Milan 2015: furniture, ceramics and glassware by Norwegian designers have been collected together for an exhibition intended to show the country's contribution to Scandinavian design (+ slideshow).
The exhibition called Norwegian Presence was hosted by Klubben, Norwegian Crafts and Norwegian Icons – a trio of independent and government-funded groups set up to nurture the reputation of the Nordic nation's design.
Over 50 products from 46 Norwegian designers and artisans – ranging from contemporary prototypes to 1940s furniture – were included in the exhibition that ran from 15 to 19 April in the Ventura Lambrate district during Milan design week.
Exhibition organiser Norwegian Crafts is a body funded by the nation's Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The group presented a range of products and installations by nine Norwegian craftspeople, including a line of ceramic tableware called Tuthanka by Norwegian potter Margit Seland. The spouted vessels feature sanded matt exteriors and brightly coloured lids.
Norwegian Icons represents the region's design output between 1940 to 1975 to raise awareness of the country's contribution to Scandinavian design, while also promoting new designers.
A multi-coloured modular furniture piece called Krobo was one of the historic pieces on show. Produced in 1960 by post-war furniture designer Torbjørn Afdal, it features an upholstered bench, with a pale wooden frame and brightly coloured metal trays.
Among contemporary designers represented by the group is Kristine Bjaadal, who created a series of coloured glass vessels with bulbous shapes and wooden lids called Hold, which first launched at the beginning of 2015.
Norwegian design collective Klubben unveiled new prototypes and projects from 18 of its 31 members at the show, including a set of linoleum-topped tables named Flip it! by product and spatial designer Marte Frøystad. The metal-framed tables and pedestals have tops based on variations of the circle, featuring segmented and stretched semi-circular tops in speckled yellow, peach or black.
Graphic and product designer Kristine Five Melvær also created a series of brightly coloured and patterned blankets called Mikkel, which were shown for the first time at the exhibition. The colour block patterns, woven in Norwegian wool were inspired by the Bauhaus movement.
"The Mikkel blankets combine inspiration from the Bauhaus movement and Norwegian traditional weaving on one side," said the designer, "with a contemporary and exploratory use of colour on the other."
Unit was another product debut – a bench with a cork seat and feet by furniture and textile designer Silje Nesdal, who grew up in a Norwegian fjord but is now based in Oslo.
A range of wooden trays were designed by Siv Lier, with shiny brass disks that project from the base. The fins of the Spring trays can be used as dividers for loose change, accessories or as a letter rack.
Other Scandinavian design on show in Milan last week included a collection of new products by Danish designers and ceramicists, shown at the Mindcraft exhibition curated by GamFratesi.