Green design, long-term solutions and ethical aesthetics are making an entrance. Here is ‘Forum’s’ list of ten up-and-coming Scandinavian architects and dewsigners from a talented new generation. They long for the power to break old moulds and they promise diversity and courage. This may be the first time you meet them, but it is not likely to be the last. Text Hedvig Andersson.

 

Marte Frøystad describes herself as a curious and ambitious perfectionist. Her personal idol is Terje Ekstrøm and Ekstrem, which is the “strangest and most amusing chair” she has ever seen. Her own style is classic and defined by robust materials in soft forms.
“Why did you choose a career within design?”
“My parents were my first source of inspiration because when I was little, they built our house from the foundation up. It was a very positive experience where everyone helped to accomplish something together. I have always enjoyed painting, building and creat-ing at the same time as I am a problem-solver. Design gives me an outlet for all of this. I am a dreadful nerd and often go to material trade fairs. They are a great source of inspiration.”
“What type of design should be banned?”
“I don’t think anything should be banned. Bans do not promote creativity but inhibit development and innovation. However, designers and producers must realise that we have a common responsibility not to produce throw-away products.”

Mia Scheel Kristensen’s final school project is an incomplete bridge that became an art school. Her ambition was to create an institution well integrated in Sarajevo’s structure and to change the city centre radically without removing the existing structures. She feels that good architecture not only answers questions but also poses new ones.
“What would you write on a job application?”
“Investigative architect with a predilection for aggre­gates and architectural bricolage. The municipality won’t hire me with that introduction!”
“What type of architecture should be banned?”
“The type that doesn’t take the influence of architecture and material on people and nature into consideration.”
“What is going to happen in the future?”
“I am going back to Sarajevo to gather material for my new book, Sarajevo’s Potentials. There, I hope to be able to present an idea as to how one can build up the town. The book is comprised of essays, plans, interviews and contributions from local artists and architects.”

Karolina Lagerqvist wonders why interior design in public places is often subordinated to humans, while in private homes we want the furniture to dominate and define the room. She is also fascinated by clever inventions and creative solutions. Her interest in design was awakened in her family’s caravan with all its “intelligent and rational details”. She finds inspiration in everyday life, from people and through stories. She is also a do-it-yourself; she welded I am a coathanger herself.
“What was the inspiration behind your project?”
“In the coathanger’s design, I used associations from shadow play and puppet theatre. That was my starting point. I want design to tell stories, as if I were creating a three-dimensional story through things, without letting it be set design. The hardest part was putting it together; I had to learn a totally new craft from the start.”
“What is the most important thing you have learned during your education?”
“To be resolute, brave and to trust my own ability.”
“Where will we see you in the future?”
“I am going to spend the near future in different workshops where I will learn new techniques and types of handcrafts.”

Tommy Kaj Lindgren describes himself as a mixture of unconventional and conservative. He claims that good design has a clear intention, but is also considerate. His graduation work is constructed “between air and water” and examines how new elements can be introduced into an environment that is presumed to be complete. The model is being tested at Venice Lagoon Park in a project that blends in with the surroundings and simultane­ously breaks old patterns.
“Why is your project important?”
“My intention is to create an attractive and versatile area for Venice Lagoon Park’s visitors. It is an experiment where an architectural solution for a difficult area cannot rely on ready-made formulae or methods. The project is a model for how I want to work in the future.”
“What is your first design memory?”
“The cover of John Hejduk’s Mask of Medusa made me realise that good architecture is more than just technical skills and novelty.”
“What is your most important task as an architect?”
“To be able to make aesthetic choices and anticipate the consequences. The architect must be able to answer the question of what influence aesthetic priorities will have in order for design to be meaningful and what hierarchy decides the project and why.”

Worapong Manupipatpong finds himself at the border between architecture and interior design. He inhabits a world of childhood nostalgia where a make-believe home is a sofa that becomes a house. He believes a good designer is one who has a higher aim than just beauty or functionality.
“What is your most important task as an architect?”
“To remember my role as a producer of culture. We are not just producing individual objects but are contri­buting to part of a greater whole that introduces a way of understanding society.”
“What is your first design memory?”
“I used to build ‘rooms’ under the kitchen table. There are no longer such places when you grow up. You can’t play behind the sofa, build a make-believe home or hide in the wardrobe.”
“Why is your project important?”
“It’s all about questioning where the border lies between being a designer and an architect. The object is indefinable; it can be a piece of furniture, a sculpture, or a fragment of a building structure. The hardest thing is not to be stuck in a metaphysical box. I am interested in objects that don’t immediately reveal their qualities.”

Read the whole article in the magazine,
No.3 / 2009.