The Jury has now selected the exhibitors in Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair’s hall for young and up-and-coming designers in 2015. They include Frej Wichmann, M-S-D-S Studio, Malin Bobeck and Pettersen & Hein. 33 designers or design teams and 30 design colleges will be taking part in all. To Greenhouse, designers and design colleges from all over the world are welcome to apply to participate
Frej Wichmann, Sweden, is based in Gothenburg and works across the borders of crafts and design. Through interactive functions, he plays with the relationship between user and object. His work often emanates from production processes, where old production methods give birth to new opportunities. He will be exhibiting his Sirid cupboard at Greenhouse.
“With materials and techniques I have tried to create a heterotopic object, meaning that the object controls the user’s behaviour. Sirid is a cabinet that the viewer relates to with restraint, but with a curiosity that bubbles inside. It is about mystique, fragility and play.” explains Frej Wichmann.
He will also be exhibiting his Bubble Cabinet at the Fair, which is built using very few instruments: a lathe that is driven by a bicycle, a plastic bag shredder and a rope-making machine. It can be produced in places without electricity and is a way to inspire local craftsmen, as well as a way of managing waste.
M-S-D-S Studio, Canada, is based in Toronto and consists of Jonathan Sabine and Jessica Nakanishi. The studio specializes in interiors, housewares, furniture and lighting for commercial, retail and residential clients. Their work is based on observation, exploration and intuition. Their goals are to create usable, inventive, and lasting objects and environments.
“This is the first time we’ll be exhibiting outside North America and the UK, so we’re pretty excited! We’re hoping to redraw the boundaries of our Toronto-based practice to include Scandinavian clients. We feel an affinity for Scandinavian design. This is perhaps subconsciously due to our backgrounds: Jonathan’s grandfather is from Norway, and my parents are from Japan. In any case, a lot of exciting things are happening in Canada with the influence of Scandinavian design,” notes Jessica Nakanishi.
Malin Bobeck, Sweden, recently graduated from The Swedish School of Textiles, University of Bors. During her studies there, she focused on constructing and designing new types of technical textiles using, among other things, fiberoptics. This is also what she now works with in the company she recently set up. She combines electronics, lighting, smart materials and yarn to create new areas of use for both homes and public spaces. She’ll be exhibiting her light-emitting textiles at Greenhouse. The spotlight will be on two textiles in particular, a three-dimensional fabric called Unum and a furniture fabric called Nihil, both woven with fiberoptics and connected to light sources.“I hope taking part in the Fair will expand my network and be a way for me to meet potential new customers and partners. I also hope that I’ll learn more about the way the industry works and that I can find my role in it,” says Malin Bobeck.
Pettersen & Hein – Norway and Denmark
Magnus Pettersen (N) is an artist who studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and Lea Hein (DK) is a furniture maker and furniture designer who studied at HDK The School of Design and Craft at Steneby. They are participating in Greenhouse with a joint project based in the border land between design and art.
“Our way of working dissolves the boundaries between the two areas. This is the core of our collaboration. We don’t consider art and design as opposites; we see them as two poles generating a force field that allows studies of design and esthetics free of any restrictions. The best way to describe our project is probably the following quote from American artist Richard Artschwager,” says Lea Hein.
“If you sit on it, it’s a chair. If you walk around it and look at it, it is a sculpture.”
The 2015 Greenhouse Jury consists of designer Christian Hallerd, journalist and author Susanne Helgeson, designer Jens Fager and architect Gabriella Gustafson.
Greenhouse will also include the premiere of the Young Swedish Design exhibition, which is a competition as well. 22 designers will be taking part this time. Young Swedish Design is arranged by the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design on alternate years. To find out more, please visit http://ungsvenskform.se/
Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair will be held on 3-7 February 2015 at Stockholmsm ssan.
