Abstract
Designing for longevity
Abstract for Past and Future: The Nordic Forum for Design
History’s 40th Anniversary Conference 26–27 October 2023 at the National Museum, Oslo
By Nicolai de Gier, professor in Furniture Design at The Royal Danish Academy,
Copenhagen, Denmark.
Subtitle: How can we use the tradition in designing new responsible furniture.
Special is generally less useful than normal, and less rewarding in the long term.
- Jasper Morrison
Furniture design has a special history and a long tradition in Denmark. Founded in 1924 by Kaare Klint with the establishment of the Furniture School at the Royal Danish Academy, School of Architecture.
Klint combined a strong cabinetmaker tradition with the modern world's need for furniture, and here the ideas of good craftsmanship and the approachability of furniture design were developed. It was later democratized by Børge Mogensen, globalized by Finn Juhl and Hans J. Wegner with the Danish Modern period after World War II and aestheticized by Poul Kjærholm.
Now the world faces a number of major challenges. The structural changes of the international economy caused by the globalization and an ever-increasing climate crisis have radically changed the conditions of our welfare society. The consumer culture is facing a fundamental change where we must learn to consume and produce differently and with greater care.
Against this background, we have a unique opportunity to bring these approaches together and both ensure our strong tradition in combination with a necessary adaptation and responsiveness to the greatest challenges of our time and Design is a mandatory tool in creating the necessary resilient development.
By studying the history of Danish Design, we see that a great part of ‘Danish Modern’ was based on the study of specific typologies e.g. The Latin Slat Back Chair which inspired both Klint and Mogensen in their work and provided a high degree of knowledge and reuse of the history of design and design principles. Evolving from that came a design method and a certain style.
According to Jasper Morrison 1) normal is more useful in the long term which points in direction of new designs will have a longer lasting if they build on types that already has proven their value over a long period of time. Also, Kenya Hara 2) reflects on how aesthetic values that have accumulated in our society are victimized when technology changes the structure of the world.
This article will reflect on both the transformation of tradition and have a specific focus on tectonics; how the aesthetic organization of the furniture's components and materiality is put together in a way that ensures visual stability and long-term durability in expression.
The discussion will take its off set in new works implementing component based design, design for disassembly, flat-pack and certifications.
1) FUKASAWA, N. and MORRISON, J., 2007. Super Normal, Sensations of the Ordinary. Baden:
Lars Müller Publishers.
2)HARA, K., 2007.Designing Design. Lars Müller Publishers.
Abstract for Past and Future: The Nordic Forum for Design
History’s 40th Anniversary Conference 26–27 October 2023 at the National Museum, Oslo
By Nicolai de Gier, professor in Furniture Design at The Royal Danish Academy,
Copenhagen, Denmark.
Subtitle: How can we use the tradition in designing new responsible furniture.
Special is generally less useful than normal, and less rewarding in the long term.
- Jasper Morrison
Furniture design has a special history and a long tradition in Denmark. Founded in 1924 by Kaare Klint with the establishment of the Furniture School at the Royal Danish Academy, School of Architecture.
Klint combined a strong cabinetmaker tradition with the modern world's need for furniture, and here the ideas of good craftsmanship and the approachability of furniture design were developed. It was later democratized by Børge Mogensen, globalized by Finn Juhl and Hans J. Wegner with the Danish Modern period after World War II and aestheticized by Poul Kjærholm.
Now the world faces a number of major challenges. The structural changes of the international economy caused by the globalization and an ever-increasing climate crisis have radically changed the conditions of our welfare society. The consumer culture is facing a fundamental change where we must learn to consume and produce differently and with greater care.
Against this background, we have a unique opportunity to bring these approaches together and both ensure our strong tradition in combination with a necessary adaptation and responsiveness to the greatest challenges of our time and Design is a mandatory tool in creating the necessary resilient development.
By studying the history of Danish Design, we see that a great part of ‘Danish Modern’ was based on the study of specific typologies e.g. The Latin Slat Back Chair which inspired both Klint and Mogensen in their work and provided a high degree of knowledge and reuse of the history of design and design principles. Evolving from that came a design method and a certain style.
According to Jasper Morrison 1) normal is more useful in the long term which points in direction of new designs will have a longer lasting if they build on types that already has proven their value over a long period of time. Also, Kenya Hara 2) reflects on how aesthetic values that have accumulated in our society are victimized when technology changes the structure of the world.
This article will reflect on both the transformation of tradition and have a specific focus on tectonics; how the aesthetic organization of the furniture's components and materiality is put together in a way that ensures visual stability and long-term durability in expression.
The discussion will take its off set in new works implementing component based design, design for disassembly, flat-pack and certifications.
1) FUKASAWA, N. and MORRISON, J., 2007. Super Normal, Sensations of the Ordinary. Baden:
Lars Müller Publishers.
2)HARA, K., 2007.Designing Design. Lars Müller Publishers.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 27 Oct 2023 |
| Publication status | Published - 27 Oct 2023 |
| Event | Past and Future: The Nordic Forum for Design - The Nordic Forum for Design / The National Museum, Oslo, Norway Duration: 26 Oct 2023 → 27 Oct 2023 https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/en/exhibitions-and-events/national-museum/arrangementer/2023/10/past-and-future-nordic-design/ |
Conference
| Conference | Past and Future |
|---|---|
| Location | The Nordic Forum for Design / The National Museum |
| Country/Territory | Norway |
| City | Oslo |
| Period | 26/10/2023 → 27/10/2023 |
| Internet address |
Artistic research
- No