traveling exhibition | Icelandic contemporary design
Icelandic Contemporary Design at Design Forum Finland 1.12.2011 – 8.1.2012
The exhibition Icelandic Contemporary Design features Icelandic furniture, product design and architecture. It paints a picture of a design nation in the making, spotlighting the characteristics of contemporary Icelandic design.
The exhibition also marks a year of collaboration between Icelandic designers and
World Design Capital Helsinki 2012.
Icelandic Contemporary Design addresses current themes in the Icelandic society, be it sustainability, hectic everyday life or the natural forces of the volcanic island:
- Landslag’s Avalanche Barriers protect the small town of Siglufjördur
- Young, upcoming designer Thorunn Arnadottir’s Sasa clock doubles as a necklace
- Berlin-based Hrafnkell Birgisson creates tableware of recycled coffee cups and saucers (Hoch die Tassen and Hoch die Teller).
During the exhibition, the
Design Forum Finland shop will feature a selection of Icelandic design.
Icelandic Contemporary Design was initially introduced in 2009, and has since been exhibited in Reykjavik, Iceland; Copenhagen, Denmark (Dansk Design Center);Shanghai (EXPO 2010) and Beijing (Notch 10) in China; Stockholm Design Week (Stockholm Furniture Fair) in Sweden and in Tallinn (Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design), Estonia.
Design Forum Finland will be the exhibition’s final stop.
The exhibition is intended to mirror quality in Icelandic design in
recent years, according to various definitions where good ideas
evolved, due to professional ambition, sincerity and rationality—ideas
that were developed to their fullest and supported by a mentality that
ought to be emphasized in today’s world. The aim is to call attention
to the value of good design and effective ingenuity for human society -
a vital resource for the future.
Landscape architects Landslag | Avalanche Barriers
|
The exhibition covers works of twenty-two designers and design teams
who have gained attention both in Iceland and abroad. They are intended
to spotlight the characteristics of contemporary Icelandic design, with
regard to both appearance and ideology. It's up to each viewer to
determine whether there are consistent attributes of a nation to be
seen or whether the work is shaped by the matrix out of which they
emerged, by the designer's background or the prevalent forces at play –
or, in some cases, all at once.
The exhibition is accompanied by a presentation of recent graduates in product design whose works have attracted attention.
The exhibition was first opened at the Reykjavík Art Museum in 2009.
Photographer: Ingvar Högni Ragnarsson
This exhibition is organized by the Iceland Design Centre in
collaboration with the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the Icelandic
Ministry of Industry and the Aurora Design fund.
Curator: Elísabet V. Ingvarsdóttir
Exhibition design: Kurtogpí in collaboration with Atelier Atli Hilmarsson
Designers and work in the exhibition: