Designers’ Open Leipzig: Look to Norway

Although it has been quiet around Erik Wester of late, it’s fair to say he remains our favourite Norwegian designer. However he now officially has competition.

At Designers’ Open 2011 a group of 10 Norwegian design students presented examples of their work on a joint stand under the title “Look to Norway”

Quite possibly, the first ever Norwegian design to be seen at Designers’ Open.

For us the most interesting pieces were Le Korpusiør by Jørgen Platou Willumsen – a very simple yet endearing family of wood and copper lamps – and Curious by Caroline Olsson, a lamp that folds away into its own box.

However we were very impressed by the overall quality of the exhibits; and admittedly we didn’t give some of the pieces the time they undoubtedly deserved.

To find out more about the project; and why naming a Norwegian designer is as tricky as naming an important Belgian, we spoke to “Look to Norway” members Thea Nilsen and Fredrik Wærnes.

(smow)blog: Briefly, what is the background to the exhibition?

Fredrik Wærnes: We are all students at Norway’s four design schools and wanted to create a collaborative platform that reached across the institutions and the various fields of design in Norway.

(smow)blog: It’s probably fair to say that most people can name a Swedish designer or a Danish designer, but not a Norwegian designer. Can you explain why that should be?

Thea Nilsen: We ask ourselves the same question! And that’s also one of the reasons we are exhibiting as Look to Norway, because not too many people look to us. However Norway has a design tradition as long as Sweden or Denmark, is currently a blooming environment and there are a lot of interesting things happening in Norwegian design.

(smow)blog: How big is the Norwegian market? Are there producers with whom young designers such as yourselves can work with or….

Fredrik Wærnes: There are a few producers in Norway but the market is very small and so often designers have to go outside Norway to find a partner for their projects.

Thea Nilsen: Which is also a reason to come to Germany as this is a very intersting country in terms of producers.

(smow)blog: Which raises the obvious question, why Designers’ Open?

Fredrik Wærnes: We like the concept of the festival, it’s very open and very varied in its fields of design and so we felt suited our project very well.

Thea Nilsen: Also in some respects we are only exhibiting because of Leipzig. We heard about the festival and started discussing the project because of this. And so maybe without Designers’ Open this project wouldn’t have happened.

More details on Look to Norway and the individual projects can be found at http://looknorway.com/