Categories: All, Community design, Creativity, Design, Event

Hi! Just when you thought that I have disappeared from the blog world I am here again with a new post. It has been a long time since my latest post, I know. It has happened so much, and I have not had the time.

A lot of my effort has been focused on the Swedish Association of Designers, where I have been the Chairman since 2011. We have been developing the organization and I have been around at meetings with ministries and institutions, and representing in Sweden and abroad. Besides the nordic countries I have been to Hong Kong for the Swedish partnership in one of the biggest design conferences in the world – BODW – Business of Design Week. I was invited among the honored guests and participated also as one of the moderators; I was responsible for the sustainable design session with keynotes from Catarina Midby and Margareta van den Bosch from H&M, Hans Hassle from Plantagon, Kristoffer Hansén from Scania and C.L. Lam from Hong Kong based Green and Associates. The whole week gathered around two hundred swedes in Hong Kong and BODW had about 100.000 vistors. It was a huge success! Thank you General Consulate of Sweden and Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Read more about the Swedish partnership at www.bodw.com and www.sweden-livingdesign.com

I am also proud to tell that I am member of the board at Form/Design Center in Malmö since one year. During 2014 opened up to work in the Malmö-Öresund region. It is one of the most interesting and dynamic regions in Europe right now; a hot spot for design and creativity. I am very happy that we grasped this opportunity to live and work at another place, it is very inspiring and enriching. This doesn’t mean that the studio in Västervik is closed, I have kept my office and workshop there as well. At the moment we have a house in Västervik and a flat in Malmö.

Since beginning of 2015 I am more in Västervik again. The reason is that I had a new born that arrived in February! I have also accepted an offer from the municipality of Västervik to work half-time as project manager for urban development projects. It is very interesting and I learn a lot from being involved into these contexts. I can contribute with new perspectives, and I can have use from my skills within creativity management, design processes and sustainability. It is a lot about adding methods for co-creation and to enhance the dialogue and communication within urban planning projects. It is a lot of interesting projects going on. So far I have led the work for a new street and I am working right now on a square.

There has been so much happening so I can not write about it all here. As the last thing I will just briefly inform you a bit what is going on with me and Iceland. I have been there many times now, and the visits has become more often. During 2014 Design March I was a part of a group who exhibited the results from a design initiative in Utah, USA. We focused on design for Small Communities. We also held a seminar and a workshop in Hannesarholt in Reykjavik. It is an initiative from the group Designers & Forests where I am one of the co-founders, established in 2013. We were starting up an dialogue on how design can be used as a method and a process for sustainable development. We presented the work process that we have developed; EXPLORE-REFLECT-RESPOND. All the participants on the seminar was invited to take part in some exercises that we had prepared. This initiative will be followed by other projects with a similar approach; next one starts now in end of July and beginning of August 2015 in the forests and communities of upper State of New York. More info www.designersandforests.us

Anyhow, it was Iceland I was about to tell more about. Since 2014 I have two new commissions connected to Iceland. One of them is to develop a couple of new series of lamps for a lamp company. I am working on this with my dear friend and colleague Kristjan Kristjansson who is a Lighting Designer and lives in Reykjavik. During Design March 2015 we were exhibiting the prototype af a new lamp – the Puzzle lamp. It will soon be out on the market. We also showed the conceptual Hollow lamp that is very much appreciated and we have got a lot of attention from. More info about the lamp designs will come during fall 2015.

The main project that I am working on in Iceland is Afangastadurinn Austurland – Destination Austurland. It is a destination design project where eight municipalities in east Iceland have agreed on collaboration for developing a common destination platform. Austurland is the region of esat Iceland. It is a spectacular region. Fantastic nature, fjords, wildlife, culture, a lot to see and do and very nice people. I am very happy to be involved in this initiative. The tourism is one of the new primary industries of Iceland, and a lot of effort is being put into the sector in national contexts. Austurland is now one of the regions who takes the lead are pioneers in many ways. The focus for the initiative is to strengthen the attractiveness and competiveness of the destination, and to create a framework for long term, sustainable and profitable growth for the tourism industry. The focus is also on regional development, and on the well-being of communities and residents. The initiative intends to establish a community movement and a framework for destination development. Everyone are invited to get involved. Methods being used aims for co-creation, dialogue and communication throughout the whole process. Áfangastaðurinn Austurland is initiated by FAUST – Ferðamálasamtök Austurlands, and run by Austurbrú.

As I already said, it is hard to update about everything that is going on. This is enough for now. I promise that next blogpost will come soon.

 

Categories: Creativity, Design, Design Management

In beginning of March I traveled to Iceland to work in the project Creative Communities. I went together with my colleague Victor from Nässjöakademin, who is one of the partners in the project. My part was to lead a four day workshop in Egilsstadir on east Iceland, with participants from the area. It was a very inspiring trip and we got a fantastic welcoming reception. The views was extraordinary, Iceland is really a fairytale landscape. I left with with a strong desire to come back, I got a lot of friends and I started to really care about the region.

Since we were on Iceland we also fitted in to stay in Reykjavik for some days. We stayed in the apartment at the Swedish Ambassador’s Residence. On behalf of The Swedish Association of Designers and the Scandinavian Design Alliance I visited Iceland Design Centre – Hönnunarmidstöd – where we had a meeting with the managing director Halla Helgadóttir, Auður Edda Jökulsdóttir- Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Jón Ásbergsson – Promote Iceland. The Swedish Ambassador Anders Ljunggren was also arranging a dinner event where we got a lot important design related connections.

We also made some study visits to schools with design profiles; Listahaskoli – Iceland Academy of the Arts, Taekniskolinn and Idnskolinn in Hafnarfjördur.

It is exciting with all the opportunities and stuff going on between Sweden and Iceland on different levels. As you understand, I had a very good trip – but also a very work intensive. Next time I gonna fit in some days off – just for looking around this beautiful country. Hopefully I will be back in September, and no matter what I will definately attend to the Design March 14-17 March 2013.

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The lake next to the Hotel in Egilsstadir where the sea monster ”Lagarfljotsormurinn” hides – video proof

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Hafnarfjördur Eystri

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Fish Factory – www.fishfactory.org

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Interior from the Fish Factory

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The enthusiastic project manager of Creative Communities and a bunch of other design related projects on East Iceland – Lára Vilbergsdóttir.


Categories: All, Design, Design Management, Meeting

It’s been a while since my last post on the blog. Not because I am dead, contrariwise I feel very alive. After a well needed holiday in January, I have been busy with clients, students and fairs. In beginning of February I attended the Stockholm Furniture Fair. Lots of good stuff to see, and above all – very nice to meet all dear design colleagues! My old pals Form Us With Love invited to a party on Arkitekturmuseet. I must say I really admire them and their work!

I have also been travelling around in Småland – Emmaboda, Växjö, Nybro, Nässjö and not at least the Kingdom of Furnitures – Möbelriket – Lammhult where I brought design students to from Nässjö for a field trip. We were guided by the king him self – Johan Sjöberg – who is very entusiastic and passionate in developing the region and the design related business. We visted Lammhults Möbel where we were guided by CEO Åke Jansson, and at last Svenssons i Lammhult. The students and I were very pleased with the reception we got. Thank you all!

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Bento Chair by F.U.W.L and One Nordic Furniture Company

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From the Furniture fair – storing system by Imeüble, Bjørn Jørund Blikstad

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A classic with a new look

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Nice apprentice work

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Comet by Gunilla Allard and Lammhults Möbel

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Dexter by Andreas Farkas and Lammhults Möbel


Categories: All, Design, Meeting

In beginning of September I was the convener when the Swedish Association of Designers hosted the development meeting of Scandinavian Design Alliance, this time in Stockholm. As always it was very nice to see the colleagues in the working team and we really took big steps forward. It is a very exciting project that will mean a lot not for only Swedish design, but for all of Scandinavia and the nordic countries!

Participating on the meeting were except me from the Swedish Association of Designers, Lennart Eng, Charlie Norrman and Jenny Lindahl Persson from Svenska Tecknare, Rachel Troye and Vera Pahle from Grafill, Søren Yran and Jørgen Holo from Norske Industridesignere, Martin Larsen and Steinar Valade-Amland from Danish Designers.

Lucky enough we also got some quality time in the sun, before the sky opened up and the rain was pouring down…

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Categories: All, Creativity, Design, Event, Meeting

Just before the easter, I contributed in this Phorecast Session – Work Life in 2022 at Almega in Stockholm. The mission was ordered by Almega, Saco and Unionen, aiming to get input to the cooperation for the Swedish service sector - Tjänstesektorns samarbetsavtal. The participants were handpicked and I was one of them. We were divided into three teams, and we worked for three days. My team mates was Eva Ribbenhall and Lars Lundqvist. Very nice and skilled people! It seems we made a good team, since we after the presentations were designated from the jury as the winners! As a part of price we were invited to come back and present our scenario once again – this time for the leadership board of Tjänstesektorns samarbetsavtal. Very honoring…

Here is a pic of all of the participants.

I travel a lot, my clients are spread all over. But mostly to Stockholm, it is a very design intensive region where a lot happens. And because I am engaged in the Swedish Association of Designers I try to attend to important events and meetings. It is quite a lot interesting in the pipe line ahead. Next year Helsinki is World Design Capital 2012, and I last friday I met the committee from Finland at Svensk Form, exploring how we can collaborate more. Also I work close to SVID – Swedish Industrial Design Foundation, right now with a very exciting project –  I tell you more later…

Well – that’s about it at the moment… besides I am also on parental leave allowing me to spend more time together with my son. He is one year old now – time flies!!

Categories: All, Community design, Creativity, Design, Meeting

It has been a lot focusing on Scandinavian Design for me lately. Last week I was in a article in Svenska Dagbladet, a national newspaper, answering some questions about the Scandinavian Design Alliance. It had an immediate ripple effect with a lot of positive feedback! Here is the article - http://www.svd.se/naringsliv/varfor-behovs-ni_6034499.svd. And also one more from another newspaper - http://www.vt.se/nyheter/artikel.aspx?articleid=5861618.

Also last week our friends from east Iceland visited us at Nässjö Lärcentrum. Creative Communities, is a project where we exchange knowledge and learn from each other. This time we were focusing at the school in Nässjö and the eductions in design and product development, also sharing knowledge about wood manufacturing.

We visited A2 Design in Husqvarna, STANDARD Design in Jönköping and the Master’s Design program at Jönköping School of Engineering. Some of the group were visiting other wood related industries and small saw mills. To end up with we had this workshop about identifying East-Icelandic design.

Here is a video clip from the visit broadcasted by the Swedish Television.

Categories: All, Creativity, Design, Design Management, Event, Meeting

So, I went back to Copenhagen last week. This time representing Nässjö Träcentrum in the project Creative Communities. The project is about developing the design related businesses and educations on east Iceland. Very exiting! I met a group of five very nice women from Iceland who are involved in and managing the project, and our excellent hosts for the week Axel Andreas Beck and Peter Koppel from Vaeksthus Copenhagen.

The program was really interesting with a lot of learning and time to share experiences. We made field trips to, among other, Seidenfaden Design, CPH Design, Danish Crafts, Danish Design Centre and Designers Zoo. Also we got educated in  board work, mentorship and the business development tool Vaeksthjulet. As we had all these scandinavian/nordic friends gathered,  I invited Steinar from Danish Designers to help me inform about the Scandinavian Design Alliance that are in the pipeline.

The weather was icy cold but Copenhagen is still a very beautiful and interesting city, filled with top edge scandinavian design. Thank you all involved, for some very inspiring days. Specially to you, Peter and Axel, for putting together the program and taking care of us!

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Troels tells us the recipe for building a successful design company as Seidenfaden. It is a very impressing journey they have done.

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Lars Thøgersen shows the design thinking of CPH Design and their work, much from the aviation industry for Scandinavian Airlines.

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From the Crafts Collection at Danish Crafts

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Visit to Danish Design Center

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Karsten Lauritsen tells us more about Designers Zoo

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Some good examples of danish crafts and design from among others Anne Black and Ditte Fischer

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Happy Icelanders in a cold but beautiful Copenhagen

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One of the coolest stairs I have ever seen at HAY Copenhagen…