Conceptual Design

Part of the 2005 Year of Design Something has happened in Swedish design since the turn of the millennium.

In the 1990s we saw the blond, modern look with roots in Scandinavian design tradition. Today, young designers are searching for new aspects, where neither function nor esthetics is the primary goal. The inspiration comes from the Droog phenomenon in the Netherlands. However, due to Sweden’s strong modernistic heritage, the question of what design ought to be is very provocative. The conceptual trend will be analyzed and discussed within its contemporary context.

Several objects express socially critical views. Jennie Pineus has created a space for contemplation in a cocoon chair. A little time spent in the chair screened off from the stressed world around you might turn you into a butterfly…

In the cold Swedish winters, the homeless risk freezing to death. So Jan Borchies has designed a survival coat for the homeless (picture above). It can withstand wet and cold, has a pocket for needles, another for tools used to force doorways, and a third for the bag-in-box wine... Borchies wants governments to hand out the coats to the homeless. This could be interpreted as legitimizing homelessness. On the other hand, nobody wants the government to house the homeless in their neighborhood, which leaves us with the unsolved problem of people sleeping on the streets. Curator: Cilla Robach Exhibition designer: Anna von Schewen

Pressetext

Conceptual Design
Kurator: Cilla Robach
Ausstellungsdesigner: Anna von Schewen

mit Jennie Pineus, u.a.