What gets crafted when Sweden’s young designers are given the license to dare to believe in their ideas and to play with, create from and explore them freely, where implementation is without any consideration for adaptation to market needs? “Young Swedish Design” showcases 20 such contributions in areas as divergent as product design, textiles, fashion, decorative arts, handicrafts and even furniture.
A collaboration between ArkDes, Swedish Design, Malmö, Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair and IKEA, the exhibition results from a deliberately fashioned creative space within the design arena to increase and broaden the knowledge of young Swedish innovation to stimulate the country’s design development.
Evelina Kollberg’s “Man Trap” typifies the ingenious products realized from this freedom. Resulting from 450 hours spent on crocheting 2,000 meters of fabric, the 6 meters long and 300 kg heavy exhibit has elicited laughs, cries, pain, tears, joy and despair from all who have dared to crawl through it. And you are welcome to join in to share in the emotive experience.
Premiering at the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair through an initial display at ArkDes and subsequent tour, her work and those by 19 other designers exemplify the fantastic craftsmanship and new Swedish design expressions with the power and energy inspirational to everyone who desires change.
“We are very excited to show the public young and innovative design. Design is [of] great interest, but not always available to everyone. We want to change that,” says Karin Åberg Waern, director of exhibits and education at ArkDes.
Into its 12th year, this annual awarded event by the Swedish Society is juried this year by a panel renowned within their own fields:
- Samir Alj Fält – Designer at Design Lab S in Skärholmen
- Marcus Engman – Head of Design at IKEA
- Salka Hallström Bornold – Journalist at Form Magazine
- Tom Hedqvist – Designer for 10-gruppen, former dean at Beckmans Collage of Design and director of Rhösska in Gothenburg.
- Åsa Jungnelius – Glass designer
- Kenneth Kvarnström – one of Scandinavia’s foremost choreographers, dance director at Kulturhuset/Stadsteatern
- Petra Lilja – Industrial designer
- Tor Lindstrand – Architect and Associate Professor at KTH School of Architecture
- Bea Szenfeld – Fashion designer
- Bolle Tham – Architect and founder of Tham & Videgård Architects
- Jesper Waldersten – Artist, illustrator
With the jury constantly open to the unexpected, the innovative, the experimental and the versatile, this exhibition showcases the best and most exciting products and crafts in young Swedish design today.
Exhibition: Young Swedish Design
Designers:
Björn Bondesson, Strait.
Caroline Hultqvist, Without Title, the Foundation for Tannery industry’s promotion scholarship.
Elias Högberg, A Border Between, the Foundation for Promoting Tannery Näringen Scholar.
Emeli Höcks, Compostable Composite.
Evelina Kollberg, Human Trap.
Hilda Nilsson, Digital Coiling: Machine and Materials.
Johanna Nestor, The Contemporary stove.
Jonatan Appelfeldt, Marbelous.
Julia Madås, Moire.
Karin Bodin, The New Man and the Sea.
Karin Forslund, Balancing Process II.
Katja Beckman, Yellow 3rd
Lisa Wallert, Embodied.
Maja Michaelsdotter Eriksson, Fuck You All.
Martha Brauer, Mediating Objects.
Martin Molin, Marble Machine.
Peter Herrmann, identity and packaging concept to Robert Rudinskis Hungarian fruit brandy, the Foundation for Tannery industry’s promotion Scholar
Polat Ghasemloo, the precarious art craftsman Part II.
Sophie Hardy, Breaking the Surface, Square-Scholar
Tessa Geuze, Identity of Things, IKEA Scholar.
Where: ArkDes*, Exercisplan 4, Skeppsholmen
When: 6 April to 9 July
* Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design
Photo and information credit: ArkDes
