Furniture & Object
SUPER SWEET SERIES
SUPER SWEET SERIES take into account my own relationship with sugar and the fact that, as a diabetic person, sugar is a substance that harms my body. This
Alves Ludovico
ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS
OF THE NEW NORDIC DESIGNERS AWARD 2021
We are pleased to announce the recipients of the “New Nordic Designers Award” 2021. The award has been established as part of the Nordic Young Designers Network (NYDN) and, in its first edition, is awarded to design students graduating in 2020/2021 – both bachelors and masters.
The five recipients are Alves Ludovico, “SUPER SWEET SERIES”; Ingrid Segring Björklund, “MOMMA & MORMOR”; Maxime Olson, “RANSOMEDÍUTÓMIS”; Mio Elias Halvarsson, “AND YET HERE WE ARE”; and Signe Boisen, “INTERNAL FRAMEWORK”.
Alves Ludovico “SUPER SWEET SERIES”
The “SUPER SWEET SERIES” by Alves Ludovico infuses personal narrative, material development, and humour into a series of colourful, bio-plastic objects. Together, they illustrate how young designers can work in a very classical design approach and still come up with something that is surprising and new. Design editor Rosa Bertoli notes that “developing new materials and new ways of building objects is a skill that new designers should have and [this is something that we] would like to award”.
Furniture & Object
Momma & Mormor
This project studies how design and artistic methods can be a tool to fill gaps in history, where women have been made invisible. I explored
Ingrid Segring Björklund
Ingrid Segring Björklund
“MOMMA & MORMOR”
Storytelling and process take centre stage in Ingrid Segring Björklund’s installation “MOMMA & MORMOR”. Juror Rosa Bertoli, design editor for Wallpaper*, describes that “the work is powerful in its material experimentation and story, encapsulating something which is a very personal, yet untold part of history”. With material research, execution, and narrative strongly tied, the piece exemplifies a deep understanding of Björklund’s design philosophy within a well balanced, detailed construction.
Textile Design
RANSOMEDÍUTÓMIS
Tapestry triptych / Book of A.I.M.E.s poems / 3D bust/hologram Beyond the many computer screens that surround us in our daily lives, our digital reflections can be
Maxime Olson
Maxime Olson
“RANSOMEDÍUTÓMIS”
Maxime Olson’s multifaceted installation, “RANSOMEDÍUTÓMIS”, bridges the gap between design and technology, presenting work which is both cutting edge, yet looks so ancient. As noted by gallerist Marc Benda, it perfectly encapsulates how “young designers [are] processing what is at their disposal today” in terms of technology, material, and process, allowing them to take “what might be a leap into the unknown”.
Furniture & Object
And yet here we are
During my studies at Konstfack, I started working with the theme of representation and fat transmasculinity. By the time that I was getting started with
Mio Elias Halvarsson
Mio Elias Halvarsson
“AND YET HERE WE ARE”
In “AND YET HERE WE ARE” by Mio Elias Halvarsson, clay takes on a human form, fusing technical and design research with a poignant personal narrative. As described by curator Pil Bredahl, the work is “poetic, with a surface and form that makes the viewer curious about the story behind it”. Although not necessarily a classical design piece, the work speaks to a fundamental conversation about design – “we need design to address deeper norms of belonging, representation, and outdated visual aesthetics within the field”.
Glass & Ceramics
Internal Framework
I see power in the inherent identity of ceramics as a craft that has existed for thousands of years. The process behind the craft demands
Signe Boisen
Signe Boisen
“INTERNAL FRAMEWORK”
Signe Boisen’s “INTERNAL FRAMEWORK” presents an architectural series of ceramic objects which are quiet and reserved, yet grow within themselves to reveal Boisen’s adeptness with her chosen material and technique. In narrative and execution, gallerist Marc Benda explains that “the series greatly exemplifies the maker’s deep craft know-how and academic rigour”, speaking to the legacy of Nordic craft and aesthetics.
The members of this year’s international jury – including Pil Bredahl, with 20 years of experience in curating; Marc Benda, founder of Friedman Benda and a leading expert within international collectible design; and Rosa Bertoli, design editor of the design and architecture magazine, Wallpaper* – have evaluated the fifteen nominated projects on the basis of three criteria:
– Artistic level and personal expression
– Level of innovation regarding technique, materials, and idea
– Technical level in terms of project execution and physical processing
Together, the five recipients offer an interesting view into design as it is today and where it is headed. They present a well-balanced series with two installation-like pieces (which refer to the personal and the societal) and three more classical pieces (which illustrate different aspects of craft: new material use and two different approaches to fine handcraft). In their selection, they exemplify that design can open conversations and push boundaries, which, to the jury, represent important qualities in the field of design as it continues to grow and change through the work of young designers.
The winning “New Nordic Designers Award” projects will be exhibited at 3DaysofDesign in Copenhagen, 15-17 June 2022.
ABOUT THE NEW NORDIC DESIGNERS AWARD
As an important part of the Nordic Young Designers Network, there will be an award for the best projects in each thematic category, titled the “New Nordic Designer Award”. As part of the strategy to increase the public interest of the network, and aligning with the interest of the students, an international jury was assembled to select the 5 best projects for the ‘New Nordic Designers Award’. The assembled jury includes leaders from different parts of the international design sector:
- Pil Bredahl, with 20 years of experience in curating, jury member of Danish design Award, and board member of Design Museum Denmark,
- Marc Benda, founder of Friedman Benda gallery (New York) a leading expert within international collectible design, and
- Rosa Bertoli, design editor of the design and architecture magazine, Wallpaper*.
The winners of the New Nordic Designs Award will be announced yearly in March.
meet the jury
MARC bENDA
Marc Benda (Zurich) is one of the co-founders of the gallery Friedman Benda (Chelsea, New York), which has played a vital role in the development of the contemporary design market since 2007. The Centre Pompidou in Paris, the MET in New York, Fondazione ICA in Milan are some of the international museums with which Friedman Benda has collaborated, as well as with the most acclaimed design venues such as Design Miami and Salon Art+Design. The gallery identifies and advances key narratives that intersect contemporary design, craft, architecture, fine art, and cutting-edge technological research.
ROSA BERTOLI
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell, and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards, and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
PIL BREDAHL
Pil Bredahl has worked in the experimental sector of the design industry, occasionally making forays into more political domains. She was part of the Scandinavian, female-only design group “Kropsholder,” which was founded in the late 1990s. She is also a co-founder of the design group FairTradeDesigners.com, created in 2007, which uses the design profession as a social lever to explore and promote sustainable development processes. Pil graduated as Product and Furniture Designer from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design, and earned a Master’s Degree in Design Theory in 2013, writing her dissertation on design and sustainability. Pil is on the board of I Tråd Med Verden, Design Denmark and at Designmuseum Danmark. She is also one of the main curators of ADORNO.