Scandtastic! From Aalto to Wirkkala
Excerpt from the book 'Scandinavian Design' by Charlotte and Peter Fiell
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Scandinavia is a patchwork of northern European nation states that form a cultural and regional entity that is very distinct from the rest of Europe. Sharing a common economic and cultural history and linguistic roots (except Finland), the Scandinavian countries each possess a unique character that reflects their different geographies and environmental conditions. More than anywhere else in the world, designers in Scandinavia have instigated and nurtured a democratic approach to design that seeks a social ideal and the enhancement of the quality of life through appropriate and affordable products and technology. From its birth around 1920, modern Scandinavian design has been underpinned by a moral humanist ethos the roots of which can be traced to Lutheranism - the state religion throughout Scandinavia, which stresses truth and reason and teaches that salvation can be gained through honest work that benefits one's fellow man. It is this moral belief in social imperatives that has formed the philosophical bedrock from which Scandinavian design has evolved and prospered.
Scandinavia is a term generally used to describe Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. But only the latter two nations are actually situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula. More properly, within the region the five countries are referred to as Norden, or quite literally "The North". Omitting Iceland, the lonely outpost in the North Atlantic, the other four countries form a territorial entity that extends 1,900 km (1,200 miles) from the Danish-German frontier to the northernmost part of Norway. Their combined land area is about 1,165,000 sq. km (450,000 sq. miles), greater than Britain, France and Spain put together. But the balance changes dramatically when people, not acres, are counted. Vast expanses of northern Finland, Norway and Sweden are given over to mountains and forest, while most of volcanic Iceland is totally uninhabitable. Those who can properly call themselves Nordic number just under 22 million and are to be found living mostly along the coasts or in the rich agricultural areas of the south, where nearly all the big towns are located.
Each Scandinavian country has enjoyed longestablished nationhood and a strong identity, and cherished historical associations and myths from which their people have taken much inspiration. While in the distant past there was serious inter-Nordic conflict, the nations of Scandinavia have achieved a viable and continuous peace with one another for a period of almost two hundred years. Despite certain superficial differences, the Scandinavian people remain much alike. The populations of the five countries are remarkably homogeneous in ethnical and religious terms. The legal systems come from common origins and are dominated by a mutual philosophy - many modern social laws are formulated in common. Although there are many similarities and close bonds between the five Norden states, strong stylistic distinctions in terms of approach to design exist between each of the countries. These are due not only to different industrial, political, economic and social conditions, but also to the fundamentally different temperaments of each country's population. As the design writer Anne Stenros noted, "On the emotional level: the Danes are a little more 'southern', the Finns are a little more 'eastern', the Norwegians are a little more 'northern' and the Swedes stick to the golden mean. The Icelanders have sturdy roots of their own." These differences in national character have resulted in diverse approaches to the applied arts and the "flowering of design" at different times in their histories.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Scandinavia is a patchwork of northern European nation states that form a cultural and regional entity that is very distinct from the rest of Europe. Sharing a common economic and cultural history and linguistic roots (except Finland), the Scandinavian countries each possess a unique character that reflects their different geographies and environmental conditions. More than anywhere else in the world, designers in Scandinavia have instigated and nurtured a democratic approach to design that seeks a social ideal and the enhancement of the quality of life through appropriate and affordable products and technology. From its birth around 1920, modern Scandinavian design has been underpinned by a moral humanist ethos the roots of which can be traced to Lutheranism - the state religion throughout Scandinavia, which stresses truth and reason and teaches that salvation can be gained through honest work that benefits one's fellow man. It is this moral belief in social imperatives that has formed the philosophical bedrock from which Scandinavian design has evolved and prospered.
Scandinavia is a term generally used to describe Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. But only the latter two nations are actually situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula. More properly, within the region the five countries are referred to as Norden, or quite literally "The North". Omitting Iceland, the lonely outpost in the North Atlantic, the other four countries form a territorial entity that extends 1,900 km (1,200 miles) from the Danish-German frontier to the northernmost part of Norway. Their combined land area is about 1,165,000 sq. km (450,000 sq. miles), greater than Britain, France and Spain put together. But the balance changes dramatically when people, not acres, are counted. Vast expanses of northern Finland, Norway and Sweden are given over to mountains and forest, while most of volcanic Iceland is totally uninhabitable. Those who can properly call themselves Nordic number just under 22 million and are to be found living mostly along the coasts or in the rich agricultural areas of the south, where nearly all the big towns are located.
Each Scandinavian country has enjoyed longestablished nationhood and a strong identity, and cherished historical associations and myths from which their people have taken much inspiration. While in the distant past there was serious inter-Nordic conflict, the nations of Scandinavia have achieved a viable and continuous peace with one another for a period of almost two hundred years. Despite certain superficial differences, the Scandinavian people remain much alike. The populations of the five countries are remarkably homogeneous in ethnical and religious terms. The legal systems come from common origins and are dominated by a mutual philosophy - many modern social laws are formulated in common. Although there are many similarities and close bonds between the five Norden states, strong stylistic distinctions in terms of approach to design exist between each of the countries. These are due not only to different industrial, political, economic and social conditions, but also to the fundamentally different temperaments of each country's population. As the design writer Anne Stenros noted, "On the emotional level: the Danes are a little more 'southern', the Finns are a little more 'eastern', the Norwegians are a little more 'northern' and the Swedes stick to the golden mean. The Icelanders have sturdy roots of their own." These differences in national character have resulted in diverse approaches to the applied arts and the "flowering of design" at different times in their histories.
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Scandinavian Design
Flexicover, 19.6 x 25.2 cm (7.7 x 9.9 in.), 704 pages
$ 39.99
$ 39.99
Scandtastic! From Aalto to Wirkkala, more than 200 outstanding Sandinavian designers of the past century
Erik Magnussen, Thermal Carafe (Colour 990 - Yellow) for Stelton, 1976 - yellow version introduced in 1996