Together with Qreator by IQOS, we were going to launch a new events category during this year's edition of Romanian Design Week. It is called DESIGN FLAGS, a series of seven exhibitions that document the evolution of design from international cultural perspectives, which would have been hosted by Qreator by IQOS space.
For the moment, we decided to share with you the content of these exhibitions online.
Presented with the help of the Spanish Embassy in Bucharest, the Hungarian Institute in Bucharest, the Czech Centre, Designmuseum Danmark, CHART, Next Nature and KWY.studio, the seven exhibitions investigate new approaches and concerns in design and present innovative ideas and products that manage to redefine the sphere of which they are part.
Developed by CHART in collaboration with the Designmuseum Danmark and curated by Line Ulrika Christiansen (on behalf of CHART) and Pernille Stockmarr (on behalf of Designmuseum Danmark), Matters – Rethinking Materials presents five young designers, invited by the organisers to explore new practices and unconventional materials, and doing so, to start a conversation about contemporary design.
The exhibition includes works by designers: Sarah Vajira Lindström (born in Sweden, based in Norway), Antrei Hartikainen (Finland), Kathrine Barbro Bendixen (Denmark), Kajsa Willner (Sweden) and Stian Korntved Ruud (Norway). The five young designers showcase a visionary approach to rethinking how materials, ranging from synthetic to organic, can shape new conceptual ideas for a more sustainable future of design.
The Norway-based, Swedish artist Sarah Vajira Lindström will exhibit the installation Unidentified Objects, a collection of pieces of textiles and other materials in which she confronts the natural and the artificial. Her work is inspired by scientific methods and their clinical aesthetics.
Sarah Vajira Lindström. Unidentified objects. “Matters – Rethinking Materials” – the exhibition is developed by CHART and Designmuseum Danmark and curated by design curator Line Ulrika Christiansen and curator at Designmuseum Danmark, Pernille Stockmarr. Photo credits: Hans Martin Aambø
Finnish designer Antrei Hartikainen exhibits the piece SEITIKKI, which is named after the cortinarius mushroom. Hartikaninen’s practice is centred around working with wood and often explores the boundaries between art, design and utility.
Antrei Hartikainen. Seitikki. “Matters – Rethinking Materials” – the exhibition is developed by CHART and Designmuseum Danmark and curated by design curator Line Ulrika Christiansen and curator at Designmuseum Danmark, Pernille Stockmarr. Photo credits: Ville Vappula
Danish designer Kathrine Barbro Bendixen will exhibit the light installation Inside Out, a piece made from cow intestines. Barbro Bendixen’s practice is characterized by an unusual and experimental use of materials which she stages in new and unconventional contexts. In her light sculptures sustainability is a starting point when she brings new life to animal waste products and at the same time revitalizes the concept of a chandelier.
Kathrine Barbro Bendixen. Inside Out. “Matters – Rethinking Materials” – the exhibition is developed by CHART and Designmuseum Danmark and curated by design curator Line Ulrika Christiansen and curator at Designmuseum Danmark, Pernille Stockmarr. Photo credits: Mathias Kruse Jørgensen
Drawing attention to the dilemmas surrounding plastic waste, Swedish designer Kajsa Willner exhibits the piece Polarized portraits. Willner’s work plays with the optical phenomenon of polarized light microscopy to create an imaginative x-ray of planet Earth. The piece examines how disposable plastic can become aesthetic optical art ‘portraits’ of our world, while remaining environmentally harmful plastic waste.
Kajsa Willner. Polarized portraits. “Matters – Rethinking Materials” – the exhibition is developed by CHART and Designmuseum Danmark and curated by design curator Line Ulrika Christiansen and curator at Designmuseum Danmark, Pernille Stockmarr. Photo credits: Freya McOmish
The piece Clock #02 by Norwegian designer and artist Stian Kornved Ruud is driven by a fascination with how products are made and put together and his pieces often modify, destroy or alter the function of certain objects. He uses natural materials that he finds in the forests near Oslo, such as wood or metal.
Matters - Rethinking Materials was introduced to the public between August 28th 2019 – March 29th 2020, at the Designmuseum Danmark in Copenhagen.
Design Flags is supported by Qreator by IQOS.
Qreator by IQOS - Home of Creativity is one of the most active promoters and facilitators of creativity in the cultural area of Bucharest. Through the events it organizes or hosts, Qreator by IQOS connects the creative communities of Bucharest with all those passionate about creativity, in all its forms. Qreator by IQOS provides a space where they can express themselves and collaborate, but also the technological resources needed to put their ideas and projects into practice. More information on http://www.qreator.ro and http://www.facebook.com/qreator.
The exhibition is presented in Design Flags with the support of the CHART and Designmuseum Danmark.
CHART is an initiative seeking to advance talented young designers on the contemporary Nordic design scene. It is an integrated part of CHART’s talent programme also consisting of CHART Emerging, a curated exhibition of young artists, and CHART Architecture, an architectural competition to build a temporary pavilion for newly graduated architects.
Designmuseum Danmark in Copenhagen is the most important Danish museum exclusively dedicated to industrial design and applied arts.
Where you cand find CHART:
https://chartartfair.com/chart-curio/
https://www.instagram.com/chart_artfair/
Where you can find Designmuseum Danmark: