The logic of the local. Norwegian and Polish contemporary design

The exhibition presented contemporary design in Poland and Norway, which has become one of the top areas of culture, playing an important role in the foreign promotion of the two countries. One of the main trends in both Polish and Norwegian design is the use of vernacular tradition in the context of techniques and materials, as well as invoking the concept of sustainable development. The exhibition was an attempt at showing mutual Polish‑Norwegian correlations and affinities in design from the last fifteen years.

The issue was illustrated by specific works of Polish and Norwegian designers, already awarded and recognized in the world or most recent ones. The display has included Polish exhibits from the Ethnographic Museum in Kraków and Norwegian items from the Sverresborg Trøndelag Folkemuseum, exemplifying traditional crafts – contemporary source of inspiration both in shaping new forms, and in the philosophy and strategy of today’s design.

The exhibition was organized in collaboration with the Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum in Trondheim, which is one of the branches of MIST (Museene i Sør-Trøndelag / Museums of South Trøndelag).

The exhibition was also presented at the Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrie Museum from 6.04.2017 to 4.06.2017.

Curators of the exhibition

dr Monika Rydiger

Solveig Lønmo

Curators of the exhibition

dr Monika Rydiger

Art historian and critic, curator. She curated or co-curated such exhibitions as Hunting Down Modernism: The Prohibited Arts in the Third Reich (2011), Memory: Registers and Territories (2013), MAKOM. Dani Karavan. The Essence of Place (2015), The Logic of the Local: Norwegian and Polish Contemporary Design (2016). She is a member of the Polish section of AICA (International Association of Art Critics), vice president of the Association of Art Historians, Kraków Branch. Author of texts on modern and contemporary art, specialising in sculpture and architecture.

Solveig Lønmo

Curator at the Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum and a PhD student at the Faculty of Art and Media at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. She specialises in the museum’s extensive collection of textiles, and in particular in the tapestries of the artist Hannah Ryggen. Curator of two editions of the museum’s Hannah Ryggen Triennial (2019 and 2022). Her forthcoming doctoral thesis is devoted to a theoretical and critical approach to the works of this renowned Norwegian artist.

Artistic design: Paweł Żelichowski

Coordination and organisation: Anna Śliwa

Project assistant: Kama Guzik

Organisers: ICC, Museene i Sør-Trøndelag, Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrie Museum

With financial support from: the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Municipality of Kraków

Sponsor of educational events: Canson

ICC partner: Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne S.A. in Kraków

Publications

Logika lokalności. Norweski i polski współczesny design (The logic of the local. Norwegian and Polish contemporary design)

One of the trends in contemporary design draws inspiration from traditional, often regional, forms and patterns; it rediscovers old craft and handicraft techniques, utilises local materials and engages local communities. Designers sensitive to local context strive to create in line with the principles of sustainable development, ensuring harmony and balance within the local environment. This album is an attempt to highlight the mutual Polish-Norwegian connections and points of convergence within this particular design movement, using projects from the last fifteen years as examples. This theme will be illustrated by works that have already received international awards and recognition, as well as the very latest creations.

Author of the publication: Collective work