Scandinavian Design
Alternative Histories
Published on 1. February 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
322 pages
978-1-84788-911-9 (ISBN)
Description
Scandinavian design is still seen as democratic, functional and simple, its products exemplifying the same characteristics now as they have done since the 1950s. But both the essence and the history of Scandinavian design are much more complex than this. Scandinavian Design: Alternative Histories presents a radically new assessment, a corrective to the persistent mythologies and reductive accounts of Scandinavian design.
The book brings together case studies from the early twentieth century to today. Drawn from fields as diverse as transport, engineering, packaging, photography, law, interiors, and corporate identity, these studies tell new or unfamiliar stories about the production, mediation and consumption of design. An alternative history is created, one much more alive to national and regional differences and to types of product.
Scandinavian Design analyses a century of design culture from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden and, in so doing, presents a sophisticated introduction to Scandinavian design.
The book brings together case studies from the early twentieth century to today. Drawn from fields as diverse as transport, engineering, packaging, photography, law, interiors, and corporate identity, these studies tell new or unfamiliar stories about the production, mediation and consumption of design. An alternative history is created, one much more alive to national and regional differences and to types of product.
Scandinavian Design analyses a century of design culture from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden and, in so doing, presents a sophisticated introduction to Scandinavian design.
Reviews / Votes
Most 20th-century accounts of Scandinavian design have depended on cliched descriptors such as 'humane', 'democratic', 'organic' and 'blond'. The authors of the twelve highly stimulating essays in this new anthology on the subject, skilfully assembled by design historian Kjetil Fallan, overtly reject those tired terms and, instead, offer 21st-century readers a reinvigorated account that is richer, more diverse and, most importantly, more analytical and scholarly. The book brings together new information, new approaches and a new set of narratives that make us look again at the idea of Scandinavian design. These alternative histories challenge existing orthodoxies and, as such, are guaranteed to become key design historical texts of the 21st century. * Professor Penny Sparke, Kingston University, London * This landmark book nudges our understanding of Scandinavian design beyond IKEA and Hans Wegner's teak chairs. Heralded for some time, the subject has, until now, offered a frustratingly limited selection of literature in English. From the Reverse Vending Machine's 'Hole in the Wall' to Oslo's streamlined 'Goldfish' trams, design stars like Jacob Jensen to the Swedish Cooperative Union's plastic grocery bags and 'graffiti board', Scandinavian Design covers material that will appeal to casual readers. But its smart, knowledgeable essays make this book a first stop for anyone interested in the full story of Scandinavian design. * Elizabeth Guffey, Purchase College State University of New York *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
51 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 176 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
600 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84788-911-9 (9781847889119)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2013
1st Edition
Berg Publishers
€39.99
Available for download
Person
Kjetil Fallan is Associate Professor of Design History in the Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas at the University of Oslo, Norway, and the author of Design History (Berg, 2010).
Content
Introduction, Kjetil Fallan, University of Oslo, Norway
1. A Historiography of Scandinavian Design
Kjetil Fallan, Anders V. Munch, University of Southern Denmark, Pekka Korvenmaa, Aalto University, Finland; Espen Johnsen, University of Oslo, Norway, Sara Kristoffersson and Christina Zetterlund, both Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Sweden
PART 1: NETWORKS
2. 'What's Worth Copying Is Worth Protecting': Applied Art and the Evolution of Danish Copyright Law, Stina Teilmann-Lock, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Hand-Woven Fabrics by the Yard: Unveiling Modern Design Industry of the Interwar Period, Leena Svinhufvud, Design Museum Helsinki, Finland
4. Designing the 'Consumer in Infinity': The Swedish Co-operative Union's New Consumer Policy, c. 1970, Helena Mattsson, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
5. Designing a Hole in the Wall: The Reverse Vending Machine as Socio-Technical System and Environmental Infrastructure, Finn Arne Jorgensen, Umea University, Sweden
PART 2: APPROPRIATIONS
6. Just Decoration? Ideology and Design in Early Twentieth Century Sweden, Christina Zetterlund, Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Sweden
7. Goldfish Memories: Recounting Oslo's Streamlined Aluminium Trams, Kjetil Fallan, University of Oslo, Norway
8. Creature Comforts: Soft Sofas and the Demise of Modernist Morality in 1970s Finland, Minna Sarantola-Weiss, Helsinki City Museum, Finland
9. Jacob Jensen and the Lifa Kitchen: Branding the 'Lifestyle Kitchen' with Designer Personality and Mythology, Hans-Christian Jensen, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
PART 3: MEDIATIONS
10. Something Old, Something New, Something Stolen, Something Blue: Designing a Chocolate Bar, Stig Kvaal and Per Ostby, both Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
11. Exhibitable Furniture: Interpreting Images of Design, Malene Breunig, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
12. The Advantages of Being Swedish: Volvo in America, Jeff Werner, Stockholm University, Sweden
13. From Policies To Politics: Finnish Design on the Ideological Battlefield in the 1960s and 1970s, Pekka Korvenmaa, Aalto University, Finland
Epilogue, Kjetil Fallan
Bibliography
Index
1. A Historiography of Scandinavian Design
Kjetil Fallan, Anders V. Munch, University of Southern Denmark, Pekka Korvenmaa, Aalto University, Finland; Espen Johnsen, University of Oslo, Norway, Sara Kristoffersson and Christina Zetterlund, both Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Sweden
PART 1: NETWORKS
2. 'What's Worth Copying Is Worth Protecting': Applied Art and the Evolution of Danish Copyright Law, Stina Teilmann-Lock, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Hand-Woven Fabrics by the Yard: Unveiling Modern Design Industry of the Interwar Period, Leena Svinhufvud, Design Museum Helsinki, Finland
4. Designing the 'Consumer in Infinity': The Swedish Co-operative Union's New Consumer Policy, c. 1970, Helena Mattsson, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
5. Designing a Hole in the Wall: The Reverse Vending Machine as Socio-Technical System and Environmental Infrastructure, Finn Arne Jorgensen, Umea University, Sweden
PART 2: APPROPRIATIONS
6. Just Decoration? Ideology and Design in Early Twentieth Century Sweden, Christina Zetterlund, Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Sweden
7. Goldfish Memories: Recounting Oslo's Streamlined Aluminium Trams, Kjetil Fallan, University of Oslo, Norway
8. Creature Comforts: Soft Sofas and the Demise of Modernist Morality in 1970s Finland, Minna Sarantola-Weiss, Helsinki City Museum, Finland
9. Jacob Jensen and the Lifa Kitchen: Branding the 'Lifestyle Kitchen' with Designer Personality and Mythology, Hans-Christian Jensen, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
PART 3: MEDIATIONS
10. Something Old, Something New, Something Stolen, Something Blue: Designing a Chocolate Bar, Stig Kvaal and Per Ostby, both Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
11. Exhibitable Furniture: Interpreting Images of Design, Malene Breunig, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
12. The Advantages of Being Swedish: Volvo in America, Jeff Werner, Stockholm University, Sweden
13. From Policies To Politics: Finnish Design on the Ideological Battlefield in the 1960s and 1970s, Pekka Korvenmaa, Aalto University, Finland
Epilogue, Kjetil Fallan
Bibliography
Index