Q&A: Trude Gomnæs Ugelstad, Director of Doga

Every year since 2003, Doga has joined forces with Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Embassy in London to showcase the country’s native design talent as 100% Norway. We asked Trude to share her thoughts on 100% Norway’s offering for 2016 as she prepares to bring 17 designers and studios to the UK for another instalment of The London Design Festival.

2016 may be the year when Norwegian design finally steps out of the shadows of our Swedish and Danish neighbours. We experienced great success in both Milan and New York this year and are really looking forward to presenting exciting new designers and products to the British market.

I hope that the show proves that Norwegian design does not stand back from other Scandinavian design. It is my experience that Norwegian designers have a great respect for nature and the materials they use. Several of the items are made of materials such as stone and wood, and are of such high quality the patina they derive from use adds value and history to the product, rather than wearing it out. There are a lot of great Norwegian designs from the 1940s and onwards that I think few people outside Norway knows a great deal about. Today, Norway fosters a great number of excellent new designers. I hope the exhibition helps people to understand that they are a result, and part of, a long, proud tradition.

Like Sweden, we have great resources in our seemingly endless woods. And like Denmark, we have a long coastline. Our nature is brutal and beautiful, and the climate is tough. Traditional Norwegian design is simple, of high quality and long lasting. Looking at the materials our designers choose today, it becomes apparent that they are concerned with sustainable, solid materials with great longevity. To me, simple beauty in functional products with great longevity is the distinct core of Norwegian design.

When I look at the global interest that we experience today, it strikes me that Norwegian design has maintained its characteristics of being simple, clean and of high quality, while producing highly popular contemporary items. In preparing for 100% Norway, we looked at designs from the 1940s and every decade up until today.

Norway has a great reputation of being a sustainable country with wild and clean nature. Being a great oil and gas producer, I am not sure we deserve that reputation. Nevertheless, as we are seeing an end to the petroleum era it pleases me to see that our up-and-coming designers are highly concerned with sustainability –environmentally, socially and economically. This does not only apply to product and

furniture designers, but designers across all disciplines. I really believe that designers will shape Norway’s future, both in regards to our physical surroundings and the way we are going to live.