3_0_ScanMag_66_July_2014_Text_Svetlana:Scan Magazine 1
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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Made in Denmark
An oasis of art in the heart of Aalborg First-time visitors usually get quite a surprise when they enter the cobbled courtyard of Lange Kunsthåndværk (Lange Handicrafts), a ceramic workshop and gallery housed in an old farm from the 1700s. Although it is just a short stroll from one of Aalborg’s vibrant shopping districts, the courtyard is a peaceful spot where the noise of the city is barely audible.
By Lene Bech | Photos: Lange Kunsthåndværk
After a visit to the gallery, many visitors end up seating themselves in the garden, which is decorated with artwork by the Lange artisans and is a venue for popular weekly concerts throughout the summer. “Once people have made their way down here, it often takes them a good while to leave,” says Louise Lange, a third-generation ceramic artist in the family business that is Lange Kunsthåndværk. She creates and exhibits her artwork side by side with that of her parents, Lisbeth and Peter Lange, who took over the family business in 1982 and developed the craft from traditional pottery to ceramic art.
The three artisans have a close working relationship with lots of room for creativity and a dedication to hard work, says Louise: “It’s not unlike life at the family farms in the old days – when it was time to harvest, everybody did their part.” Every year, a new exhibition opens at the Langes’ gallery, which has been at the heart of Aalborg’s cultural life for decades. The artisans often give talks about their craft, either around town or at their workshop, which can also be booked for private events. For more information, please visit: www.langekeramik.dk
Modern, timeless design From the office in Aarhus, Denmark, frier&frier is combining architecture and timeless design in its new range of furniture, a combination that changes the embodied experience of the room. The two sisters, Line and Marie Frier, explore the unique sensuous quality of the functionalistic tradition that they find essential to bring forth in the development of future Danish design. By Josefine Older Steffensen | Photo: frier&frier
Marie says that they “look at architecture like it is a piece of furniture,” and it is from this point of view that the sisters are creating new pieces of furniture, which set out to challenge the original conventions of what furniture can be. Their new range of tables, called Antilope, is asym-
metrical to change the way people sit around the table and make it a completely new experience, designed for the senses and to help us feel comfortable within the room. The tables are also not static, hence the name; they are there to be moved around the house, making new spaces
The old farm from the 18th century in central Aalborg has been home to three generations of ceramic artists.
and informal relationships. The tables also create movement in their participants, as the asymmetric shapes mean that you can move a bit closer to the person you fancy, without it being obvious. The entire production process is kept local, from the first drawings to the final piece – it all happens in Aarhus. The products are designed to last and are all handcrafted by the carpenter MoreWood, creating artisanal pieces. The pieces that the Frier sisters design are here to stay and become family heirlooms. With mirrors and dining tables as their next projects, it sure will be exciting to see how this company develops.
The sisters behind frier&frier: Line and Marie Frier.
For more information, please visit: www.frieraarhus.dk The Antilope series.
Issue 66 | July 2014 | 47