We're Farmers...

"We're farmers, we don't talk much, we do things."

Nille Juul-Sorenson
partner in Arup

Denmark

Matilda McQuaid, Deputy Curatorial Director of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum gathered together a panel of Scandinavian designers on Wednesday night to discuss Social Awareness & Sustainability.  Every country in Scandinavia was represented by leading Nordic designers.  

The panel was reserved.  The vibe was definitely low-key.  It seems this group of Nordic designers are well-fed, in fact, their physical needs are so well taken care of by the state, they have time, energy and the desire to concentrate their artistic efforts on objects that solve human problems.

NILLE JUUL-SORENSEN (Denmark) was definitely more voluble than his fellow Nordic designers.   He told a good story.  "People come to my house and admire the "design" objects in my apartment.  But we never think about "design, design."  We don't buy anything just for fun. We buy for function.  We like the fact that our plates are all the same size, that way they can be stacked.  It saves space."

In discussing craft and the loss of craft.  Mr. Sorenson continued.  "All the good craftsmen are pensioners.  We will have to wait another generation, for perhaps good craftsmen to produce objects."

Lavrans Lovlie, Director of livelwork (Norway) discussed the change from design object to design service.  What is it? ZipCar, it changes the business model from a buying a car, which is business to a service.  It's another type of solution.

As an example of a design object that is mass produced, yet is individualized: the iphone.  Again, Mr. Sorensen spoke up "My iphone is different than your iphone."

Perhaps, that is the paradigm of the new design object, a billion on the planet, but each one different from the other.

The Zen calendar for 11.11.2010

Through enlightment I acquired nothing.

THE BUDDHA