Design Museum Danmark via Superkilen

Being the culture vulture that I am, I took a short break over to the Danish capital of Copenhagen last week. On the itinerary for one of those days was to check out the Superkilen installation, simply because I visited the Tate modern last year and there was an interesting installation there called One, Two Three Swing by the Danish art collective Superflex. I even mentioned it in a previous blog post about the possibility of checking Superkilen out while in the capital. Now, Im not too sure if it was the weather or the time of year but the only word I can use to describe the Superkilen installation when I arrived there was ‘drab’. I was expecting a hub of interesting sculptures in the heart of a Danish community. Instead I was greeted with a baron and dull landscape. The place area looked abandoned. However, it wasn’t a wasted trip 10 minutes out of the city centre as I was more intrigued by the street art surrounding the area. The large scale street art that had been painted on the sides of houses and buildings we’re a saving grace to another wise waste of time. I imagine the Superkilen is amazing in the summer when the weather is a lot better with more people about and the street art leering over the park, so instead of pictures of the Superkilen, below are images of the street art I discovered which I thought were more interesting.

After the slight disappointment of Superkilen the main aim of the day was the Design Museum of Denmark. Taking full advantage of the Copenhagen card I purchased before I travelled meant that admission to the museum was free. Before exploring the design museum my knowledge of Danish design was limited, but I knew Scandinavian design in general focussed on simplistic and functional ideas. I think when people think of Scandinavian design they automatically think IKEA and I kind of thought that too. My knowledge the subject other than that was the Sir Ove Arup exhibition at the V&A a couple of years ago. He was the British-Danish Engineer who worked with Danish Architect Jørn Utzon to build the Sydney Opera House which is probably one of the most iconic buildings in not only Danish inspired architecture, but the world. So with that in mind I was surprised that the first thing that I learnt was that Danish design is influenced by Japanese craft and design. At first I thought I was in the wrong place but the more I weaved around the first half of the museum it was becoming more obvious. As the exhibitions curator Dr. phil. Mirjam Gelfer-Jørgensen states “Japanese art supplied Danish art with incentives that have translated into new approaches in several areas of craftsmanship. For Danish art, Japanism has been a catalyst with a far-reaching and long-lasting effect. The flow has been an important prerequisite for the modernism that made Denmark into a design nation in the 20th century.”

The part of the museum that interested me the most being a graphic designer was the massive poster collection they have on display. I was keen to learn about the heyday of Danish poster design (1920-1960) and how the culture, advertising and politics influenced the design. There was a flow to the poster section to show the transition from 1920’s Art Deco and Cubism to propagandist war posters during World War II and the further freedom and confidence the illustrators had to express themselves more after the war in the 50’s and 60’s. It was equally interesting to see how the different factors at the time combined with advancements in printing techniques turn poster design into an art form. The collection was undoubtably impressive as a lot of the museum was papered in the posters which shows how important they are to the identity of Danish design. Picking any sort of favourite from the vast display was impossible so it was easier to just appreciate the collection as a whole.

I knew at some point the museum would have  furniture section and surely enough there was an extensive Danish chair collection. It explored Denmarks golden age of furniture design (1920-1970). The curator of this exhibition, Christian Helmeted Olesen, wanted to “communicate Danish Design’s DNA through the chair, which is one of the strongest representatives of the development of Danish design”. Each chair displayed was placed in its own box frame like a piece of art so each design could be appreciated and not classed as just a chair. My initial thought (other than id like to take a few pieces home) was that the installation and this part of the exhibition for some reason reminded me of Stanley Kubrick films such as ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. In particular Alex DeLarge's home in 'A Clockwork Orange' and the interior of Space Station V in '2001'. After a quick research I found that some of the furniture on 2001 was designed by Danish designer Arne Jacobsen who displayed some furniture in the exhibition and also Finnish designer Eero Saarinen. I must admit after this exhibition I found I had a new found appreciation of furniture design in particular as the chair as its probably the most used piece of furniture that we use on a daily basis. Coming to the end of the tour of the museum I couldn’t help feeling quite impressed at how quite a small country in Scandinavian can have such a global influence in design in general and still influence and inspire with its timeless design.

The two hours I spent exploring gave a me a insight into the origins of Danish design and what I now know is Danish Modern though a variety of artistic mediums such as poster design, crafts, and architecture but most of all the unique furniture design. Ultimately, it was the constant reminder that simplicity and functionality will always be the starting point and association with not only Danish design but also Scandinavian design. Its a lot like design in general where often the simplest of ideas have the greatest effect.