K E A Q u a r t e r ly
Debate
D ES I G N in t h e genes We were once the world leaders in design: the functionalist design tradition from the 1950s and 1960s, with standard-bearers such as Arne Jacobsen and Poul Kjærholm , made the Scandinavian lifestyle famous. Now today’s design students are building on the agenda of the old masters .
text Signe Løntoft
W
e all know them well. The silhouettes of Danish furniture classics from the mid20th century: Arne Jacobsen’s stacking chairs, Hans J Wegner’s cane chairs, Poul Kjærholm’s leather sofas. If we do not know the names, we know the furniture when we see it. Just like we know Kay Bojesen’s hanging monkey, Kaare Klint’s lamps and Bang & Olufsen’s televisions. For many of us, the classic Danish design tradition represents a stylish modernism that we save up to buy because we are attracted by its timeless elegance. Wegner’s chair and Kjærholm’s sofa remind others of their parents and their friends: the safe choice and sanctioned good taste, as seen in slightly boring home interior magazines. Either way, we cannot ignore the Danish design tradition. It is a part of our cultural heritage, a kind of aesthetic DNA instilled in us from childhood, bathed in the light of PH lamps. “Danish design is a strong brand with inherent advan-
tages and disadvantages,” says Christian Stadsgaard, who teaches design theory at KEA’s popular Design and Business bachelor programme. “The good thing is that it gives us something to build on. There is already a narrative to connect with, giving a head start to those attempting to reach out to the world with design created in Denmark. The challenging part involves all the expectations associated with Danish design. This sometimes limits the options of younger designers, whose work is based on a different reality than that which gave rise to the design classics of the 1960s.” At the old industrial building on Frederikkevej in Hellerup that houses the programme, new students are introduced to the design world with a course on functionalism. All students must complete this cross-disciplinary course during the first six weeks of their studies. Serving as a kind of modern history of design philosophy, the course addresses the dilemmas within functionalism. What is
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Hans J. Wegner in his own design. The PP112 chair is designed for PP Furniture in 1978.
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