From 11.03.2016, Designmuseum Danmark will be focussing on the contemporary Danish design scene with its new permanent exhibition Danish Design Now. Visitors can explore a condensed universe of design – ranging from ceramic ‘super objects’ to hard-core industrial design – and become acquainted with some of the most innovative, beautiful and startling design to come out of Denmark in the 21st century.
In its 350-m2 exhibition space, Danish Design Now presents a rich, yet selective, collection of objects, which represent the full spectrum of Danish design: furniture for the home and the workplace; product design for the body and the home; and graphic design – everything from street signs to beer labels. Visitors can also explore examples of sustainable design and fashion design from the highly avant-garde to the colourful, everyday street style. Everything in the exhibition was designed in the 21st century by talented, leading designers, and all the items exhibited are still in production.
Meet the ‘super objects’
The exhibition also covers the field of handicrafts, spotlighting the most innovative work in the field in the form of ‘super objects’. Several of these ceramic, glass, jewellery and one-of-a-kind super objects were created specifically for the exhibition. By selecting these outstanding pieces, the exhibition also showcases handicrafts as a potential source of inspiration for new industrial design.
Exhibition curator, Lars Dybdahl, Head of Library and Research at Designmuseum Danmark explains:
“Right now, Danish cultural products and Danish design are attracting an enormous amount of international attention. Following the ‘Golden Age’ of Danish design in the 1950s and 1960s, contemporary Danish design is now going from strength to strength, and Danish designers are enjoying great success on the global design scene. Danish Design Now sets out to illustrate the trends that characterise ‘everyday design’, showing how Danish designers are embracing design at every level – from urban design to experimental handicrafts: the super objects.”
A design skyline
Danish Design Now uses HAY’s modular exhibition system New Order, designed by German design star Stefan Diez. The theatrical presentation is intended to provide visitors with a sense of entering into a densely packed urban universe, as they move between ‘facades’ and take in the many objects. This, in combination with the display system, forms a design skyline.
Meet the designers
In addition to the many design objects, visitors can also see 20 newly produced interviews, which not only shed light on the design processes behind the exhibits, but also profile the designers’ own approach to their work. Louise Campbell, Ole Jensen, Cecilie Manz, Kasper Salto, and Henrik Vibskov are just a few of the designers who have been interviewed. The exhibition also presents sketches and models to provide further insight into the design process, serving as a prelude to the exhibition itself.
Danish Design Now – and in the future
When it opens, Dansk Design Now will include a complete selection of the very best of Danish design from the past 15 years. But the exhibition will be updated on an ongoing basis. So visitors can expect an exhibition that lives up to its name – both now and in the future. And in that future, Designmuseum Danmark will be the place to enjoy a full overview of contemporary Danish Design.
Danish Design Now is a permanent exhibition and will be open from 11.03.2016.
Did you know that…
• The Danish Design Now exhibition includes over 300 design exhibits
• A specially designed catwalk has been created for the exhibition of fashion design
• The exhibition is permanent and will be updated with new objects each year to maintain its contemporary focus
• The exhibition is part of Designmuseum Danmark’s ongoing focus on contemporary design
Contact
Press information: Head of Communications, Nikolina Olsen-Rule: nor @ designmuseum.dk
Curator: Head of Library and Research at Designmuseum Danmark, Lars Dybdahl: ldy @ designmuseum.dk