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Danish Incongruity

Nine Letter Words (Rubik's cube revisited) 2007

Ambiguity of language seems to be at the heart of the Danish conceptual artist Kasper Sonne’s work. Familiar words and expressions, when placed in a new context (for example on building rooftops, on advertising billboards or as neon signs), become absurdist philosophical statements that leave us pondering possible new meanings. Sounding at one and the same time like clichéd lines from movies and unanswerable existential questions, Kasper Sonne’s statements have a powerful brevity and precision.

Despite our increasing acceptance of oxymorons, contradictions seem to be the choice of weapon for Kasper Sonne to make us stop and reflect. Often the work is the title, and the title is the work. Even if the words in themselves are seemingly easy to understand, his work can be about something as incomprehensible as eternity or the end of it, as in Forever until the end.

Education Through Humor

Considering the style and functionality of Nordic design and the liberal attitudes towards the body and nakedness in Scandinavia, it should be no surprise that the Pee & Poo brand exists. Originally designed as two friendly personalities to help children feel more comfortable with the potty training experience, Pee & Poo work equally well as cuddly companions for children or as humorous gifts for adults...at least those who have never quiet outgrown potty humor.

Pee & Poo, literally a yellow droplet and chunky brown dollop, were developed by the Swedish/English designer Emma Megitt as part of her masters degree in Graphic Design at Gothenburg University. Since its creation in 2004, the brand has grown to include clothing for both children and adults, together with a range of accessories. Successfully marrying together aesthetic and educational elements, the brand has become popular at home in Sweden and around the world with children and adults alike. See more of the range below:

The Mystical World Of Trinidad Carrillo

Our friends at Farewell Books have recently published their fifth book, Naini and the Sea of Wolves by Trinidad Carrillo, and it’s already won the Swedish Photobook Award 2008. The beautiful volume features Carrillo's daughter Naini as the story's main character and the book describes a world of poetic reality, in which dreams and memories are intertwined.

Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, Farewell is a small but fascinating independent publisher of artists books. With a primary focus on photography, Farewell produces and publishes simple but stunningly beautiful artist books. (Take a look at our earlier profile of Farewell Books)

Finnish Fashion Rediscovered

We’ve made no secret of the fact that we just can’t get enough of Samu-Jussi Koski’s designs for Marimekko so it’s no surprise that we love the Autumn/Winter collection that’s currently in stores. Together with Mika Piirainen and Ritva Falla, Samu-Jussi continues to bring the brand back to life, by literally translating Marimekko's designs from their 60’s peak into relevant fashion for today.

Samu-Jussi Koski has once again dedicated his collection to the Mari Girl of the 21st century whilst continuing to delve into Marimekko’s design archive of the last century. Some of the design treasures rediscovered by Samu-Jussi include Maija and Kristina Isola’s dotted Kiss-kiss from 1982, Annika Rimala’s impressive Laine from 1965 and Katsuji Wakisaka's Karuselli print from 1973.

Miss Stella's Feeling For Fashion

Apologies for the awful pun in the title but in setting out to write about the Danish fashion brand Stella Nova we were reminded of one of our favorite pieces of Scandinavian fiction “Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne” (Miss Smilla’s feeling for snow). And that provides a rather feeble excuse to recommend in passing the novels of Danish writer Peter Høeg. More on his work (some essential Scandinavian reading) at a later date.

Stella Nova was founded in 2002 with the declaration of the rather bold intention “to inspire and create joy in everyday life through the development of an accessible range of designs for women who want to make a difference.” Since the company’s growth in 2008 is predicted to be more than 50% it seems as if Stella Nova is more than living up to its mission.

Young Scandinavian Minimalist

As is often the case with young up and coming Scandinavian designers, you won’t find much information about Mats Seitz on his website. No matter, luckily his fast growing body of work speaks for itself including his latest design, the simple yet effective Klossel.

A puzzle based on a simple truck motif, Klossel is the first product in a series of educational building block toys for children. As with much of Mats Seitz’s work, the toy is strictly minimalist in design, in this case with the intention of allowing children to express their imagination.

Some of our favorite designs include the highly functional though cute looking CanCan (a modular clothing hanger), his Wall-E resembling floor lamp and his distinctively designed side table, which is sure to become a design classic. Take a look below to read a brief profile of the designer and to see a selection of his work:

New Danish Designs

Given the rate at which they launch new designs, it’s no surprise that one of our first postings after the long Summer break is about a whole host of new products from our Danish design favorites, Normann Copenhagen.

As always, the new products, with simple yet intriguing names such as Moon, Drop and Fusion, are the usual mix of stylish form and clever function with a small dose of humor thrown in for good measure. Normann Copenhagen also seem intent on enlisting the help of some of the more interesting designers not only from Scandinavia but from around the world. The latest series of products have been designed with the help of Herbert Krenchel, Matthias Demacker, Odoardo Fioravanti, Rikke Hagen and Jakob Helberg.

Take a look below at some of our favourites from the new additions to Normann Copenhagen’s already impressive line-up of products:

Exemplar Exemplum

We’re always happy when Scandinavian fashion designers try to close the gap between the exclusivity of the runway and the easy availability of the high street, thereby making it easier for us to get our hands on some of our favorite designs from the latest season’s shows.

The sophisticated Danish label, Eksempel, is now available online in a new web shop that is both easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing, making it enjoyable to click through their sizeable collection of everything from Dresses and Knits to Tops and Accessories.

Interestingly, the individual styles are accompanied by the designer’s original drawings, making it possible to get a glimpse behind the creative process and to appreciate some of the brand’s delicate details. The new web shop also features a clever sizing guide, with which it’s possible to enter personal measurements and receive advice on recommended sizes.

Creative Swedish Hospitality

A fully equipped designer hotel room in the middle of Gothenburg that’s totally free to stay in. Sounds almost too good to be true but that’s precisely what’s on offer at the Creators Inn. By partnering with different local independent organizers, Creators Inn are able to offer visiting creatives short-term accommodation during their stay in the biggest city on the west coast of Sweden.

First and foremost, Creators Inn by Elvine (to give you its official name) is aimed at visiting creatives but in the spirit of Scandinavian democracy everyone is welcome to register at the official website and explain why they should be granted a free stay. The room itself is very much a work in progress with the space being continuously updated in response to ideas or suggestions from guests or visitors to the website.

Despite having been something of a buzzword in the corporate world for quite some time, for once CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is the genuine inspiration behind the Creators Inn. Intended as a way for companies to manage their business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society, all too often CSR tends to result in nothing more than superficial window-dressing. We’re pleased to see that at Creators Inn by Elvine they’ve tried to add some creativity to the CSR equation.

Rural Films From Scandinavia

Whether it be a documentary about an organic turnip farm in West Virginia, a fictional backpacking drama set in Peru or an experimental work about the challenges of farming in Sweden’s Småland region, Rural Route selects films that explore topics based on rural people and places around the world.

As part of this year’s Rural Route Film Festival, Scandinavia House in New York will be presenting five films from the Nordic region (one film from each of the Nordic countries). The selection includes Quiet Storm from Iceland, Island of Lost Souls from Denmark, The Horseman from Sweden, Bázo From Norway and That Special Summer from Finland.

Readers of ours who can’t make it to the showings in New York might like to track down a copy on DVD or lookout for a local screening. Take a look below to read a short synopsis of each of the films: