When it comes to Swedish Christmas markets, you pretty much know what to expect after you've been to Skansen or Stortorget in Stockholm's Old Town. Always charming and festive, these markets offer a glimpse into Christmas past and give a boost of juletide cheer, but handcrafted cheese slicers and moose sausage will only get you so far.

‘Tis the season to hunt for stocking stuffers, so where do you find some of that famous Swedish innovation and design to put under your own holiday tree? Look no further – here is all the Scandinavian form and functionality you could want – and even some you didn’t know you needed.

STOCKHOLM

Designgalleriet
Location: Odengatan 21
Time: December 2nd – 22nd
Tuesday - Friday 11 am – 6 pm
Saturday 11 am – 3 pm
Information: www.designgalleriet.com

Twenty-four products for the 24 days of December before Christmas. Designgalleriet’s annual Christmas Market opened on Dec 1. The market features products handpicked by Designgalleriet as well as the Santa of the Year, Eero Koivisto, from the design and architecture firm Claesson Koivisto Rune. The selection was based on design quality, creativity and festiveness. All of the products were launched in 2008.

The objects, by both independent artists and established design companies, are SEK 100 kronor, SEK 500 kronor or SEK 1,000. The idea is to represent all types of design, including fashion, interiors, graphics and handicraft. The selection features works by Fuldesign, Karin Robling, Jarl Fernaeus, Rörstrand, Kosta Boda and Rosenthal. The products are available for sale from Dec 1st-22nd.

COPENHAGEN

Christiania's Christmas market
Location: Christiania
Time: December 6th – 20th
Information: www.christiania.org

A little anarchy is a good thing when it comes to gift-giving.


ArtRebels
Location:Flæsketorvet 17-19, Ködbyn
Time: December 3rd - December 24th
Wednesday-Friday 12 – 8 pm
Sat-Sun 12 – 6 pm
Information: www.artrebels.com

ArtRebels is a professional network for Danish artists, designers, musicians, deejays and other creative souls. The Christmas market features products available on their online shop, as well as never-before-seen creations from their artists, musicians and designers. 

Originally published on The Local December 5, 2008.

Some of it is sleek, and some of it is just plain weird. Some of it is pretty, and some of it is just plain ugly…by design. Here’s a guide to the best of Swedish design online.

• Christmas by design: Unmissable markets in Sweden and Denmark (5 Dec 08)

Fuldesign
www.fulshop.se
The name says it all. Fuldesign, which means “Ugly design”, is a Stockholm-based studio who claim to be inspired by “everything from German gay porn, Sci Fi and anxiety to old ladies and good music.” Check out their web shop for everything from raunchy embroidery to a pillow pistol. Also visit www.fuldesign.se for free patterns, stencils, naughty robot music and instructions on how to make your very own monster.

Juniform (In Swedish only)
www.juniform.se
Selected products from well-established and new Swedish designers. Here you’ll find everything from gender-neutral children’s clothes, vintage wooden clogs from the 1970s, the latest Odd Molly garments to jewelry, wool socks and pillow cases. Brands include Odd Molly, Swedish hasbeens, Moonkids, Shampoodle, Färg och form, Trots, Lummen, GUPP, KADE, Acne jr, Viveka Zera and Arbeståhl Design.

Moderna Museet
Textalk
Like its analogue equivalent, Moderna Museet's online gift shop is a great place to pick up some unique presents sure to please art lovers and designofiles.

Designtorget
www.designtorget.se
One-stop shopping for all of the Swedish design you could ask for.

Signerat (In Swedish only)
www.signerat.se
An excellent online store that provides an outlet for independent Swedish designers, similar to Brooklyn-based Etsy (www.etsy.com) in the US, which bills itself as an “online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade”. (If you’re in the US, you’ll even find some Dalahästar lurking around on Etsy). Don’t forget to check out the gifts for the furry ones. Who doesn’t need a cashmere polo for their Chihuahua?

Kuji-goji design
Kuji-Goji
Japanese graphic design Masaaki Oyamada (www.masaakioyamada.com) has recently made Stockholm his home. Check out his t-shirts for the house-hunting expat (or Swede for that matter). It worked for him!

Kiss&Bajs
www.kissochbajs.com
That’s right, it’s stuffed poo. For potty-training the kids, or freaking out their parents. It gives a whole new meaning to Mr. Hanky the singing, dancing Christmas Poo.

Dizel&Sate
www.dizelsate.com
Street-smart stocking stuffers from graphic design duo Dizel&Sate. Check out their new 2009 t-shirt collection, a spinoff from their Life & Death in Architecture print collection, released earlier this year. Expect geometry, pills and Mickey Mouse allusions.

Your weekend fashion shop (In Swedish only)
www.ywfs.se
Swedish fashion at your fingertips. Brands include Bea Szenfeld, Burfitt, LiseLotte Westerlund, Pimpinette, Rodebjer, Carin Wester, Dagmar, Hope, Ida Sjöstedt and Wyred.

T-post
www.t-post.se
Subscribe to a bi-monthly…t-shirt. Every six weeks, T-post commissions a new t-shirt featuring a bespoke design on the outside, and the latest news on the inside. Read all about it.

 

Originally published on The Local on December 12, 2008. 

Googly eyes and killer food are about all you can ask for in a restaurant. Södermalm's newest eatery, Bauer, offers both.

Immediately to the right of the Slussen subway exit on Götgatan, Bauer is located where the old neighborhood pub, Krönet, used to be. The Spanish-inspired menu has a big focus on bite-sized dishes in the form of tapas and cheese plates.

When you step inside the door, you'll be greeted by several larger-than-life cartoon figures, including a bear, an owl, a giant pink mouse and a yellow square smiley. A three-letter word is the most apt description of this new watering hole: F-U-N.

Designed by interior graphics duo Dizel&Sate, the quirky characters create a youthful atmosphere with their goofy smiles and hint of animé. Slobodan Zivic explains that each icon represents a particular emotion. “We wanted to illustrate different pleasures and senses — tastes, visions, thoughts, dreams, flavours, sexual pleasures, nightlife, parties,” he says.

The pink mouse was inspired by the quintessential rodent himself, Mickey. Zivic cites a quote from Walt Disney: “I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing — that it was all started by a mouse." While most restaurants wouldn't do well to flaunt a mouse, in this case, it adds a lot of charm.

My favourite is the insomniac owl, which Zivic says symbolizes nightlife. It's a bit more understated and elegant than the other characters, although the underlying humour is still there.

The allusion to Berlin is also apropos, as the decor in the main room combines a gritty, unfinished feel with a touch of elegance; raw MDF is juxtaposed with ornate moulding that was probably part of the original architecture. It creates an interesting lounge area that also doubles as a gallery space.

As for the food, the tapas, which range between 45-55 kronor, stole the show. The ajo blanco (asparagus soup) was definitely worth writing home about, but even so, it wasn't the best thing on the menu. When I sampled the bacon-wrapped dates, my boyfriend mumbled rather grumpily: “You look like you just had an orgasm, and I didn't have anything to do with it”. (I don't think anything more needs to be said about that).

Having had our appetites fully satisfied by the orgasmic dates, we opted to skip the main courses, which were a bit pricey at around 250 kronor per person. Here you can expect fusion fare, including butter fried jumbo pollock, roasted duck breast coq au vin, and beef angus.

Our only real complaint was the service. The staff were friendly but forgetful — it took 30 minutes for our server to bring bread, and only then after we reminded her twice, by which time the asparagus soup was cold. (It's a good thing I was preoccupied by my dates).

All in all, Bauer deserves a big thumbs up on everything from the decor to the bacon-swaddled figs. It provides an alternative for people wanting to avoid the hype of Stureplan but who are still seeking a little something different. It's casual, yet cool. Stockholm needs more restaurants like this — in other words, places that don't take themselves so seriously.


Address:
Götgatan 15, Stockholm

Phone:
08-640 08 20

Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 16:00-01:00
Sat-Sun 15:00-01:00

 

Originally published on 13 March 2008 on www.thelocal.se.

Just when I thought I couldn't stand seeing another sleek black couch crouched low to the ground, I stumbled into the Greenhouse. But there were no plants to be found. Instead of nurturing young seedlings, this Greenhouse provides a place for art students and independent designers to grow.

Since 2003, the Greenhouse has been an annual forum for design schools and other young designers to exhibit their work at the Stockholm Furniture Fair in February. The furniture fair itself is primarily a trade event, aimed at buyers and other industry insiders. However, in the last several years, there has been an increased focus on discovering new talent as well as creating momentum for Stockholm Design Week with events and exhibitions in town.

The Greenhouse, along with the Designboom mart, was by far the most interesting part of the fair. Both serve as a platform for yet-to-be established designers, as well as create an environment where good and wacky ideas are not squelched by commercial considerations.

Designboom is a Milan-based organization that publishes a webzine, as well as arranging design markets and competitions. This year, 35 international designers came to Stockholm to show and sell their wares. These ranged from everything from a Barbie doll duster (with feathers for a skirt) by American designer Tom Butch to the aptly named “Holy Shit” toilet paper holder in the shape of a cross, by Mischa Vos from the Netherlands.

Doll Duster by Tom Butch

It is precisely that sense of humour and touch of irreverence that are missing from the rest of the fair. After a while, the rows of couches and office chairs start to look the same. Innovation there takes shape in the form of silent gliders or a more ergonomic curve for office chairs, or a modification to a modular shelving system. To be fair, the goal of most exhibitors is to sell their goods, and the market for metallic pink couches in the shape of a cow is likely quite small.

But in the Greenhouse, you can get a sense of the individuals behind the design. Regarding the aforementioned cow couches, this was not the first time the Brazilian duo Allesandro Jordao and Kiko Sobrino shocked Swedish design sensibilities. They were also behind the most un-Swedish g-string couches on display at the Casa Cor “House of Colours” exhibition in Stockholm last fall. (On the wall, they had also affixed a letter from Princess Victoria's secretary thanking them for the couch they bestowed upon her. Perhaps Drottningholm is being redesigned?)

A delegation of students and graduates from Northumbria University in the UK also made an impressive showing. Christine Misiak exhibited a new range of eco-friendly drinkware in the form of refurbished tea sets rescued from certain doom. Polly Westergaard showed a stag-shaped mirror, while Alex Underwood presented “the Speaker Dude,” a fun take on stereo speakers in the form of a robot-like guy.

 New/Old Tea Set by Christine Misiak

Among Among the Swedish designers, Maria Persson, a student from Kalmar University School of Design and Communications, presented an eye-catching chair constructed out of fake lemons (interestingly, it was accompanied, perhaps on behalf of the lemons, by the plea “Do not sit”). Other highlights were a children's floor pillow in the shape of a flower from Little Red Stugan and a lounge pillow in the form of a giant Dalecarlian horse by Skräddaregatan Design studio.

Sittmöbel by Maria Persson of Kalmar University

The Greenhouse also featured “Enlightenment,” a lighting exhibition originally produced for Röhsska design museum in Gothenburg. It showed the work of Swedish lighting guru Alexander Lervik, whose lamps include “MyBrain” (a scan of his own brain printed onto plastic) and “T1000,” a spinal cord made out of silver plastic.

MyBrain by Alexander Lervik

The ultimate goal of any of these independent designers is to have their work picked up by a producer. This is not out of the realm of possibility. Norway Says, who were among the Norwegian designers chosen to furnish the new Hotel Clarion Sign that opened last week, broke through at Greenhouse, as did the design group Front.

Front, who are among the best known contemporary Swedish designers, are the creative force behind such projects as raw-gnawed wallpaper and “Sketch” furniture, where pen strokes made in the air are recorded as 3D digital files, which can then be turned into a real object using rapid prototyping technology.
Front currently have an exhibition at the Nordic Light Hotel featuring their latest collection for Materia, a Swedish furniture maker. The installation, which has turned the lobby into a forest of fake fir trees, plays with our perception of materials. The wooden benches are actually soft foam over a steel frame covered with wood-print upholstery. The floor, which also looks like real timber, will also surprise you when you step on it. The exhibition is open to the public until mid-April.

Many of the more interesting designers like Front actually chose not to exhibit at the Furniture Fair at Alvsjö. Industrial design duo Folkform, for instance, are exhibiting their new furniture collection, “Unique Standard,” at the Crystal Place Contemporary Art Gallery until February 12th, and Vujj, a Malmö-based furniture design studio, will be showing their latest collection on the second floor gallery of Urban Outfitters until February 29th. Folkform have juxtaposed fake materials alongside luxury upholstery, such as a bench featuring pleather placed side-by-side with leather from an Arne Jacobsson lounge chair, while Vujj features fun items such as a vase called “Don't touch”.

Unique Standard by Folkform

Another exhibition that providing food for thought for anyone interested in critically exploring how our consumption patterns will change with time should check out the Future Shopping installation at Gallerian, which will run until February 14th. Students from the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design (Konstfack) present their view on how technology will transform the products we buy and how we shop for them.

Finally, graphic designers Dizel&Sate have an unusual exhibition, “Life and Death in Architecture,” at Galleri Jonas Kleerup in Stockholm. It will run until February 22nd. Their graphic interiors, which have a gritty, urban feeling, can be seen around town at venues such as the Hotel Anglais, Allmänna Galleriet as well as a new tapas restaurant, Bauer, scheduled to open on Södermalm sometime next month.

Life and Death in Architecture by Dizel&Sate

The best thing about all of these exhibitions around Stockholm is that is makes design accessible to the public in a way that the Stockholm Furniture Fair does not. This is precisely one of the ideas behind Stockholm Design Week. These smaller exhibitions and installations allow you to enjoy the design without swimming in a sea of sleek black couches.

After last week, I'm convinced that Swedish design is no longer just about those black couches and blond wood. There is a spate of young designers who challenge the notion of Scandinavian minimalism that is stuck somewhere back in the 1950s, along with the work of Bruno Mathsson. But, as one designer told me at a dinner last week, while there are a lot of interesting things going on in the Swedish design scene right now, it is still the sleek black couches and blond wood that sell. Maybe the difference now is that the black leather and blond wood are fake.

 

Originally published on The Local on February 11, 2008.

If the names Arne Jacobsen, Bruno Mathsson and Alvar Aalto mean anything to you, you'll be in your element at the Clarion Hotel Sign, which opens its doors on Tuesday. Even if classic Scandinavian design isn't your thing, you might still be interested in dipping your toes in the spectacular rooftop pool of Stockholm's newest hotel and conference centre.

With 558 rooms, Stockholm's newest hotel will also be its largest. The rooms on four of its floors are outfitted with furniture by some of the biggest names associated with Scandinavian design. One is dedicated to Sweden, and its rooms are filled with the work of Bruno Mathsson, arguably the most well-known Swedish designer, as well as by Eric Jörgensen, who like Mathsson, was known for his functionalist approach to furniture-making.

Another floor showcases the work of Finnish designer and fellow functionalist Alvar Aalto (think squiggly-shaped Iitala candleholders), including a tea trolley he originally designed in 1935. Yet another floor sports the furniture of the granddaddy of Danish design, Arne Jacobsen, whose Egg, Ant and Swan chairs are the kind of stuff that make design mavens go gaga.

Finally, a fourth floor is home to Norwegian design, which is decked out with the work of Norway Says and Fjord Fiesta. The fact that nobody has heard of “Norway Says” actually says a whole lot about the Norwegian design scene. For whatever reason, Norway never achieved the same acclaim as the other Nordic countries, which became the darlings of the design world in the 1950s and 60s, but its contemporary scene is one of the more lively.

While each floor represents its own Nordic nationality, the basic layout of the rooms is the same and the beds and bathrooms present a kind of elegance and functionality that one would expect from a hotel dedicated to Scandinavian design. However, there is a certain sterility and it's easy to wonder if the couches are as nice to sit in as they are to look at. The business lounge, for instance, features chairs with an attitude (okay, chairs called “Attitude” by Danish designer Morten Voss) that certainly qualify as eye candy, but they don't exactly invite you to plop down and stay awhile.

The hotel itself was designed by Gothenburg-based architect Gert Wingårdh, who was also the mastermind behind the House of Sweden, the Swedish embassy in Washington D.C. that opened in October 2006. Wingårdh, who is probably the best known contemporary Swedish architect abroad, described the hotel as “a massive sculpture.”

Wingårdh's granite and glass construction has two points that zig zag towards Central Station. The black exterior facade slopes out at a four degree angle, which means that the suites situated in the southwest corner of Norra Bantorget get bigger as you go up the building.

With the exception of the roof, the views from the hotel either overlook Norra Bantorget or the inner courtyard. The back of the building facing the railroad tracks has no glass in it and functions as a bomb wall. The front, on the other hand, is almost entirely made of windows.

It's the top floor, however, that will hold appeal for travellers and Stockholmers alike. The spa is run by SelmaSpa, which also has the largest spa in Sweden at its Värmland location. There is the standard gym equipment and relax area, but the real draw is the rooftop pool and terrace. The southern terrace has a view over downtown Stockholm, and the pool, which is heated in the winter, overlooks Kungsholmen. Visitors who are not staying in the hotel can pay 395 kronor during the week or 495 kronor at weekends for a day pass. (You can also get a year membership for the measly sum of 9,995 kronor ($1,550).

The new hotel’s other main attraction is the restaurant, Aquavit Grill and Raw Bar. The original Aquavit was opened in New York City in 1987, and this is the first time it has opened a location outside of the United States. Like the hotel's decor, the cuisine also has a classic Scandinavian theme.

The new Clarion Sign is a beautiful example of Scandinavian architecture, and is certainly a welcome addition to Norra Bantorget, which is situated alongside the railroad tracks and has long been rundown. The hotel itself replaces an old gas station, and more shops, restaurants, offices and apartments are on their way. The entire area is being redeveloped, and should for the most part be complete by summer 2009.

The hotel is also a breath of fresh air to anyone who thinks Stockholm needs a shake-up when it comes to modern architecture. “Compared to other cities in the world, Stockholm lacks up to date, innovative architecture,” wrote architect Rahel Belatchew in The Local. Her firm, RB Arkitektur, has proposed a 30-storey skyscraper beside the tracks of the central railway station. The proposal for the controversial tower followed a heated debate about the Stockholm Kallbadhus, a new bathing house planned to be built on Lake Mälaren.

While it's not clear whether Stockholm's urban planners will buy into either Kungsbroskrapan or the Kallbadhus, the new Hotel Clarion Sign is certainly one step in the right direction towards revitalizing Stockholm's architectural scene.

Originally published on The Local on February 5, 2008.

Here is the second full-text interview of two Q&A's I did with Adrian Shaughnessy and Rick Poynor for a recent article on design criticism education for the February issue of Icon magazine. It was Rick's essay in Icon in March 2006, entitled "Death of the critic", that first got me interested in design criticism, and what this could mean for me as a potential design writer and critic.

Do you think these programs are a step in the right direction towards addressing the design criticism deficit? Is it enough?

The arrival of these courses is good news for anyone who thinks that design criticism matters, but it remains to be seen how many people are interested in writing about design in greater critical depth. There is nothing stopping writers doing that right now, yet the number of committed writers in the field is small. The existence of these courses will certainly help to give critical design writing focus and perhaps some additional credibility. If the courses attract students and if graduates find ways of applying what they have learnt in their subsequent careers, then other institutions will develop similar courses.

Why now? Does this represent a maturation of the discipline of design criticism?

These courses are the fruit of a tendency towards greater self-awareness and seriousness in design writing that goes back to the early 1990s. I don't see this as a maturation of the discipline so much as an inevitable development sooner or later. You could only say there is a maturation of the field when we have a lot of critics, who we know by name, whose writing we encounter regularly, writing critically about every aspect of design in all kinds of outlets. In English-language writing there are plenty of occasional writers of criticism, but there are very few strong, consistent voices identified with rigorously argued and original critical positions. And let's be clear that design journalism, which we do have in abundance, is not the same thing as design criticism. Often it is no more than promotional PR.

What skills do graduates of these programs need to be equipped with?

These graduates will need historical awareness, a deep fascination with design, a healthy measure of scepticism and a willingness to challenge received opinions. Real criticism is going to involve sticking their necks out. Above all, graduates will need the ability to write compelling prose. That can be fostered in those with talent, but not implanted. Without excellent writing that people want to read, "design criticism" will come to nothing. Graduates may also need entrepreneurial skills so they can create new outlets for their criticism.

I've recently had a piece published in the February 2008 issue Icon on three new master's programs in design criticism in New York, London and Stockholm. The program in Stockholm at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design (Konstfack) is already up and running and the first American and British programs start in the fall. It seems the article came out at just the right time as I've seen at least two other pieces on the New York master's (in STEP and Metropolis) in the last month. Here is the full text of the interview with Adrian Shaughnessy, a design consultant and editor of Varoom. Adrian maintains a healthy skepticism (as one would expect from any good design critic), but is cautiously positive about the arrival of these new programs.

 

 

 

It’s interesting that all three of these programs are starting at approximately the same time. Why now?

Firstly I’d say that there is an extraordinary amount of interest in design writing. I get more emails from students on this subject than anything else. The sudden interest can be partly explained by the huge rise in the number of design books over past two decades. Interestingly, the demand for eye candy books has dwindled; publishers will tell you that monographs of even fashionable designers no longer sell, and book buyers demand commentary, analysis and criticism. But by far the biggest impetus has come from the design blogs. Blogging has contributed to a huge upsurge of interest in design writing – the visitor figures for Design Observer – where I am a contributor – and Speak Up, are phenomenal. Far more than any print magazine could hope to achieve.

My own view is that some of the interest in writing is driven by an unwillingness to engage with the messy, blood and guts world of clients, jobs, and the harsh reality of designing in the 21st century. An interest in theory and criticism may be replacing and interest in doing – and that doesn’t auger well.

Is there a market for 40 new design critics and what skills do these graduates need to come out of these programs with?

There is currently only a tiny ‘market’ for design criticism. How many people in the world live purely by writing about design? Half a dozen? Less? But as an intellectual adjunct to working as a designer, I think it’s a useful practice. It also may lead to the nirvana so many designers crave – a situation where design is discussed in the non professional media with intelligence and understanding. This will take a few years to work through the system, but it might be the consequence of the new courses.

Is this enough to address the design criticism deficit, and if not, what else needs to happen?

It might be enough – who knows. Only time will tell. Certainly the people running the courses are inspirational and far-sighted, so that’s a good start.

While all three programs have different focal points, the chairs of all three stress that one of the main goals is to develop a common language or vocabulary to speak about design criticism – on an academic as well as a popular level. Any thoughts on this?

I understand the need for a ‘common language,’ but until we have a common language that is understood by non-designers, design criticism will remain locked within design. Personally, I’m looking for the next Reyner Banham, someone who can write about design from a broad cultural perspective, but informed by the insight that comes from mastering a subject in a way that appeals to a non-design audience. Rick Poynor and Steve Heller achieve this, as do some of the bloggers, but its rare. And unless the new Des Crit courses can engender this, I don’t see anything changing. What mustn’t happen is that a ‘generic’ design voice emerges. I’d like to see something like the emergence of pop music criticism in the late 1960s and 1970s. There was no precedent for this, but distinctive voices emerged that changed the way we think about pop music. Can this happen in design? I don’t see why not.

As a child, American photographer Gregory Crewdson tried to eavesdrop on conversations between his father, a psychoanalyst, and his patients. "I remember wanting to peer in on something forbidden," he said.

His camera lens has afforded him the opportunity to do just that. He believes this early preoccupation with the taboo is still one of the central themes of his work, which provides a surreal glimpse into suburban America. He employs theatrical lighting and elaborate set production to capture a single, often melancholy, moment in time.

While some of his early work, such as his Natural Wonder series (1992-1997), were shots of dioramas he created in his studio, his more recent work is set either on location in small towns or on sound stages.

He showed photographs he took one summer during graduate school at Yale. Using a small town in New England as his backdrop, he "tried to tell a story in light and color." The people in his portraits were all strangers, but the act of entering their homes represents a certain intimacy between photographer and subject. At the same time, Crewdson's subjects are props in his own narrative and their homes become, as he described it, "a site to project my own fictions."

One image was shot from inside a house overlooking a baseball field illuminated with flood lights at night. Crewdson described using a window "as a frame for the interior and exterior" separating "what is familiar and known and what is forbidden and unknown," returning again to the themes from his childhood.

Similar motifs are present in all of his images. However, while the pictures he took during graduate school were done in people's own homes, Crewdson's staging became increasingly more elaborate as he grew as a photographer.

From convincing a woman to plant a garden in her living room to enlisting the local fire department to burn down a house, his work now always involves large crews and, very often, entire towns. He has sodded a street with grass, created a fake snowstorm and posed the local dog catcher with a loaf of Wonderbread and a stuffed brown bear.

His lecture provided an interesting glimpse into the production of his images. When he is shooting on location, he spends months driving around trying to find the right setting. "The place has to feel absolutely ordinary but also have a promise of beauty," he said.

But even though his productions in some ways very much resemble a movie set, Crewdson has no plans to dabble in other mediums. "I think exclusively in terms of single images," he said.

He also points out that despite the enormous efforts that go into capturing the single image he's after, much of the real work happens in post-production. As he puts it, "photography is a process of editing."

Throughout his lecture, Crewdson described what he does as "making pictures" or "making photographs," rather than the more commonly used "taking pictures." (A google search returned 400,000 hits for "make a picture" and 2.7 million for "take a picture). And as he is in control of every last detail frozen in that single moment, "making" may very well be the most accurate description of what he does. Crewdson said the distinction was not conscious:

"I most likely work very differently than other photographers who capture moments in real time. But in the end, no matter how you make a photograph, whether you are a street photographer, working with still life, or working how I do, the problems are always the same. It's how to make a photograph that reflects your vision of the world and how you make a photograph that means something."

 

The fictitious assembly of 13 Stockholmers living in a turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau house, designed by Swedish architect Erik Lallerstedt, is not the average Swedish family. Nor is Casa Cor a typical example of minimalist Swedish design.

Casa Cor, which means “house of colours” in Portuguese, is an exhibition concept imported from Brazil, where it was launched in 1987. The venue, known as “T-House,” is open in Stockholm until October 14th, after which the rooms will be dismantled and the objects auctioned off for charity on bidster.com.

The theme of the exhibition is “The Passionate Home” and each room reflects the personality of one member a multigenerational family of 13. The menagerie of characters – including both the ex-wife and her younger replacement – smells of dysfunction and the tension is evident in the contrasts between rooms, each of which represents a different family member’s private retreat. Some, such as Henrik Schulz’ “player’s crib,” with its sleek black glass walls and hidden storage, are impressive but cold, while Indori’s high-tech-yet-homey living room invites visitors to plop down on the couch and stay for awhile.

 

The man’s rock-and-graffiti-inspired garage is fairly underwhelming, filled with miscellaneous tools and tires, until closer inspection; a red tricycle sitting below a dog-eared Jimi Hendrix calendar speaks to the multiple generations who live there. The current missus’s garage is full of bling and diamonds, and Madonna’s “Material Girl” hums in the background, but the real feat there was getting the Audi A5 in by crane through a hole in the roof of the six-storey building.

 

It’s Grandpa’s architectural atelier that really captures the essence of the man who works there. Perhaps because it was created by a man who is himself a grandfather of design, Åke Axelsson. He has been a furniture designer for 58 years, with projects including Stockholm Stadsmuseet and the Riksdag under his belt, and the studio features his new range of furniture called “ÅkeA.” You leave with a feeling of centrality of the creative process to this elderly gentleman’s existence.

 

Grandpa’s studio leads into “The Guest Room for the Bedless,” designed by Emilia Öster, a student at the Swedish University College of Arts Crafts and Design, and Wåhlin architecture firm. A pile of used chairs and other household objects raises questions about the function of a room and ponders the human tendency to accumulate. It not only looks at how the user shapes the space, but also reflects on how the space shapes its user.

 

The next room, designed by WIS, belongs to the ex-wife. The seventies-inspired blue-and-white décor reflects a blend between her previous married life with her new life as a single, independent woman. Lots of baubles and bling, but it’s clear she’s from a different generation than the new lady of the house, and is trying to reinvent herself.

 

Upstairs, you’ll find the children’s playroom, the breakfast nook, the wine room and the teenagers’ room. The mainstay of the latter is Narrativ’s RIP OFF furniture, biodegradable foam blocks covered in a cut away dotted pattern of varying shapes and sizes to allow the user to create his or her own furniture ranging from couches to bookcases.

 

But perhaps the most memorable space was the tropical solarium, designed by Brazilian architect Jordão e Sobrino. “This is definitely not Swedish!” exclaimed one visitor when he entered the room. Pink and gaudy with sand-cover floors, the solarium’s focal points are various metallic interpretations of the female form, complete with diamond nipples. Chaise longues resembling a reclining woman, wearing nothing but a tiger-print g-string, invite visitors to rest their heads between her legs.

 

The assortment of fictive characters living at Casa Cor is certainly a long way off from the Johanssons, the “typical” Swedish nuclear family composed of mamma, pappa and two children. They have provided playful and colorful inspiration for some of Sweden’s leading designers and architects in their creation of an unusual exhibition space. While the lack of continuity between the rooms sometimes makes the experience disjointed for the visitor, the personalities of the family members are captured in the individual rooms. You will leave both amused, and with a few new ideas for your own home.

The Casa Cor exhibition runs from Sept 1-Oct 14 at T-House at Engelbrektsplan 1 in Stockholm. Opening hours: Tues-Wed 11-19, Thurs-Fri 11-20, Sat-Sun 11-19, Closed Mon. Admission: Adults 150 kronor, Pensioners and students 50 kronor. The objects from the exhibition will be auctioned off on Bidster and proceeds will go to the Childhood Foundation charity.

 

Originally published on The Local on 5th October 2007.