wear to a dance event, in the hope that they would encourage the gents,” says the designer.
A frequent reaction to Vihervaara’s work is a wide smile and a watery mouth. The designer herself cures her sweet tooth regularly by designing something new. “To be able to capture the essence of a particular sweet, I’ll go to a bakery, purchase some yummies to design by, and finally, of course, eat them,” she smiles. When she is not developing new designs, Vihervaara runs workshops – a popular number at girls’ birthday parties. “My design is a little rebellious as it encourages you to have fun, and that’s probably the reason it attracts people from different walks of life. It’s delightful to see business women in high-up places add a sweet little twist to their uniform with my accessories.” For more information, please visit: www.makeaelama.fi
A rug for all seasons VM-Carpet combines great design with plenty of heart By Joanna Nylund | Photos: VM-Carpet
You need a carpet for a certain space, but there is a problem: a column right in the middle. What to do? With its bespoke creations, VM-Carpet has the solution. The motto of this family-run company is to only create rugs “that find their place in the world.” VM-Carpet saw the light of day in 1973 in the small town of Lappajärvi, Finland.
The company has remained true to its roots and, with a workforce of 33, is one of the town’s most important employers. The rugs are now sold all over Finland and abroad, but success has not changed the fact that VM-Carpet is run with a lot of heart. Among the core values are joy and inventiveness. “We are people-oriented and care greatly about
our employees and customers,” explains marketing manager Jaana Saarela. The company boasts a versatile collection of readymade rugs, made using natural materials such as wool, paper yarn, linen and cotton. “The idea is to create very durable rugs with materials from renewable sources,” says Saarela. VM-Carpet enthusiastically promotes Finnish design and has a string of prestigious collaborations and awards to its name. The Design Deed of the Year 2013 was given in recognition of the company’s co-operation with Finnish designers and for keeping the carpet production local. Products include bespoke carpets as well as rugs for every room of the house. The range varies from the discreetly elegant to the colourfully whimsical, with cut-out geometric shapes one of its design trademarks.
For more information, please visit: vm-carpet.fi
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Having caused a stir at design school with creations made of fish skin, Marja Rak now runs fashion label Noolan, a brand taking issue with the buy-today-toss-tomorrow culture of today’s fashion world and insisting on creating garments in a wide range of sizes.
That sweet northerly wind – a fresh breeze in Finnish fashion Back in the 1990s, a young fashion student met a future graphic designer, and sparks, both romantic and creative, flew. The budding fashion designer was Marja Rak, who caused a stir at design school with her creations made from fish skin. They won her a scholarship, early esteem and a bright future as a versatile fashion designer. Leaving the fish behind, Marja now runs successful Finnish fashion brand Noolan together with her husband. By Joanna Nylund | Photos: Noolan
The Raks, Marja and Jonas, soon relocated from Helsinki to his home town of Jakobstad on the west coast. As the family grew and settled, Marja picked up the old dream of starting her own fashion brand. Once the decision was made, one thing quickly led to another. In 2003, Noolan was asked to set up its first fashion show for a local boat manufacturer entertaining wealthy international guests. “I only had a few pieces finished when I accepted to do the show, and about three months to get ready. The night before, I was up very late putting the finishing
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touches to everything, and that’s when I noticed that a seam on one of the trousers was sewn wrong. I thought, ‘I’m just too tired to fix it now, no one is going to notice.’ But after the show, an American lady wanted to buy those very trousers and take them home with her! I happily corrected the seam,” Marja smiles.
The whole family supported the venture into full-scale fashion design, and the Raks began their creative partnership. Jonas Rak is responsible for the look of the brand, takes photographs and runs the website alongside his job as a graphic design teacher. It is only natural
The show’s positive reception confirmed that Marja was on the right path. “I had done some scouting already, here and abroad, and really begun to see that no one else was doing the same thing,” she says.
The fish skins may be a thing of the past for Marja, but Noolan is still a brand that prides itself on using natural materials, local production and sustainable development. If not found in Finland, the materials used – linen, felt, boiled wool – are
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sourced from elsewhere in Europe. And the environmentally-conscious aspect goes deeper than that. “Our design is timeless. We create clothes that work harmoniously together and last a long time, allowing you to mix and match with new pieces. New products should meet a recognised need. We are strongly against the current buy-now-toss-tomorrow mentality,” says Marja. Marja affectionately calls Noolan ‘the fourth child of the family’, and it is clear that running a fashion brand takes some motherly dedication. Vivacious and enthusiastic, Marja designs everything herself and it is her vision that lies behind the ‘Noolan look’ – well-cut, asymmetric lines in a soft Nordic palette of greys, whites and neutrals. New models are released twice a year, in addition to a line of perennially popular classics. A wind from the north ‘Noolan’ is the name of the cold northern wind in the local Swedish dialect, and nature plays a big part in the brand identity. “Noolan is the roughness of the Finnish landscape, the high skies, beaches whipped by the wind, seaweed, the open fields, a scent of tar, autumn storms, snow and the four seasons…” The coastal way of life serves as inspiration, as does the typically Nordic aesthetic of pure, clean lines. “It may be a cliché but it’s still true: less is more. People ask us sometimes why we don’t do colours. I always
respond that there are others who do and do it well, but Noolan looks like this.”
skilled artisans in the nearby town of Kokkola.
Judging by the accolades received, what Noolan looks and feels like is widely appreciated. In 2005, the company won first prize in the Finnish Association of Designers’ ecological intelligence competition. 2010 was a landmark year of recognition, as Noolan received the Crafts Entrepreneur Prize, the Taito Award, and the prestigious Finland Prize, awarded by the state for exceptional creative work. Noolan has also been awarded the Art and Design Quality Label, a hallmark of high-quality design.
There are concept stores in Helsinki, Rovaniemi and Jakobstad, and retailers in close to ten countries. The US retail market is ever-growing. So what is next? “Conquering Europe on a broad scale,” says Marja. “We have retailers in many European countries, but there is potential for more.” In the meantime, it is full speed ahead as usual, at home and abroad. If the passion of Marja Rak is anything to go buy, Noolan will have a bright future indeed.
Sizing it up In another step away from the fashion norm, Noolan creations come in a wide range of sizes – from 3XS to 5XL. All production is centred around a team of highly
For more information, please visit: noolan.com
Founder and head designer Marja Rak
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manding, physically and mentally. You have to be able to kneel and lift and reach out without your clothes restricting you. But if the clothes are too big, they get in the way or get stuck on some doorknob,” says Kivelä.
Medanta is adamant that the right kind of workwear can work not only for a safer, more comfortable work environment, but also to improve employee satisfaction and strengthen the company’s brand.
Stretch, do not stress – workwear can work for you Finnish Medanta produces world-class workwear for demanding professions, especially in the healthcare industry. Medanta believes that with high-tech workwear it is possible to feel good, look good and make your company look good, too. By Mia Halonen | Photos: Medanta
How do you know that a photo was taken in the ’80s or ’90s? By the hair, the makeup and perhaps especially the clothes people wear. Few of us wear clothes similar to what we did a couple of decades ago, and why should we? New fabrics and cuts make life so much more convenient. But there is one area of life where there has not been much of improvement in regards to clothes: workwear. Nurses, doctors, cooks, cleaners, waiters, dentists – they are all expected to wear the same uncomfortable and unflattering cottonpolyester uniforms as in the last century. “If you spend one third of your day in scrubs, shouldn’t they feel comfortable
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and maybe even stylish?” asks Anu Kivelä. She and her business partner, Taina Steiner, run the successful workwear design and manufacturing company Medanta, specialising in workwear for the healthcare industry. Kivelä and Steiner started their Helsinki-based company in 2008, when they realised that there was a demand for a new kind of workwear – for something that would actually work. And it would not hurt if the clothes looked good, too.
Medanta has solved this problem by finding inspiration and material solutions from another area of life where clothes have to be high-performing: sportswear. Stretch materials give the wearer the freedom to lift arms and legs, stretch and kneel as needed. Yet, the shape of the garments always returns to its original state. This enables the patterns to be fitted and always perfect in size. “Flattering clothes naturally boost your self-esteem. You can feel good in clothes that work for you,” says Kivelä. So, as a by-product of functionality comes aesthetic value. “There is a high demand for well-trained healthcare professionals. If the pay is the same, sometimes the choice between two surgeries or hospitals comes down to the workwear provided.” When designing workwear, style is definitely an important factor at Medanta. But, in the practical Finnish way, Kivelä and Steiner think stylish clothes also need to be easy to care for. “For example, in the hospitals the clothes need to be washed very often. It is vitally important that the textiles can bear harsh industrial washing and then drying in up to 150°C,” says Kivelä. “Zippers, logos, all the little detailing – everything has to be microbiologically clean. But with our new hightech fabric innovations we can speed up
Combining style with practicality Both women feel strongly about the importance of workwear being, above all, functional. “The nursing profession is de-
Taina Steiner and Anu Kivelä
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the cleaning process and even make it more ecological.” Saving lives with textiles Medanta’s innovative ideas include using effective anti-bacterial treatments for fabrics. This could save both money and lives, and in more ways than one. Obviously, doctors and nurses wearing anti-bacterial workwear promotes hygiene, but often hospital patients, too, find the hospital clothes so uncomfortable that they would rather wear their own clothes, thus taking dangerous viruses and bacteria like MRSA back into their homes. If all hospital textiles were comfortable, good-looking and antibacterial, the savings could be massive. Luckily, many hospitals and clinics in Finland and increasingly around the world have realised the benefits of using Medanta products. The young company has doubled its revenue every year. The hard work put into research and development with experts in different fields – including nurses, patients and laundry specialists – has paid off. Medanta Flex and Medanta Knit embody the very pinnacle of textile technology. Next: international food industry wear Next, Medanta wants to expand into the food industry and restaurant wear segment. “If you think about the challenging situations chefs face daily between the hot stove and cold freezer, you can understand why they need special workwear. Different finishes could help keep the clothes spotless, too,” Kivelä points out. Whatever the field, Medanta workwear can be tailored to the client’s company image, assures Kivelä. “Smart companies understand what potent media professional workwear are. If your employees look good and feel good, it sends out a strong message. Every employee represents the company. You only have one chance to make a first impression – wouldn’t you like for it to be professional, stylish and approachable?” For more information, please visit: www.medantaglobal.com
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two Ice Ages; the sheer force even levelled the mountains. In the process, all air was pressed away from the stone, so there are practically no pores at all in the kind of soapstone that can only be found here. This gives the Finnish soapstone great qualities of reserving energy.
Using a kind of soapstone over 2.2 billion years old, Hukka Design creates items to keep your steak hot, your drinks cool, and your mind peaceful.
Hot and cold The look of the innovative Hukka Design products is contemporary, but the material certainly is old – more than 2.2 billion years old, to be precise. Sleek soapstone keeps your steak hot, your drink cold and your body relaxed. By Mia Halonen | Photos: Hukka Design
Take a look at any picture book about Finland and you will see the breathtaking scenery of North Carelia. Here, close to the Russian border, the clear lakes shimmer between the evergreen trees growing on beautiful hillsides. This now-peaceful environment was once the scene of dramatic events that produced soapstone.
2.2 billion years ago, as the continental blocks collided, nine-kilometre-high mountains were rising and huge air pockets were forming underneath them. Fluid, volcanic stone was filling those pockets. It is hard to imagine the enormous pressure and heat, which was only to be followed by the huge masses of continental ice of the
For gourmands and spa fans “The fact that soapstone can handle hot fire and freezing cold equally well makes it excellent for preparing and storing food – especially since it does not absorb any liquids or flavours,” says managing director of Hukka Design, Seppo Raijas. “With the Paistone individual frying stone you can cook your steak just the way you want it, while keeping your wine at the perfect temperature with the Carafina wine cooler.” No wonder that even French gourmands are raving about the Hukka Gourmet line. All in all, Hukka designs are exported to 23 countries and Hukka is the world’s leading manufacturer of small soapstone items. Raijas certainly has many reasons to be proud of the 30-year-old company. “We truly have a one-of-a-kind material to work with here. People at Hukka are exceptionally dedicated, and every year we come up with several new products.” Personally, Raijas has lately been most enthusiastic about the Harmony therapy stones for the body and eyes. “They can be hot or cold, depending on your needs. Everybody needs a little pampering.” Now that the secret is out, there seem to be no limits for the soapstone market. Luckily, Hukka is not running out of the natural material anytime soon. For more information, please visit: www.hukka.fi/eng
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Finland is one of the biggest producers of oats in the world, and Helsinki Mills is heading up the country’s grain processing development.
Super oat – a gift from Finland to the world Super food. Organic food. Who would not want to go for super food these days? We all want to know what is good for us and what is not – but what you most likely did not know is that oat is a super food. High in fibre, protein and minerals, it is a super friend you just must get to know. By Aija Salovaara | Photos: Helsinki Mills
The Finns are lucky, as the oats growing in their fields are known for their extremely high quality. The secret? The harsh, Nordic climate: cold winters with long nights and warm, sunny summers with plenty of light and nights so short you will barely notice them. Exporting the goodness of oats But there is good news for those living elsewhere, too: Finland is exporting its special oats. In fact, the country is one of the biggest producers of oats in the world, and leading the processing of organic grains is a company called Helsinki Mills. In 1934, the company was founded in Helsinki by Edward Puhk, one of five brothers related to a famous Estonian family of millers. The roots of the company date as far back as the 1600s. “Clean and pure raw materials make the foundation of everything we do,” says Miska
Kuusela, managing director of Helsinki Mills. “And being environmentally-friendly is in our DNA: our flakes are produced without fossil fuel and we use green electricity in our Järvenpää factory.”
pansion and have given our international brand a huge makeover,” Kuusela explains. Besides oat-derived products, the company specialises in the production of tailor-made wheat, rye, and barley products. And one more thing about that other trendy word – organic. For Helsinki Mills, it is no novelty. The company has two decades of experience of organic food processing, making it a master in the field.
In addition to pure, locally-grown raw materials, Helsinki Mills is proud of the company’s solid milling expertise and state-ofthe-art technology. Its innovative research and development team is continuously developing new delicious and healthy organic and conventional products for the food industry and its consumers. An organic master It may already be the biggest player in organic grain processing in Finland, but that is not stopping Helsinki Mills from going further. “We want to grow and become even better. We are undergoing a process of ex-
For more information, please visit: www.helsinginmylly.fi
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In addition to offering a baby clothing product without irritating seams and labels inside the garments, Beibamboo also helps parents save some money as the clothing sizes are extendable.
Started baby wear revolution – got mentioned in Forbes Nina Ignatius, CEO and founder of Beibamboo Oy, has come a long way from the helpless mother watching hospital staff taking care of her prematurely born baby, to being listed by Forbes as one of 40 Women to Watch over 40. By Christina Toimela | Photos: Beibamboo Oy
At the moment, Ignatius is pushing out her new line of hospital wear for children aged 0-3 years. The line is a natural continuation of her original hospital wear collection for premature babies. Eight years ago, Ignatius returned to Finland after a 15-year career working as a designer for well-known design companies in Paris, London, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney and Edinburgh. When she fell pregnant, she was dreaming of a two-month paid holiday planting flowers, while expecting.
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Things did not quite go according to plan. In the summer of 2007, Ignatius was rushed into hospital to give birth through emergency C-section; her first child was born nine weeks premature. The new mother was afraid, helpless and scared to dress or let alone touch the little one covered with tubes, because she did not want to hurt her baby. She recalls thinking: “Who on earth designs unpractical clothing that gets stuck in tubes, hurting the baby and causing infections?” She could not understand why the labels had to be
on the inside of clothes, irritating the extremely delicate baby skin. Moreover, she was puzzled by the lack of clothing solutions that could be adjusted and extended according to the quick growth of babies. Life kept challenging Ignatius. She separated from her daughter’s father, and when planning to return to work, when her daughter was a year and a half , she found that she had no job to return to. It was there and then that she decided: “You know what, I’m going to start designing smarter clothing for all babies, whether in hospital or not. This can become something good and revolutionary.” A graphic designer for brands and logos, she had an eye for design. However, she
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had to learn the skills of clothing design and sewing techniques. In 2009, Ignatius started up her Beibamboo Oy business in Helsinki, and in the spring of 2010 she started trading. Extendable sizes “As a parent, I wanted something smart, easy to put on and long-lasting,” says the designer. With the aim of the items being long-lasting, she did not only go for the materials and sewing techniques but also the design of adjustable sizes, in order for babies not to grow out of their clothes so quickly. While babies normally go through five or six different sizes in their first year alone, with BEIBAMBOO® extendable sizes, they only have to go through three or four. The changing size is made possible with built-in size adjustment: for example, the babygrow has a double row of poppers and both the sleeves and the trouser legs can be folded. Irritation-free clothing To avoid scratching delicate baby skin, the BEIBAMBOO® labels are all on the outside, and the logo ribbon shows the cover seam that is smooth against the skin. In addition, the babygrow has fold-over mitts that prevent babies scratching themselves with sharp nails, and all poppers and zips are nickel free in order to prevent any irritation. Organic bamboo
the kind pandas eat, and that it can grow without fertilisers and extra irrigation, making it more environmentally-friendly. The world is the limit One in ten babies is born prematurely, and babies under the age of three have 150 million patient days due to accidents and other hospital visits. Beibamboo is currently concentrating moving from the Finnish market into the EU market. Ignatius has a shop in Helsinki and BEIBAMBOO® children’s wear is sold at Stockmann department stores in both Finland and Latvia. The online store wauwaa.com will soon be selling the products in the UK, and South Korea, Denmark, Sweden and Russia are opening their markets soon, too. It seems the world is the limit.
The biggest lesson the mother and designer has learnt so far is to protect one’s design. She has already discovered the most serious form of flattery for her design – copy cats.
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For more information, please visit: beibamboo.com
Ignatius says that since becoming a mother, she has started thinking more about her responsibility of preserving the environment for her daughter. BEIBAMBOO® clothing is all naturally white to prevent harm to water systems by using chemical colouring. The materials are OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified, meaning that they are free from toxins and chemicals. The BEIBAMBOO® products are made using a combination of 50 per cent bamboo and 50 per cent organic GOTS certified cotton jersey. Ignatius discovered bamboo as a material when she fell in love with her new, soft and fluffy towels. She was glad to find that the bamboo used by the textile industry is not the same as
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High-end interior décor textiles from Finland Friends of Finnish Handicraft (Suomen Käsityön Ystävät), founded in 1879, is one of the leading Scandinavian promoters of textiles and hand-made ryijy rugs, which are hung on walls as pieces of art. By Ndéla Faye | Photos: Friends of Finnish Handicraft
Friends of Finnish Handicraft has a long line of famous artists and designers who have worked with them, among them painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela and architect Eliel Saarinen. The Liekki-ryijy rug, designed by Gallen-Kallela, became the symbol of Finnish romanticism, which was on show for the first time at the Paris World Fair in 1900. “Still today, the company works closely with renowned artists such as Paola Suhonen and Klaus Haapaniemi,” explains Sirpa Linnanmäki, the new managing director of Friends of Finnish Handicraft. Besides being visually pleasing, ryijy rugs offer a number of practical functions; businesses often use them in their lobbies
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as acoustic textiles. Regular customers of Friends of Finnish Handicraft also include the Finnish police, who get their sleeve badges custom-made, as well as the Finnish defence forces who order a number of pennants and flags from them. “At the moment we are working on a textile piece for the Finnish Parliament, and even the Finnish President has some of our pieces at his official residential villa in Helsinki,” Linnanmäki adds excitedly. “I feel like we have succeeded in our mission of preserving this art form: Finnish ryijy rugs are becoming increasingly popular and we have seen a boom in the sale of ryijy rug making kits.” A reason for this is the fact that ryijy rugs are fairly easy to
make, in addition to the popularity of sustainable high-end materials. “Maybe there is an element of the rejection of a throwaway culture whereby the younger generation is trying to reach out for something with a little more value and meaning,” Linnanmäki ponders. Linnanmäki’s aim is to put Finnish textile art on the world map. The company is investing in marketing the ryijy rug abroad, with opportunities arising in the USA and Japan. It seems clear that the days when handicraft was reserved for grannies in rocking chairs are long gone, and what Friends of Finnish Handicraft is aiming for is to create an experience product – something that will appeal to people’s different senses. “At the moment we are working on a 3D ryijy rug: it is soft and fuzzy, and although it is indeed art, it is very much made to be used and touched,” says Linnanmäki. For more information, please visit: www.kasityonystavat.fi/en/frontpage Also visit the webshop: www.kasityonystavat.fi/fi/verkkokauppa
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Innovative Finnish design for your kitchen There is finally a solution for dough-covered iPads cluttering your cooking space. Finnish company Aidine has designed a stylish iPad holder that allows you to easily view internet recipes and cooking videos, and Skype with friends, while freeing your hands to bake some Nordic delights. By Sanna Halmekoski | Photos: Tor Ivar Boine
The brain behind this innovative solution is Aidine’s founder and owner, Henna-Mari Nyblom, who has over ten years of international business design experience, several of them with Nokia. She came up with the idea for the iPad holder while working in her kitchen. “I needed a practical solution for keeping my iPad away from the children while freeing my workspace. When I could not find a durable and smart solution, I decided to create one myself,” explains Nyblom.
The device is produced in Finland and is compatible with iPad 2, 3, and Air with an adapter. Aidine is looking to produce more innovative kitchen solutions in the future, and is already exploring several new opportunities. The iPad holder is available for €179 from Stockmann department stores in Finland, and can also be purchased from Aidine’s online shop.
The beautifully-crafted iPad holder is made of anodised aluminium and can be attached to the bottom of any horizontal surface, such as an overhead cupboard or shelf. A clip folds down to hold an iPad at a convenient height and viewing-angle while you cook. The clip can then be folded up with the iPad still attached to protect it from any potential mess in the kitchen.
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ORDER YOUR OWN Aidine iPad holder for €179 at shop.aidine.fi, using the code SCAN to get free delivery.
For more information, please visit: www.aidine.fi Email: info@aidine.fi Tel: +358 (0)10 5810680
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: ME AY E TH RW
L O CIA OF N E SP STE A AT
The unique taste of Norway Matmerk is the Norwegian food labelling and agriculture assurance foundation that works with quality management and communication of the origin and quality of food products towards one clear goal: to enhance the competitiveness of Norwegian food production. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Matmerk
Ever tasted Norwegian mutton? Available in two qualities, traditional and aged, the Norwegian speciality of cured leg of mutton comes enhanced by herbs and spices, berries and honey, and the knowledge and expertise behind the delicacy has been passed down through generations, most likely from as far back as the Viking Age. Now considered a real gem of Norwegian culinary heritage, mutton leg curing is particularly well-suited to the Norwegian climate and topography, so much so that the term ‘cured leg of mutton’ (‘fenalår’ in Norwegian) now puts demands on the raw materials used as well as the formulation, processing and inspection undertaken. Another delicacy that is Norwegian through and through is stockfish, or ‘tørrfisk’, recently very much in demand at gourmet restaurants and the like. Historically, the fish was particularly important
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during Lent, when the Catholic Church prohibited the consumption of meat, but today it has become somewhat of a symbol for the Lofoten area, an important export product sent in particular to Italy. Produced by hanging cod out to dry in the open air, stockfish gets its characteristic qualities from a combination of the right hanging time, drying time, temperature, humidity and wind – conditions known to be ideal in Lofoten between February and June. Fenalår and tørrfisk alike are crucial cornerstones of Norwegian food culture. Preserving the traditions behind the production of such delicacies is key to maintaining the unique tastes of Norway, and through a number of quality assurance labels and systems, Matmerk has made this its mission.
Among Matmerk’s most important labels and quality assurance systems are: KSL Matmerk’s own purpose-developed quality assurance system for the monitoring of agricultural production, documenting industry compliance with laws and regulations, and monitoring food safety and animal welfare standards. NYT NORGE Label that helps consumers identify Norwegian produce in the supermarket, currently endorsing some 2,000 products. Spesialitet Another of Matmerk’s recognised labels, with 200 products getting the stamp of approval that promises consumers a taste experience beyond the ordinary. Beskyttet Betegnelse The Protected Designation Scheme is a public scheme that provides legal protection for food items with close links to a particular geographical area or traditional heritage.
For more information, please visit: www.matmerk.no
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
A taste of Norway: Fresh, honest and healthy Norwegian cuisine is largely driven by local ingredients and the seasonal variations the changing Norwegian climate brings. Cold and fresh seas provide a great variety of high-quality fish and seafood, and short but warm and sunny summers bring forest berries and provide food for grazing livestock, while freezing winters open up for a world of game that feeds on whatever nature did not cover in snow. Text & photos: Matprat
The food scene of Norway in the 21st century is under strong influence by other European cuisines, most of all that of the Mediterranean, but also very much the Asian kitchen. However, traditional Norwegian dishes based on local ingredients still make the foundation in Norwegian households and restaurants.
But most of all, Norwegian cuisine is healthy because it is based on a culture where food is served as meals and eaten together with friends and family. Shifting demographics and sociographics have not yet altered this tradition, and the Norwegian ‘matpakke’ (packed lunch) with homemade sandwiches and milk is still consumed daily in togetherness at school
and in workplaces by more than 40 per cent of the Norwegian population. Did you know… … that Norwegian eggs are salmonellafree, and that you can safely eat them raw? … that Norwegian mutton is tenderer and tastes sweeter than most mutton elsewhere? … that Norwegian salmon is preferred by sushi chefs worldwide? … that the Norwegian cloudberry is an exotic product highly appreciated by gourmet chefs? For more information, please visit: www.matprat.no
Compared to other European cuisines, the traditional Norwegian one is among the healthiest of them all, with high consumption of wholegrain, limited use of sugar and saturated fats, and lots of fish and seafood products. Meat consumption has increased in the last decade, but mainly of poultry, and the import of new, exotic fruits and vegetables helps Norwegians meet their vitamin C need.
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According to tradition, a woman needs to compose 365 bacalao dishes before she is ready to marry. Norwegian klippfisk producer Jakob & Johan Dybvik AS has the solution for those keen to tie the knot.
For the love of bacalao It is said that a woman needs to compose 365 bacalao dishes before she is ready to marry. For those who feel ready to get hitched, Ålesund, the bacalao capital of Norway, might be a good place to go. Here, Jakob & Johan Dybvik AS has perfected recipes for three generations. By Anette Berve | Photos: Jakob & Johan Dybvik AS
While Brazil and Spain are known for their bacalao, few might be aware that Norway has its own equivalent, ‘klippfisk’, even considered to be of the best in the world. Klippfisk might be what you are offered if you ask for something typically Norwegian. Cured and dried Never heard of it? The Norwegian bacalao is usually made from cod, but sometimes also from pollock and tusk. Worth noting is how it is prepared: unlike stockfish, a perhaps more well-known Scandinavian dish, klippfisk gets is flavours from a process of curing as well as drying. For the three brothers who currently run the family business, quality is prioritised
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over quantity, a business strategy that has secured them appraisal from the food industry, awarding them Best Bacalao twice. From delicacy to daily use Through the years, klippfisk has gone from being part of an everyday diet to something served at rare occasions. But that seems to be about to change: modern Norwegian cuisine is all about embracing the past and the traditional, putting the traditional fish dish back on the menu. The Dybvik family has been perfecting its recipes for 90 years and is adamant in reintroducing the traditional dish to become part of modern Norwegian cuisine. The company has for the past year been work-
ing with a chef to further develop its food line, resulting in a prestigious award for Best Food Product of the Year. ‘Klippfisk’ is: … a traditional Norwegian dish … usually made from cod … cured and dried for 4-5 weeks … very versatile and can be pan-fried, stewed, boiled, oven-baked or used in soup. Dybvik’s sashimi bacalao – a starter with wow factor! Cut fine slices of bacalao loins and soak for 30 minutes to remove excess salt. When serving, all it needs is a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil or a herb dressing. Finish with a sprinkle of freshly-ground pepper and a squeeze of lime juice.
For more information, please visit: www.dybvik.no
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
Experience the taste of Norway in a bottle of locally-produced syrup Home cooking, or ‘husmannskost’ as the Norwegians would call it, is the best way to describe Norwegian cuisine and the country’s long-standing food traditions. Linda Fjellheim, whose last name translates as ‘mountain wilds’, loves the curvy and ever-changing northern nature and reveals that if you want to impress her, all you need is a meal prepared from fresh Norwegian commodities – preferably with an added dash of her company’s very own syrup – ready on the table when she comes home after a day out in the wild. By Camilla Huuse | Photos: Sverre Jarild / Reisa AS
Reisa is known as the world’s northernmost syrup factory, and even though the company started out by producing all kinds of local foods back in 1997, it today swears by simplicity. With its range of syrups and jams, Reisa focuses on creating the distinguished, pure flavours of the northern environment – which is exactly why it tastes so good after a day outside, Fjellheim explains. “The real taste of Norway for me is pure and clean,” says Fjellheim. “The minute you put the food in your mouth, you know what you are getting.” Fjellheim, who has previously worked with herbal cosmetics, took over as manager
of Reisa two years ago. Going from herbs to syrups and jams was not as big a leap as you might think, she explains, adding that working with nature’s own ingredients has always been a passion of hers. “Northern Norway is truly beautiful, and we want to mirror that in the products that we create and sell,” she says. As a reflection of the high mountains and green, open landscapes of a proud municipality on the northernmost tip of a country known for its astonishing nature, the products from Reisa are based entirely on local berries harvested in a remarkable atmosphere.
Fjellheim says that it fascinates her to see cloudberries, a distinctive berry only found in the northern hemisphere, being praised by tourists as exotic and oriental. Reisa sells more cloudberry products to Northern Norway’s visitors than any other flavour. “Then again,” she says, “they might actually be the best. Cloudberries are unusual in other parts of the world and visitors find it very interesting – not to mention how good it tastes.” Whether you do it the American way by pouring syrup over a stack of pancakes or use it to spice up your everyday sauces, Fjellheim promises a food experience that is pure, exotic if you like, and a true reflection of Norway. “And, if you don’t like cooking – the syrup tastes fantastic on ice cream,” she smiles.
For more information, please visit: www.reisa.no
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
Left and right: The employees at Eldhus have years of experience and are experts in their field. Top middle: Old smokehouses from the 1930s. Bottom middle: The tradition of salt-cured meat is deeply rooted in the local community of Evanger.
Keeping the traditions alive Selling a range of traditional Norwegian meat products, Eldhus is built on longstanding traditions and great craftsmanship. The art of smoking meat is not something anyone can master, but with the experienced employees at Eldhus in charge, you are always guaranteed excellent quality. By Kjersti Westeng | Photos: Eldhus
The story of Eldhus starts with the famous Tiriltunga sausage in 1932. As Eldhus’s first ever product, it became the beginning of a successful company in the small village of Evanger in Western Norway. 80 years later, Tiriltunga is still a popular product within a growing product range. “We produce traditional, Norwegian meat products you won’t find outside of Norway,” says factory manager Bente Hesjedal Sundheim. Today, Eldhus produces a range of sausages, one of the most popular being the Vossakorv. In 2013, it received positive recognition from Matmerk, the Norwegian Food Branding Foundation, for its charismatic taste and excellent quality. Along with various sausages, Eldhus also produces and sells ‘Pinnekjøtt’ (ribs of lamb or mutton, salted and dried) and ‘Smalahåve’ (roasted sheep’s head).
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The tradition of salt-cured meat is deeply rooted in the community of Evanger, and Eldhus is set on keeping these traditions alive for years to come. In true Norwegian fashion, the meat is smoked in oldfashioned smokehouses from the 1930s. Eldhus has a total of five smokehouses split into twelve different rooms. The method itself is fairly straightforward: the meat is hung from the ceiling over an open fire, and seasoned with salt and pepper. However, it takes years of experience to get the process right and ensure the full flavor and quality that Eldhus is so famous for. A number of things have to be taken into consideration, such as the time of year, temperature, wind and humidity. “One thing is for sure, you can’t go to school to learn how to smoke meat the old-fashioned way. This is definitely a case
of learning by doing. Our employees have years of experience and are experts in their field,” says Sundheim. Despite building their company on old traditions, Sundheim and her employees make sure to stay on top of the latest developments within the cured-meat industry. They believe that in order for traditions to survive they have to be developed and renewed with time. “We hope to be a source of inspiration for other countries, just like their traditions have inspired us,” finishes Sundheim.
For more information, please visit: www.eldhus.no
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
According to legend, Mongolian warriors took leuzea, now used in the Norwegian Reinrot energy drink, before going to war.
Feel happy and cheerful with Reinrot Reinrot is the name of an organic energy drink made of root and leaf powder produced in the relatively cold climate at Bosheimsmarken farm, some 550 metres above sea level in Valdres, half-way between Oslo and Aalesund, in Norway. “It can be taken as a tasty supplement alternative to green tea or energy supplements,” explains general manager Steinar Haraldstad. By Stian Sangvig | Photos: Bosheimsmarken
going to war and reputedly they did quite a good job of it,” he continues. “For that extra energy boost, you can take one or two teaspoons of Reinrot with breakfast or lunch and mix it with warm, but not boiling, water or juice,” he explains. “It really works for professionals, students or anyone going through stressful periods at work, school or in life in general.” ‘Always knew I had a farmer in me’ Reinrot, or leuzea in English, is also a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family. “For over a thousand years, leuzea has been a source of energy for physical and mental strength,” Haraldstad elaborates. Around by Waltercio Caldas. Photo: Erlend Haarberg “Mongolian warriors took leuzea before
One may wonder how a former airline industry executive ended up producing and selling an energy drink based on an Arctic root originally enjoyed by reindeer in wintry Siberia. “After 18 years in the airline Untitled by Tony Cragg. Photo: Terje Rakke/Nordic Life business, based in Oslo, I decided to go for
a career change, and I always knew I had a farmer in me,” says Haraldstad. After spending a couple of years at an agriculture college, he bought some land with an abandoned barn, built a house and installed water and electricity. “I looked for something extraordinary. I first heard of Reinrot from a herbs association and decided to give it a go,” he explains – and he has not looked back since. In order to earn money while setting up the business and production facilities, he worked as a secondary school teacher for a couple of years. “Selling online and to businesses, I can now make a comfortable living, and I receive no government subsidies,” says Haraldstad. His future plans are to expand production, which will allow the energy-boosting entrepreneur to sell across Norway and abroad. For more information on the product and how to order it, please visit: www.bosheimsmarken.no
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
When Evan Lewis first came to Norway, he was shocked to realise what the beer culture was like. Inspired by one hopeful bottle of Pale Ale in the off licence, he set up the brewery that went on to win the Best Norwegian Beer award in 2012.
From California to Norway – the American dream that came true in a local brewery The road from sunny seaside life in California to cold Norway is one most people would probably prefer to picture in reverse – but Evan Lewis and his wife cannot picture the journey the other way around. When the couple had the chance to take over a local business in Flåm, Sogn og Fjordane in 2004, they packed their bags and left their American paradise for a whole new adventure. By Camilla Huuse | Photos: Ægir Brewery
“My wife was really against it at first,” Evan Lewis, who was born and raised in America, recalls. “I was the one most insistent on going, but I also knew that you don’t pick a fight with a girl from Sogn.” When moving across the seas, Lewis not only brought his cowboy hat along – he also brought with him the attitude ingrained in the US population by the American dream. “We can do it,” Lewis kept repeating to himself – and today, the couple runs one of the most successful breweries in Norway. Ægir Brewery, which includes a large pub and restaurant and a hotel, offers drinks, food and activities to tourists and locals alike.
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Lewis, who knew very little Norwegian when he fist moved across the shores, now speaks the language fluently. He describes beer brewing as having been a hobby of his since the age of 17, when he started home brewing with a friend in their hometown of Rochester, New York. “When I moved here, my mission was to teach Norway to understand beer,” he says. “Norwegian people would go into a pub and order a pint, without specifying what they wanted a pint of, and I would think ‘pint, that’s not a type of beer’.” Coming from a country where there are 2,500 independent breweries, Lewis was
shocked to find the local alcohol outlet’s beer shelves lacking variety. There was only one bottle that caught his attention – a handcrafted Pale Ale that turned out to be excellent. It dawned on him that while Norway seemed to have little beer culture, it was possible to start a small brewery making exciting beers. In a moment of inspiration, he decided to start Ægir Brewery, and in 2012 the local business won the Best Norwegian Beer prize. The cowboy hat has been put aside, but Lewis still lives the American dream. When the couple moved to Norway in 2004, they decided to give it five years. Today, ten years later, they are still here. Lewis smiles when asked if he can hear California calling. “You know what, I can’t,” he says. “I think we are here to stay.” For more information, please visit: www.flamsbrygga.no/en/aegir-brewery
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
Tastes from the mountain In a small Norwegian mountain village, Bjorli Fjellmat produces high-quality, awardwinning meat products from free-roaming farmyard animals. Organic and low in additives, Bjorli is a well-versed choice of delightfully-tasting deli meat. By Julie Lindén | Photos: Bjorli Fjellmat
“Our business idea is all about authentic Norwegian food tradition combined with local meat production and a truly distinctive mountain taste,” Jan Arve Mork of Bjorli Fjellmat says. He adds: “The Norwegian tradition of curing meats has been around for centuries, and it’s a tradition we want to keep alive.” Mork says that the characteristic mountainous terrains of Northern Gudbrandsdalen, where curing and production take place, directly affect the quality of the meat used. Bjorli animals grow up in an environment free from pollution, where they can move freely in their natural, untouched habitats. “The conditions up here couldn’t be better for the animals. When
It is vital to all of our products that they are given the right time to cure and mature, to bring out the multitude of flavours the best way we know how,” Mork says. Bjorli Fjellmat is available in a number of specialty shops and grocery chains throughout Norway.
they are allowed a life in their natural terrain, you can definitely tell by how the meat tastes,” Mork says. Bjorli Fjellmat adds as little preservatives as possible to its products, enhancing its reputable name of quality. Fenalår, traditionally-cured mutton leg, and morr sausage, also traditionally-made from mutton, are two of the most cherished products of the Bjorli clientele. The latter has been awarded a gold medal in four different championships prizing meat production. “We are of course very happy to have won these awards. The morr sausage is very good, and the fenalår is equally delicious.
The exquisite virginal herring’s return to the Norwegian market
For more information, please visit: www.bjorlifjellmat.no
Nearly 140 million Matjes herring is produced in Norway every year. Matjes herring sold in Norway is produced by Egersund Seafood AS and available in a number of shops throughout the country.
Norwegian scholars thought for a long time that lightly salted fish could make average Joe become a leper, thus banning the poor virginal herring for a number of years and making the Norwegian people oblivious to it. This is why this Norwegian-produced delicacy is more famous in the Netherlands and Germany than in its homeland. By Anette Fondevik | Photos: Matjes
Matjes herring is a seafood delicacy produced on the west coast of Norway. This lightly salted three-year-old herring has not developed roe or milt but is frozen within 24 hours in salt to stop the fermentation process. Only the best herring is used in Matjes herring. An important factor for success in the production of Matjes herring is that the fish has eaten calanus, making it full of enzymes and contributing to the in-
creased tenderising process. The delicacy is extremely healthy as it contains small amounts of salt, plenty of vitamins and minerals as well as healthy fatty oils such as omega 3. It is so tender it melts in the mouth, and it is a versatile product: serve it as a hot dog in a potato wrap with beetroots, onion and crème fraiche, or as sushi or tapas. Proper Matjes herring is only available frozen and keeps for 48 hours after being defrosted.
For more information, please visit: www.matjes.no
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
Photo: Chris Craggs
Photo: Terje Rakke
Photo: Eirik Ohna
Taking the pure water of Lofoten and the fresh herbs growing alongside it, Lofotpils makes beer and spirits to enjoy alongside a traditional ‘Lofot meal’.
New beer and akvavit from Lofoten’s pure, natural ingredients Lofotpils is the name of a new company – and its new beer – based in Svolvaer in the isles of Lofoten in Northern Norway. “The islands have all the ingredients to offer the food in the so-called ‘Lofot meal’. At Lofotpils we would like to offer the drinks to make that meal complete,” says Icelander and general manager of Lofotpils, Thorvardur Gunnlaugsson. By Stian Sangvig | Main photo: Knut Johansen
“The competitive advantage lies in the freshness and purity of the water, herbs and other natural ingredients,” explains Gunnlaugsson. “The water, which forms between 93 and 97 per cent of the beer, comes from the local, famously-fresh and clean Vestre Noekkvann Lake some 500 metres above sea level. We are also in talks with local farmers with the aim of producing cereal grains of malted barley and wheat. Today, we have to import barley from Germany and yeast from France. All production equipment is new and we have the capacity to produce two million
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litres of beer per annum for cans, bottles and larger plastic kegs.” The brewer continues: “Lofotakevitt is at the testing stage and will be our second product line. Water comes from the same source, and we are in talks with local farmers to produce potatoes locally from which the akvavit can be distilled. Traditional and essential herbs like caraway and dill are already produced in Lofoten.” No other beverage is currently produced utilising this extraordinary resource, de-
spite the fact that many of the best ingredients for traditional Norwegian cuisine originate from Lofoten. But what drink would be better suited to traditional ‘Lofot dishes’ than beer and spirits from the pure water in the area, spiced with herbs from the district and manufactured by a local producer? “From a marketing perspective, our focus will always be on the experience of enjoying the local flavours and the freshness of a high-quality drink rather than on trying to become a large mass producer,” Gunnlaugsson insists. “A significant amount of curiosity has emerged from publicity, and we will first of all target large supermarket chains in our pursuit of growth.” For more information, please visit: www.lofotpils.no
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
A delicious bunch of antioxidants For centuries, aronia berries have been used in food and as medicine. Today, Aronia Jæren AS uses nature’s own miracle berry in tasty jams and cordial. By Anja Elen Eikenes | Photos: Aronia Jæren AS
Aronia Jæren AS specialises in making tasty, exclusive jam and cordial, made among green fields and bottled at Jæren, located in Western Norway. Thanks to these berries, the products become delicious sources of antioxidants, which may prevent or delay certain types of cell damage. It was the berries’ positive health effects that the entrepreneurs of Aronia Jæren AS first found intriguing, says co-owner Sven Dysjaland: “It was the number of antioxidants that first made us see the potential of the berries.”
While the flavour of the aronia berry is certainly enticing, its history is curious, too. Native Americans and people near the Black Sea were using the extraordinary berries in food and as medicine for ages, their popularity being not only due to the delicious flavour, but also because of their impact on health and well-being. The aronia bush came to Norway in the 1980s and was originally mostly used as decoration. But now, Aronia Jæren AS has started utilising the potential of the berries for cordial and jams as well.
The aronia flavour is similar to that of blueberries, and the berry contains up to twice as many antioxidants as blueberries and blackcurrants. So if you feel like topping yourself up with antioxidants, while still enjoying tasty, natural products, then find yourself an Aronia Jæren AS product and dig in!
For more information, please visit: www.aronia-saft.no
A traditional taste of Norway The award-winning food producer Holmen Crisp invites you to revel in traditional Norwegian handmade delicacies. By Ingvild Vetrhus | Photos: Arild Kristiansen
The bakery of Holmen Crisp not only uses old family recipes from Gudbrandsdalen, the valley of Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt; it also specialises in different combinations of gluten-free flour. Its handmade trademark food includes The Crisp’s Pea Flatbread, Potato Flatbread and Sour Cream
bread. The flatbread plays an important role in the history of Norwegian food culture, and the family company Holmen Crisp keeps that tradition alive. The Pea Flatbread and the Potato Flatbread are typical foods from the area around Lake Mjøsa, Norway’s biggest lake. The semi-industrialised production of flatbread was introduced in the 1920s and took over from the old-fashioned way of doing everything by hand. Holmen Brænderi, a brewery where the Rostad family was majority shareholder, played an important role in keeping the traditions alive. They
kept the old machinery and baked Pea Flatbread and Potato Flatbread that were distributed around Norway. Today’s owner and general manager, Camilla Rostad, is the third generation to run the family business and takes great pride in working with the local food treasures. The flatbread, which is made from local ingredients, is produced exactly the same way it was made in the 1920s. The Pea Flatbread is made from the flour of yellow peas from Toten, described by many as the Tuscany of Norway, which provides a distinctive, much-loved flavour.
For more information, please visit: holmen-crisp.no/en
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Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Norway
With a protected building, the architecture of which invites a lively atmosphere, Ekebergrestauranten is an eatery with enthusiastic staff, a menu full of organic treats, and a view across the Norwegian capital that is hard to beat.
Restaurant of the Month, Norway
Ekebergrestauranten – on the rooftop of Oslo There are few places better suited to taking in the beauty of Oslo than the nearby hills and mountains. In the hillside of Bjørvika, you will find an eatery with an astounding view and an even more wonderful atmosphere. Welcome to Ekebergrestauranten. By Julie Lindén | Photos: Ekebergrestauranten
With the 62-mile long Oslofjord, the remarkable Opera building and the very city centre at your feet, a visit to Ekebergrestauranten is a visit to the rooftop of Norway’s largest and most vibrant city. Add spectacular Norwegian and international cuisine, and your stay is guaranteed to be a lasting memory. “I think the urban feel mixed with the spectacular view is what sets us apart from other eateries,” says Konstantin Zimmermann, general manager at Ekebergrestauranten. “We also represent tradition, incorporating traditional Norwegian food in our menu, while keeping a
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firm eye on the future. We care tremendously about sustainable development and the environment, which is something I believe our guests notice and appreciate.” A long history The restaurant’s appreciation of tradition is rooted in an almost 100-year-old history. The original eatery was constructed as early as 1916, but after local architect Lars Backer won a competition to replace the building in 1927, a new restaurant was put up. After great renovation efforts around the millennium, the building is today protected by law.
“The architecture of the restaurant invites a lively atmosphere, and that’s highly noticeable in both staff and guests,” Zimmermann says, adding: “We have multiple rooms that can be used for different occasions, such as weddings or conferences, and a great outdoor area that allows us to make the most of our location high above the fjord.” “The summers in particular are absolutely wonderful, as we get to show the most beautiful side of Norway with its long nights and stunning sunsets. It’s a great privilege being able to represent the city in that way,” Zimmermann says proudly. A savoury slice of Norway Guests are of course also able to sample a slice of Norway in what they choose to order from the varied and appetising menu. Ekebergrestauranten serves everything
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Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Norway
Karlsborg Spiseforretning is an eatery offering a menu of speciality dishes in an authentically rustic environment.
from traditional blue mussels to duck from Norwegian farms, and all is prepared with an eye to the restaurant’s organic and environmentally-friendly profile. Zimmermann explains that active and enthusiastic waiting staff is crucial for the running of the restaurant, as guests should always be readily informed about dishes and their provenance. “We like to change our menus often, and we encourage our staff to engage as much as possible with our guests in order to leave them with the best possible experience, and especially to let them know that we value local produce. I would say about 80 per cent of visitors who ask for recommendations go with their waiter’s suggestion, and most of them leave very happy,” Zimmermann laughs. Stunning conferences, minutes from the city Whether you would like to visit for a midweek lunch, a Saturday night dinner or perhaps even a conference, Ekeberg-
restauranten boasts everything you need for a relaxing break. A stimulating day with your business in stunning surroundings just minutes from the city centre is an offer tough to beat. “We have seen that Ekebergrestauranten is a very fruitful place to develop ideas and receive fresh impulses. Yet we are close enough to the heart of Oslo to be conveniently located, and we have the equipment to accommodate large and small groups just as it suits them best,” says Zimmermann. Karlsborg Spiseforretning In September last year, Ekeberg extended its gastronomic repertoire with a brand new addition. Located in the Ekeberg sculpture and national heritage park is Karlsborg Spiseforretning, an eatery offering local produce, freshly-baked pastries and a mouth-watering menu of specialty dishes in an authentically rustic environment. Who said healthy and tasty eating could not be a walk in the park?
“The idea of Karlsborg Spiseforretning is to give guests a different and more flexible option. In the park you can buy food and have a picnic, grab a coffee to go or sit down and enjoy an afternoon break with some local, freshly-prepared and organic meals,” Zimmermann says. Situated only minutes from Ekebergrestauranten, Karlsborg also opens up the opportunity for an afternoon coffee break and a stroll around the sculpture park before you make your way to the restaurant for a dinner to remember. “Ours is a unique location for both a restaurant and a grocery, and I am hugely honoured to be able to show off Oslo to both visitors and locals from the pearl that is Ekeberg,” Zimmermann says.
For more information, please visit: www.ekebergrestauranten.com www.karlsborgspiseforretning.no
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Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Denmark
Søren K’s innovative European kitchen and pronounced quality awareness have earned the restaurant the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand award for three consecutive years.
Restaurant of the Month, Denmark
Business lunch in Copenhagen’s Black Diamond Situated in Copenhagen’s iconic Black Diamond, Søren K has, thanks to its subtle service and stunning waterfront location, become a hub for the area’s many businesses and ministries. Since 2011, the restaurant has continuously been recognised in the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand value-for-money category. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Søren K
Ever since its opening in the Royal Library’s eye-catching new extension 15 years ago, Søren K has drawn much attention. Alongside its location and high culinary level, the restaurant’s finely tuned service awareness has helped make it a favourite location for business leaders, government officers and other professionals to host lunch meetings. Owner, director and founder Jens Heding explains: “At Søren K, good service means taking into account the conditions that our specific type of guest requires; we don’t try to overdo the food presentation because we understand that it is the interaction between the guests at the table, and not just the food, which is important
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to our guests – that is their main reason for being here.” Despite the fact that the food is not always centre-stage, Søren K has in the last three consecutive years been awarded the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand. The recommendation represents the editor’s favourite high-quality value-for-money restaurants. Heding reckons that Søren K’s innovative kitchen, as well as its pleasant atmosphere, was what prompted the restaurant’s inclusion in the prestigious guide. “We represent a modern European kitchen in continuous development, and I believe we were given the Bib Gourmand because we deliver a good product, good
food and good service, without being overly ostentatious about it. We don’t dress our food with clichés and empty words,” he says and rounds off: “This summer, we will have been a part of the Black Diamond for 15 years, and our restaurant is more attractive and inviting than ever before; a lot of things have happened and today the restaurant has more warmth and character... and the food has never been better.” Søren K also runs the royal library’s two cantinas, an extensive catering service, and Øjeblikket, the Royal Library’s café, which includes a hugely popular outdoor waterfront lounge area.
For opening hours, menus and more information, please visit: www.soerenk.dk
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Scan Magazine | Attraction of the Month | Norway
Throughout 2014, Norsk Bergverksmuseum will be celebrating industrialist Paul Steenstrup (left), who not only established Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk 200 years ago this spring, but also contributed to the writing of the Norwegian constitution.
Attraction of the Month, Norway
Industrialism and democracy Norsk Bergverksmuseum (The Norwegian Mining Museum) is perhaps primarily known for the Kongsberg silver mines. Throughout 2014, however, the focus will be widened. With a series of lectures, exhibitions and other events built around the values of community, equality and democracy, Norsk Bergverksmuseum will commemorate the 200th jubilee of Norway’s constitution alongside the rest of the nation. By Hannah Gillow Kloster | Photos: Norsk Bergverksmuseum
It is fair to say that when silver was discovered at Kongsberg in 1623, it was the beginning of an industrial fairytale. There was, however, much more yet to come. This year, Norsk Bergverksmuseum is celebrating industrialist Paul Steenstrup. 200 years ago this spring, he not only established Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk (The Kongsberg Weapon Factory) but also contributed to the writing of Norway’s constitution. This dual 200th anniversary will be the focus of an exhibition opening on 25 March. Telling the story of industrialism and technology in Kongsberg, the exhibition features, among other things, Steenstrup’s own beautiful drawings. According to Halvor Sælebakke, consultant for sales and communication, Norsk Bergverksmu-
seum’s chosen keywords for 2014 – community, equality and democracy – are based on principles cemented in the Norwegian constitution. As Sælebakke explains, “these values are central to Norsk Bergverksmuseum in 2014.” From 1814 to 2014 Though the main attraction of the museum is almost 400 years old, the 2014 programme in no way eschews modernity. Alongside lecture topics such as ‘Paul Steenstrup - visionary technologist and pre-industrialism industrial entrepeneur’ (25 March), talks and exhibitions also cover topics like present day democracies, and a discussion of sports idols as role models in modern society.
The museum also plays a role in contemporary geological research, while remaining a popular tourist destination since the late 1800s. While visitors in May can attend Kongsberg Mineral Symposium, those arriving in July may attend jazz concerts deep in the ancient mines as part of the Kongsberg Jazz Festival. It certainly is no exaggeration to say that Norsk Bergverksmuseum maintains and communicates a multi-faceted cultural heritage. The 2014 programme at Norsk Bergverksmuseum, Sælebakke explains, is meant to “fuel debates, and show how the stories the museum manages can put a spotlight on the values represented in our constitution.” Providing unusual entry points into Norway’s history, the museum at Kongsberg truly represents Norwegian community, equality and democracy from 1814 to 2014, and beyond. For more information, please visit: norsk-bergverksmuseum.no
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one of the zoo’s most popular specials: the dinosaurs. Life-size models of dinosaurs will be placed on an experience path in the woods in the park. “Obviously, these are huge models, so they stand out. We compare them to birds and other descendants to show the evolution of these species,” says Solskov. In May, animal tricks and skills are top of the bill. Beginning with domestic animals like dogs, pigs, goats and birds, the zoo’s staff showcase the trained animals’ talents. Later on, more exotic animals like lemurs, macaw parrots and owls take the stage. Keeping with the zoo’s values, it is not all entertainment. “The reason we train wild animals like tapirs, polar bears and orangutans is to stimulate their senses and improve their living standards,” Solskov explains. “We teach orangutans to open their mouths so we can check their teeth, and they learn to reach their arms out so we can measure blood pressure and much more.” Fancy preparing a tiger’s meal? Aalborg Zoo is not just fun, but educational too.
Attraction of the Month, Denmark
Get up close with elephants, predators – and dinosaurs! Fancy cooking for a lion or tiger? Or discovering what ostriches share with dinosaurs? Aalborg Zoo lets you learn about animals and get close to their everyday lives. By Thomas Bech Hansen | Photos: Aalborg Zoo
There is an intimate feel about Aalborg Zoo. “We are a very cosy little zoo, very close to the city of Aalborg. And we care a great deal about animal welfare and preserving nature, which is what we want visitors to experience,” says Susanne Solskov, the park’s head of marketing.
vite guests to help cut the meat for the predators. It is like an open kitchen,” explains Solskov. Even outside dinner time, there are nutritional lessons to learn. “The meat hangs for everyone interested to see. We make no secret about how things are done. We inform people of the process and why this food is good for the animals.”
Meat for predators Especially the carnivores among the pack provide something of an experience. Have you ever prepared a tiger’s meal? Well, here is your chance. “We occasionally in-
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See more with an annual pass Aalborg Zoo’s annual pass costs 390 DKK for adults and includes entry to other Jutland attractions, such as more animal parks and Aarhus’ Den Gamle By Open-Air Museum. One-off adult admission is 150 DKK (170 DKK June-August).
Dinosaurs and domestic animals Storytelling is at the heart of Aalborg Zoo, and this spring’s new attractions underline this. First off, April sees the return of
For more information, please visit: aalborgzoo.dk
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Stallmästaregården is peacefully located by lake Brunnsviken, only a few minutes from the Stockholm city buzz.
Hotel of the Month, Sweden
Culinary delights with a modern twist at Sweden’s oldest inn An air of history and heritage surrounds Stallmästaregården. Sweden’s oldest inn is famous for its long tradition of serving classic courses under the surveillance of some of the nation’s best chefs. By Malin Norman | Photos: Stallmästaregården
Queen Kristina of Sweden celebrated Midsummer here in the 1600s, marking the beginning of the inn’s tradition of providing outstanding cuisine, wine and its very own snaps. What may not be as wellknown is that Stallmästaregården is also a member of Design Hotels, offering a contemporary take on countryside accommodation with rustic charm. Fredrik Malmstedt is new managing director since October last year, and previously a member of the Swedish Culinary Team. He is looking forward to an exciting spring with some new developments in mind. “We want to stay true to the culinary heritage and continue to provide our popular Swedish classics with seasonal focus, while also updating our wider offer-
ing to ensure that our customers can experience the best combination of fine food and relaxation,” says Malmstedt.
fillet of beef and potatoes, onions and mustard cream. The restaurant serves its own smoked salmon as well as other delights made of locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients. Guests can also enjoy activities such as wine tasting and cooking classes. Relax and unwind, or experience the city buzz Stallmästaregården is beautifully located by lake Brunnsviken in the Haga Park, a popular recreational area and part of the Royal National City Park in Stockholm. Visitors can revel in the peaceful environment and closeness to nature, or if they so wish join in the hustle and bustle of the big city a few minutes away.
Enjoy the heritage of prominent chefs Renowned chef Tore Wretman took over the restaurant in 1950. He was one of the founders of the Gastronomic Academy, and famous for promoting traditional cooking with a modern twist. Also an international culinary expert as well as a royal chef, Werner Vögeli was overseeing the kitchen and wine cellar in the early 2000s. Both left their unmistakable mark not only on Swedish cooking but also on Stallmästaregården itself. The menu still includes classics such as Biff Rydberg, a popular dish with diced
There are currently 49 rooms available, all blending contemporary design and the history of the inn. A new addition, currently at the planning stage, is a spa with relaxing treatments for the guests. With its combination of exquisite food and countryside style accommodation, it is no surprise that Stallmästaregården is a popular venue for weddings and other celebrations. For more information, please visit: www.stallmastaregarden.se
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Scan Magazine | Hotel of the Month | Norway
Hotel of the Month, Norway
Unforgettable holiday bliss Often described as an oasis of the good life, Haaheim Gaard believes in creating magical moments their guests are sure to remember forever. In idyllic and romantic surroundings, visitors at Haaheim enjoy life to the very fullest, which is why they keep coming back. By Kjersti Westeng | Photos: Haaheim Gaard
Haaheim Gaard is a small, beautiful hotel located in Tysnes in Western Norway. Former musician Torstein Hatlevik bought Haaheim farm in 2000 – without electricity or water, but full of potential. He renovated it and opened up a small hotel in 2009, mainly because he wanted to share the wonderful experience of living there. Word of Hatlevik’s little paradise spread quickly, and just a few years later he realised that he had to expand in order to meet the demand. “Haaheim Gaard has become a very popular hotel and our visitors really enjoy themselves here. The surroundings are beautiful and I think
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more and more people seek these out-ofthe-ordinary experiences,” Hatlevik says. Despite doubling in size this summer, Haaheim will remain a small and exclusive hotel with a total of nine rooms. However, with four restaurants, a large library, a beautiful summer garden house and plenty of new activities on offer, Haaheim is certainly well-equipped to face the busy holiday season. Unique experiences So what exactly makes Haaheim so special? For starters, it is the location. Tysnes
consists of a number of small islands and has long been a popular tourist destination for hikers and cyclists. The garden surrounding the hotel has more than 1,500 roses and has seen a number of happy couples say their ‘I dos’ over the last five years. But more importantly, the key to Haaheim’s success lies in the way the establishment sees and treats each visitor. “There is no such thing as a standard package at Haaheim. Instead we tailor the experience to each individual guest, making sure that their stay is exactly how they want it,” says Hatlevik. Each of the nine rooms has been individually decorated and has its own outside area, complete with a stunning sunset view. Located 75 minutes from Bergen and Flesland Airport, Haaheim has become a popular place to host conferences. The new and improved conference centre located under ground is also opening this summer. Because it takes over an hour to get to the airport, people tend to spend the night at Haaheim, getting to know each other and making it into a complete experience.
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Above left: Owner Torstein Hatlevik is a former musician and sometimes performs at Haaheim himself. Right: Delicious meals made with ingredients from Haaheim’s own garden.
Culinary haven Known for their creativity and passion, the chefs at Haaheim take a great deal of pride in the food they serve. With the hotel expansion comes a brand new bakery as well as a large garden café selling cakes and pastries. A new kitchen and wine cellar will also be introduced, perfect for the various cooking and baking classes held at Haaheim throughout the year. Every Wednesday during the summer months, visitors can take part in cooking classes led by famous chefs. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from the best and pick up top tips on seasonal cooking. Haaheim has its own gardener harvesting vegetables, fruits and herbs to be used in the hotel restaurants. One of the restaurants is famous for its three- and fivecourse meals, which often feature delicious soups made from the garden treats. Because the chefs mainly use local produce, the menu changes with the seasons.
one, whether you come on your own, with a partner or as a group of friends. What could be better than gathering your friends in the garden house for Champagne and a foot bath, or relaxing in the library with that book you have wanted to read for so long but never found the time for? Maybe you want to try wine tasting or get a massage from Haaheim’s own aromatherapist? For outdoor enthusiasts the opportunities are endless. Visitors can hire bicycles or kayaks from Haaheim, play golf at Dalen golf course, or go fishing in the river. For those wanting to explore the area by foot there are a number of well-marked paths to choose from. This summer, Haaheim is inviting famous musicians to perform in their concert hall every Thursday night. “With cooking classes on Wednesdays and concerts on Thursdays, we are facing a very exciting summer holiday,” ends Hatlevik.
Things to do Despite the romantic surroundings, Haaheim hotel is by no means a retreat solely for couples. Haaheim is a place for every-
For more information, please visit: www.haaheimgaard.no
The chefs at Haaheim are known for being both creative and passionate.
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Scan Magazine | Hotel of the Month | Denmark
Business customers often say that returning to Hotel Vildbjerg is like coming home.
Hotel of the Month, Denmark
An oasis of tranquility in the heart of Jutland Centrally located on the heath of Jutland, in close proximity to several of Denmark’s prime business and cultural venues, Hotel Vildbjerg welcomes guests from all over the world to enjoy a relaxing and undisturbed stay in serene surroundings.
place away from the stress and noise of Herning, where they can relax and recharge,” Simonsen explains.
By Stine Gjevnoe | Photos: Hotel Vildbjerg
When Simonsen took over as general manager in 2011 the hotel was facing severe financial problems, and although it has been three difficult years, Simonsen and the team have managed to turn things around, an accomplishment they are rightfully proud of. With sold-out events in the pipeline and an ever-expanding local area with an increasingly international focus and appeal, Hotel Vildbjerg has an exciting future ahead. Simonsen and the team have managed to establish a foundation for future success, which, to put it in local terms, is firmly planted in the soil of Jutland.
Hotel Vildbjerg was established 130 years ago and is a hotel steeped in tradition with an uncompromising focus on personal service and comfort, offering its guests an array of accommodation options including romantic weekend stays, shortstay family vacations, one-night business stays, and private events of varying size. Situated just ten minutes from one of the area’s most popular golf courses, Hotel Vildbjerg is also a favourite among golf enthusiasts. With 33 rooms, the capacity to accommodate up to 220 people at private functions, and a versatile kitchen specialising in traditional Danish cuisine, Hotel Vildbjerg is an ideal choice of venue for small- and large-scale events. The staff is highly ex-
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perienced and always aims to create an unforgettable experience. “We want our events to be remembered for years to come and to be the foundation of happy memories for the guests as well as the hosts,” says general manager Heintje Simonsen. A home away from home Hotel Vildbjerg is located only 25 minutes from MCH, one of Scandinavia’s largest and busiest exhibition centres, as well as Boxen in Herning, a multifunctional indoor arena that has hosted a number of international music and sporting events. “We have a lot of returning business customers who really value the familiarity and tranquillity of our hotel. They often describe it as ‘coming home’, and as a
For more information, please visit: www.hotel-vildbjerg.dk
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Scan Magazine | Business | Den Norske Klub
Scan Business Business Features 79 | Conferences of the Month 93 | Business Calendar 96
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Proudly London-Norwegian since 1887 It was 17 May 1887. A dozen expat Norwegians were in a London pub, celebrating the anniversary of their national constitution. But suddenly it was closing time, and the group was told that they could only stay if they represented a private club. “Well, we represent the Norwegian Club in London,” said one of them, and a few ideas for founding principles jotted down on a piece of paper later, Den Norske Klub was founded. And, need we say, the friends carried on drinking. By Linnea Dunne
The bunch of 20-something men started meeting in a pub once a week, the monthly membership fee set at 1 shilling. The club had between 20 and 50 members in its first decades. In 1924, the club moved into Norway House off Trafalgar Square – significantly, it turned out, as the building played a key role during World War II and King Haakon VII and members of the government-in-exile became regulars at the club. Subsequently, King Haakon VII became the club’s first ever patron, and his son, King Olav V, was honorary president from 1957 until his death in 1991. Third in line is honorary member King Harald V, followed by the fourth generation: H.H. Princess Märtha Louise and Mr. Ari Behn. A lot has changed since the early days. Women, who were initially admitted only as guests at club dinners and dances, were given full access as members in 1982, and some 15 years ago, as Norway House was turned into luxury flats, the club briefly shared premises with its Danish equivalent before moving into its current headquarters at the Naval & Military Club, also known as The In & Out, in St James’s Square.
The membership fee has increased since the 1 shilling days, and so has the number of members, up to around 380 proud expats who enjoy free access to The In & Out restaurant, courtyard, swimming pool and gym during weekends in addition to other perks and discounts. Most importantly, the club opens the door to a huge family of fellow London-Norwegians with valuable networking opportunities, life-long friendships and unyielding support. Last month’s annual Gourmet Dinner serves as an apt example. Combining a threecourse gourmet meal with musical performances and speeches, as well as the presence of H.H. Princess Märtha Louise and Mr. Ari Behn, the evening at the ambassador’s residence set the bar high ahead of the annual celebration dinner that will take place on 17 May in the King Harald V Room at The In & Out, where the 200th anniversary of the constitution is sure to be celebrated with more than a bang. No selfrespecting Norwegian expat will want to be seen anywhere else on the big day. For more information, pleae visit: dennorskeklub.co.uk
Ari Behn, Morten Astrup, H.H. Princess Märtha Louise, Chair Catharina M. Patjas and DHM Olav Myklebust. Photo Ole Angell.
King Harald V Room. Photo John Quintero The Coffee Room. Photo John Quintero
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Scan Magazine | Business | Garuda A/S
The Garuda Focus Model defines four different types of personality and work focus which, among other things, can help you to define the characteristics needed to become successful in a certain position.
Avoid hiring the wrong person – or thinking that you are the right person for the wrong job How do you know if someone is actually creative and innovative? Are Swedes really better team-players than Danes? And, should women be more self-assertive, offensive and aggressive to become better leaders? Dr. Finn Havaleschka, founder of Garuda A/S, a leading Danish firm offering HRM tools and consultancy services, shares the lessons of his 30 years of research within human competencies, team-building and organisational development. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Garuda A/S
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Scan Magazine | Business | Garuda A/S
but only possibly, be your next sales manager. You know their background, experience and interests, but the one unknown factor is: who is she going to be – in other words, will she be the person, with the personality, you need for the job? In most cases, it only takes two minutes before you know if the candidate in front of you is the right person. But even if your intuition says no, you still perform the full interview as planned, hoping that the candidate will be able to change your first impression, partly because you are a polite person and partly because you need to fill that position now. But in the end the candidate does not change your first impression, and you feel that you have wasted your time. Or, even worse, you find something in the person to give you hope and decide to give her a chance only to find three months later that your first impression was right. People do not change personality, and you have wasted time, money, and hours of worry, and now you have to start all over again. It might always have been that way, but it is not the way it will always be or, according to Havaleschka, indeed, has to be today. “I concluded that what we needed was to change the approach so as to avoid interviews with candidates who would never make it and ensure that, when we got a promising candidate in front of us, we had an interview tool that would help us sidestep our intuition and instead ask scientifically-proven, relevant questions ensuring that we would always choose the best of the best,” Havaleschka explains.
personality. They were solely developed for research purposes,” he explains. The tests’ inadequacy made Havaleschka think and he soon realised that, while the existing tests provided a good platform for discussing candidates’ personalities and ambitions, what was lacking was the evaluation of whether they had the personality-based competencies needed to fulfil their ambitions. “I decided to turn it all around – face down, asking: what do we need to know about work conditions in different positions, and what are the key personality requirements to becoming successful? But remember: we are not talking about level and line of education, professional skills or experience – only about what I call personality-based competencies,” stresses Havaleschka. One late night in the early 1980s, Havaleschka came up with a model that would become the foundation of Garuda’s success in years to come: the HeadHeart-Leg model. The method takes into account that a candidate needs to fit an organisation three-dimensionally: with regards to intellectual work (head), social skills (heart) and execution (legs). Today the model is used by leading Scandinavian companies, organisations and leaders in-
The Head-Heart-Leg model
You are sitting in your office waiting for someone, someone who could possibly,
Before founding Garuda in 1982, Havaleschka worked for one of Scandinavia’s largest recruiting consultancies. There he was introduced to psychometric testing but was not impressed by the oldfashioned approach. “The tests weren’t developed for exploring the difference in personality between a successful leader or a salesman or accountant or any other correlation between the requirements of the job and the successful candidate’s
Founder of Garuda A/S, Dr. Finn Havaleschka, has worked with research and development of human competencies, team-building and communication for more than 30 years.
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Scan Magazine | Business | Garuda A/S
cluding IKEA and BoConcept as well as Ulrik Wilbek, the coach of the Danish national handball team, twice European champions. Male or female – good leaders have always been the same The Head-Heart-Leg method revealed four significant personality archetypes whose characteristics can be weighed against the competencies required in a specific role, team or organisation. The evaluation of these archetypes led to, among other things, Garuda’s Focus Model, a model for successful leadership. “Thirty years of research tell us about the difference between leaders and nonleaders, and the difference between the people who are future leaders and will become successful as such, and people who won’t. And you know, the picture, the structure of the successful leader’s profile, hasn’t change or developed during these 30 years of research and experience. Professional competencies, yes; level of education as well as the topic of study, yes; but not the structure of the personality profile,” says Havaleschka. The extensive data gathered through the model also reveals some interesting facts about the differences between male and female leaders. It shows that the further up the organisational ladder, the more similar the structure of the personality profile is no matter the gender. “If you cannot cope with a high degree of complexity, if you cannot communicate in an understandable and sympathetic way, and if you do not have the stamina, the achievement motivation and robustness to complete the task or pursue the strategy, then it doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman,” stresses Havaleschka. There is, however, one area in which top-level female managers differ – generally speaking – from their male colleagues. And that is, perhaps not surprisingly, when it comes to the Heart dimension, in which women tend to be a little more observant and considerate. The subject of female versus male leadership received much attention recently, as CEO of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg in a news-
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paper interview claimed that women needed to become more self-assertive, offensive and aggressive. Havaleschka does not agree: “I understand her point to a certain degree, but at the same time she is promoting some of the traits that are scientifically proven by empirical data to first and foremost promote bad leadership. Instead of telling us that women should internalise some of the worst characteristics that a manager can possess, she should start by telling us what qualities she would like women to contribute to the board of directors.” Yes, Swedes are better team-workers Used all over the world, the model also shows some interesting cultural differences, even between countries as alike as Sweden and Denmark. In a comparison of Focus Profiles taken by Swedish and Danish professionals, the Swedes scored higher in the blue and gray corners of the model (representing the self-controlled and detail-oriented baser and the understanding and considerate integrator – see model) while the Danes had a comparatively higher score in the green and red corners (representing the intuitive and innovative developer and the energetic and impatient result maker – see model). “This comes as absolutely no surprise for those who have worked in both cultures. Our prejudices are not just prejudices: they are also perceptions of realities – a real difference,” says Havaleschka, adding: “In Swedish companies people are more disciplined, seek consensus more often and have an easier time accepting authoritatively given rules than in Danish companies. Consequently, a Danish leader in Sweden has to meet the employees where they are, and a Swedish leader in Denmark has to meet the Danish employees where they are.” The right person for the right job Garuda’s newest tool, the online recruiting system JobMatchProfile, is the result of 30 years of experience with recruitment and candidate profiling. Applying the HeadHeart-Leg model to the recruitment process, along with a new intelligent ranking of professional skills and experience,
JobMatch model
it is probably the company’s most revolutionary tool to date in terms of cutting costs and time associated with recruiting and not least handling unsolicited and speculative applications. This is the preselection tool helping managers and recruiters to avoid pointless reading of CVs and doing interviews with candidates who will never make it. It is, says Havaleschka, “science with a human touch and your guarantee that the candidate fits the job, the team and your organisation.” Used by some of Scandinavia’s leading international companies, the tool has saved recruiters up to 85 per cent of the time and cost normally associated with the recruitment process. “The best thing is that we have positive responses from thousands of applicants thanking the JobMatch process for a smooth and easy process,” Havaleschka says adding. “That’s great employer branding, in my opinion.”
Havaleschka made his first model of personality traits and the correlations between them in the early 1980s. The model later became the Head-Heart-Leg model, which is today used by numerous international Scandinavian companies.
For more information, please visit: www.jobmatchprofile.com www.garuda.dk
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Scan Magazine | Business | Secure-NOK AS
Secure-NOK AS specialises in detecting and removing security attacks and hazards such as espionage, sabotage, malware and other harmful security threats, and has just signed a lucrative deal with one of the petroleum industry’s largest equipment and components suppliers.
Taking cyber security to the next level The specialists at Norwegian security systems provider Secure-NOK AS are ready for their new solutions to go live, having signed a lucrative deal that will see their security systems installed on the majority of the world’s oil rigs. By Magnus Nygren Syversen | Photos: Secure-NOK AS
Secure-NOK AS is the leading security systems and solutions provider for the Norwegian petroleum industry. Specialising in detecting and removing security attacks and hazards such as espionage, sabotage, malware and other harmful security threats, both on-shore and offshore, the company recently graduated from the prestigious SURGE Accelerator project in Houston, Texas. Now SecureNOK aims to conquer the international market, having signed a four-year deal with one of the petroleum industry’s largest equipment and components suppliers worldwide. “This is the most important deal we have ever made. We are ready to go live with our new security solutions, which are tailored to the oil and gas industry,” says founder and CEO, Siv Hilde Houmb.
Ever-expanding Establishing the company in February 2010, Houmb handpicked a team of computer security experts from across the globe and currently employs specialists from the UK, Norway, Brazil, Germany, the US, Denmark, France and Spain. “Our senior consultants have between 10 and 40 years of experience within our field,” says the CEO. The company runs its operations from its headquarters in Innovation Park Stavanger (iPark), at the very centre of the Norwegian petroleum industry. In addition the company has offices at SURGE Accelerator’s ‘Surge Shack’ in Houston, as well as a development office in Hamar in Eastern Norway. Next, Houmb aims to establish an office in Brazil, a rapidly
growing market within the petroleum industry. Solving cyber security issues Secure-NOK is also a member of the newly established Center for Cyber and Information Security (CCIS), located in Gjøvik, only 50 kilometres from its offices in Hamar. Working out of the Norwegian Internet Security laboratory at Gjøvik University College, the project is a collaboration between the Norwegian Armed Forces, several branches within the police and the Norwegian National Security Authority, as well as a number of prominent companies such as Statkraft, Telenor, IBM and PwC to name a few. “This is a collaboration between some of the most powerful actors on the Norwegian market joining forces in order to solve current and future cyber security issues,” says Houmb. For more information, please visit: www.securenok.com
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Despite its name, Jelling Naturkød’s Scottish Highland cattle live in Denmark where they enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle all year round.
Happy cattle from stable to table Feeding (literally) a growing Danish interest in animal welfare and high-quality meat, Jelling Naturkød sources its meat exclusively from free-range cattle reared and slaughtered with care. That means not only leaner and tenderer meat but, just as importantly, a cleaner conscience for the buyer. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Jelling Naturkød
When Jelling Naturkød was founded in 2010, the company’s products were sourced from a small stock of Scottish Highland cattle reared in Jutland. Today, thanks to new investors, the company also provides luxury cuts from Danish Galloway as well as Black Angus and John Stone (formerly Donald Russell) cattle from Ireland. But the main ambition is still the same: to deliver a highquality product produced according to the highest standards within animal welfare in the most straightforward and convenient way. Marketing coordinator Mar-
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ianne Hoff Søndergaard explains: “What it is all about is animal welfare; all the meat that we sell is sourced from animals that have lived a good life – most of it outside. Animals are living beings and they deserve a good life.” Today, quality-conscious meat lovers can rejoice in a wide range of high-quality products from Jelling Naturkød’s four breeds, from sausages and minced meat to steaks and roasts. Besides beef they also have a small selection of luxury lamb from John Stone. Moreover, the
company has recently extended its range with a small selection of veal. Worth paying for Animal welfare is something very much on the minds of many Danes. When it comes to it, however, many still settle for cheap supermarket products. But Jelling Naturkød has, says Søndergaard, since its beginning four years ago, experienced an increased interest in better quality and better welfare standards. “The truth is that people want goodquality meat, but they are not keen on
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Scan Magazine | Business | Jelling Naturkød
paying the higher price for it. But lately we have had really good feedback from a lot of our clients who say: yes, it is more expensive than in the supermarket, but we can also see and taste that the quality is much better.” One of the reasons why it is more expensive to produce ethically-reared, highquality meat is that most cattle need to be free-range to thrive and produce the best meat. The sturdy, long-haired Scottish Highland cattle sold by Jelling Naturkød are outside all year round, as are the Danish Galloway. As the cattle feed on natural fodder, such as grass and weeds, their growth is less controlled than breeds fed and kept inside. This makes the slaughtering and rearing less efficient and thus more costly, but it also makes the cows’ life better and the meat leaner, firmer and lower in cholesterol. From stable to table Another factor adding to the quality of the animals’ lives and their meat is the slaughtering process. All animals produced for Jelling Naturkød are slaughtered as close to where they are reared as possible to avoid long transports and unnecessary stress. Besides, the slaughtering process takes into consideration the animals’ welfare as well as the quality of the meat that is produced. “All of our stock is slaughtered by traditional Danish methods. We don’t do any halal meat – that just doesn’t add up with our values,” says Søndergaard and adds: “Another thing is that the meat you normally find in the supermarket is usually vacuum-packed straight after slaughtering; our meat is dry-aged in a cold store
for 14 or 21 days to fully develop its flavour and tenderness. Along with the maturing process, the welfare of the animals has a major impact on the tenderness of the meat.” Easy and accessible At the heart of Jelling Naturkød is not just the wish to produce high-quality meat but also to make it easily available. As such, the company delivers its products to all of Denmark’s mainland (and islands connected by bridges) for free. The insulated meat boxes are delivered by refrigerated trucks during the night so that customers can unpack and refrigerate prod- Like the Highland cattle, the Danish Galloway cattle thrive best and produce the highestquality meat when free-range. ucts before going to work. To simplify the process, customers can choose between get into because of the many bad associa range of tailor-made mixed boxes or ations – pork can be Danish food at its combine their own selection from all of worst – but now we have found an orthe products. And, though Jelling ganic producer who we feel meets our Naturkød is in no rush to expand, the sevalues, so from today on we will also be selling pork,” says Søndergaard. lection keeps growing. “A lot of our clients have been so happy with our products that they’ve come back with more requests. Pork is something people For more information, please visit: have been asking about for a long time, www.jellingnaturkod.dk but which we have been very reluctant to
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Scan Magazine | Business | Scan The Market
Scanning your market, endlessly With a knack for lead generation and market research, a team of experienced sales professionals from across Europe, and a sought-after office location in the buzzing city, the brains behind Scan Group could not help but think that a multilingual telemarketing and appointment making business was the natural next step. Behold Scan The Market, the new go-to service provider for all your sales and lead generation needs. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Monica Takvam
“I think I was a brilliant colleague, but a not-so-brilliant accountant,” laughs coowner and CEO Thomas Winther as he recalls one of his early-career jobs at one of the major accounting firms in the city. “Jokes aside, I’ve always loved working with people, and I had this urge to make
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things happen – and fast.” Having helped set up a London-Danish football club, which, he is quick to interpolate, is still very much alive and kicking, he met now business partner Mads E. Petersen and presented his elevator pitch about a Scandinavian community magazine.
Born out of a love of all things Scandinavian and a strong entrepreneurial drive, Scan Magazine quickly became much more than just a community periodical, and today it shares an office and parent company with two other successful magazines, Discover Germany and Discover Benelux, as well as a handful of related events and, finally, multilingual telemarketing, market research and lead generation company Scan The Market. Sensitivity to cultural nuances Winther’s love of a fast-paced environment is as present as ever, and the new venture was as much about natural pro-
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Scan Magazine | Business | Scan The Market
details: we’ll make sure that we thoroughly understand the customer’s product or service, and then we’ll use our experience and expertise to tailor the most effective campaign for them. What the team working on their campaign will look like depends entirely on their needs; we’ll make sure to have the right numbers and the right languages in place.” The benefits are plentiful: clients can stop worrying about recruitment and training costs, day-to-day management of staff, increased phone bills and additional costs such as holiday pay, national insurance contributions, sick pay and pension contributions. Too good to be true? Not if you look at the existing Scan Group sales teams, made up of well-educated, hardworking young professionals who take pride in what they do. “Our central London office location makes us an attractive employer for multilingual job hunters arriving in the city,” says Winther. “On top of that, the existing business connections and marketing channels that we’ve built up thanks to our portfolio of magazines are valued not only by new customers – but also by potential members of staff.” Sounds like everyone’s a winner. Founders and Directors Thomas Winther and Mads E. Petersen (2nd and 3rd from the left) together with the Scan Group team.
gression as it was about starting something new, as he explains: “We’ve already got a competent group of bilingual sales and account managers working for our portfolio of magazines, and they are highly skilled when it comes to being sensitive to the nuances and seasonality of their markets, not to mention their language skills and cultural understanding and awareness of different time zones. Our in-house speciality is to sell and perform backoffice functions in all the European languages, so it made sense to expand our service offering to something we love doing and know that we’re very good at.”
gional businesses. According to Winther, it is this sensitivity to the differences between the markets and brands that gives his team its strength.
Scan Magazine Scandinavia Show Scandinavian Christmas Market Discover Germany
Taking this expertise and applying it to the telemarketing and lead generation field makes for an impressive offering. Clients of Scan The Market can expect support not only with campaign planning, end-ofday reporting and verified sales appointments, but also with sales and lead generation – all in their customers’ native languages.
Discover Benelux Scan The Market Scan The Market was founded in 2013 and offers the following multilingual services: Telemarketing Sales Lead generation Appointment making Market research Campaign planning
Track-record with clients and employees With more than 15,000 advertising customers throughout Europe to date, Scan Group has in its different capacities worked with some of the biggest brands as well as countless small, local and re-
Scan Group is a publishing and events company trading as the following divisions:
“Our track-record works as a promise to our clients,” says Winther. “For every new project, our dedicated account director and management team will sit down with the client and get into the nitty-gritty
Reporting services
For more information, please visit: scangroup.co.uk
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Scan Magazine | Business | Future Solutions AS
Integrated Operations, time has been spent on developing new methods to evaluate and control the implementation of solutions, with the aim of improving the level of efficiency even further. The Project Solutions department has also taken part in this research and has developed a new and improved method to better plan, follow up and support its clients through a building project. The new method builds on the principles behind Lean Construction and Last Planner System, involving all operators in the project planning to ensure a better flow of information, cost-control and interaction throughout the project.
A safer, more efficient future With long-standing experience within the oil and gas industry, Future Solutions has made a name for itself as the go-to company for integrated solutions of the future. With companies like Statoil and Aker Solutions on its client list, Future Solutions is streamlining experts to ensure a safer and more efficient future for your business. By Kjersti Westeng | Photos: Future Solutions
Founded in 2005, Future Solutions is located in Bømlo in Western Norway. With the initial aim of developing and facilitating integrated solutions for companies within the oil and gas industry, Future Solutions became an immediate success. The idea behind the integrated operations was fairly simple: by streamlining the communication, work processes and information technology within the company, each process would run more smoothly and more efficiently. Within a few years, Future Solutions had more than tripled in size and expanded into three operative departments: Integrated Operations, Project Services and Project Solutions. Project Services serves as a consultant agency for companies in the oil, gas and manufacturing industry, while Project Solutions specialises in project management within the construction
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industry. “We started out as a provider of integrated operations, which is still our area of expertise. However, we have since expanded into other areas of the industry,” says assistant CEO Bjørn Håvard Bjørklund. Research and development Despite primarily working within the construction industry, the Project Solutions department carries out methods and practices well suited for all industries. “The Projects Solutions team consists of engineers with long-standing experience within the industry. They are extremely competent within their field,” says Bjørklund. Within the last few years, Future Solutions has devoted a lot of time and attention to research and development in order to perform even better. Within the department of
For more information, please visit: www.futuresolutions.no
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Enabling E real
aachievement Man Mannaz is an international frontrunner in leadership development. A do Adopting innovative and efficient learning methods and approaches, wee empower people development and business success. w
You Y ou can subscribe to our monthly newsletter M Knowledge aand nd learn more at www.mannaz.com/intl f
RESTAURANT ZELESTE YOUR OASIS IN COPENHAGEN
Calling all Nordic freelance writers! Scan Magazine is currently looking for experienced writers fluent in any of the Nordic languages and with excellent written English to write for us on a freelance basis. Writing skills and a positive, professional manner are crucial. To apply, please email your CV and an English writing sample to Linnea Dunne at linnea.dunne@scanmagazine.co.uk
Just around the corner from Nyhavn you will find a restaurant with a special focus on seafood and the very best Nordic produce in season. Enjoy your brunch, lunch or dinner in the beautiful cobbled courtyard.
Store Strandstræde 6 1255 Copenhagen Tel.: +45 3316 0606 zeleste.dk
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Scan Magazine | Business | Talking woof
Talking woof
cited”. Future goals of the project include the recognition of advanced thought patterns. A crowdfunding viral
A small research lab in Malmö has developed a prototype dog translator that converts animal thoughts into human language. Scan Magazine looks at whether the Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery is barking, or whether its invention has any bite. By Ian Morales | Photos: NSID
While most pet owners talk to their dogs on a daily basis, the pooch’s reply is invariably ambiguous and often misunderstood. In an effort to bring us closer to our canine family members, researchers at the Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery (NSID) have recently unveiled a prototype dog translator designed to analyse animal thought patterns and spell them out in human language via a loud speaker. Aptly named No More Woof, the device, like the concept of the talking dog, is rem-
iniscent of the talking collar worn by Dug the dog in the Pixar film Up. No More Woof is a canine-friendly headset with EEG sensors and a Raspberry Pi micro-computer to detect the dog’s brainwave patterns and translate thoughts into English. Unlike Dug’s talking collar, NSID emphasises that No More Woof is still work in progress. The project’s website states that the device is currently only able to translate easily detected neural patterns such as “I’m tired”, “I’m curious who that is?” and “I’m ex-
No More Woof gained worldwide attention through an unlikely source: in December 2013, NSID launched a campaign on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo to raise funds to finance the project. The funding goal was set at $10,000. Supporters who contribute to the project are able to order their chosen version and be among the first to own a No More Woof. $65 buys the most basic model, with one sensor that detects 2–3 thought patterns; $300 buys a two-sensor standard model, and for $1,200 you will receive a fully customisable superior model. The press got a hold of the story of the “first device to translate animal thoughts into human language” and it went viral. The unexpected publicity has seen the funding status on Indiegogo skyrocket to $20,748, more than double the initial goal – an impressive amount for extraordinary claims without extraordinary proof. The No More Woof demonstration video on Indiegogo may touch the hearts of dog lovers, but leaves neuroscientists with more questions than answers. For example, EEG can detect some feelings, but not hunger, as NSID claims. And besides, if dog is a man’s best friend, why risk the relationship by attempting to discover every thought on its mind? Unless, of course, the dog happens to be one of the Queen’s corgis, with lots of juicy gossip.
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Scan Magazine | Business | Innovation through collaboration
Innovation through collaboration The global co-working trend is fast becoming mainstream in Northern Europe, with new spaces opening up all over the region. In Norway, it has become much more than just a new-media fad. By David Nikel | Photos: MESH
Co-working brings together young entrepreneurs, freelancers, investors, and people who want to make things happen in a collaborative environment. While co-working is often seen as an environment for trendy web and mobile start-ups, the new Norwegian breed takes a different approach. A platform to share ideas 500 kilometres north of Oslo, DIGS is Trondheim’s attempt to retain some of the 3,000 science and technology graduates that the city’s NTNU University spits out every year, most of whom head straight into oil companies, down to Oslo or abroad. It is a great loss for Trondheim’s economy that ideas that are often born in the city are developed elsewhere. “It’s about bringing people together,” says cofounder Mats Mathisen. “There are many great projects and ideas amongst Trondheim’s graduates, but they sit alone, wondering about the same questions and the same challenges. We provide a platform for people to meet, share knowledge and be social, all of which are really important aspects for both entrepreneurs and freelancers to succeed. It’s the perfect place to network, build new relationships and
create value, for each other and ultimately for Trondheim as a city.” One member, Eirik Gjelsvik Medbø, has already noticed the benefits for his startup, Assistep. “Working in a collaborative environment allows us to instantly verify ideas, receive input on design and marketing, and even accountancy questions. It speeds up the development of our business,” says Medbø. Since moving into DIGS, Assistep has received significant finance, which has taken the business to the next level.
signs are there that it is going to grow, perhaps even to become the norm for all independent workers and those looking to innovate outside of industry. Championing the movement is Carsten Foertsch, editor of co-working magazine DESKMAG. “In 2006, a year after the first official coworking space opened, there were fewer than 30 such spaces worldwide. Today, we count more than 2,500 of them, serving more than 110,000 members, and that number is still doubling each year,” says Foertsch.
Co-working becoming mainstream The flagship for Norwegian co-working is undoubtedly MESH in Oslo. Barely two years old, the offices, event space, café, nightclub and entrepreneurial spirit of MESH attract innovators from far and wide. Elsewhere in the capital, co-working venture 657 focuses on media, bringing together start-ups and independent communication professionals under one roof to collaborate on projects. With co-working breaking out of the capitals and becoming mainstream, all the
Photo: Assistep
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Scan Magazine | Business | TotallySwedish
When Annethe Nathan fell pregnant and coincidentally found out that the old Swedish shop, Swedish Affair, was looking to sell, she shelved the idea of opening a café in favour of the bricks-and-mortar and webshop TotallySwedish.
TotallySwedish stocks a range of healthy, organic products as well as expat favourites such as salt liquorice, fresh yeast and Kalles Kaviar fish roe spread.
For the love of Swedish food culture With a dream of opening a café and a bun in the oven, Annethe Nathan knew she had some big decisions to make. The combination of motherhood and early mornings at work instinctively felt ill-advised, and the former IT consultant decided that the web was the way to go. That was until she called the old Swedish boutique in Marylebone, Swedish Affair, and found out that they were looking to sell. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Monika Agorelius
Fast-forward to today, eight and a half years later, and TotallySwedish, under Nathan's management, is blossoming. Pop by on a Tuesday afternoon, when Swedish parents meet just around the corner, and you will be greeted by a pram jam as bags are packed full of Kalles Kaviar fish roe spread and the indispensible fresh yeast. At Christmas, the Swedes make a pilgrimage to Crawford Street for Swedish mulled wine (glögg), and in preparation for Easter, it is all about the Swedish brands of flour, pearl sugar and other baking must-haves. “It’s the things we take for granted when we’re in Sweden,” says Nathan about big sellers like sourmilk (filmjölk) and salt liquorice. Not to mention coffee. “Swedes drink a lot of coffee, and it has to be strong, proper stuff!”
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into Gunnar Lieungh, the Swede behind the new salmon smoking venture, House of Sverre, at London event Nordicana, it seemed like a no-brainer to invite him to the shops for some taster and demonstration sessions. What better way to kickstart Easter than with some top-quality, organic salmon from the Faroe Islands?
Now with two shops, in Crawford Street as well as in Barnes in South-West London, TotallySwedish has noticed an increasing interest in Swedish culinary traditions. “We love that our British customers are curious about our foods,” says Nathan. As people become more conscious of what they eat, Nordic cuisine is showing the way, insists the shop owner. This is evident on the shelves, with a good selection of organic produce, wholemeal bread, and a whole range of products by inspiring raw food pioneer Renée Voltaire, such as detox juices and granola. “It’s a holistic thing for us,” says Nathan. “We want to spread the word about Swedish food culture.” As such, bumping
Gunnar Lieungh of House of Sverre.
TotallySwedish, 32 Crawford Street W1 and 66 Barnes High Street SW13. Webshop: www.totallyswedish.com Taste the House of Sverre salmon in Barnes on 22 March and in Crawford Street on 12 April.
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Scan Magazine | Conference of the Month | Denmark
The atrium at Danhostel Ishøj Strand offers a bright and spacious room for receptions of up to 400 people. The hall has been used for everything from fashion shows to professional workshops.
Danhostel Ishøj Strand’s professional chefs prepare all food from scratch, using 75 per cent organic produce.
Conference of the Month, Denmark
Conferences with low costs and high service levels in Ishøj Strand With a relaxed yet professional atmosphere and beautiful natural surroundings, Danhostel Ishøj Strand proves that low prices need not entail poor service. Located just 15 kilometres from the centre of Copenhagen, the conference centre welcomes almost 50,000 guests every year, including a string of public bodies as well as some major cost-conscious corporations. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Danhostel Ishøj Strand
Built in 2000 in the naturally beautiful coastal area of Ishøj Strand, Danhostel Ishøj Strand was taken over by Inge Ulrich Ernst and Michael Ernst in 2006. Guided by their many years of experience at establishments such as Hotel D’angleterre and Søllerød Kro, the couple brought in decorators and professional chefs to revamp the place. “We turned the whole establishment upside-down and chose to focus intensively on conference facilities, which was something that was really lacking in the area,” explains Ernst and adds: “We’ve had the specific requirements of seminar and conference guests in mind when tailoring both the interiors and the service level – we make sure everything is done in a relaxed but topprofessional atmosphere.”
Today, all of the hostel’s 40 rooms, with en-suite bathroom, television and wireless internet, are designed to meet the needs of modern conference guests. The kitchen, the produce of which is 75 per cent organic, masters everything from Foie Gras to traditional open sandwiches and cooks all dishes from scratch. But while the service level has been steeply elevated, prices have not seen a similar development. “Through our service approach and our focus on ’value for money’, we have created an incredibly economic product that gives the guests a lot more than they expect. That’s our main goal: to always focus on the needs of the guests and give them value for their money,” stresses Ernst, adding: “Sometimes we experience that we are so low-cost that the guests are
afraid to book us because they can’t believe that they will actually get proper service, but our very high turn-over has made it possible to keep prices down.” With a spacious setting guests are, however, unlikely to notice the fact that almost 50,000 guests visit Danhostel Ishøj Strand annually. Besides, with an array of sports facilities, and the coastline as well as ARKEN Museum of Modern Art just around the corner, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors as well as the indoors.
All rooms at Danhostel Ishøj Strand have recently been refurbished to meet the requirements of modern conference guests.
For more information, pleae visit: www.ishojhostel.dk
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The goal for hotel manager Olav Lie-Nilsen, is for Thorbjørnrud hotel to be the very best workplace – for his employees as well as their guests.
Conference of the Month, Norway
A hotel with heritage A stone's throw away from Oslo Gardemoen airport, in Jevnaker, you will find Thorbjørnrud Hotel – just as much a historical gem as it is a modern and stylish lodging. By Maya Acharya | Photos: Thorbjørnrud Hotel
With a long and eventful history that stretches back to the 12th century, the site that is now home to Thorbjørnrud Hotel has seen a fair few changes in its time. The building is situated on an old farm that was one of the area’s largest back in the day. Past owners of Thorbjørnrud include aristocracy, the famous glass manufacturers Hadeland, and The Norwegian Union of Iron and Metalworkers, the latter having utilised the building as a school. The changing times and different takeovers are reflected in the periodic architecture and relics of the main building and in those that were added on as time went by.
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In with the old, and the new Not exactly what you would expect from a hotel mainly concerned with hosting courses and conferences, Thorbjørnrud is the kind of place that rejects neat categorisation. The hotel boasts 82 modern rooms, a wide range of technological equipment and an environment that is specifically tailored for learning. In addition, the hotel also hosts and helps plan other types of private functions including weddings and celebrations. The combination of cultivating cultural heritage and providing top-quality service is the domain of Olav Lie-Nilsen, the ho-
tel’s manager since 2000. “I think it’s an exciting combination,” Lie-Nilsen says. “Our goal is to be the best workplace, for
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Scan Magazine | Conference of the Month | Norway
both our guests and our employees. Apart from providing good service, for us this also means maintaining the hotel’s rich cultural heritage and providing people with an aesthetic experience too.” A particularly stunning part of this aesthetic experience is the garden surrounding the hotel, the result of finding old photos documenting the green oasis full of blooming flowers, nourishing vegetation and exotic trees that once adorned the area encompassing Thorbjørnrud. Before Lie-Nilsen decided to go ahead with a project to restore the garden’s former glory, there was very little on offer in terms of scenic greenery. “Since we started in 2010 we have come a long way,” Lie-Nilsen explains. “Now guests can really enjoy our garden and many take an active interest in the project. It has been and continues to be a very interesting process that I don’t think will be finished in my lifetime!” A cultural feast Choosing to stay indoors, guests can also wander the halls to discover the many artistic treasures that the hotel systematically collects, from historical oil paintings to contemporary pieces. However, if your senses crave more than modern art and historical ambience, Thorbjørnrud Hotel’s gastronomical experts are always ready to cook up a feast. Lie-Nilsen himself has extensive experience of culinary arts and is passionate
about food and food culture. “I’m interested in the social framework of food,” he asserts. “A framework in which people meet to share a meal. It’s about food creating a joyful experience that you can share with others.” The food served at Thorbjørnrud doesn’t travel far before ending up on guests’ plates. Locally-sourced, fresh ingredients come from farms and other enterprises close by, with which the hotel has a personal relationship. In addition, the hotel’s lamb and pork is from their own farm, and even their juice comes from freshlypressed apples picked in the hotel’s own garden. Lie-Nilsen is certain that Thorbjørnrud offers a completely unmatched concept when it comes to food. “Our chefs are very good at experimenting and creating totally original dishes here at Thorbjørnrud. We use quality ingredients to make food that is rooted in Norwegian tradition but often with modern twists inspired by other food cultures.” Here to stay It is plain to see that Thorbjørnrud is not your everyday hotel for a mundane conference or event. It is a place that gives guests the opportunity to involve themselves in the site’s history and cultural heritage on many different levels. A place that is attentive to detail, to the importance of local historical values and how best to preserve the past all the while fo-
cusing on innovation. This is a task that Lie-Nilsen is excited to be part of. “The challenge of creating a balance between the past and present is one of the things that I find most exciting about working in the hotel industry,” he says. “Thorbjørnrud has functioned as a central part of the local community and an important participant in Norwegian culture and society for a long time, and this is something we want to continue to do.”
For more information, please visit: thorbjornrudhotell.no
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Scan Magazine | Business | Scandinavian Business Calendar
Scandinavian Business Calendar – Highlights of Scandinavian business events
International Networking in London If you cannot get enough of networking, do not settle for the monthly Nordic Networking Drinks. This exclusive international networking reception for the Council of Foreign Chambers of Commerce members has the potential to bring together representatives of more than 10,000 companies. Make it to the Hyatt Regency – Churchill early for canapés and one of the 200 free drinks, followed by a cash bar and plenty of, you guessed it, networking. Date: 17 March
Nordic Networking in Birmingham This month, the Nordic Chambers of Commerce for the first time put on a Nordic Networking Drinks event in Birmingham at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Take nibbles and a free welcome drink and add free admission and an informal atmosphere, and the result should be promising at the very least. Date: 20 March DUCC
Nordic Business Forum: ‘Rule Breaking Strategies’ Is breaking rules really a good thing? A collaborative effort between the Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and Danish Chambers of Commerce in London, the annual Nordic Business Forum this year aims to empower and inspire professionals with stories of companies that broke the mould, did something remarkable, and changed the way business is conducted. Among the speakers are representatives from the LEGO Group, Electrolux, and Nokia. Venue sponsored by Pinsent Masons LLP. Date: 11 March
Welcome to the UK in Stockholm Swedish business professionals eyeing up the UK, listen up. Bringing together established UK businesses and individuals with those wishing to develop relationships within the UK, this event at Berns Salonger in Stockholm combines perfect networking opportunities with guest speakers, exhibitors, and, of course, afternoon tea. To seal deals and shed business cards, stay for the drinks reception. Date: 25 March
Nordic Networking in London This month, the Nordic Networking Drinks event courtesy of the Nordic Chambers of Commerce will take place at the Hyatt Regency – Churchill. As always, expect a free welcome drink and canapés for
Oh sweet super foods! Bloggers’ Corner: The very best of the Anglo-Scandinavian blogosphere: from films to fitness By Lisa Gustafsson We’re always on the lookout for the newest miracle super food – something that will rev up our health to the next level and ping us into shape, often nicelypackaged and eye-wateringly expensive from far far away. But chances are you already have a whole host of amazing super foods lurking in your kitchen cupboards.
comforting, and a nice cup of ginger tea before a meal gets the important gastric juices flowing in preparation for nutrient absorption. Ginger tea might also help to reduce travel sickness and morning sickness if you are pregnant.
Turmeric I’m sure you’ve got this beautiful mustard-coloured ‘golden goddess’ in your spice rack. Dust if off and use it as often as you can. Turmeric contains a yellow pigment called curcumin, and this is where the magic lives: it is one of the most powerful antioxidants, particularly good for the liver, and it also has very good anti-inflammatory qualities. I use turmeric as often as I can in soups and casseroles, on chicken and in hot chocolate.
Garlic Loved and feared. Loved for its taste and feared for creating that dreaded garlic breath. But worry no more: if you chop it up and swallow quickly without chewing, you won’t smell but will get all its amazing health benefits. According to research, garlic has anti-bacterial, anti-blood clotting and cholesterollowering properties – in other words, a super bulb. If colds and flus are lurking, finely-chopped garlic is the ticket in my house.
Ginger Turmeric’s paler cousin, ginger, offers antioxidants and anti-inflammatory qualities. It is all warming and
Cinnamon Hello weight loss herb extraordinaire! Research indicates that cinnamon can help improve insulin
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the first 50 arriving with their name on the list, all in addition to a fantastic networking atmosphere. Date: 27 March
Outotec presentation on sustainability Early next month, the Finnish Chamber of Commerce invites Pertti Korhonen, CEO of Outotec, to speak on sustainability and share his experience of incorporating a sustainable mindset into all aspects of the organisation’s operations. Outotec was recently ranked the world’s 3rd most sustainable company on the Global 100 list, so this truly is an opportunity not to be missed. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session and networking drinks. Date: 3 April
sensitivity and reduce blood pressure. Cinnamon also somehow fools us into believing we are eating something sweet just by adding a dash of it. I use it every day as a tea, in stews and dusted over my coffee. Raw Coconut Oil If a jar of this super oil has not yet taken prime position in your kitchen, it’s about time you make room for it. This is a true beauty product for both inside and outside. Fry in it, bake with it, put it on your skin as a moisturiser – and glow. Coconut oil is made up of medium chained triglycerides, metabolised differently to other fats. Instead of depositing the fat in the body’s fat cells, coconut oil is burned like carbohydrates for energy. A happy, healthy spring to you all!
Lisa Gustafsson came to London in the ’90s as a newsreader for TV3 and completely fell in love with London, as well as a Londoner. She is studying holistic nutrition, blogging about health at lisagusto.com, is the continuity voice for Viasat Film and a proud mum of two boys.
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Scan Magazine | Humour | Columns
IS IT JUST ME...
By Mette Lisby
… who can’t help but wondering how painfully wrong George Orwell was? It is not the fear of being watched by Big Brother that bugs us. Au contraire, as the French would say, it is the anguish of NOT being seen, which is the biggest fear that haunts homo sapiens in 2014. In today’s society, we all face the big emptiness, the horror of not really existing unless someone is watching us. We need witnesses and spectators to document our own existence. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Flickr (just go ahead and complete the list) are simply unstoppable. We all need our place – and one is not enough – in cyberspace. Reality is not in any way sufficient. Shakespeare might have wanted to rephrase his famous line: “To be – on Facebook – or not to be.” Yes, there is the social element. The cosiness of catching up with old friends and re-acquaint with old classmates. But Facebook was not created to be cosy. In
the business plan of Facebook, I doubt that ‘cosy’ is part of the vision, followed by ‘should a quid or two accidentally come in that might be nice.’ Facebook is – I know you firstmovers on shares might not feel it yet, but still – worth billions. Only the seriously vain among us can think that this net worth is because of THEM uploading precious photos of themselves. As we all have come to know, Facebook is valueable because we share information, blatantly and without hesitation. About what we read, what we watch on TV, at the cinema, what we listen to, where we go on vacation, and every other aspect of who we are. Facebook is spying on us when we click on adverts and sharing all this information to make money off it. NSA are amateurs next to this machine of monitoring and collection of knowlegde of everything about us.
Accents
My first few years in England involved a steep and often trying learning curve. I missed Sweden terribly and the school I joined was a harsh, foreign place. I tried hard to fit in, and my English was good enough to help me through the lessons, but it was outside the classroom that I struggled. There were so many words that we’d
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If a government programme did this, the outcry and protests would be massive. But honestly, which of the two is most sympathetic: to spy on us with the ambition of protecting us, or to spy on us simply to make a profit? PS. By the way, please like me on Facebook.
Mette Lisby is Denmark’s leading female comedian. She invites you to laugh along with her monthly humour columns. Since her stand-up debut in 1992, Mette has hosted the Danish versions of “Have I Got News For You” and “Room 101”.
By Maria Smedstad
never learnt in English class in Sweden: words like ‘skive’, ‘cushty’, ‘tuck shop’, ‘fit’, and ‘trainers’. Then there was the accent. In Sweden we’d been taught a lofty RP, which, combined with my Swedish lilt and lack of trendy words, didn’t go down a storm. I had to adjust. By the end of my time at a Kentish comprehensive I was proud to have achieved a way of speaking that sounded similar to my classmates. Then I moved to an A-level college. This was frequented by a group of girls who had rebelled against their parents by joining the college instead of staying on at their grammar schools. They were a confident, effortlessly cool bunch. They drank pints of cider and black, swore and talked frankly, yet nonchalantly about things like thrush and politics, and I desperately wanted to be a part of their gang. I began hanging around with them, drinking pints of cider (minus the black), but I felt like something was still missing.
And so I changed the way I spoke. Again. I discovered that in the UK, your accent isn’t just a regional thing; it’s far more varied and complex. For me, it became a tool in forging a desired new identity. My other half sometimes complains that I don’t have more of a Swedish accent, but these days I’m done changing. My northern Swedish and southern English are spot on who I am.
Maria Smedstad moved to the UK from Sweden in 1994. She received a degree in Illustration in 2001, before settling in the capital as a freelance cartoonist, creating the autobiographical cartoon Em. Maria writes a column on the trials and tribulations of life as a Swede in the UK.
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Nordfyns Museum The history of the town of Bogense and North Funen, in words, artifacts, paintings and pictures. Nordfyns Museum Vestergade 16, DK-5400 Bogense, Denmark Phone: +45 6481 1884 E-mail: nordmus@mail.tele.dk www.nordfynsmuseum.dk
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Winner of the Nordisk Film Award, Kaspar Munk, has won much acclaim for his raw portrayals of adolescence; his latest film You and Me Forever premiers in the UK on 25 April.
Danish director frames the hazy ups and downs of adolescence The winner of the Nordisk Film Award 2013, Kaspar Munk, is set to release his award-winning youth drama You and Me Forever in the UK, 25 April. Scan Magazine met up with the unconventional director who, after an impressive success with his debut film, chose to explore the freedom within a low-budget film.
possibility of telling some very universal stories; stories that are relevant to everybody, not just a specific group or age,” explains Munk.
By Signe Hansen | Photos: Day for Night
Less money, more freedom
With loud music, vomit, alcohol, the occasional joint and raw sexual ventures, You and Me Forever cuts no corners when it comes to presenting the big questions facing today’s teenage girls. The film is director Kaspar Munk’s second youththemed film. Like his first, it draws its strength from the 42-year-old’s genuine fascination with the big questions of adolescence rather than an ambition to cre-
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ate another ‘teenage drama’. “I never saw myself as a director who focused specifically on children or youth, but then, some years ago, I did a short film that treated some of these teenage dilemmas. That sort of brought me back to my own youth, and I felt that this was a time when many essential themes and questions arose – really, it is something that follows us for the rest of our lives, and in that, I saw the
When Scan Magazine meets Munk, it is the last day of the Nordic Film festival, and the director is visiting London to take part in an exclusive pre-premiere of You and Me Forever at South Kensington’s grand Cine Lumiere. With a budget of just half a million pounds, the film is low-cost even in Danish terms. But Munk, who is sitting neatly on his bed, the only other space to sit in his small Gloucester Road hotel room, is not worried that this will nega-
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Scan Magazine | Culture | Kaspar Munk
tively affect the experience of the international audience that awaits him. “Having less money and fewer investors involved in the project also allowed me a greater risk of failing, and that actually gave me more freedom. It was a very conscious decision for me to sort of take the opposite route after my debut film, which did quite well. Instead of saying: now I want to make an even more expensive film and go for the stars that way, I went another way; I chose to say that I wanted less money and more freedom,” he explains with a short laugh and adds: “I think the film succeeds on many levels… We started out with a freedom and desire to experiment but actually ended up with a film that works really well also in filmic and artistic expression. In those areas we had an ambition to try something completely different, and I of course hope that is something that an international audience, such as that tonight, will feel because filmic art really is an international language.”
tioned the authenticity of Munk’s portrayal of teenage life, which is sure to sweep most viewers right back into to the hazy ups and downs of teenage life. 20-year-old Julie Andersen delivers an intense, raw performance as the adventure-seeking teenager, Laura, in You and Me Forever.
You and Me Forever premiers in the UK on 25 April 2014.
For more information please visit: www.day-for-night.org
Experimenting Most of the scenes of You and Me Forever were created without scripts, and in the Q&A after the screening, one of the film’s three young actresses reveals that method acting and ‘playing around’ were a big part of the process. Munk, who in 2006 graduated from the directing course at the alternative Danish film school, Super 16, worked with two of the girls starring in You and Me Forever for his debut film. The film, Hold Me Tight, won several awards for its dark portrayal of peer pressure, guilt, and loneliness. You and Me Forever conveys a slightly more optimistic if still just as raw mood. “The first film was very melancholic. It was about a girl who lost the will to live, and after that I felt like doing the opposite, like doing something about the will to live and the drive that that entails. There is a lot of darkness and plenty of destructive powers in that too, and also a lot of drama, but the tone and the ending of this film are more marked by the drive to live life,” stresses Munk. At the Cine Lumiere You and Me Forever received loud applause as well as a string of questions and praise from the filmloving crowd. No one, however, ques-
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The weekend kicked off with a discussion entitled Building Borgen.
A feast for Nordic Noir fans A typical, geeky fan convention this is not. While the Nordicana event certainly revolves around the fans, the organisers have pulled it off with panache, despite initial technical troubles and an overwhelming popularity for ticket sales. By Emmie Collinge | Photos: Phil Gale
The weekend’s venue, a somewhat bleak former brewery in London’s East End, lends itself superbly to capture the essence of the Nordic Noir convention: high ceilings, white-washed walls and the smell of coffee permeating the spacious rooms. Even before the doors officially open, hundreds of eager Scandi noir fans are queuing outside. It is the beginning of February, so naturally they are all bundled up, shivering with excitement and chills. The twoday schedule is jam-packed with discus-
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sions, signings, exclusive previews and special screenings. Present at the event is
a veritable who’s who of the Nordic literary, TV and film world, including the skilled word weavers Hakan Nesser and Arne Dahl, the ever-expressive Kim Bodnia, as well as everyone’s favourite faux Danish Prime Minister Sidse Babett Knudsen. Kicking off the weekend was a discussion panel entitled Building Borgen, comprising six people who shaped the show. While the ins and outs of Danish politics came under scrutiny, gratifying for Knudsen is the opportunity to “see the country’s national identity from a distance.” In honourable attendance at the weekend was the Danish Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Claus Grube, the amiable former Permanent Secretary of State, whose surprise at the crowds is genuine and heartfelt. “Until you come somewhere like
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Scan Magazine | Culture | Nordicana
this, you have no idea how popular the shows are. It’s fantastic for Denmark. We’ve seen a really significant rise in visitor figures – and not just to Copenhagen!” Bodnia: ‘I love the BBC!’ That the event falls on the same weekend as the BBC4 airing of the finale of The Bridge II (Bron II) surely cannot be pure coincidence, and the organisers have cleverly milked this turn of fate. After screening the penultimate and final episodes, the audiences erupted. Amid shouts of appreciation and exuberance, the weekend’s special guests, the show’s two lead stars, Sofia Helin and Kim Bodnia, took part in a Q&A in a packed room. Helin left audiences speechless with her soft-spoken, stilted English, while Bodnia’s passion for acting (“I love the BBC!”) could not be abated. Both seemed somewhat bemused by the sheer enthusiasm with which they were greeted as they took to the stage, perhaps not quite believing that their Danish-Swedish co-production has been such a hit in the UK. With both The Killing and Borgen topping one million viewers, The Bridge was a sure-fit hit on the small island even before it had begun, and its entrancing story has kept well over a million Brits hooked for its five-week stint. What came out of the weekend was an admission of “yes, there will be a third season!” The weekend’s edible treats came in the
Sidse Babett Knudsen, aka Denmark’s Prime Minister in Borgen, said that the hit series had allowed her to see the country’s national identity from a distance.
form of food from the hip London eatery Scandinavian Kitchen, the potent Icelandic Reyka vodka, and beautifully-presented, sustainably-sourced salmon from the Faroe Islands, courtesy of London’s House of Sverre, whose unerring dedication to salmon is commendable. “It’s amazing to be here – everyone is loving our salmon. We’ve spent a long time sourcing the best, ensuring the traditional Norwegian recipe is faultless, and locating the Scandinavian beech wood, juniper and alder wood for smoking.” The Scandi food talk centred on eating together as a family (rare for us Brits), the favoured use of cardamom and cinnamon – at one point the event ran out of kanelbullar (cinnamon buns), nearly resulting in a riot – alongside envy-inducing tales of foraging for berries and homemade jams. Germans go crazy for Arne Dahl In abundance at the event were bestselling authors who, unlike their TV characters, could walk around unaccompanied and, to a certain extent, undisturbed. Sneaking outside with Jan Arnald, aka Arne Dahl, we asked whether conventions like this are common. “Not at all. Admittedly German fans go crazy for Arne Dahl, but it’s far more modest in Scandinavia. Finally being translated into English is absolutely brilliant – although a bit unusual
as the TV series came first for you,” Arnald smiles broadly. “Season II filming begins in May, but you’ll have to wait. Patience is key with me.” Best-selling author Nesser expresses similar sentiments about the English-language market: “You are 15 years behind Scandinavia with my books!” he chuckles, admitting to flicking through the books to remind himself of the plot twists. As with many of the attendees, Carole Ross from Canterbury loves “all the shows” and is heading to Copenhagen in June. The BBC should take note, as Ross explains just what the UK is lacking: “Despite Saga’s foibles, she brings a lot to the show as a positive representation of a working disabled person – rarely seen in the UK.” With fans travelling from as far away as Scotland, tourism on the increase, and books rapidly being translated, Scandinavians should certainly be proud of their territorial takeover of British popular culture. Arrow Film’s Nordic Noir label has released all the major Scandinavian dramas on DVD & Blu-ray box set.
For more information please visit: nordicnoir.tv
There will be a third season of The Bridge, revealed the show’s two lead stars, Sofia Helin and Kim Bodnia.
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The Longship (Roskilde 6). © The National Museum of Denmark
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Sword, late 8th to early 9th century. Kalundborg or Holbæk, Zealand, Denmark. Photo: Arnold Mikkelsen. © The National Museum of Denmark. Background: Kim Westerskov/Getty Images
Vikings: life and legend Most Scandinavians are strongly aware of Viking roots, but while some may recall snippets of information about Harald Bluetooth from school, conjuring images of strong, burly men in helmets raiding ships on the Baltic Sea, our real knowledge of Viking history is probably rather shadowy. The British Museum promises to educate us all on our exciting medieval past with a major exhibition on Vikings opening this month. By Christina Cadogan
‘Vikings: life and legend’ focuses on the core period of the Viking Age from the late 8th to the early 11th century. The Viking expansion from Scandinavia during this period was extraordinary, extending from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean. The exhibition will make the most of new research and a multitude of recent discoveries by archaeologists and metal detectors. “The reach and cultural connections of the Viking Age make it a remarkable story,” says Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum. “New discoveries and research have led to a wealth of information about the Vikings, so it is a perfect moment to look again at this critical era.” Perhaps what one should most admire about the Vikings is their exceptional
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maritime skills and extraordinary shipbuilding abilities. A highlight of the British Museum exhibition will be the surviving timbers of a 37-metre long Viking warship, the longest ever discovered. The 11th century Longship, built in southern Norway and known as Roskilde 6, is lent by the National Museum of Denmark and has been painstakingly reassembled in a stainless steel frame that reconstructs the full size and shape of the original ship. Other highlights of the exhibition include the entirety of the York Hoard, discovered in 2007, and an impressive silver hoard from Gnezdova in Russia, never previously seen in the UK. The Viking exhibition has countless treats in store for the visitor, promising to give a far deeper understanding of Scandinavia’s fascinating ancient ancestors.
Top: The Lewis Chessmen, berserkers. Late 12th century, Uig, Lewis, Scotland. Walrus ivory. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Below: Odin or volva figure, 800-1050. Lejre, Zealand, Denmark. Silver with niello. Photo Ole Malling. © The Roskilde Museum
WIN a pair of tickets to The BP exhibition Vikings: life and legend 6 March – 22 June 2014 Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery British Museum Discover the Viking world in this major exhibition – the first at the British Museum for over 30 years. Swords and axes, coins and jewellery, hoards, amulets and religious images show how Vikings created an international network, connecting cultures over four continents. Enter a world of warriors, seafarers and conquerors to discover the many fascinating aspects of a history that is at once strangely alien and remarkably familiar. To enter the competition simply e-mail competitions@akauk.com with ‘Scan Vikings’ in the subject line.
The competition closes 31 March and the winner will be notified 1 April. Supported by BP. Organised with the National Museum of Denmark and the Museum für Vorund Frühgeschichte Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
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Scan Magazine | Culture | Scandinavian Music
Scandinavian Music
Neneh Cherry and Robyn have collaborated on a song. This is not a drill. The track is called Out Of The Black and features on Cherry’s new Blank Project album, which came out at the end of February. The album version isn’t as incredible as you would have hoped, but thankfully the whole thing is saved by a superior remix: the Bouvet mix of the song, which is featured on the bonus disc of the physical release. Don’t worry though – it’s not one of those remixes that can’t really be enjoyed in its own right as a pop song. Instead, Norwegian producer
Bouvet has created a playful 80s synth pop number that’s a lot camper and more commercial than the original version. The catchy melody is delivered with a cheeky bout of sprightliness from the pair of them. And they sound like they’re enjoying it – which means the listener can enjoy it that much more. Onto an exciting debut now, the first single from Swedish singer John Martin. You will know him as the featured vocalist on two Swedish House Mafia songs, Save The World and Don’t You Worry Child, and he’s paired up with the writer of Don’t You Worry Child for his debut solo single, Anywhere For You. It draws instant comparisons with the Swedish House Mafia songs, not just because of the familiar voice, but also because Anywhere For You is an epic dance track that’s big on everything. It practically explodes. Commercial dance music at its most massive. Made in Sweden. Anyone in the market for a new Swedish boyband? JTR are three brothers – John Andreasson, Tom Lundbäck, and Robin Lundbäck – who last year moved from Sweden to Australia with their mother. And what did they do when they got there? They auditioned successfully for Australian X Factor, eventually making
By Karl Batterbee
the live shows and then progressing halfway through the competition before being eliminated in week 6. Amazing. Last month saw the chaps release their first single and video, Ride – a summery (it’s summer in Oz, see) guitarpop song that sounds more like One Direction than One Direction do these days. Ride is the archetypal boyband offering, so if you enjoy an offering from a boyband, then this will most likely be up your street. There’s no game-changing going on here, simply game-playing. Finally, if you’re of the age when you crave the unmistakable sound of all of that late 90s American pop music written and produced by Scandinavia’s famous Cheiron team, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s coming back into fashion. Yes We Can is the new single from Sweden’s Oscar Zia. Totally reminiscent of the big hits from the early albums of Backstreet Boys, *NSync and Britney Spears, it’ll take you back to an era of highlighted hair, double denim, and exposed midriffs – all showcased in ridiculously expensive pop videos.
www.scandipop.co.uk scandipop@googlemail.com
Scandinavian Culture Calendar – Where to go, what to see? It’s all happening here! Andreas Eriksson in Stockholm (Until 23 March) Many connect Swedish artist Andreas Eriksson’s work to a Northern European Romantic painting tradition – his motifs are often derived from the nature surrounding Kinnekulle, where he has his studio. The exhibition at Bonniers Konsthall presents works from the last ten years, but also new works related to the gallery’s architecture and surrounding urban environment. Mon-Tue closed, Wed 12noon-8pm, Thu-Sun 12noon-5pm. Bon-
By Sara Schedin
niers Konsthall, Torsgatan 19, Stockholm. www.bonnierskonsthall.se Andreas Eriksson, Ted Kaczynkis Cabin 2004. Photo and source: Richard Svensson
Tord Gustavsen Ensemble on UK tour (March) Renowned Norwegian jazz pianist and composer Tord Gustavsen is touring the UK together with his ensemble this month. www.tordgustavsen.com
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Tord Gustavsen Ensemble. Photo: Hans Fredrik Asbjørnsen
On Landscape #1 (7-30 March) This first in a series of exhibitions based on conversations between artists Minna Kantonen, Dafna Talmor and Emma Wieslander aims to challenge pictorial representations of landscape. The exhibition will feature photographic work by the three artists and a site-specific installation by invited artist Minna Pöllänen. Wed-Sun 12noon-6pm. Guest Projects, Sunbury House, London, E8.
fame, and his quartet playing music from their new album Searching for Jupiter. King’s Place, London, N1. www.kingsplace.co.uk
years old and has won several major international piano competitions. Jazz Club Soho, London, W1D. pizzaexpresslive.co.uk
Robert Wells and Alice Power (20 March) As part of the Steinway Festival, Swedish Robert Wells and Alice Power will perform together in a two-piano show. Wells moves between jazz and boogie woogie and into classical routes. Power is only 13
Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra (26 March) An evening of music featuring Sibelius’s Pohjola’s Daughter, Shostakovich’s Symphony No 5 in D minor, and the UK premiere of Salonen’s Violin Concerto Out of nowhere. Barbican Centre, London, EC2Y. www.barbican.org.uk
www.guestprojects.com
Erlend Øye in London (3 April) Norwegian singer Erlend Øye – known for his work with Kings Of Convenience, The Whitest Boy Alive, and Röyksopp – is playing a solo show in London. His latest single, La Prima Estate, is inspired by his move to Sicily in 2012 and has some clear Mediterranean influences. www.islington.gov.uk/assemblyhall
Visions: Magnus Öström + Troyka (14 March) The concert will be opened by the British explosive jazz-rock trio, Troyka, and the second half will feature Swedish drummer Magnus Öström, formerly of e.s.t. – the legendary Swedish trio of the noughties –
CircusFest at the Roundhouse (26 March - 27 April) This year’s CircusFest will feature major world and UK premieres, including performances by Finnish Capilotractées and a site-specific installation of new work by Swedish visual artist Bertil Nilsson, fea-
Burnt by Emma Wieslander
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Alice Power
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turing collaborations with circus artists using artificial light sources to explore new ways of seeing circus. Roundhouse, London, NW1. www.roundhouse.org.uk
meaningful in the footage. Tue–Sun 11am–6pm, Wed 11am–8pm. The Finnish Museum of Photography,
Cable Factory, Tallberginkatu 1 G, Helsinki. www.valokuvataiteenmuseo.fi
Mø on tour (March-May) Danish electropop singer Mø will tour Europe with her 2014 album, No mythologies to follow, this spring. www.momomoyouth.com Maija Blåfield in Helsinki (Until 4 May) Finnish photographer Maija Blåfield’s The Golden Age is a series of video works, based on documentary footage which she filmed in a fifteen-year period and then left unwatched for years. Forgetfulness and distance, as a result of time passed, function as tools, enabling a new perspective on the content hiding in the recordings. Through the work, Blåfield has taken a personal perspective on thinking about the meaning of visually recording one’s own surroundings, and on what, in the end, is
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Enjoy the mountains of Hemsedal with your family and friends! Experience activities such as hiking, biking, fishing and climbing in scenic surroundings. Holiday packages from NOK 729 per person. Book your mountain holiday on: