Now Nordic

- written by Laura

Much like ‘Scandi’, the word ‘Nordic’ gets bandied around as a shorthand for the minimalist, function orientated approach that unites many of the Scandinavian design powerhouses. But is this term relevant in 2018? And what are the similarities and differences of the five nations – Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland – that sit beneath this catch-all umbrella? 

These are questions that Adorno, the online gallery and marketplace that’s somewhere between a city guide and a design shop, is posing with the introduction of its Now Nordic collection. Hot off the heels of launching its Beirut collection at Beirut Design Week in June, the new range features design and craft objects from five countries, picked by five regional curators. Launching at CHART ART FAIR in Copenhagen on 31 August, the collection selects pieces that somehow represent the design culture of each nation right now, giving a snapshot of the vital concerns integral to Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland – and how they differ.

‘In the past, Nordic design was easier to recognise than today,’ says Now Nordic’s Norway curator Alessandro D’Orazio of studio Kråkvik & D’Orazio. ‘Very often you can identify its simplicity and honesty in terms of both design and materials, but in recent years it has most definitely become more playful and daring. We are all influenced by each other.’

The curators, picked for their expert, on-the-ground knowledge of each locale’s design scene, include Denmark’s Pil Bredahl (who also curated Adorno’s Copenhagen collection); Finnish industrial designer Sebastian Jansson; curator, designer and design thinking consultant Hlín Helga Guðlaugsdót from Iceland; Swedish spatial designer Rebecca Ahlstedt; and Norwegian set designers Kråkvik & D’Orazio. Each will select four to five pieces from their home country, ranging from small-scale objects to room-sized installations, that speak to a current concern, trends or national conversation within design.

The collectible pieces will be exhibited both at CHART at the Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art in Copenhagen, from 31 August to 2 September, and online at adorno.design, where there will be a wider selection of pieces – all supplemented with films, editorial, images and interactive content examining the processes and ideas behind each piece and giving an invaluable insight into Nordic design now.

Read Laura's fascinating piece on Adorno and the growth in buying art online here.