February 04, 2016
IS THIS IT?
The MA students from Interior Architecture & Furniture Design at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts exhibit at the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair. The built installation investigates the contemporary challenges of Norwegian society and the role design might play in that.
Norway’s national image and its main industries are closely related. The stereotype of Norway is of course our beautiful nature and its oil industry that has propelled our quality of life rapidly. This is often referred to as “Olje Eventyret”, or the “Oil Adventure”. Norway is very fortunate to have stumbled upon this opportunity, yet we feel that it has become a crutch. All of our eggs have been put into one basket. Now that this particular industry seems to be in decline, what does the future look like? What will the next adventure be about?
The naive pool of oil based foam, relates to a children’s plastic ballpool. A vertical wall opposite of the pool invites the engagement of people to remove a piece of it. By doing so one is a part of revealing another picture to the story. The serious and critical tone of the pavilion is set within a very social and playful setting.
We believe that our country is more than it’s fjords and its oil. A diverse range of industries and innovation must not only become internationally visible, but become a larger part of the country’s development. We hope this change will happen through more than objects and spaces, but a shift in our thinking that allows us to tackle both social and material challenges of the future. As students we would like to see the field of design play a role in strengthening Norway’s international exports and national progress.
The stand is located in the Greenhouse area at VH04:27. The fair opens on Tuesday 9.2. and continues until 13.2..
For more images, see http://livespace.no/projects/is-this-it
