Today, Sweden announced the opening of the virtual Swedish Design Museum. It focuses on architecture, design and fashion. The first exhibition, “Live from Sweden”, offers visitors a glimpse into the Swedish lifestyle and the design objects Swedes surround themselves with.
Design and creativity is of huge importance socially, culturally and aesthetically to Sweden. Design has a deep connection to the country’s progressive values since it is driven by the idea of equality for all. In Sweden, design is seen as a tool to solve problems in unexpected ways and challenge the status quo to create a better life for everyone.
Online museum
The virtual Swedish Design Museum is not your typical museum – it has no physical collection. It is an online museum with the purpose of making Swedish design accessible and visible to people in all corners of the world.
“Live from Sweden” – Design as part of everyday life
The first exhibition called “Live from Sweden” includes eight design objects. They are shown through live streaming and video online and give visitors the chance to catch a glimpse of Swedish life and the design objects Swedes surround themselves with.
“Design is important to international travellers and it is something they are curious about in relation to Sweden. The aim of the Swedish Design Museum is to exhibit design objects that have a deeper purpose than merely good looks. The exhibition ‘Live from Sweden’ lets visitors catch a glimpse of Swedish design objects used by ordinary Swedes as part of their everyday life. Objects that are made to be used, and used again – not put on a pedestal or locked behind glass,” said Jennie Skogsborn Missuna, Chief Experience Officer (CXO) at VisitSweden.
The design objects
”Live from Sweden” features eight design objects within the fields of architecture, design and fashion. These objects are:
Architecture
- Strandparken – a carbon-negative eight-floor timber apartment building, by Folkhem and Wingårdhs architects
- Kaggeboda – a Swedish “Attefall’s house”, built according to regulations making it easier for Swedes to realize the dream of a weekend/vacation residence, by Kolman Boye Architects in collaboration with architect Tove Fogelström – see the video:
Design
- OD-11 – a wireless multi-room loudspeaker, high quality sound for everyone, by Teenage Engineering
- Plug Lamp – a lamp with a built-in electrical socket, by Form Us With Love
- Thule Glide – a high performance sports stroller, by Thule in partnership with Veryday
- One Happy Cloud – a bowl with an in-fold on the inside rim to serve as support to grip food like noodles with your chopsticks, by Ingegerd Råman
Fashion
- Changes – a unisex collection with labels including both women’s and men’s sizes, by Hope-Sthlm
- Reflexive bag – a collection that made visibility fashionable, from “Watch Your Back” collection by Ann-Sofi Back
Inclusive, not exclusive
“The whole idea of design in the North is that it’s inclusive – not exclusive – which makes it important to show how it’s used. And that’s where the ordinary people come into the picture. That’s who we work for.” (Gustaf Kjellin, Curator and co-founder of Summit, an independent architecture and design initiative)
Live streams
The virtual Swedish Design Museum launches today. Live streams of three objects included in the first exhibition will be conducted throughout the day tomorrow, Wednesday, November 15, on VisitSweden’s Facebook-page.
The next exhibition is planned to open in 2018.
More info
Source: VisitSweden UK; photo: Swedish Design Museum by VisitSweden
