Scan Magazine, Issue 110, March 2018

MARCH 2018 ISSUE 110 PROMOTING BRAND SCANDINAVIA

LIV ULLMANN AND THE MEMORY OF BERGMAN NORDIC CULTURE SPECIAL TOP PLACES TO VISIT IN NORWAY IN 2018 THE BOLD SWEDISH FESTIVAL WITH A STATEMENT

Your Shortcut to Scandinavia Bergen

NORWAY

Oslo Stockholm Bromma

SWEDEN Aalborg

Gothenburg

Aarhus

UNITED KINGDOM

DENMARK Billund

Manchester

London City

GERMANY Brussels

Düsseldorf

BELGIUM

SWITZERLAND

Munich

Zürich

S n a cks

Me al s

Drinks

ba.com

Pap ers

Lounges

Smiles

Scan Magazine | Contents

Contents 32

COVER FEATURE 32

Liv Ullmann and the Memory of Bergman With a 60-year career as an actor, author and director, Liv Ullmann is known across the globe for her raw performances and Scandinavian grace.

Scan Magazine caught up with the Norwegian icon, Ingmar Bergman’s muse, only to find that all she ever wanted was to be a comedian.

16

make art accessible and bring it back to the people.

Add some bronze walruses, and this Danish culture spotlight is complete!

64

Using nutritious, arctic ingredients and a good dose of innovation, these Finnish culinary brands are changing the food and drink scene for the better. That means improved flavours, improved health and an improved conscience. A delicious taste of Finland, in other words.

DESIGN 10

Ebb and Flow and Friends and Founders With hand-crafted lamps and furniture boasting sharp silhouettes, these design brands are taking the world by storm and showing how the Nordic design heritage can be merged with boldness in very impressive, successful ways.

70

Food, Wine and Water There is no such thing as a mouth-watering restaurant too many, so with that as our motto we decided to continue with another Features Section full of tasty, refreshing treats – from grain to table and bottle.

SPECIAL THEMES 36

Swedish Culture Special Go north or south, to a modern museum or an old castle – Sweden is full to the brim with top-class cultural experiences and groundbreaking initiatives.

This year, our special guide for those planning a cultural trip to Sweden presents everything from a children’s book character’s very own cultural centre to world-renowned art museums and remote nature experiences.

45 70 56

Destination Norway: Top Places to Visit in 2018 A fascinating historical exploration is fascinating indeed wherever you may find it, but surrounded by stunning fjords and awe-inspiring mountains it is that bit more enjoyable. Why choose between fun activities and stunning nature when you can have both? These seaside destinations and protected national parks all promise an unforgettable Norwegian holiday.

SPECIAL FEATURES 23

A Taste of Finland

Danish Culture in and Around Copenhagen In true Scandinavian spirit, we decided to speak to some passionate culture vultures who are trying to

BUSINESS 81

Danish and Finnish Innovators While keynote writer Nils Elmark celebrates the concept of new local economies and columnist Steve Flinders lists his three favourite things about doing business in Scandinavia, we decided to find out what these ideas look like on the ground by talking to some of the most innovative Danish and Finnish entrepreneurs right now.

CULTURE 102 The Festival That Makes a Statement If you want to know how to fill your cultural quota in the coming months, look no further than our culture calendar. If you want to know how to get that same hit come September, read about Sweden’s first ‘man-free’ festival and find out why it is not as controversial as it might sound.

REGULARS & COLUMNS 6 Fashion Diary | 9 We Love This | 89 Restaurant of the Month | 90 Hotel of the Month 91 Activity of the Month | 92 Experience of the Month | 94 Fair of the Month 96 Gallery of the Month | 98 Artist of the Month | 100 Humour

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 3

Scan Magazine | Editor’s Note

Dear Reader, “I hope you like it,” business columnist Steve Flinders wrote when he emailed me this month’s column. I always like his columns, and I believe he knows that; this was, I think, more a way of bringing my very active attention to what he was trying to say. In his piece, he lists his favourite three things about doing work in Scandinavia: the bright, considered work spaces; the non-hierarchical work relationships and flat organisation structures; and, finally, the uncomplicated gender relations.

I miss Swedish cheese and summer evenings as much as the next Swedish expat, but I am inclined to agree with Steve here: few things are as strikingly powerful about the Scandinavian societies as the space to think, the chance to fearlessly express those thoughts using words, and the relative possibiliy for women to turn words into action. Just look at Emma Knyckare and Statement Festival: there might be eyebrows being raised here and there, and the odd person sulking, but this group of women are sparking debate way beyond Sweden’s borders – and amplifying female artists during two days of seriously safe fun while they are at it.

A fellow Nordic writer, entrepreneur and mother told me recently that living in the UK made her a feminist, then listed extortionate childcare costs among the reasons why she decided to return to Norway. With International Women’s Day just behind us, I think

it is worth giving this some thought: the flat company structures Steve describes are often cited as one of the key reasons why Scandinavian businesses are doing so well globally. Add the fact that we, in this issue alone, are listing countless female food entrepreneurs, furniture designers and museum curators who are able to contribute to the strength of the Nordic markets despite being mothers, or maybe even very much thanks to the added benefit of having experienced what motherhood means, and it is hard to argue with the fact that hierarchies and discrimination are seldom productive. It is irrelevant, then, if you are a food producer in Finland or a hotel owner by the sea in Norway. What it comes down to in Scandinavia is the space to think, the possibility to put thoughts into action – the mindset that puts prejudice aside and quality first.

When this month’s cover star, actor and director Liv Ullmann, describes Ingmar Bergman, it seems clear that he needed her just as much as she needed him. Maybe that is the beauty of relationships, whether professional, creative or private: when we tear down walls and guards and fears, we can make magic happen – together. Ain’t that a Scandinavian message to be proud of.

Linnea Dunne, Editor

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4 | Issue 110 | March 2018

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Business or pleasure?

BUSINESS AND PLEASURE!

Villa Källhagen is perfectly suited for well-travelled people with high expectations. You sleep well in comfortable beds and eat well in the classic restaurant or the buzzy lobby bar. Staffed around the clock and serving food every day of the week, Villa Källhagen will leave you well rested and rejuvenated to face the challenges of tomorrow.

Situated within walking distance from downtown Stockholm, Villa Källhagen is easy to get to, with the bus stopping right outside the entrance, easy access to taxis, and excellent parking possibilities.

Villa Källhagen – a unique countryside feel in the heart of Stockholm.

Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen 10, 115 27 Stockholm villa@kallhagen.se • 08-665 03 00 • kallhagen.se

Scan Magazine | Design | Fashion Diary

Fashion Diary…

Welcome the new season by adding a few athletic additions to your wardrobe.

Scandinavian style is all about being casual and cool while keeping it simple. If you love staying comfy but stylish at the same time, then these sporty pieces are just what you need.

By Ingrid Opstad | Press photos

A classic bomber jacket is a great addition to every wardrobe, a versatile item with a sporty look. This go-to transitional jacket can be worn all year long – just layer it up during colder months. We love the minimalist look of this classic blue model from Jack & Jones, paired with a plain rose-coloured t-shirt for spring.

Jack & Jones classic bomber jacket, £30 www.jackjones.com

You can never go wrong with a basic hoodie in your wardrobe, and the cotton rib star is a Mads Nørgaard classic. This sweatshirt with hood and strings has a minimalist aesthetic, ideal for the modern, easygoing Nordic man.

Mads Nørdgaard cotton rib star hoodie, approx £52 www.madsnorgaard.com

A simple polo shirt suits any occasion, great for dressing up without actually wearing a shirt, yet sporty and casual. Kosmo from Wood Wood is a waffle cotton knit polo featuring a subtle contrast-coloured, ribbed collar and three W.W. engraved button details.

Wood Wood Kosmo polo shirt, £100 www.woodwood.com

Whether you are off on a romantic break with your partner or a getaway with friends, a fashionable and functional bag is a must. Get ready for adventure with this dark brown weekend bag with a compact yet spacious look.

Wood Wood Tony weekend bag, £120 www.woodwood.com

6 | Issue 110 | March 2018

Scan Magazine | Design | Fashion Diary This figure-hugging dress has a classic shape with added sporty details. Produced in a flexible fabric with a round neck and long sleeves, it has that perfect active feel. Dress it up with high heels and a smart jacket, or get a more relaxed look teamed up with white trainers as seen on the model.

Mads Nørdgaard Soft sport duba dress, approx £88 Mads Nørdgaard Floater mix malika sneakers, approx £141 www.madsnorgaard.com Stay relaxed in this interesting twist on a classic sweatshirt. The North sweatshirt is a minimalistic, soft jumper with a snap-on button at the front adding a special touch to the design. This oversized style has dropped shoulders and wide sleeves that add to the comfy appearance.

Weekday North sweatshirt, £35 www.weekday.com

Combining the comfort of sweats and a chic style, these By Malene Birger’s smooth crepe trousers are an everyday trend staple for both the office and a night out. A hint of stretch ensures maximum comfort.

Team yours with an oversized shirt or a smart top.

By Malene Birger Ieta trousers, £190 www.bymalenebirger.com

Scandinavians value comfortable footwear, and if you are after a new take on the classic rubber sole sneakers we suggest these with a mule slip-in design.

The Jodi sneaker from Filippa K is the perfect casual addition to your shoe collection with a feminine vibe.

Available in three colours: rose, black and dune.

Filippa K Jodi slip-in sneaker, £170 www.filippa-k.com

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 7

Scan Magazine | Design | Street Style

Nordic Humans of London Scan Magazine’s brilliant Sanna Halmekoski has once again hit the streets of London to find out what the Scandinavian fashion fanatics are wearing. Cool, sleek, and full of statements, this is a little piece of Scandiland in the United Kingdom.

Text and photos by Sanna Halmekoski | www.nordichumans.com

Vilde B. Nilsen Norwegian event management student @vildebn

Patrik Gren Swedish garden designer @vivalasweden

“My style depends on my mood. One day I might like to be sporty, and another I might like to be very sophisticated. Today, my style is smarter, and I wanted to wear something darker because it is raining. I often like to shop online. Today my jacket is by Zara, my trousers are vintage Ralph Lauren, the umbrella is from eBay, my shoes are by DNA, the bag is from TK Maxx, the glasses are by Ace and Tate, and my scarves are by H&M and Erdem.”

“My style is quite Nordic. I like timeless clothes and often wear a lot of blue colours. I would say that my profession has made my style more relaxed yet smart. I often buy clothes second hand. My jacket today is by Bottega Veneta, my shoes are by Nike, the shirt is by Alexander McQueen, and the trousers are by Uniqlo.”

Vilde B. Nilsen

Alyssa Nilsen Norwegian music journalist and rock photographer @alyssanilsen

Alyssa Nilsen

8 | Issue 110 | March 2018

“I would call my style Scandinavian rock chick; Scandinavian minimalism with a rocky edge. I like monochrome colours and tend to buy clothes when I am back in Scandinavia. My shoes are by Attitude, the bag is by River Island, the jacket is by Only, the jeans are by Gina Tricot, and the sunglasses are by Topshop.”

Patrik Gren

Scan Magazine | Design | We Love This

We love this…

With the promise of warmer temperatures, longer days, and more sunshine ahead, it is time for a little spring clean in preparation.

As the new season approaches, we have collected a few items to update your home while keeping it calm and cosy. Time to get rid of the winter blues and embrace a bit of colour!

By Ingrid Opstad | Press photos

With spring around the corner, now is a great time to add some greenery to your home. This plant box by Ferm Living is an elegant, contemporary stand with a light and floaty appearance. Primarily designed for plants, the versatile storage box can also be used for everything from books and toys to other decorative home accessories. Available in three soft shades, it will bring a Scandinavian touch no matter how you decide to use it.

Ferm Living plant box, £164 www.utilitydesign.co.uk

Made of a stuffed wool tube, the Knot cushion questions traditional cushions and cheers up any sofa, bed or lounge chair with its vibrant shades.

With a focus on the sculptural form rather than patterns, this is a unique piece that stays in your memory. It looks great on its own or mixed with other cushions for a playful look.

Design House Stockholm Knot cushion, £103 www.finnishdesignshop.com

A scented candle can be a great way to add a pop of colour and fill your home with a refreshing aroma. This lovely candle is inspired by the Norwegian woodlands, fjords, mountains and seaside, with the scent of cloudberry, moss and juniper. Light the candle and escape through dreams of Scandinavian spring sceneries.

Darling Clementine Lysning candle, approx £25 www.darlingclementine.no

The practical and easy-to-care-for plastic rugs by Pappelina are made in Dalarna, Sweden, and have an elegant yet fun style that fits perfectly in the modern home. The rugs feature a double-sided diamond motif; just turn the rug over and the design is reversed. With a range of soft colours, this is a subtle way to incorporate spring hues in any room of your home. Simple, stylish and functional.

Pappelina ‘Rex’ rugs: 70 x 160 cm, £110 70 x 240 cm, £154 70 x 335 cm, £200 70 x 430 cm, £250 www.homearama.co.uk

With a twist on the classic aesthetics of a hook, these minimal and distinctive Iso hooks will stand out in any interior setting while adding a little splash of colour. The hooks are available in a variety of colour combinations, so you can mix and match to get the perfect look for your home. Put them in your bedroom, bathroom or hallway, and use them as a coat rack or create a sculptural wall decoration.

The possibilities are endless.

Hay Iso hooks, £25 www.utilitydesign.co.uk

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 9

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Ross Architecture & Design

Villa Magic.

You can live in a work of art – designed to perfection by your soulmate “I’ve chosen to market myself not by selling time, but by guaranteeing results. It’s a somewhat different way for architects to work, but my mother is an artist and I grew up with the perception that a piece of art isn’t priced based on the amount of time it took to paint it, but because the artist has talent and the painting evokes a sense of wellbeing in the spectator. I talk about offering our clients the opportunity to live in a work of art – for me, buildings are art,” says Pål Ross.

By Linnea Dunne | Design: Pål Ross Photos: Mikael Damkier (houses) and James Holm (portraits)

Ross is the architect who has made a name for himself by questioning everything and refusing to put life in a box.

“In England, for example, it’s common for architects to work on commission based on a percentage of the building’s cost,” he continues. “Well, I personally struggle to see how that would result in priceoptimised buildings.”

To say that he aims to create priceoptimised buildings is not the same as to say that they are cheap, however.

What matters to Ross is value for mon10 | Issue 110 | March 2018

ey. “You can spend the same amount of money in two restaurants, but after one visit you feel robbed, and after the other you feel you really got value for money – because you enjoyed it,” he analogises. “The experience of space is all about how rooms sit in relation to each other, what materials are used and how. It’s like a piece of music – take one you love and throw around the notes, and it won’t make you all that happy anymore. The components are the same, but I know how to work with them; for me, it’s rewarding to frame our customers’ lives in

an environment where every day has a silver lining.”

Villa Magic In 2014, Ross Architecture & Design completed Villa Magic, a 450-square-metre family home situated on a big piece of land north of Gothenburg with wide-reaching views across the water. A number of unique requirements were considered in the design, which ultimately resulted in an exclusive home with plenty of magic – all rooted in deep interviews with the family members. “I don’t just want to know what they say they want, but understand why they say they want that,” he explains. “I look for the unique personality traits in my customers when creating their home – not one home for him and one for her, but a home that works for both of them. It’s like role play: I imagine being her at times and him at times, and then I isolate myself completely for three days, diving head first into the creative

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Ross Architecture & Design

process where I live in this home as it slowly takes shape.”

Villa Magic came with a number of distinct requirements. Most peculiarly, perhaps, the woman had a huge interest in horse riding while her husband was allergic to horses. Enough said: Ross created a separate entrance with a changing room where she could come back from the stables and get “de-horsed”, in the words of the architect, before entering the shared living spaces. His main interest, meanwhile, was seen to with dedicated spaces for cars and motorcycles, and to suit these fans of social gatherings, Villa Magic also boasts a reasonably central kitchen, yet located in such a way that the dining area does not overlook dirty dishes and other eyesores. The main living room has double ceiling height and colossal glass panels facing south-east, providing stunning views across the pool outside and the

water further away. The master bedroom has access to a hidden roof terrace with a Jacuzzi, perfectly suited for an evening dip, no swimsuit needed.

Healthy homes for strong personalities “Our goal is to create environments where people are the happiest and healthiest they can be, and that’s why we’re the only Svanen-certified architecture firm in Sweden. It takes huge commitment, but we insist it’s worth doing. Our homes have a critical biological effect on us, and many modern-day illnesses originate this way,” says Ross and uses the fact that trans fats are still not banned and thus still widely used as yet another analogy. “I question this, like I question everything. Why build with materials that make us unwell? Why do houses need to be square?”

Not only does Ross think about our health today and the health of our children; he

also considers what happens when the children are long gone and we get older and less agile. “80 per cent of our houses have lifts – I’ll happily make hallway space redundant in favour of the comfort of having a lift for bringing laundry up or for the days you can no longer manage the stairs,” he says. “We create suite solutions for guests and au-pairs, perfect for a future carer; and I make sure that you can enjoy the lovely views from your bed, for when you need to rest.”

He describes his customers as “strong personalities” who are not afraid of questioning what others take for granted, and in Pål Ross they find a soulmate. Imagine that: to get your soulmate to design you a work of art – and to live in it forever and ever, if you so wish.

Web: www.ross.se Email: info@ross.se

Top left: The stunning Villa Magic, counting a whopping 450 square metres of consciously designed spaces, boasts under-floor heating throughout, and almost all rooms benefit from views of beautiful nature. Top middle, top right, and bottom middle: Villa Magic has a big, beautiful fireplace with access from four spaces – “only a quarter of the cost, in a way,” chuckles the architect. Bottom left: A sculptural staircase cast in concrete takes you to a deep indoor balcony that doubles up as library and office, enjoying the same stunning views as the main spaces downstairs. Bottom right: Pål Ross, the soulmate architect for people who dare to question everything.

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 11

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Ebb & Flow

‘It’s okay to be a bit dramatic’ If you did not know, you probably would not have guessed that the colourful, almost opulent lamps from Ebb & Flow originate in Denmark. Though elegant and simple, they do not have that purely minimalistic look many associate with Danish design, and indeed, the inspiration comes from across the sea – from the British willingness to be daring and different when it comes to design.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Ebb & Flow

Founded by Danish Susanne Nielsen in 2013, the design of Ebb & Flow’s beautifully shaped glass pendants and colourful fabric shades is inspired by the founder’s background in London’s fashion and interiors industry. “When it comes to fashion and design, the British culture is a bit more open-minded. In the Nordic countries we have a largely shared understanding of what good design should look like, whereas in the UK it’s okay to base what you like on individual preference. If you want colours in your home or want to dress a bit out there, then that’s cool too,” says Nielsen. “It’s an eccentricity that I really like, and which I apply 12 | Issue 110 | March 2018

to our designs: it’s okay to use rich fabrics like velour and to create something that’s a bit voluptuous and opulent, a bit dramatic.”

Despite being comparatively unknown in Denmark, Ebb & Flow’s poetic lamps have struck a chord with other markets, including, perhaps unsurprisingly, the UK.

Light should make a difference After 16 years working in London’s fashion and interiors industry, Ebb & Flow’s founder returned to Denmark to start a new chapter. Initially throwing herself into her passion for vintage furniture, she

was soon inspired by the beautiful shapes of old glass items and began focussing on creating unique vintage glass lamps.

In 2013, she set up Ebb & Flow and began working on the design and production of a collection of beautifully handmade glass lamps. Like the original vintage lamps, these lamps are not inspired by current design trends, but by colours and shapes. “I am not particularly influenced by trends; rather I am influenced by colours and shapes and how they work with glass and lighting,” stresses Nielsen.

“My designs have to make a difference to the person who looks at them. Lighting is an everyday object that can make you feel either warm and welcome in a room, or not, as the case may be.”

Traditional craftsmanship Designed by Nielsen and produced by talented craftsmen and women in Poland, the glass pendants in Ebb & Flow’s collection are full of colour, patterns and artistic

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Ebb & Flow

expression. “All our products are made by people; the glass is mouth-blown, the fittings are assembled by people. It’s really rather amazing when you take an old craft like cutting crystal, and the pattern is always 100 per cent precise,” says Nielsen.

“It’s almost impossible to understand that it’s done by hand, but I think it’s really cool that you can bring back an old traditional craft like that and make it relevant in today’s designs.”

While glass pendants are handmade in Poland, fabric shades and electrical parts of the lamps are assembled in Denmark.

All materials are made and produced in Europe, using only real materials such as glass, metal, and fabric sourced for a large part from, of course, Britain. This results in more flexible production, which

is especially handy when working with handmade glass, where products often need to be adapted and tested several times. “The design process does take longer with handcrafted items like ours.

Sometimes it might take up to half a year from when I draw something, maybe more. You can’t actually finish the design before you feel the glass in your hand. It’s a very crafts based way of designing, and one of the reasons I can do it is that my company is located just outside Aalborg next to my parent’s company, which is a construction company, so there is always someone around to lend a hand in tricky situations,” explains Nielsen.

won the company fans in many corners of the world. The Lute lamp has, for instance, been nominated for the Restaurant & Bar Product Design Awards as part of the prestigious One Twenty Club at Wembley Stadium. But despite their luxurious touch, the price of the products is not set to create a hyped exclusivity, but rather to reflect the value of the work and materials.

Besides, whether it is a posh club or a small living room, the goal is the same, says Nielsen: to create a special atmosphere through the lamp and its light. “If the light evokes a feeling in people, I’ve done my job well.”

From Aalborg and into the world Ebb & Flow’s distinctive mix of Scandinavian elegance and British drama has

Web: www.ebbandflow.dk

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 13

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Friends & Founders

Left: La Pipe is the result of designer Ida Linea Hildebrand’s passion for refined forms and strong silhouettes. Right: The new Stand Out coat stand was created in collaboration between Ida Hildebrand and the newly graduated Danish designer Katrine Bjørn. It was pre-launched at designjunction during London Design Festival and was selected by Dezeen as one of the five best new products.

A design love affair Multi-functional, durable and sharp – the designs by the new Scandinavian design firm Friends & Founders are far from mainstream. Scan Magazine spoke to the Danish/Swedish couple behind the brand that has captivated the international design press.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Friends & Founders

Though influenced by the Scandinavian heritage of quality craftsmanship and simplicity, Friends & Founders is not afraid to break off from current Nordic trends and go its own ways. Founded by Swedish designer Ida Linea Hildebrand and Danish Rasmus Hildebrand in 2013, the brand’s philosophy has been defined by the couple’s distinct view of design from the very beginning. Indeed, it was the couple’s shared passion for architecture and design that first brought them together. “We both came from the design industry – Ida with a background in architecture and design, and I from sales and product development – but we didn’t feel that we 14 | Issue 110 | March 2018

were a part of the new Nordic design universe. We had a more architectonic, artistic and creative approach to furniture design, more founded in classic elements and good-quality materials,” explains Rasmus Hildebrand. “For us, it’s about having and creating a few good things that can be used in multiple ways and last for decades. We want to create spaces with a few innovative designs rather than a big clutter of throw-away items.”

In line with this thought, the first collection designed by Friends & Founders was a furniture collection suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The

La Pipe collection was presented at the Stockholm Furniture Fair in 2014 and received instant international attention for its architectural, sculptural, and distinctive artistic character. These traits have since become signatures for the brand and the designs made by Ida L. Hildebrand.

Marble tables and pipe chairs One of the defining elements of Friends & Founders’ designs is its strong silhouettes, which are created through a strong focus on mathematical theories and geometrical shapes and outlines. Creative director Ida Linea explains: “Reducing materials and approaching the limit of what is technically possible fascinates me as a designer. I am unwilling to compromise when it comes to design and the realisation of our ideas. Playing with strong silhouettes has become an important element in my work, and this is

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Friends & Founders

something that Friends & Founders will continue to explore.”

pany’s Castle planters to emphasise the project’s landscaping concept.

Another distinct feature is the use of high-quality materials to create simple but stylish designs such as the brand’s elegant and classic yet extravagantly beautiful Knockout side table. The side table can, among other places, be seen at Frantzén, Stockholm’s first and only three Michelin-starred restaurant. The interior design of the restaurant was done

by JOIN Studio Stockholm, and other designers and architects have caught on to Friends & Founders’ striking designs too.

At the new NOBU hotel in Shoreditch, for instance, interior architecture and design firm Studio MICA chose to use the com-

Made in Scandinavia While Friends & Founders’ collection continues to grow, the firm’s dedication to manufacturing everything locally has remained intact. Today, 85 per cent of all products are manufactured in Denmark and Sweden, and the remaining 15 per cent elsewhere in Europe. The close contact with manufacturers allows the founders to closely manage the craft behind the product and be flexible and reliable. It also means more sustainable products. “We don’t produce anything outside Europe, because it’s important to us to have easy access to our production facilities and be

able to help them grow and develop. We feel that investing and producing locally will benefit not just us but all the partners involved, including the Nordic production, which has struggled a bit,” explains Rasmus Hildebrand. “Besides, not sending products and materials to the other side of the planet is just a more sustainable way of doing it. There are many environmental upsides to our way of thinking, including the use of long-lasting and reusable materials, but it’s not something we brand ourselves on; it’s so inherent to our way of thinking that it’s not really something we consider a choice.”

Web: www.friendsfounders.com

Top left: Knockout side table and La Pipe Lounge. Bottom left: Swedish Designer Ida Linea Hildebrand and Danish Rasmus Hildebrand are behind the distinctive new Scandinavian design brand Friends & Founders.

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 15

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Fermacell Scandinavian

Living room. Photo: Jakob Lerche

Designing the sound of peace and quiet With their unique fibre gypsum board, fermacell have, with the world-new product fermacell ACOUSTIC, set new standards when it comes to combining design and performance, guaranteeing good room acoustics for everyone.

By Nicolai Lisberg

A room full of noise, where you have to speak louder than the person sitting next to you to be heard, is not a pleasant room.

Neither is a room where you constantly have to turn up the volume on the TV or when listening to music. That is why more and more companies are focusing on the acoustic market and creating acoustic solutions. But at fermacell, they have taken it a step further with their fibre gypsum acoustic board, designed by the well-known Danish architect and designer, Lars Vejen.

“From the very beginning, it’s been my ambition to create a design that you ac16 | Issue 110 | March 2018

tively choose, so to speak. I didn’t just want to create an acoustic ceiling that’s functional, but also a ceiling with a design that’s something you would have chosen even if you weren’t looking for an acoustic ceiling. When you choose furniture, curtains or even door knobs, you choose a design you like and what’s right for the context. That’s what I was going for with this design as well,” explains Vejen.

The result was presented in the beginning of 2016, and it has been a tremendous success for Fermacell Scandinavia.

It was the company’s first design product and was awarded with the prestigious

iF Design Award in 2018 in the Building Technology category.

From the professional to the private market Up until now, most companies have focused on delivering acoustic solutions to the professional market, such as offices, museums and galleries, but fermacell ACOUSTIC is equally intended for private homes. “Modern homes often have hard floor coverings and a lot of light, and therefore a lot of glass. It looks great, but it puts the room under enormous pressure when we talk about sound, which is why we are experiencing a higher demand for sound regulation. You can compare the necessity of good acoustics in a room with the necessity of, for example, light, air and heat. If either of these elements isn’t ideal, it makes the room almost unbearable to stay in,” says Vejen.

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Fermacell Scandinavia

The fibre gypsum boards that fermacell is known for are created by gypsum, recycled paper such as old newspaper and water. They have been compressed under high pressure, which makes the boards very hard and useful for building projects, but also brought some limitations to the design process. “The challenge was to create something functional that would also look good. I spent a lot of time with an acoustician to understand how sound is absorbed. With that knowledge in mind, we tried my idea with various line patterns cut into the fibreboards, and it works really well both functionally and aesthetically,” says Vejen. “You might think it’s all random when you first get a glimpse of it, but it’s all down to the knowledge of sound and how it can complement a room with its clear lines that give it a design value. You can use the patterns any way you see fit in your house: across the room, along the room or to complement an angled surface – that’s entirely up to you.”

The lines or stripes in the boards are cut in three different widths – eight, ten

Barcode.

Private home. Photo: Jakob Lerche

and 12 millimetres – and their openings are shaped like a trumpet opening up to the backside of the board. This gives it a rather unique design, but it also helps the sound to be absorbed in the best way possible and creates a pleasant balance of all sound aspects in the room.

The feedback from designers, architects and end users has been overwhelming.

The design comes in three patterns, but it is expected that more will be launched in the spring, and fermacell ACOUSTIC has just been rolled out in Germany and Switzerland, with more countries to follow.

About Lars Vejen, architect and designer MAA, MDD Lars Vejen graduated from Aarhus School of Architecture in Denmark, with a stay in Kyoto, Japan.

Straight after graduating, in 1996, he began his career at Schmidt Hammer Lassen (SHL) Architects, working as part of the team on the interior and product design for the Royal Library project in Copenhagen – a building later known as ‘The Black Diamond’.

After 18 years at SHL and more than ten years as head of design, he had taken over parts of the company assets, and on 1 September 2014 he founded Design Studio Lars Vejen, now with bases in both Denmark and Japan.

His work with fermacell ACOUSTIC has been awarded the iF Design Award 2018 in the Building Technology category.

Web: www.larsvejen.dk

Lars Vejen, architect and designer.

Photo: Dejan Alankhan

Gradient.

Fermacell Scandinavia Kirkevej 3, 8751 Gedved Web: www.fermacell.dk/acoustic

Repeat.

Visualisation Forbes Massie View

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 17

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Eske Interiør & Design

A carefully curated interior destination in the heart of Oslo The vision behind interior shop Eske Interiør & Design has always been to bring international designers to Oslo and showcase their products in a unique way.

Located in an old corner shop in the residential neighbourhood of Bislett, the shop has become a major shopping destination for customers from all over Norway.

By Åsa Hedvig Aaberge | Photos: Filippa Tredal

Eske showcases a quirky mix of furniture, lighting and accessories, where classics from traditional brands such as Lampe Gras, Gubi and Vitra blend perfectly with current designers including Tom Dixon and Lee Broom. Add a bit of magic dust in the form of accessories from up and coming designers, heavenly velvet cushions from Danish designer Christina Lundsteen and British House of Hackney, plus wallpaper, concrete tiles and plants, and you get the feel 18 | Issue 110 | March 2018

of the very personal signature style the shop is famous for.

Interior shop with professional help The team behind Eske, Simon Bartley and Karina Holmen, are both well known on the interior scene in Norway. Originally from Newcastle, Bartley has made a strong impact on the design of restaurants and bars in Norway over the last 25 years through his company SJ Design.

His projects include the likes of Crow Bar

and Himkok in Oslo and Frati and ØX in Trondheim. Holmen started Eske together with Bartley in 2004, after spending 15 years in Amsterdam, and brought all her knowledge and passion for European design with her into the venture. “Our major strength as a unique interior destination is not only the knowledge of designers and products but also the talent for creating a comfortable and personal home with a bit of a twist,” says Holmen, who has been running the shop since its opening in 2004.

In addition to the interior shop, Eske has its own project department, where customers can book anything from a personal shopping session outside of opening hours, to a complete renovation

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Eske Interiør & Design

or restyling of their home. “We see that more and more customers are interested in professional help when it comes to the usage, look and feel of their living space,” says Holmen. “Our staff are well trained in interior design and can therefore offer advice to all customers who drop by the shop.”

The world of Eske online A major part of the shop’s universe now plays out online. With a personalised web shop featuring the collections of all of Eske’s carefully selected designers and inspiring photos from projects, as well as press articles and tips and tricks on how to create different styles yourself, customers from all over the country have the possibility to take part in the world of Eske.

Eske focuses on regular newsletters and daily updates on social media and will soon also aim to create short, inspirational videos and tutorials. The focus on the online market has helped establish their position as one of the most trend-setting shops in Norway. “The buying habits of our customers have changed dramatically over the last few years, and it is crucial that we make our products and knowledge available online,” says Holmen.

Adjoining bistro To expand the world of Eske, Bartley and Holmen also opened an adjoining bistro called Kolonialen in 2016. Partnering with Pontus Dalström, founder of the local three-star Michelin restaurant Maaemo, Kolonialen aims to serve great food at

reasonable prices in an environment that feels timeless, comfortable and relaxed.

Repeating the interior style of the shop next door, Kolonialen has an informal interior that feels both continental and like it has been there forever. The restaurant recently got a write-up in the 2018 Michelin Guide and continues to make both regular and new customers happy.

The unusual mix of interior design shop, project office and restaurant makes Eske a place more likely to expect in big cities such as New York or London. Bartley and Holmen, together with their staff, are happy to welcome customers to their own carefully curated universe in a lovely, relaxed neighbourhood in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

Facts: Eske features brands such as &tradition, Tom Dixon, Lee Broom, Gubi, Vitra, Lampe Gras, Forms, RUBN, Christina Lundsteen, Tom Wood, House of Hackney, Reflections, Pols Potten, H. Skjalm P., Design by Us, Kate Hume, Massimo and Mater.

The shop is located next to Bislett Stadion, a ten-minute walk from the centre of town. Trams 17 and 18 stop just down the road, at Dalsbergstien.

Most of the collections of their chosen suppliers are available online through the web shop.

Photo: Tommy Andresen

Web: www.eskeinterior.no Instagram: @eskeinterior / @eskeprosjekt Facebook: Eskeinterior

Photo: Tommy Andresen

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 19

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Lune Hjem

From flea markets to Norway’s biggest interior design web shop When Lisbeth Tverback hit a wall in her previous job 14 years ago, she started going to flea markets, buying used furniture, fixing it up and selling it online. Today, she owns Norway’s biggest interior web shop, the award-winning Lunehjem.no.

By Synne Johnsson | Photos: Marian Strand

“I remember when I started, I brought all the products home and took all the pictures myself. I edited and uploaded them to the web and had to write all the information about the products myself,” says Tverback and smiles. “Today it’s a lot easier; the suppliers are good at delivering high-quality photos and information about the products. When I started out, a lot of the suppliers weren’t even online.”

For the first few years, Tverback was alone in the operation of the web 20 | Issue 110 | March 2018

shop, and she worked 24/7. After a year in business, she opened a shop in Tønsberg, an hour outside Oslo. Since then, they have had to move to bigger venues four times.

Varied assortment of Scandinavian design Lunehjem.no mainly focuses on Scandinavian brands, and they work very consciously with their range. Even though the shop has 75 different brands, Tverback aims to make it personal. It boasts

a broad selection of interior design, furniture and lighting items. “The shop and the web shop kind of belong together.

There wouldn’t be a web shop without the shop and vice versa. The shop itself is not just a shop; it’s also a showroom for our products and makes everything more personal, putting a face to the name,” she says.

In addition to working long hours and having a good understanding of what the customer wants, Tverback points out another important factor to her outstanding success: “This would not have been possible without my fantastic employees, who always want to provide the best service and just give it their all. They feel ownership of what we do, which is important,” she says.

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Lunehjem.no

“Everyone who works here is quite different, so we are not only about a varied assortment, but also a mix of people, which makes the company interesting, I think.”

Standing out Back when Lunehjem.no opened up, there were only two other web shops for interior design in Norway. Now Tverback and her team are competing against many others, which makes it important to stand out – something they do well.

Lunehjem.no has a huge range and the biggest selection in Norway of big and popular brands such as Hay and &tradition. They also offer a great selection of Menu, Gubi, Northern and Pappelina. In addition, the shop stocks smaller, less-famous brands to spice it up and to make sure that there is always something the customer cannot easily find elsewhere.

“We try to really pay attention to what is going on in the world of interiors and to make sure that we stand out,” says Tverback.“We believe in our concept, and we have great relationships with our suppliers, which helps us a lot along the way.”

Award-winning web shop Lunehjem.no ships everything from small vases and lamps to sofas anywhere in the

whole of Norway and delivers straight to the customers’ doorsteps to make their lives as easy as possible.

The company’s hard work has not gone unnoticed, and it has been rewarded for all the hours and the extra steps put in by the staff along the way. Lunehjem.no has now been nominated for Gaselle Company of the Year three years in a row, won Best Web Shop of the Year in 2010, and was nominated for Commercial Business of the Year in 2017.

says. “My vision is not to be the biggest, but to be the best. We have really high standards in what we’re doing.”

Web: Lunehjem.no Instagram: @lunehjem.no Facebook: Lunehjem.no AS

In addition to quick delivery and ensuring safe shopping on the website, Lunehjem.no also focuses on trying to be as available as possible, replying to all emails and trying to help the customers as much and quickly as they can.

“We don’t want to just be someone who sits in front of the laptop and sends out emails; we really want to keep that personal contact with the customer, which also helps us in knowing what the customer wants,” says Tverback.

She has had enquiries from all over Norway to start up more shops around the country, but she has politely declined.

“I think a lot of the success is about ownership. I want to be close to what is going on, and I don’t have more capacity,” she

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 21

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Gugguu The beanie.

Her Royal Sweetness.

Gugguu is growing in China, Sweden and Estonia.

Spill the beanies Two sisters, Anne Valli and Miia Riekki, breathed in the first wafts of entrepreneurship helping out in the flower shop owned by their parents. When you look at the colours of their eco-friendly children’s clothing brand Gugguu, it is easy to see where the collection has its roots.

By Taina Värri | Photos: Eveliina Mustonen / Gugguu

Valli and Riekki have three children each.

They had been looking for nice, functional clothes for them during a time when ‘60s and ‘70s retro styles were dominating children’s fashion in Finland. It started to seem as though the only way to get eco-friendly, modern clothing for their kids was to produce it themselves.

They started their business in 2013 from a home office with just ten products.

After one year, they were able to draw salaries from the business, and today, Gugguu has an online shop, a warehouse and several retailers around the world selling their products.

In the early years, the Gugguu website crashed every time a new collection was launched for sale. Enthusiastic parents 22 | Issue 110 | March 2018

struggled to get that very special beanie or hoodie for their toddler. Often, the coveted item was sold out in the online shop.

Desperate pleas on Facebook followed, as Gugguu fans tried to track down the available items from retailers around town. There is a pre-order list now, and an online queuing system on drop days. It is still always a challenge for the Gugguu entrepreneurs to predict which colours or models might be the super hits of any given season.

Valli has a master’s degree in administrative sciences, and Riekki is studying economics. The two sisters are in many ways like day and night, which they now have learnt to use as a great asset for the company: Valli is a morning person, Riekki loves to stay up late; one is me-

ticulous, the other is spontaneous. Both love to work hard however, and they love what they do.

Gugguu truly is a family business. The six children spend time with their parents at the warehouse too, watching and learning, sometimes crushing cardboard boxes for recycling, or doing other small tasks. They also work as test users for the new pieces before the clothes are sent to production. The company name, Gugguu, came from the family too: it was Anne Vallis’ one-year-old son’s first word.

New collections come out twice a year.

Web: www.gugguu.com

Scan Magazine | Culinary Feature | Eirawater

Perfectly pure water 10,000 years ago, a fjord named Eresfjord on the west coast of Norway was formed.

The surroundings could not have been more beautiful, and years later, it resulted in the fantastic source of the spring water now named Eirawater.

By Marte Eide | Photos: Eirawater

“Eresfjorden is incredibly beautiful and tells a unique story. The spring water source was found through geological mapping many years ago, which also documented the quality of the water as one of the purest in Norway,” says Harald Dahl, director and co-founder of water producer Eirawater.

The fjords in Norway are famous around the world for their beauty, formed by the giant glacier tongues that through several Ice Ages have shaped the landscape.

“The groundwater in Eresfjorden is naturally filtered through a 10,000-year-old moraine made out of hard rock, which deposits small amounts of minerals into the water. These unique conditions create a perfect natural water filter,” explains Dahl, describing the Eirawater as soft and pleasurable to drink. “Because

of its low contents of minerals, it makes a good companion to food and wine.”

In fact, several renowned Norwegian chefs are ambassadors for Eirawater.

“We are proud purveyors of water to some of the most discerning food experts in Scandinavia. They have chosen Eirawater because they like the taste of the water and because high quality is of great importance to them,” says Dahl proudly.

The water producer Eirawater had international investors from the Middle East involved from the beginning, which makes that a natural market for them. “We are pleased to now expand to the international markets of the Middle East and the United Kingdom. Our main focus will be on restaurants and hotels,” says Dahl.

Eirawater recently renovated the manufacturing facilities and increased its production from 2,000 to 12,000 bottles an hour. “The new design of the bottles is classic and elegant, highlighting the quality of Eirawater. They are suitable for highclass restaurants and fine dining,” says Dahl, and elaborates on their future products. “We aim to sell more in the top-end retail market by the second half of 2018, and will eventually increase the sales in Norway as well. Eresfjorden is a perfect starting point, and we will not exclude developing other products with a more modern design in the future.”

Web: www.eirawater.com

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 23

From the local fields of Skåne to the rest of the world As Sweden’s largest glögg producer with more than a century’s experience of making high-quality beverages, Saturnus is the locally rooted family business that makes Swedish spirits for the world.

By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Saturnus

There were two pharmacies in Stortorget, ‘the Big Square’, in Malmö in 1893. One of them was run by the foresighted apothecary Fritz Borg, who noticed a gap in the market for producing and selling spirits and glögg, the Swedish version of mulled wine. He founded Saturnus and started out making fizzy drink flavours and, in a way, you could say that the rest is history – except it was not quite that simple. A couple of decades later, the Swedish penchant for state control and monopolisation put a spanner in Borg’s works, and it took both innovation and de24 | Issue 110 | March 2018

termination to guarantee the company’s position as a world-class spirit producer that it still has today.

Honouring local “We are the oldest glögg producer in Sweden, so we’re obviously very proud of that,” says Fredrik Lamorell, head of sales and marketing. He now works alongside the fourth-generation Liepe, the family that took over the helm at Saturnus in 1920, and is convinced that Saturnus’ strong position at home as well as abroad is to a great extent down

to a steadfast focus on high-quality, local produce and, recently, organic beverages. “We may be a global player by now, but the commitment to local produce and partnerships has been a constant throughout the company’s history. We have our own field outside Eslöv in Skåne where we grow the wormwood for the Piratens Besk schnapps, we get caraway from local producers and St. John’s wort and myrtle from the county of Halland – so anything we can possibly get from around here, we do,” he explains.

A growing environmental effort has also led to a number of the spirits being certified organic, including three of the original schnapps products as well as the new and hugely popular Saltö Akvavit. “I can’t remember the last time a schnapps

Scan Magazine | Culinary Feature | Saturnus

was so positively received at Systembolaget [the state-owned liquor store with monopoly on selling strong alcoholic beverages],” says Lamorell. “It’s a highly appealing product – a nice bottle, a really tasty drink – and it’s been a great hit with customers.”

Among other best-sellers is Saturnus’ Skärgårdssnapsar (‘archipelago schnapps’), a journey through the Swedish archipelagos in ten miniature five-centilitre bottles of schnapps. The popular taster pack presents pit-stops such as Brännö, a St John’s wort-infused, beautifully red schnapps perfect alongside herring, and Utö, a summery, seafood-friendly drink boasting lemon and elderberry flavours.

From Stockholm in the east to Österlen in the south-west, this is the beverage equivalent of a summer road trip through Sweden.

Thinking outside the box Rewinding a century, big change was afoot for Borg and other beverage producers in Sweden. In 1917, a rationing system called ‘motbok’, or the Bratt

system, was introduced to control alcohol consumption, whereby each citizen was allowed to buy no more than one litre of hard liquor per month, which was tracked using stamps in their book.

Shortly afterwards, the production of the same types of beverages was monopolised and only state-owned manufacturers were allowed to make it. It was time for Saturnus to think outside the box.

The resulting expertise in punch extracts and other flavourants came to benefit the company which, once the ban was lifted in the late 1900s and spirit production could resume, was in an optimal position for branching out. Now with a portfolio of everything from drink mixers and juices to schnapps, glögg and akvavit, it is clear that the determination has paid off. “We were the first private producer to take up spirit production again after the ban was lifted, and our akvavit and schnapps are getting a lot of fans also way beyond Sweden’s borders,” Lamorell explains. “We’re proud to make local, Swedish drinks, and we’re proud to be a fourth-generation family-run Swedish

company. Swedish spirits have a really strong reputation abroad; Swedish-made means great quality. We’ve definitely helped contribute to that reputation.”

Oldest, largest glögg producer With glögg continuing to be a corner stone of the product range, Saturnus is Sweden’s not just oldest but largest producer of the Swedish mulled wine.

Swedes and Finns drink more glögg than any other nation per capita, so that really means something. The most popular glögg is God Jul Glögg, from which every sale donates one SEK to Världens Barn – a collection and information project made up of numerous humanitarian organisations, with the aim of changing children’s living conditions globally. “We have raised more than four million SEK so far. This year, we broke a new record with a total of 560,000 SEK,” says Lamorell. “It makes a huge difference to these children’s lives. We’re really, really happy to be able to do this.”

Web: www.saturnus.se

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 25

Scan Magazine | Culinary Feature | De 5 Gaarde

Schackenborg Castle.

An intoxicating fairy tale Once upon a time, five beautiful manor houses lay gently tucked away within the luscious rolling hills of Jutland and Funen. Bastions of tradition, the houses and grounds had been integral to the local area for centuries, yielding home-grown, high-quality produce even as the dark tide of mass-produced and cheaply churnedout food and drink descended upon a hapless nation. By the time the good people of Denmark awoke, riding on a wave of New Nordicism and a longing for good, local produce, De 5 Gaarde (‘the 5 Farms’) were ready to greet them with honest, tasty crops and some of the finest drops of alcohol in the kingdom.

By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: De 5 Gaarde

In 2001, De 5 Gaarde – Constantinsborg, Frijsenborg, Gyllingnæs, Wedellsborg and Schackenborg – banded together in order to combine traditional, ethical farming with modern agricultural expertise. The families who owned them were heavily invested in the local area and in Danish farming, and they realised that joining forces would be the best way to ensure the survival of their high-quality produce while ensuring good prices for their customers. “One of my favourite things about my job,” says general manager of De 5 Gaarde, Claus Hviid, “is that I get to work with these passionate, dedicated families and individuals who care 26 | Issue 110 | March 2018

deeply about their land and animals.

They really know their stuff, but they’re always open to learning more and experimenting too.”

Stately spirits De 5 Gaarde produce everything from mustard to poultry and are certified by GLOBALG.A.P., the worldwide organisation that sets standards for safe and sustainable farming. Two of De 5 Gaarde’s most valued outputs are their wheat and barley yields. “We get a lot of fun and tasty stuff out of our grain,” Hviid explains. “A few years ago, we brought out our own speciality beers, and our spirit produc-

tion has been going strong for over a decade.” The range, which includes gin, vodka, bitter and, of course, schnapps, is known as Schackenborg Spirituosa.

As most Danes know, Schackenborg Castle has been the home of the Queen’s youngest son, Prince Joachim, and his family. Along with Troels Holch Povlsen and Count Bendt Wedell, he was one of the founders of De 5 Gaarde in 2001. All three continue to play an active role in De 5 Gaarde, which is owned by them and the Schackenborg Fund. “It was Prince Joachim’s idea to start producing spirits, and he’s actually come up with the idea of all four current varieties,” says Hviid.

“And many of the ingredients come from Schackenborg’s grounds, so it was natural that the spirits should be named after that castle. There’s a lot of Schackenborg in the bottles.”

A good soak and a twig of oak “The schnapps is produced from barley, the bitter from wheat, and our gin and vodka are made from a mix of both

Scan Magazine | Culinary Feature | De 5 Gaarde

grains. We also treat our bitter and gin to our own top-secret mixes of roots, herbs and spices to make sure that they’re well-rounded, soft on the palate and intensely flavourful,” Hviid explains. “Before that happens, however, the grain needs to be malted, which is basically a long process of soaking and drying, and then distilled,” he adds. “We’re very lucky to have formed a great partnership with the Danish micro-distillery Braunstein soon after they opened. They’re award-winning experts and all-round lovely and enthusiastic people, so we know we’re in safe hands when we come to them with new ideas which, I can reveal, include a Christmas schnapps for 2018.”

While the gin and bitter are indulged with added natural flavours, their vodka cousin is made purely from the grains and natural spring water from Jutland’s

beautiful heaths. The schnapps undergoes a similar process, but with a twist.

“We had this beautiful old oak tree in Gallehus forest on Schackenborg’s grounds, which had to be cut down. Oak happens to be an excellent companion to schnapps, so we thought we’d commemorate the ancient tree by adding a little piece of it to each bottle, which is marked with the tree’s coordinates, where you’ll find a commemorative plaque to it in the forest. It then takes two months for each bottle to mature, but it makes for a complicated and interesting schnapps and adds a beautiful, deep golden colour to the drink. Processes like these make it really fun to be a spirit producer.”

Schackenborg Mule The Schackenborg Mule adds another layer of spicy freshness to the classic Moscow Mule.

Gently crush three cardamom pods in your shaker before adding 6 cl of Schackenborg Dry Gin, 1.5 cl of fresh lime juice, and 1 cl of lemongrass syrup. Shake with plenty of ice.

Double-strain into an iced-up copper cup or other glass, and top up with ginger ale. Add a sprig of mint and star anise, behold with wonder, and enjoy!

Web: www.de5gaarde.dk Facebook: de5gaarde Instagram: @de5gaarde

Schackenborg Spirituosa’s recently-added taster set makes a lovely present and will satisfy both the curious and the indecisive.

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 27

Scan Magazine | Culinary Feature | Erik Sørensen Vin

What is inside the bottle?

Did you know that some grapes grow up listening to Mozart? It might sound a bit over the top, but it is the kind of dedication that characterises the wine makers whose wines are sold by Erik Sørensen Vin. With more than half a decade of experience within the world of wine, the Danish wine retailer has one simple goal: that its customers will not need to open their bottles to know that the wine inside is of the best quality and taste.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Erik Sørensen Vin

In 1956, Erik Sørensen started up his first wine importing business. The sales venue was a small shed in front of his home in Hellerup, and the wine was sourced exclusively in France. Much has changed since. Today, the wine retailer sells wine from all over the world and, with two physical shops as well as online sales, a growing number of Danish wine enthusiasts are extending their own wine journey through the retailer’s expansive assortment and knowledge.

“As people are becoming more conscious of the quality of what they eat and drink, the Danish wine market is 28 | Issue 110 | March 2018

changing, and that is an advantage to us because the more people know about wine, the more they will search to find a wine retailer like us,” says Janus Platen of Erik Sørensen Vin. “Even before the customers open the bottle of wine they have bought from us, they should feel assured that they are about to experience the best taste and quality.”

On top of expertise, Erik Sørensen Vin has exclusive import rights to some of Europe’s biggest wine houses; two things highly valued by its corporate customers, who include many of

Copenhagen’s best restaurants, such as Michelin-star restaurants Kong Hans, Kiin Kiin and AOC.

Taste and quality When asked what the criteria is for wine to be included in Erik Sørensen Vin’s assortment, Platen’s answer is very simple: “Taste and quality,” he says. “It’s Alfa and Omega.” In addition, the wine retailer’s long-standing relationships with some of Europe’s leading wine makers have given exclusive access to a part of the market, which might have been difficult to achieve today. “We have exclusive import rights to all the wine we sell, and we have stocked some of our brands since the 1970s. Back then, they weren’t big names, but they had the same quality. For instance, we represent Zind Humbrecht, one of Alsace’s best-known wine houses,” explains Platen. “This also means that when we approach big brands today, it’s easier for us as they can see the rela-

Scan Magazine | Culinary Feature | Erik Sørensen Vin

tionships we have, and they know that we take their business seriously.”

In total, Erik Sørensen Vin’s assortment includes around 1,000 wines from around 100 different wine houses.

When old traditions become new trends Just as in the world of food, the world of wine continuously sees a number of new trends hit the market. However, at Erik Sørensen Vin, trends are not allowed to override the company’s long-lasting focus on quality, taste and classic traditions.

“Due to our profile and our history, we’re still a bit Francophile, and we still focus a lot on the old classic wine regions, such as Bordeaux, Alsace and Bourgogne. But we also have wine from all the other established wine countries,” says Platen.

Some new trends, such as the increased focus on organic and biodynamic wine, have naturally been part of Erik Sørensen

Vin’s assortment for decades. “When it comes to biodynamic and organic production, a lot of the serious wine makers have always been growing grapes like that. The sustainable approach has been important to these wine producers for decades, regardless of the trends of the market. It’s not the most important thing to us; the most important thing is the taste, but often the two things are connected,” stresses Platen.

Consequently, Erik Sørensen Vin has more recently secured a number of new wine producers with a distinct biodynamic focus. Among them is Tenuta Mara, an Italian producer from Emilia-Romagna, who plays Mozart to his grapes, and the result is amazing, says Platen. “They are very focused on a holistic approach, combining nature and sound, and have speakers that play Mozart to the grapes all year round. Most importantly, the wine tastes amazing; whether it’s down to Mozart, I don’t know!”

The history of Erik Sørensen Vin: 1956: Erik Sørensen buys the villa in Bernstorffsvej Hellerup, where Erik Sørensen Vin’s main shop is still located.

1973: Thanks to Denmark’s membership in the EU, Erik Sørensen can begin importing wine in bottles rather than casks.

1998: Erik Sørensen dies and the company is transformed into a private limited company with former employee Jan K. Nielsen as the CEO. 2004: Erik Sørensen Vin takes over Grand Vin. 2005: The first bottles of wine are sold online.

2017: Troels Ambo takes over the post as CEO of Erik Sørensen Vin.

Web: www.eriksorensenvin.dk

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 29

Scan Magazine | Education Feature | Restudy

Like Netflix for studying Danish school children are nowadays facing more pressure, and many are dealing with stress and struggling with exam anxiety. Because of this, many students and parents are seeking help outside of the school system, often at great expense. Enter Restudy, an online learning platform for students, with more than 2,000 videos in 23 different subjects.

By Heidi Kokborg | Press photos

Restudy is like Netflix for studying and education. The online platform has more than 2,000 videos in 23 subjects, so whether you need help with math, French, Danish, or chemistry, Restudy is the place to go. The platform is for students from seventh grade all the way through all three high school years.

“We wanted to develop a platform with high-quality classes that were available 24 hours a day, so that students could study anytime, anywhere,” says Søren Vandel, co-founder and CEO. “Because of all the pressure many Danish students are facing today, more and more choose 30 | Issue 110 | March 2018

to seek outside help, which can often be a costly affair. Restudy is affordable, and we have some of the best teachers in Denmark.”

Calm the nerves before the big day Exam anxiety has been a thing for as long as exams have existed, but the problem is increasing. “We have every possible exam situation on video, so students can see what it’s like to sit exams. Often times, it is not knowing what to expect at the exam that makes people nervous, but with our videos they can see all possible exam situations, so they know what they are walking into,” Vandel explains. “An-

other reason why students fear exams is because they don’t feel prepared, which we can also help with as we have videos about every subject.”

But that is not all Restudy has to offer.

Because of the rising pressure, more students than ever go to see therapists due to anxiety and stress around exams.

Restudy works closely with renowned exam therapist Anna Stelvig from Studymind, who helps the students with their anxiety and stress issues.

Sometimes, however, you need more than just watching a video – no matter how great that video is. That is where the Restudy community steps in. In the community, you can chat with fellow Restudy students about all studyrelated questions, be it a tricky chemistry assignment or just to connect with others who are also struggling with anxiety before an exam.

Scan Magazine | Education Feature | Restudy

“Our users are brilliant at helping and supporting each other. It’s very important for us that the students don’t simply find all the answers to their assignment questions; we want to provide them with the tools to answer the questions themselves.

If they are really stuck, they can always get a fellow student’s help,” says Vandel.

A helping hand for parents and teachers Every year, Restudy has 180,000 users streaming close to five million minutes of video. Some schools are members of Restudy, giving students automatic access, but if your school is not one of them you can choose to buy membership to get access to all the material.

“Restudy is very popular with the schools, because they can actually use our platform as part of their teaching, either for homework or to show the videos in class,” says Vandel. “We are not here to replace the school in any way. We are a supplement that students can use if they

need to catch up, have difficulties or simply want to improve even more.”

tests, so the students can easily evaluate their skills and understanding.

It is not only the schools that have embraced Restudy. Parents are excited about the platform too. “Restudy is a great tool for parents as well. In primary and secondary school, most parents can help their kids with their homework – but the older they get, the harder it gets for parents to help out,” Vandel explains.

“Instead of stressing about not being able to help, or having to pay a private tutor, they can choose the much cheaper option of membership at Restudy, and still get highly qualified help.”

“After each video, you can take a test to make sure that you really did understand everything, or if you maybe need to go back and re-watch a few things,” says Vandel. “Moreover, people like praise and to know that they’ve done a good job, so the tests can also act a bit as a pat on the shoulder or a high five, or indeed as reassurance.”

Get into your dream university Restudy is for all students, regardless of level, grades or background. Restudy is made in such a way that each student can structure their own unique programme.

Each video is organised by chapters, allowing students to navigate through and jump straight to the parts they want to review. The videos include statistics and

Today, strong grades are required for Danish students to get into not only university but also high school. More than 80 per cent of the students who use Restudy have seen their grades improve, acting as proof that Restudy helps them get into the high school and, eventually, university of their dreams.

Web: www.restudy.dk Facebook: Restudy Instagram: @restudy.dk

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 31

Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Liv TheUllman Price Brothers

32 | Issue 110 | March 2018

Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Liv Ullmann

Liv Ullmann

Living and loving Actress, author, director, muse. During a career spanning 60 years, Liv Ullmann has been all of these things. What may surprise many is that the star who made her name with raw, soul-searching performances always wanted to be a comedian. Scan Magazine caught up with the Norwegian icon at London’s British Film Institute, where she was opening a season dedicated to her long-time collaborator, Ingmar Bergman.

By Paula Hammond | Photos: BFI

Liv Ullmann sparkles. When she talks, she has a way of inviting you in – encouraging questions with a friendly tap on the arm and answering with a directness that would be surprising in Hollywood. Here in London, though, it feels as natural as if an old friend has just come to visit. “I am here in the UK so often,” she says. “When Ingmar was alive, he would always say that he was coming and then get sick at the last minute and send me! But 50 years after he went to Fårö to build his house – 50 years after he became an islander – he will now appear all over the world. Yes, Ingmar may have left us, but he is still very much alive.”

Ullmann worked with the great auteur on ten films. They eventually had a child together – Linn Ullmann – and long after their affair ended, they remained “painfully connected”. As Bergman lay dying, Ullmann recalls how she felt compelled to visit. For the first time in her life, she chartered a plane and found him “already on his way”. She sat and held his

hand, and told him just one thing. “I said to him that ‘I came because you called. I came because you called, as you called so many’.”

It is a testament to the duo’s life-long friendship that, years after his death, Ullmann’s voice still catches as she remembers their first collaboration on Persona. It remains one of her happiest film memories. “A wonderful role, even though I thought I was too young for it,” she says. “I was performing with Bibi Andersson, who is my best friend, and I fell in love with Ingmar, and he fell in love with me. And for a while, we lived together in the house that he built, exactly where he dreamt he would, on his island, Fårö.”

That home is now a museum, and you can still see the scribbles on Bergman’s study door where the lovers would write notes to each other about what sort of day they had had. “A heart if it was good, a cross if it was sad,” Ullmann recalls.

After she left, Bergman would repaint

all those little notes to stop them being beached-out by the sun. “Now,” Ullmann says, sadly, “nobody is writing on that door, so soon they will all be gone.”

A fateful meeting Ullmann first met Bergman when she was visiting Bibi Andersson in Stockholm. By then, she was an established actress. Bergman had even seen some of her films. The rest, as they say, is history. But what was it that inspired her to consider a career in the spotlight in the first place?

“When I was very young,” she says, “I made up stories and performed them when my mother had guests… and for once, I had their attention!” She adds that, while she always had a knack for making people cry, “I honestly really wanted to be a comedian, and in school, I would write small comedies and people really did think I was funny.”

It is true. Ullmann’s talk is peppered with comic asides, which she relates with a warm, self-deprecating humour.

In fact, it was the desire to work on a comedy that made Ullmann turn down Fanny and Alexander, which Bergman had written especially for her. For a whole year after, Bergman refused to speak to her, writing letters addressed simply to ‘Dear Ms Ullmann’.

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 33

Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Liv Ullmann

Cries and Whispers.

Face to Face.

Persona.

Seventh Seal.

After leaving school, Ullmann went to London to study drama. “I lied a lot!” she admits. “I told everyone I was 19 and had just finished my student exams, and was engaged – because I wanted to be like all the other girls. They all knew that I’d lied, but I didn’t know they knew!”

Back in Norway, a botched audition lead to the offer of the lead in Anne Frank in a small theatre in Stavanger. “You can’t miss that, if you have a heart.” Film offers and that fateful meeting with Bergman followed, but while the director’s work is often described as dour and serious, what Ullmann remembers is the fun. “He was a storyteller. He had such fun directing and we had fun with him. We were all so close – we were best friends,” she says.

Thanks, in no small part, to Bergman’s international reputation, Ullmann soon found herself being offered roles in Hollywood, something that did not quite go as planned. Ullmann: “People were saying, ‘She’s the new Ingrid Bergman, 34 | Issue 110 | March 2018

she’s the new Greta Garbo’, so I went and played the lead in Lost Horizon, though I really couldn’t dance or sing… and everyone was saying ‘Oh! You’re so wonderful’. Then I did 40 Carats and they were telling me that Elizabeth Taylor was crying because she couldn’t do the film. I was 30 years old, looked 25, and was supposed to be this 40-year-old sophisticated New Yorker. I spoke even less English then than I do now! But, to be honest, I loved it. I got to dance with Gene Kelly, and everybody was beautiful to me. I had a fantastic house, with a bathroom that kings could have held court in. But in one year, I did four films and did something that no one else had ever done before: I closed down two studios!”

Demons and disasters Today, Ullmann is primarily remembered for her incredible body of film and TV work, but theatre has always been her first love. And, while America’s film studios may have wasted her talents, on

Broadway she finally had her ‘Hollywood moment’ with award-winning runs in A Doll’s House, Ghosts, and Anna Christie.

Oddly, while Bergman had always been critical of actors who went abroad to work, he flew to New York to see her perform. It was, Ullmann feels, because it was something he would have loved to do himself if he had not been so shy. She goes on to relate the story of how Barbra Streisand invited Bergman to her Hollywood mansion to discuss a film – and told him to bring his swimming trunks. “He got straight on the plane and flew home!” she laughs.

Another collision with Hollywood royalty was equally disastrous. “Fear would fill him, but it did not hinder him,” Ullmann explains. “He found pockets of safety in the midst of what he called his demons.

He found safety in creativity and believed that you always need others to create.”

On set, he was an incredibly generous director, allowing the actors to find their own characters. His scripts were, how-

Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Liv Ullmann

ever, sacrosanct. The only actor to ever break that rule was Ingrid Bergman.

“While we were reading for Autumn Sonata, she would stop all the time and criticise the script. When the reading was over, everybody left and I was alone with him and he cried. He really cried.”

50 years on, and while Bergman may be gone, Ullmann feels that she will always carry a little of his essence with her.

“Once you are with someone lovely, part of that loveliness will always be with you. Once you are with a genius, some of that will be with you. It’s contagious to be with good people, just as it is contagious to have leaders that are no good and spread hate.”

As part of the global Bergman centenary (1918 – 2007), London’s British Film Institute will be screening everything Bergman wrote for the screen as well as a number of his groundbreaking TV series, also hosting an ambitious programme of discussions, at its flagship BFI Southbank venue until mid-March.

Liv Ullmann with the Swedish Ambassador Torbjörn Sohlström.

Liv Ullmann with Geoff Andrew (BFI) and Kajsa Hedström (SFI).

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The Paddan boat in Stockholm archipelago. Photo: Göran Assner

North to south, city to wilderness: Look beneath the surface to discover Sweden’s true cultural heritage Swedish culture can be enjoyed from just about anywhere in the world. You can listen to ABBA or First Aid Kit, indulge in fashion from H&M or COS, or kit out your home with IKEA’s finest or a luxurious Lamino armchair. But a visit to Sweden allows you to take a closer look at where it all stems from.

Photos: imagebank.sweden.se

Stockholm is simply stunning in the spring, when the greenery explodes and the archipelago comes to life again. Why not make the most of island city living and jump on a boat out to the gesamtkunstwerk that is Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde, followed by a modern art experience out of the ordinary at Moderna Museet? Experience a concert at the renowned Berwaldhallen, which is warming up for the Baltic Sea Festival at the end of the summer, and wrap up the evening 36 | Issue 110 | March 2018

with a vegetarian meal and fine views at the locals’ own favourite, Södra Teatern.

Further west, get to know the king of the forest at the Royal Hunt Museum – Elk Hill, or learn all about the Swedish car wonder at Volvo Museum in Arendal outside Gothenburg. While you are there, bring the kids to the magical world of Alfons Åberg at Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre, or perhaps take a day trip to the art collective Not Quite in Fengerfors.

Perhaps you want to take the last chance to get a glimpse of the magical northern lights up north, or the beginnings of the midnight sun? In addition to unspoilt nature, Umeå presents a buzzing culture scene, including the finest guitar collection in the world at Guitars – The Museum, and world-class contemporary art at the ever inspiring Bildmuseet.

Swedish culture is world-renowned for a reason, and it is worth scratching the surface properly to discover what lies beneath. Where will your exploration begin?

Web: www.visitsweden.com

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Bildmuseet. Photo: Guillaume de Basly

Röda Sten Art Centre. Photo: Joachim Brink

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 37

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Staffan Forssell.

Photo: Hans Alm

Dada is Dada exhibition at Bildmuseet. Photo: Mikael Lundgren

Photo: Volvo Museum

Behind Sweden’s secret to artistic success People have often asked how Sweden can produce so many global music stars. The Swedish music miracle has even become a recognised concept. Municipal music and arts schools are considered one of the explanations for the phenomenon.

Many Swedish stars started out as children at a municipal music school. Arising out of the musical tradition in marching bands, the church and selective schools, the music schools have tended to embrace additional art forms over time. Today, most of them call themselves art schools – and now the government has decided to invest even more in these schools.

In several interviews, Swedish music producer Max Martin has thanked his art school for his international success. He began as a teenager playing French horn and trumpet in Ekerö outside Stockholm.

Max Martin, or Martin Sandberg, to use his real name, says that he would never have made it as far as he has without the art school. He is one of the biggest names in pop history, thanks to hits with artists such as Pink, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.

The Swedish government invests approximately 100 million SEK per year in art schools. The municipalities, meanwhile, invest over two billion SEK. The idea is to 38 | Issue 110 | March 2018

enable even more children to get involved in culture, no matter where they live, their financial circumstances or their parents’ cultural capital. Getting more qualified teachers into art schools is another objective. At the Swedish Arts Council, they are now establishing a national art school centre that can allocate grants, compile statistics, disseminate research and identify development needs.

Over half of the nation’s art schools currently have at least three art forms on their curriculum. The subjects on offer may include music, singing, dance, draAbout the Swedish Arts Council The Swedish Arts Council is a public authority under the Swedish Ministry of Culture, whose task is to promote cultural development and access based on the national culture policy objectives. The Council achieves this by allocating and monitoring state funding, alongside other promotional activities.

ma, visual arts, media, crafts, contemporary circus and many more. One example of the way art schools move with the times is El Sistema – a collaboration between children, art teachers and professional musicians. The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra is involved in the programme through art schools in Angered. El Sistema originated as a social project in Venezuela and is now a worldwide movement that uses the power of music to help children influence their lives for the better Background Sweden’s municipal music schools began on a small scale in a few municipalities during the 1940s. There was then a surge in growth in the 1960s, and music schools became increasingly widespread.

Before the emergence of municipal music schools, only certain young people had the opportunity to learn an instrument through military music, marching bands, selective schools or the church. There was also private tuition for those who could afford it. Now practically every municipality in Sweden boasts an art school.

Web: www.kulturradet.se

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COME ALONG ON AN EXCITING ELK SAFARI

GO BIKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF CARL LINNAEUS

On the plateau of Halle-& Hunneberg, through West Sweden´s most attractive landscapes.

Internationally, the mountain is known for its elks and the Royal Hunt. We enjoy enjoy light refreshments in front of an open fire in a Laplanders cot, and visit The Royal Hunt Museum before we look for the elks.

Plan and book at visittv.se

Enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Linneaus bike path, where you will be biking in the footsteps of the Flower King. Two overnight stays including breakfast in country estate-like enviroment at Albert Hotell and Ronnums Herrgård. The trail is 70 km and you bike along the Göta Älv, Lake Vänern and the Ecopark Halle-& Hunneberg. Plan and book at visittv.se

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

‘Our porcelain has travelled all over the world’ It took some time for the Europeans to figure out how to make porcelain like they did in the far east – indeed, more than a thousand years longer than it did the Chinese.

But once the knowledge was established, porcelain making became an important craft in Europe.

By Sara Wenkel | Photos: Rörstrand Museum

Rörstrand porcelain factory developed into one of the most successful porcelain companies in Europe. “Our products have travelled far,” says Inger Nordström, CEO at Rörstrand Museum. “We get over 2,000 enquiries every year from people around the world who want to know more about the porcelain they treasure.”

At Rörstrand Museum, visitors can learn about the 290 years of history surrounding the renowned porcelain factory in a framework exhibition that is open all year round.

One of the temporary exhibitions coming up this year focuses on Marianne Westman.

“Westman is one of Rörstrand’s most significant designers, and she created, among other porcelain ranges, the famous service

Rörstrand Museum is beautifully located next to Vänern, Sweden’s biggest lake, and makes a perfect excursion for the whole family. The intimate town of Lidköping is very proud of its porcelain heritage. “Everyone here has some connection to the factory,” says Nordström.

Mon Amie.” In addition to showcasing porcelain favourites by the late designer, the museum has also commissioned students at Konstfack, the largest university of arts in Sweden, to create sketches as a homage to Westman. The exhibition is on display from 6 June to 30 September.

Web: www.rorstrand-museum.se/en

Behold the Baltic Sea Festival The Berwaldhallen concert hall, affiliated with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Choir, is one of Sweden’s most important cultural institutions and has a reach far beyond the country’s borders. This year, for the 16th time, Berwaldhallen is once again hosting the Baltic Sea festival.

Michael Tydén is one of the original creators and now the general manager of the Baltic Sea Festival – but this year’s production is his last. “It has been a fantastic journey,” he says.

The idea behind the festival was sparked

by Tydén and conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen from Finland and Valery Gergiev from Russia, ten years after the Berlin Wall fell.

“We were convinced that the Baltic Sea

should be used as an opening of communication, in contrast to the border it had previously acted as,” says Tydén.

The trio successfully produced the now much-loved festival, where over 70 orchestras and choirs have participated to date.

Tydén reveals that the idea was initially sketched out on a simple restaurant napkin. “We came up with the idea of bringing the festival to the cruise ferries while din-

By Sara Wenkel

ing at restaurant Wasahof. We drew ideas of ferry routes on napkins that still exist today,” he reminisces.

This year’s festival, taking place from 22 August to 1 September, will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Baltic states and Ingmar Bergman’s and choirmaster Eric Ericsson’s birthdays. “I’m very much looking forward to the moment when three choirs will pay tribute to Ericsson and end with Friede auf Erden,” Tydén concludes.

Web: www.berwaldhallen.se/en and www.balticseafestival.com

Photo: Sakari Viika

Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Photo: Minna Hatinen.

40 | Issue 110 | March 2018

The Tallinn Chamber Orchestra.

Photo: Kaupo Kikkas

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Top left: Katarzyna Kobro, Suspended Construction 2, 1921-1922. Photo: Ewa Sapka-Pawliczak and Muzeum Sztuki in Łódz. Bottom left: From Concrete Matters. César and Claudio Oiticica, Hélio Oiticica, no title (from series Spatial Reliefs) 1959, reconstruction 1991. Photo: Courtesy of Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros. Middle: From Art et Liberté. Ramsès Younane, no title, 1939. Photo: Courtesy of H. E. Sh. Hassan M. A. Al Thani collection, Doha. Right: Exterior of Moderna Museet in Stockholm.

Photo: Moderna Museet/Åsa Lundén

Art for a larger world Moderna Museet is one of Europe’s leading museums of modern and contemporary art. Its upcoming programme of exhibitions is more extensive than ever, broadening the view of art history as well as the understanding of modernism.

By Malin Norman

Moderna Museet has an impressive line-up ahead of it, including this spring’s Concrete Matters in Stockholm.

It presents concrete and neo-concrete art from Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela and Brazil. There are some 80 works made from the 1930s to the 1970s, based on works in the collection Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros.

The exhibition runs until 13 May.

Concrete Matters is part of A Larger World, a programme aiming to broaden the view of art history by extending the collection with pieces more relevant for our current times, showing that there is more on the art map than Paris and New York. The museum’s communication strategist, John Peter Nilsson, is excited about the display. “It gives an overview of South American art and fits in well with

the theme of a larger world. Concrete, abstract art has been focused on Europe, however similar ideas are formed in other parts of the world. We’re thrilled as this is the first time that this type of art is showcased in the Nordics.”

Another interesting exhibition is Art et Liberté, which presents rupture, war and surrealism in Egypt from 1938 to 1948. It was created by a collective of artists and writers working in Cairo, as a heterogeneous platform for cultural and political reform. The display sheds new light on the surrealist movement and provides a critical view of male-dominated societies, with over 200 works and documents, and is open for visitors from 28 April to 12 August. This summer’s dreamlike display of works by Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg is another exhibition not to miss,

presenting objects, music and moving images. The artists have received a great deal of international acclaim, and this is their first major exhibition in Sweden, open to from 16 June to 9 September.

Moderna Museet is also present in Malmö, where the new exhibition Kobro & Strzeminski opens on 10 March and runs until 2 September. It presents new art in turbulent times, with work by Polish artists Katarzyna Kobro and Władysław Strzeminski, both active painters and sculptors who also worked with architecture, graphic design and scenography.

This is among the most well-kept secrets of modernism.

Moderna Museet offers free admission to the main collection and many of its temporary exhibitions.

Web: www.modernamuseet.se Facebook: ModernaMuseet Twitter: @ModernaMuseet Instagram: @modernamuseet

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 41

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

The exhibition Dada is dada is on display at Bildmuseet until 20 May. Exhibition design: Alexandre Fruh. Photo: Mikael Lundgren.

A message from Cabaret Voltaire: Bring art that unites back down to the people A beacon of world-class contemporary international art, Bildmuseet in Umeå is known for high-quality exhibitions, thought-provoking collaborations and stunning architecture. This spring, however, it rewinds to World War I with a look at one of the most influential art movements of the 20th century.

fore been exhibited in the Nordics, so it’s very exciting.”

By Linnea Dunne

Among other things, the Dadaists are known for their inventive collages – often made using old rubbish, simple paper cuttings and torn advertisements. “We’ve got a beautiful collage by Hannah Höch from Germany. She is known for her pioneering practice in collage and photo montage and worked with these until her death in the ‘70s,” says Täljedal. “Then there are also sound installations to show that the movement wasn’t all about text and visual art, so you can experience the artists reading Dadaist poetry and this new art form called sound poetry, which was meant to transcend borders – let me give you an example.” She launches into a rumble of sounds, most closely resembling tongue speaking mixed with

It started on 5 February 1916 in a shoddy old night club in Zürich, Switzerland.

On the initiative of Hugo Ball and Emmy Hennings, a group of young artists who had fled their home countries due to World War I met at Cabaret Voltaire to express frustration about a society that had let them down and caused so much hurt and damage. The result was Dada, an artistic movement characterised by experimental texts, wildly wicked performances, creative provocation and avant garde artworks, all a protest against the hypocritical, bourgeois society. “It was a countermovement against corruption and traditional aesthetic ideals – against 42 | Issue 110 | March 2018

art with a big A. It was an attempt to bring aesthetics back down to the people, to reunite life and art,” says Brita Täljedal.

She works as curator at Bildmuseet in Umeå and is one of three curators behind the current exhibition Dada is Dada.

“We have about 100 original items at this teeming, beautiful exhibition, including flyers and posters that feel cutting-edge in their approach to graphics still today,” she says. “With these artworks we’ve borrowed from private collectors in Europe, we’re providing a glimpse or a window to the huge and sprawling Dada movement. These pieces have never be-

Collage, sound poetry and readymades

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

a toddler’s first attempts at babbling, and then laughs.

The exhibition has been designed with the walls painted in different grey-violet hues and both walls and vitrines are fitted on wheels so that the exhibition space can change to reflect the agility of Dadaism.

“There’s video art as well, and occasionally music starts to suddenly play, taking visitors by surprise,” says Täljedal. “Socalled readymades were also huge in Dadaism, and we’ve got a bottle rack like the one that Marcel Duchamp bought in 1914 at Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville in Paris and designated as a readymade. The readymades were incredibly provocative back then, and they still challenge our understanding of what constitutes art.”

Intense and courageous Dada only survived for approximately eight years, but it was an intense period and the movement is considered one of

the most influential art movements of the 20th century. “These artists lived Dada; they were bold and incredibly brave and dared to question and provoke – there’s a very clear relationship with punk there.

It was almost like an attitude more than an art form – it had futurist elements and expressionist elements but, equally, a restaurant owner could be Dada,” the curator reflects. “But in criticising everything and everyone, they were quite strongly disliked, and I guess it must’ve been quite hard going. Audiences used to come to the shows with pockets full of eggs and tomatoes, because they knew they’d get a chance to throw them. That’s what it was like.”

Part of Umeå University’s new Arts Campus and housed in a seven-floor, purpose-built museum designed by the renowned Danish architect firm Henning Larsen Architects, Bildmuseet has a reputation for world-class inter-

national contemporary art and a transboundary, confident approach. Yet it has strong local roots and regularly dips into historical exploration, and Dada is Dada makes a thought-provoking addition to the programme, according to Täljedal. “We produce and design exhibitions based on what’s engaging and relevant, and I think the Dadaists have a lot to say to us today,” she explains.

With everything from theatre and dance shows to talks, poetry readings and collage workshops running alongside the main exhibition, there is plenty of inspiration for those who are feeling bold or just counter-culturally curious.

“That courage and the desire to affect change in their own situation and the world around them – that energy is what makes a real impression.”

Dada is Dada is running until 20 May. Web: www.bildmuseet.umu.se

Left: George Grosz, Ecce homo XII, 1923. © George Grosz / Copyright 2018. Middle: Launch of the first ever international Dada fair, Berlin 1920. Right: Kurt Schwitters and Theo Van Doesburg, Kleine Dada Soirée (poster), 1923. © Kurt Scwitters, Theo van Doesburg / Copyright 2018. Bottom left: Man Ray, portrait of Marcel Duchamp as Rrose Sélavy, 1921. © Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp / Copyright 2018. Bottom right: Dada is Dada exhibition. Photo: Mikael Lundgren.

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 43

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Under a glassy sky at the factory

By Malin Norman | Photos: The Glass Factory

The Glass Factory sits bang in the middle of the Kingdom of Crystal. This interactive glass museum is the ultimate knowledge hub and creative meeting place for international artists, designers and visitors alike.

With around 4,000 square metres of exhibition space and over 50,000 visitors per year, The Glass Factory in Småland is one of the biggest glass museums in Scandinavia. It offers nothing short of spectacular glass shows, a scientific glass lab and a special glass factory for children, a complete collection from the glassworks and, last but not least, live glassblowing at Glashyttan studio, the beating heart of the centre.

The museum presents a programme packed with international and interdisciplinary events. From 10 March to 8 April, Finnish contemporary glass artist and filmmaker Riikka Haapasaari will showcase her narrative, poetic films about the material glass in the exhibition Under a Glassy Sky. Another exciting display is Through the Looking Glass, open from 24 March to 29 April, with images by photographers

Jan Nordström, Hans Runesson and Ove Ahlström, who have documented the Kingdom of Crystal from the 1960s.

Another highlight is the collected works from three Cyrén generations: glass artist Gunnar Cyrén, who worked at Orrefors in the 1960s; designer Mårten Cyrén, and contemporary artist Carl Cyrén. The exhibition Cyrén, Cyrén, Cyrén will be open from 28 April to 27 May. Then, from 16 June, the new show Material World will present the evolution of glass during the expansive 1980s.

Museum director Maja Heuer also recommends the Glass Festival, which starts on 27 April. “For two days, we open our doors to the public with a fully packed programme of all things glass,” she says. “For instance, visitors can watch the Swedish Championship in glassblowing and other fantastic demos or take part in exciting workshops.”

Back to basics on the hill

44 | Issue 110 | March 2018

Web: theglassfactory.se Facebook: theglassfactoryboda Instagram: @theglassfactoryboda

By Malin Norman | Photos: The Royal Hunt Museum – Elk Hill

At the Royal Hunt Museum – Elk Hill, fantastic nature is accessible only a short distance from Gothenburg. It is an ideal destination to explore, and where to meet wild creatures of the forest.

West Sweden’s only eco park is located close to Lake Vänern, and its mountains Halleberg and Hunneberg offer rare geology and biological diversity with fascinating wildlife in addition to plenty for young and old adventurers to discover. The Royal Hunt Museum – Elk Hill is ideal for families with children, with opportunities to smell, touch and explore – practical learning in a museum environment. For instance, there is an interactive display about Swedish nature and hunting history as well as the royal hunt, which was introduced by King Oscar II in 1885 and is still active today.

Visitors should also take the opportunity to discover the great fishing in the area.

The Royal Hunt Museum – Elk Hill has taken over management of Hunneberg’s fishing waters, consisting of lakes stocked with rainbow trout, and nature guide Ola

Riikka Haapasaari, Under a Glassy Sky.

Selin also recommends the waters with natural populations of perch and pike. “It should be easy to get outdoors,” he says.

“Sitting in a small boat on a lake is peaceful – it shouldn’t be about what gear you are using. Here, you can get back to basics with a simple fishing rod and bait.”

Other highlights include the beaver safari and guided canoe tour on Lake Eldmörjan. For those who want to try canoeing on their own, half-day and full-day rentals are available as well as mountain

bikes with several routes starting at the museum and following the mountain.

The Royal Hunt Museum – Elk Hill is open all year round with plenty of activities throughout, including guided monthly hikes.

Web: www.algensberg.com Facebook: kungajaktmuseetalgensberg

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Experience the iconic Swedish car “It is a piece of Swedish history and a walk down memory lane. You can see how Volvo has changed over the decades,” says Sören Nyeboe, director at Volvo Museum, when describing his workplace.

ception,” Nyeboe promises. Enjoy browsing the summery cars along with an ice cream from the museum’s café, which also serves sandwiches and light lunch.

By Sara Wenkel | Photos: Volvo Museum

Everything from cars and engines to buses and trucks is on display at the popular museum, which showcases an impressive timeline. Last year, attendance was at an all-time high, with 91,300 visitors at the museum in Arendal on the outskirts of Gothenburg. The museum is larger than what many visitors expect, and you can also explore 2,000 square metres dedicated to Volvo Ocean Race. “If you are interested in cars – great! But I believe you will enjoy the museum either way. It is pure nostalgia and everyone has a relationship with Volvo,” says Nyeboe.

This year, starting 15 May, the museum will pay attention to Volvo Duett, Volvo’s very first station wagon. The vehicle was launched in 1953 with the aim to be a car that could be used both for work and in family life. “We are very excited to showcase the Duett, which has played an important role in so many different profes-

sions. We have been able to borrow old cars from the Swedish State Railways, the Swedish military and the Swedish police, all of whom used Duetts in the mid-20th century,” explains Nyeboe.

A busy museum “We are always busy looking at how we can renew and improve our exhibitions,” says Nyeboe. This year, Volvo Museum will focus on the Heavy Vehicle area, which is part of the permanent exhibition and will re-open late spring. “We are also working on a small temporary exhibition, celebrating Volvo Trucks turning 90 years in 2018.”

As the weather gets warmer, the museum will exhibit some iconic summer favourites. “Our temporary convertible exhibitions are always very much appreciated among our visitors, and we know that this year’s exhibition will be no ex-

Volvo Museum – save the date 5 April: Heavy Rally West 26 May: The Volvo Museum day 6 June, Sweden’s national day: The great Swedish car meet 18-19 August: VROM – an international gathering with Volvo enthusiasts

Web: www.volvomuseum.com

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 45

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

The tourists’ choice: A destination out of the ordinary

By Pia Petersson | Photos: Roger Degerman

The four most popular museums in Sweden are predictably located in Stockholm.

Number five on the list, however, might come as a bit of a surprise – in terms of both its location and what kind of museum it is. Found in the northern city of Umeå, this museum is dedicated to guitars.

As is the case with many success stories, this did not follow an ordinary template. It began with a couple of brothers and their personal – and huge – interest in guitars.

“It’s all about the twin brothers Samuel and Michael Åhdén, who have devoted their lives to guitars, amplifiers and related paraphernalia. They’ve spent 45 years creating the collection,” Fredrik Fagerlund, founder and head of PR at the museum, explains.

This mecca for aficionados opened in 2014 but has already been crowned by international music magazines as the finest guitar collection in the world. And the visitors clearly agree: Guitars – The Museum’s average rating on TripAdvisor is 5.0. This

is quite an achievement after only three years.

Additionally, the museum challenges gender stereotypes about men and guitars and appeals to all genders, with equal numbers of male and female visitors.

What is the secret behind the success? To Fagerlund, the answer is quite simple: “We provide three tours daily, often guided by the brothers themselves. The tours include stories that bring both laughter and tears to the visitors’ eyes. It’s about the brothers’ lives, their experiences of collecting, and of course also facts about the guitars,” he says.

A trip to Umeå is clearly not complete without a visit to Guitars – The Museum.

Samuel & Michael Åhdén portrait.

Fender Telecaster w/Parsons White B Bender.

Web: www.guitarsthemuseum.com

Contemporary art in a bigger context Bonniers Konsthall is a beautiful place for contemporary art in the centre of Stockholm. Here, you can see exhibitions and take part in discussions about Swedish and international art. The exhibitions are accompanied by a diverse programme of talks, seminars and special events, offering new perspectives and ways into art.

With a mission to spread knowledge about contemporary art to the general public, Bonniers Konsthall is a privately run, non-profit organisation. It originated from the Maria Bonnier Dahlin Foundation, which was founded by the late Jeanette Bonnier in 1985 in memory of her daughter Maria Bonnier Dahlin.

The new director, Magnus af Petersens, explains that the programme this year is the most extensive so far, with several large exhibitions and simultaneous smaller displays. “Our Konsthall already has a fantastic reputation in Europe, and we want it to become even more influential. It’s a great place to view and discuss work by the most intriguing artists of our time.”

Kicking off the spring programme is Swedish artist Jens Fänge, who will occupy the main exhibition rooms until 1 April.

46 | Issue 110 | March 2018

The largest-ever exhibition of Fänge’s work, Drömmarna (The Dreams), contains labyrinthine, dream-like spaces and patterned wallpaper, providing a backdrop to the paintings. “The Dreams has had a fantastic reception from both audience and press – it’s probably our most visited exhibition ever,” says af Petersens.

Other highlights include the first Swedish solo presentation of American artist Ellen Gallagher’s work, running from 25 April to 3 June. It will also feature new, extensive work produced along with artist Edgar Cleijne for the New Orleans biennial Prospect. British artist Peter Liversidge will be a recurring artist with performances, interventions and artwork displays during 2018. Throughout the year, Bonniers Konsthall will also run the programme Artist Film International with other art institutions around the world,

By Malin Norman

again promoting the importance of spreading new art and ideas.

Web: bonnierskonsthall.se Facebook: bonnierskonsthall Twitter: @BonniersKonsth Instagram: @bonnierskonsthall

Opening hours: Wednesday 12pm-8pm Thursday-Sunday 12pm-5pm Free admission on Fridays.

Drömmarna (The Dreams), Bonniers Konsthall 2018, Stockholm, Sweden. Photo: Petter Cohen

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Photo: David Thunander

Photo: Karin Bernhardsson

Photo: Hanna Ukura

Decadence and mischief since 1859 For the cyclist, Stockholm can sometimes present a bit of a challenge with all its hills and steep bridges. However, this also means that the capital has an impressive display of views to offer. Perhaps most breath-taking of them all is the view from Mosebacke square on the island of Södermalm. This is also where the oldest stillactive theatre in Stockholm, Södra Teatern (‘The Southern Theatre’) is located.

By Pia Petersson

Since the beginning of the 20th century, Södran, as it is known colloquially, has been the hub of variety shows and operettas in the capital. However, just like any popular cultural centre, it has had to adapt to appeal to a modern audience. “In the late 1990s, Södran transformed into an international scene for dance, music, theatre and lectures. Södran has a dynamic profile, attracting colourful local artists as well as international stars. Today, we also have a recognised club scene as well as a focus on meetings and events,” Ingmari Pagenkemper, CEO and creative leader at Södra Teatern, explains.

stop developing. But with an incredibly creative kitchen team and fantastic restaurant staff, I think we’ve managed to keep the same standard as, if not better than, a number of the best restaurants in Stockholm,” says Pagenkemper. The restaurant, Mosebacke Etablissement, mainly focuses on vegetarian food, without being “overly healthy”, as the CEO puts it. It perfectly suits visitors who might be interested in eating less meat. “We’ve managed to win over many meat lovers, who previously assumed that vegetarian food is just an accessory,” Pagenkemper explains.

In addition to a great selection of cultural events, Södran also offers culinary pleasures. “We’re so proud of our restaurant!

It’s easy for a place like ours to get caught up in ‘just’ being a theatre restaurant and

The jewel in the crown at Södra Teatern is perhaps the Champagne bar. Mainly used for meetings and events, this magnificent seventh-floor bar is open to the public during the summer months. This year, it

will be better than ever. “We’ve recently renovated our renowned Champagne bar.

It’s well-known for its stunning view of Stockholm’s inlet, and now we will also be able to offer a more luxurious and cosy interior experience, which we think is really exciting,” says Pagenkemper.

With a motto loosely translating to ‘decadence and mischief since 1859’, Södran is by all means worth a visit next time you are in Stockholm.

Photo: Claes Helander

Web: www.sodrateatern.com

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 47

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Photo: Inphokus by Funke

Magical nature experiences at northern Europe’s hiking mecca With a total of 150 kilometres of hiking trails, Hässleholm and Hovdala recreation area is nothing short of a hiking mecca. Choose from hilly landscapes with charming farms, easy strolls around Finjasjön Lake, and treks to the heights of boulder ridges with stunning views. Sometimes lovingly referred to as ‘magical rooms’, these nature experiences offer everything Sweden is known and loved for: sustainability, simplicity and pure, untouched nature.

By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Hässleholm

“You’ll get a different experience depending on which trail you choose, and depending on the season,” says Anna Nordstrand, destination developer. “If, for example, you explore the trail called Jakten på Gullspira, referencing a wellknown Swedish story about a goat kid who escaped for adventure, you’ll encounter wild, untouched nature, a virgin forest, walkways across damp marshes and bogs, a former health spring and volcanic remnants. The dairy farm Glada Geten (‘the happy goat’) makes the per48 | Issue 110 | March 2018

fect pitstop for coffee and perhaps a light lunch of local produce. You also get the chance to meet the goat Gullspira on the farm, of course.”

Located in the northeast of the southern Swedish county of Skåne, Hässleholm is easy to get to by train from pretty much any direction. From the central station, there are trails taking you straight out into wilderness and what can appropriately be referred to as northern Europe’s hiking centre. Thanks to two boulder

ridges meeting right here, the landscape is varied, offering heights and waterways and everything in between. The trails vary in length and difficulty too, so there is something for beginners as well as more challenging routes. “It mightn’t be for hardcore adventure seekers who want to take on Kebnekaise, but there’s something for pretty much everyone else: families with kids, outdoor enthusiasts, hiking fans and novices who want to try a trek for the first time. You get the wilderness feel despite being close to civilisation; it’s safe, yet it’s all about pure nature,” Nordstrand explains. If you want a hike that lasts a few days, opt for the 55-kilometre Hovdalaleden, a combination of the best bits of the four one-day trails.

Among other trails is Höjdarnas Höjdarled, a challenging trail of undulating

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

terrain with rewards in the form of stunning panoramic views across Finjasjön Lake, the surrounding forest of which is thought to be home to one of Sweden’s largest bat populations. Finjasjöleden, meanwhile, follows paths through lush lakeside woods with bathing spots and jetties and presents Sweden’s longest alder marsh walkway along with the architect-designed bird-watching platform Slingra Dig. “In many ways, our hiking paths present that stripped down simplicity that Sweden is known for – there are no frills here, and no noise from traffic,” says Nordstrand. “But there are still creations that stand out, if also in that typically Nordic way: there’s an architectdesigned treehouse, Hovdala Trädhus, at five metres above ground as well as functional yet stylishly designed shelters. During peak season in the summer, there’s a café at the treehouse where you can grab a coffee and enjoy some waffles, and from March through September volunteers keep it open every Sunday for visitors to bring their own picnic.”

Photo: Jens Christian

Hovdala castle and gardens.

Photo: Sven Persson/swelo.se

The shelters, Nordstrand explains, have been named after characters from Astrid Lindgren’s stories, and the Tykarpsgrottan cave, another nearby attraction, was used in an iconic scene in the author’s story about Ronia the Robber’s Daughter.

Indeed, the treehouse makes the perfect spot for trying out your best spring scream, the way the robber’s daughter herself famously did every year. Other activities in the surrounding region include a visit to Alpacha & Elk Eco Farm at Västra Torup, a bat safari, and exploration of Hovdala castle and gardens. The 16th century castle has a restaurant and café in addition to an orangery, beautiful interiors and guided tours, so makes a handy stop for a bite to eat and a trip to the bathroom, as some trails start and end here. During peak season, buses run daily between the castle and Hässleholm town centre.

Keen runners, leisure fishers and those interested in horse riding can all find something here. Most importantly, however, is perhaps the stillness and simplicity. “It’s so easy to get here. Then just lace up your boots and start walking!”

Photo: Inphokus by Funke

Nordstrand enthuses. Once a year, the Hovdala Hiking Festival takes things to the next level with themed treks around things like photography or yoga. “The mantra is ‘hike together’, and on this day in September you get to explore places you’d otherwise never get to. It’s a fantastic nature experience.”

Accommodation Spend the night in Hässleholm town centre at one of the hotels or B&Bs, or bring camping equipment and make use of one of the many shelters. There are also hotels and B&Bs in various locations along the trails.

Did you know that, thanks to ‘allemansrätten’ (the ‘right to access’ or ‘freedom to roam’), you are allowed to set up camp for a night almost anywhere in nature? The sky is the limit!

If you want more of a permanent base in nature during your stay, there are cottages from which to take daily treks and tours.

Web: www.hassleholm.se/turism

Photo: Sven Persson/swelo.se

Every year in September, the Hovdala Hiking Festival presents themed treks. Previously, yoga has been one of the activities on offer. Photo: Inphokus by Funke

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 49

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Photo: ©Bok-Makaren AB

Photo: Beatrice Törnros

Photo: Alfons Åbergs Kulturhus

Learn by playing For children, the chance to identify with literary characters tackling and overcoming problems can be of great value. This way, children learn how to cope with their own problems. One character that has proved significant in the context of selfidentification is Alfons Åberg (known to English-speaking audiences as Alfie Atkins).

Together with his dad, Alfons invites children and their adults into his quirky, fascinating house in Gothenburg.

By Pia Petersson

Children all over the world know Alfons and his dad from the books by Gunilla Bergström. The reason behind his universal appeal is pretty simple. “All children can recognise themselves in Alfons, who’s an ordinary boy living with his dad in a suburb. He’s happy and mischievous for the most part, but he can also be angry, jealous and scared of ghosts,” says Lisa Ödman, marketing and communications manager at Alfons Åbergs Kulturhus i Göteborg (Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre in Gothenburg).

The main purpose of this creative culture centre is to promote children’s play, development and learning. Curious children can play, climb and discover in a house full of ingenious things. Children are invited to 1,400 different events and 50 | Issue 110 | March 2018

activities annually, including everything from theatre and exhibitions to interactive chemistry lessons. The lessons are offered in cooperation with Chalmers University of Technology.

The first of the 26 books about Alfons Åberg was published in 1972, and since then Alfons and his pipe-smoking dad have become household names for most Swedish kids – and their parents. Author Gunilla Bergström has never shied away from including topics such as war, disability and loneliness in the stories about Alfons. With her books she has shown that through literature children can be encouraged to see both themselves and their world in a different perspective. The fact that the books about Alfons have been translated into 30 languages serves

as concrete proof that Bergström’s approach has been successful.

Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre is a non-profit foundation, where making all children feel welcome and comfortable is key. “Our vision is to make all children feel at home here – and we mean everyone, regardless of disabilities, language, cultural background or social situation.

We believe that we contribute to children’s development through play and learning,” Ödman finishes.

Photo: Tommy Holl

Web: www.alfonskulturhus.com

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Photo: Istock

Yiqing Yin’s ‘cage dress’.

Photo: Shoji Fujii

Be seduced by colourful feathers At Världskulturmuseet (the Museum of World Culture) in Gothenburg, a vibrant new exhibition is making itself seen and heard. In A World of Feathers, visitors can explore the fascinating world of birds and feathers through natural history, culture and fashion.

By Malin Norman | Photo: Världskulturmuseerna/Anja Sjögren

The spectacular exhibition A World of Feathers opened at the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg on 10 February and has already caused quite a stir. “Feathers are fragile, often colourful and beautiful, and have inspired people through all times,” says producer Lina Malm. “This new display brings visitors on a journey across the world, showing for instance how feathers have been worn as decoration in ceremonies and to show status and identity.”

The Museum of World Culture showcases some of its own, unique objects and has also borrowed from other museums, including around 100 birds from the Natural History Museum in Stockholm.

In addition, fashion icons such as JeanPaul Gaultier and Lars Wallin take part with haute couture made of feathers, and visitors can see exclusive designs

by Balmain as well as exciting new projects by students in textile and design.

Beautiful creations by Scandinavia’s only plume creator, Tim Mårtenson, are also on display.

A World of Feathers was originally produced by the Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (the National Museums of World Culture) in the Netherlands. The exhibition will be open at the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg until 19 August and will then travel to the Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm, where it will be shown from 6 October to 3 March 2019.

From ceremonies to catwalks According to Malm, the exhibition has been a success with media as well as appreciated by the public. “This is such a colourful and generous display,” she says. “It’s a mix of archaeology, ethnography and fashion – giving people an opportunity to reflect on identity, place and the importance of feathers.” A World of Feathers has been called one of the most exciting exhibitions in a long time, and many visitors are seduced and surprised. For instance, you can step inside a seven-metre-high birdcage, leaving humans on the inside and birds mounted outside the cage.

Photo: Istock

Opening hours: Tues: 12pm-5pm | Wed: 12pm-8pm Thurs-Fri: 12pm-5pm Sat-Sun: 11am-5pm Free admission.

Web: www.varldskulturmuseerna.se Facebook: varldskulturmuseet Twitter: @worldcultureswe Instagram: @varldskulturmuseet

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 51

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

A place where music, theatre and dance come together One year ago, Scenkonstmuseet (‘the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts’) opened up and quickly became a new favourite attraction in central Stockholm. “This is a museum where you step into the world of theatre, music and dance,” explains Daniel Wetterskog, museum director. “It gives the visitors a great overview of the three performing arts, on and behind the stage.”

By Sara Wenkel | Photos: Jonas André, Scenkonstmuseet

Scenkonstmuseet has a collection of over 50,000 objects, so there is a lot for visitors to see and experience. In contrast to many other museums, which have dedicated interactive areas, Scenkonstmuseet has made sure that interactivity is integrated throughout all exhibitions. The exhibitions should be exciting for all generations. “I love to see grandparents getting help from their grandchildren while they are reminiscing about classic children’s songs. Our museum is not the quiet kind – it inspires conversations,” says Wetterskog proudly.

While the museum focuses on Swedish heritage, Wetterskog emphasises how much international guests have appreciated a visit. “It is the only museum in Europe where you can experience theatre, 52 | Issue 110 | March 2018

music and dance at the same time, and it makes sense to keep it this way. The three performing arts are very often naturally performed together. You can’t dance without music,” says Wetterskog.

Bergman – truth and lies A forthcoming exhibition that has garnered a great deal of international interest is about Ingmar Bergman. This year, people all over the world are celebrating the ‘Bergman year’, as it marks 100 years since his birth, and Scenkonstmuseet is developing its own take on his success.

“As a base, we are using an exhibition that was originally created by Deutche Kinemathek, but we are adding objects from our own collection,” explains Wetterskog. “Every month, we are finding new material with a connection to

Bergman – everything from original costumes and sketches to scenography models.”

The museum will also make sure to highlight some of the people who were crucial to Bergman’s productions, including Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss and Kerstin Hedeby. The biggest Bergman fans will most likely appreciate seeing original manuscripts and enjoy the deep-dive into the theatrical aspect of the director’s career. Meanwhile, it also gives those who do not know much about Bergman a quick overview. “It’s Bergman condensed into one hour,” says Wetterskog.

Web: scenkonstmuseet.se

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Middle: Sigrid Hjertén. Self Portrait, 1914. Photo: Andreas Nilsson / Malmö Art Museum. Right: As of 28 April this year, visitors can arrive at the naturally stunning Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde by water – like they used to, up until the 1970s.

Art in the archipelago – just the way the Prince wanted it In 1947, Prince Eugen wrote in his will that his home and art collections were to be preserved and made truly accessible to the people. Today, Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde is one of the country’s most beautiful art museums – and from this year, you can get there by ferry.

By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde

“We’ve really fought to get permission and get the pier ready – and now it is! Finally, you can get the ferry out to Waldemarsudde and experience arriving here by water again,” says Karin Sidén, museum director of Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde. “In doing this, we’re bringing the old tradition to life again, as up until the 1970s you could get the boat out from Nybroplan in Stockholm.”

Celebrating its 70th birthday this year, the museum Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde was a donation from the prince, who was himself an artist and highly esteemed in artist circles in the early 1900s. The permanent collection boasts a range of works by celebrated Scandinavian artists such as Anders Zorn, Carl Larsson and Carl Milles, alongside rare international works; but more than anything,

the museum is known as a ‘gesamtkunstwerk’ – a complete work of art.

“The experience here is about so much more than the exhibitions,” Sidén explains. “There’s the nature, the gardens, the cafés and the stunning interiors as well. It’s an enormously beautiful place.”

The visitors seem to agree, with 374,000 paying a visit last year and the museum selected as the Stockholmians’ favourite in 2016. Moreover, Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde is rated on TripAdvisor as a place of excellence, and it was named Museum of the Year 2017 by the Association of Swedish Museums.

This spring and summer, visitors get to enjoy the work of Sigrid Hjertén, one of Henri Matisse’s students. Her art has been celebrated widely at home and abroad, and this exhibition of everything

from Matisse-inspired works to more intimate pieces from after her breakdown in the early 1930s has been a huge success among both critics and audiences.

“Just this past weekend we had around 3,000 visitors!” Sidén enthuses. Until 27 May, work by Swedish, New York-based Alexander Klingspor will also be on display, showcasing an artist who has sold to among others Whoopi Goldberg and Salman Rushdie.

From 28 April this year, if you visit Stockholm, hop on the ferry at Nybroplan and enjoy the experience of stopping by the Vasa museum and Gröna Lund amusement park on the way out to Waldemarsudde. “This is not your average museum, not the kind you see replicated everywhere. It’s a former artist’s home, a former Royal home – and it’s situated in this lush, generous environment,” says Sidén. “Add renowned Swedish and Scandinavian art, and you’ll see why the tourists love it as much as the Stockholmians do.”

Web: www.waldemarsudde.se

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 53

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Creative recess in the deep Swedish forest Not Quite is a parrot in the forest. It is a silver thread in the rag board; a little bit of New York in the middle of the periphery.

By Sara Wenkel | Photos: Malin Robertson Harén

People all over the world are drawn to scenic Dalsland in the west of Sweden due to the untouched nature and genuine experiences. The remote location of culture centre Not Quite entices rather than deters and has become a popular summer destination with 30,000 visitors last year.

Not Quite is a co-operative for artists, run by 65 members who all possess different artistic skills. There are photographers, blacksmiths, carpenters, furniture designers, art designers, textile artists, ceramicists, musicians, painters and more.

Malin Robertson Harén, marketing manager and member of Not Quite, is excited about this summer’s programme. “Just like last year, our members are co-producing our exhibitions, but this year with a theme: Not Quite Motherland.”

It is still up to artists to interpret the theme, but with a Swedish election coming up, some political messages will most likely figure. “The local choir, Not Quite

A full list of events and dates is available on the Not Quite website.

Web: www.notquite.se

Enjoy art the slow way In an old industrial area of Gothenburg, Sweden, Röda Sten Konsthall exhibits contemporary art across four floors. The building is an old boiler house that has, through a grassroots effort, been preserved and become what it is today: “A place where you can relax, enjoy art and hang out on Gothenburg’s nicest outdoor patio, right next to the water,” explains Mia Christersdotter Norman, director at Röda Sten Konsthall.

Röda Sten Konsthall is renowned as a popular choice on tourists’ itineraries when visiting Gothenburg. “I think our guests like the whole experience of visiting us.

The area is striking, our exhibitions host both Swedish and international artists, and there is no pressure of buying something,” says Christersdotter Norman. Many people also come for the amazing restaurant,

which has been mentioned in White Guide.

“The meat-free Sunday brunch is ever so popular,” the director smiles.

This Spring, Röda Sten Konsthall will introduce the concept Slow Art Days. “Normally a person spends 15 to 20 seconds on each piece of art,” explains Christersdotter Norman. “We want to encourage our visitors to explore what happens when one

Photo: Michelle Boynton

54 | Issue 110 | March 2018

Vokalensemble, is also for the eighth consecutive year producing an ever so popular opera, which is playing during the last weekend in June,” says Robertson Harén.

The café at Not Quite is for the first time leased and will open with new efforts. “But our high-quality organic food and homemade pastries will of course remain,” Robertson Harén assures.

By Sara Wenkel | Photos: Hendrik Zeitler

spends more time at an exhibition. The viewer may understand additional layers of the art and it is almost like meditating – basically, an opportunity to reflect and take care of yourself.”

14 April marks International Slow Art Day, and Röda Sten Konsthall will arrange several events on the theme throughout March and April.

Web: www.rodastenkonsthall.se Facebook: rodastenkonsthall Instagram: @rodastenkonsthall Twitter: @rodasten

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special

Photo: Sara Appelgren

Photo: Sara Appelgren

Unlocking the UNESCO World Heritage Site Gotland Museum cannot be described as one museum. Rather, it is an umbrella under which a lot of the points of interest on the island of Gotland are gathered. And there are many of those, because this island has plenty to offer.

By Pia Petersson

While presenting some of the most spectacular nature in Sweden, Gotland also attracts those who take an interest in culture and history. “For the fourth year running, Gotland Museum is the most visited regional museum in the country. I think there are a few reasons for this,” Jenny Westfält, deputy museum director, begins.

One reason underlined by Westfält is that some of the objects on display cannot be found anywhere else in the world. That is the case, for instance, with the picture stones. These are found in a part of the museum called Fornsalen, located slapbang in the middle of World Heritage Site Visby, the biggest town on the island. Picture stones are similar to the well-known runestones, but different in that they present just that – a picture rather than runes.

“The stories depicted on these stones tell us about Norse mythology, but also about the worldwide journeys undertaken by the

“We strive to be really good, knowledgeable hosts. We’re proud to say that we own the keys to this fantastic World Heritage Site and we enjoy unlocking it for our visitors,” Westfält concludes.

Vikings. Visitors from all over the world travel to Gotland specifically to see the picture stones,” says Westfält.

Also exhibited at Fornsalen is a collection of remains of combatants as well as their armour, involved in the Battle of Visby of 1361. “Because the battle took place on a hot summer’s day, it was important to bury the dead as quickly as possible, which means that most of them still wore their complete armour. Hence, a lot of it has been preserved,” Westfält explains. Following the rise in popularity of historical re-enactments, this exhibition has become well-liked among visitors who want to take a close look at an impressive collection of complete armour from the 1300s.

At Gotland Museum, guided tours and dramatised historical episodes constitute an important part of the operations, both having proved popular among visitors.

Photo: Gotland Museum

Photo: Gotland Museum

Web: www.gotlandsmuseum.se

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 55

RE U iT LT ND in U M C OU EN H S AR AG I N D H DA AN EN IN OP C e:

m he

Influenced by folk, world and classical music, Danish Afenginn are among the many alternative folk musicians to have performed at Baltoppen LIVE.

‘We don’t create culture for the people, but with the people’ A British dance show, Albanian rappers, and a famous Danish comedian – Baltoppen LIVE’s programme is an unambiguous manifestation of cultural diversity. Located 15 kilometres from central Copenhagen, the music and theatre venue boasts a decisively inclusive profile, which has helped it stand out from the capital’s many offers. Music and theatre director Ib Jensen tells Scan Magazine why he does not want to create culture for the people, but with them.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: All: Henrik Stenberg

Having worked at a number of Copenhagen’s leading cultural institutions, you might expect Jensen to be on a mission to culturally educate the suburbians of Ballerup. However, it is in fact the other way round. When the now 53-year-old commenced his new position in 2012, he began by asking the locals what they wanted from their local theatre and music venue. “Instead of just 56 | Issue 110 | March 2018

making a programme based on what I considered valuable, I threw a bunch of our people into the local community and gave them as their assignment to find out what people would actually like us to present for them,” he says. “Of course you can act like some kind of omniscient power and base all decisions on your own preferences, but you’re going to have an uphill struggle. It’s about involving peo-

ple so that, instead of making culture for the people, we make culture with the people.”

The approach has resulted in a distinctly inclusive programme with unique performers and performances from all over Europe as well as a number of big Danish names.

‘We don’t know everything’ While some cultural institutions focus predominantly on the existing culturally active audience, Baltoppen LIVE focuses just as much on those who would not traditionally visit cultural venues, and that makes competition hard, says Jensen. Admitting that he himself is a Netflix fan, he says: “The fact is that

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | Danish Culture In and Around Copenhagen

the competition for people’s spare time is absolutely crazy. With services like Netflix, you can sit at home on your sofa and be very well entertained without having to relate to anyone but yourself; it’s a very easy way to spend your time, and it can be quite a challenge for people to get out of their home, pay for the ticket and take part in the kind of intense interaction that a live theatrical performance is.”

One of the ways in which Jensen sought to include a broader audience was to engage a force of young volunteers from the local area to help develop events and performances. The results were, he admits, a bit hit and miss, but one led to one of the venue’s greatest successes: a number of Albanian pop, rap and rock con-

certs. The idea originated from a young local volunteer with Albanian roots, and the impressive turnout and interest was a bit of an eye-opener to everyone involved.

“We had four fantastic concerts, all sold out. The many local Albanians and Macedonians had never experienced their music presented by a proper venue with decent sound and concert facilities, and people were streaming in,” says the music and theatre director. “With that, we hit a segment that no one had thought about before. It’s one of our great success stories, and it’s something that only happened because we let our local community have a say.”

British dance culture Baltoppen LIVE’s presentations of modern British multimedia dance perfor-

mances is another example of a new approach leading to widespread interest and success. Amongst the successes have been a number of sold-out shows by the British dance company Motionhouse, which is renowned for its energetic fusion of dance circus, digital imagery and extraordinary set design.

The performances have attracted people from all over Denmark, and that in turn has spurred the interest from the local population, says Jensen. “Because we have exclusive rights to present the shows in Denmark, people are coming from all over Denmark – it’s not just people from Copenhagen and the suburbs – and that fact has also resulted in an increasing interest from the locals.

I think that’s a really cool thing to see, how their curiosity is being piqued by all

A number of concerts with contemporary Albanian musicians brought an entirely new audience to Baltoppen LIVE, here for a gig with Albanian rapper Mozzik.

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 57

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | Danish Culture In and Around Copenhagen

The café at Baltoppen LIVE is open for dinner before selected events. The café also serves hot and cold drinks and snacks before, during and after shows.

According to music and theatre director Ib Jensen, some of Baltoppen LIVE’s greatest successes have come about thanks to the involvement of the local community.

58 | Issue 110 | March 2018

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | Danish Culture In and Around Copenhagen

those people coming from near and far to experience something in their town.”

The exclusive rights to the performances have been secured partly thanks to Jensen’s background and many contacts in the dance industry. Among them is the British choreographer Tim Rushton (MBE), who is currently leading the Danish Dance Theatre. Next winter, Baltoppen LIVE will, in collaboration with Tim Rushton and the Danish Dance Theatre, present two more exclusive British dance shows, The Knot by Dutchborn Didy Veldman and 5 Soldiers by the Rosie Kay Dance Company.

Giving culture is a gift Deliberately working to broaden audience groups and expand existing cultural audiences’ view of culture takes a lot of time and resources, admits Jensen. But attracting people who have formerly not been considered part of the typical music or theatre audience is, he says, the best part of his job. “The reason I was attracted to this position was that I knew that the politicians here really wanted culture. They weren’t just talking about it.

Also, I found it very interesting to work

in a socio-demographic area that had a lot of potential.” He rounds off: “In Copenhagen, I was basically presenting high culture to people who would show up without needing any particular enticement because they’re raised to appreciate culture. This is an area with a more

‘normal’ demographic, with a lot of young and older people who have never been taken to the theatre by their parents. It’s an amazing challenge and a gift to be a part of opening the door to the world of culture to people who have never been shown its qualities.”

Interesting facts: Established in 1991, Baltoppen LIVE is a municipal venue in Ballerup, a suburb 15 kilometres northwest of Copenhagen with nearly 50,000 inhabitants.

Baltoppen LIVE presents artists, touring companies and bands performing theatre, performance shows, new circus, physical theatre, contemporary and urban dance, stand-up, and music.

Baltoppen LIVE presents a mix of local, national and international acts.

Audience capacity: 440 seated or 550 standing.

On 5 and 6 December 2018, Baltoppen LIVE will present The Knot by Didy Weldman. The performance examines the social and personal significance of marriage in contemporary western society.

The eight dancers will interpret the theme through a supremely physical and theatrical dance language, looking at what a wedding means, how it feels, the role of ritual, doubt, religion, and gender.

On 19-22 February 2019, Baltoppen LIVE will present 5 Soldiers, a critically acclaimed dance performance portraying the life of men and women serving on the front line by the Rosie Kay Dance Company.

Both shows are presented in collaboration with the Danish Dance Theatre and its current leader, Briton Tim Rushton (MBE).

For more information and the full programme, see the website.

Web: www.baltoppenlive.dk Facebook: Baltoppenlive

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 59

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | Danish Culture In and Around Copenhagen

The 3D experience they call theatre With more than 150 years of theatre productions behind it, Folketeatret (the People’s Theatre) offers its visitors an experience that encompasses both the past and the present of the theatre. Theatre director Kasper Wilton talks to Scan Magazine about what it means to be ‘the people’s theatre’ in today’s Denmark.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Folketeatret

Copenhageners have been coming to Folketeatret in Nørregade for a night out of the ordinary, generation after generation. But it is not just the urbanites of Copenhagen who enjoy the theatre’s wide-ranging repertoire. Touring the whole of Denmark, the theatre has always been, and still is, the theatre of the people of all of Denmark – and that is a responsibility to be taken seriously, says theatre director Kasper Wilton. “What does it 60 | Issue 110 | March 2018

mean to be a theatre of the people, today?

That is a question we are constantly asking ourselves. We seek to create theatre experiences that are relevant to our time.

We are a theatre that needs to reach far and wide – just because we’re old, that does not mean we should be dusty.”

Wilton has been director of the theatre since 2010 and has staged a number of huge audience successes, including chil-

dren’s shows, modern biography theatre and revived classic plays.

History on and off the stage Founded and built in 1857, Folketeatret is the capital’s oldest still-functioning theatre for the people. The theatre’s long past can be explored through a newly created hall of history with selected photographs and stories. The focus on history and heritage is also present on stage, though here it is combined with modern-day relevance and talent. Big classics by, for instance, Holberg are revived for Folketeatret and presented with new vivacity, modern vocabulary and, sometimes, in completely new settings such as the Wild West. “We combine classic dramas

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | Danish Culture In and Around Copenhagen

and comedies with the talent of today’s playwrights. Things keep moving and we move with them to be one step ahead, and that means rewriting and allowing new playwrights to present their version of the classic comedies,” stresses Wilton.

Another successful modern presentation of Danish history is the theatre’s series of portrayals of a number of great Danish cultural personalities, such as Herman Bang, Tove Ditlevsen and Karen Blixen.

“The portrayals have become very popular, because they allow people to take a look at some of the people who have shaped our culture from a modern perspective,” explains Wilton.

Children welcome While the strong storylines and classic plays are very popular when Folketeatret performs around Denmark, family and children’s shows are among the big draws in the capital. This is nothing new, but very much in the original spirit of Folketeatret;

when the theatre was founded, children were banned at the Royal Danish theatre, and inviting everyone along and offering great, inclusive performances at reasonable prices was a way for Folketeatret to attract people to its theatre. It still is and, when asked if there is any risk that people will grow tired of the theatre experience with the many competing offers of today’s technology, Wilton does not seem worried. “When you are in the theatre, it’s all about that moment. It’s a completely different way of experiencing something and being together, because what you see on stage is completely unique; no one will ever see it again. That’s why it’s so popular and why it has existed for 3,000 years and will exist for another 3,000,” he says. “It’s a complete experience; it’s the world’s first 3D experience, only the Greeks, who invented it 3,000 years ago, called it theatre.”

Web: www.folketeatret.dk

Facts: Folketeatret has four stages: - Store Scene (the big stage): a beautiful, classical theatre hall with room for 600 guests.

- The Hippodrome: a modern, flexible stage with a capacity for approximately 200.

- Børnescenen: the children’s stage, presenting performances for three to eight-year-old children.

- Snoreloftet: a small café stage with different line-ups, currently presenting a comedy show about mothers.

When touring the country, Folketeatret performs for a combined audience of more than 230,000 people nationwide across 70 towns and cities all over Denmark.

Folketeatret was founded in 1857 and has just celebrated its 160th anniversary.

‘Just because we’re old, that does not mean we should be dusty,’ says theatre director Kasper Wilton.

Built in 1857, Folketeatret is full of history as well as modern-day creativity and talent.

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 61

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | Danish Culture In and Around Copenhagen

Working in bronze, clay and mammoth tusk

By Josefine Older Steffensen | Photos: Galleri Unicorn

Over the past 30 years, Galleri Unicorn in Copenhagen has been home to Lene Stevns Jensen’s creations. Her sculptures, jewellery and decorative vessels are all handmade by her, and each of them has an intriguing story behind it.

As soon as you step through the door to Galleri Unicorn, it is like being transported away from Denmark and into a magical world. Lene has travelled extensively throughout the Arctic region, and her

bronze sculptures of seals and walruses perfectly reflect that.

“The gallery is my creative space,” says Lene, whose workspace is based just behind the main gallery. Walking around the

gallery with Lene, it is clear that her passion for what she does is immense.

Every single piece has a story behind it, which is not only intriguing but also adds to the character of it. “I think people can feel the passion behind each piece, especially after handling it themselves in the gallery. It makes the pieces come alive,” Lene concludes.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 12pm-5.30pm, or by appointment.

Galleri Unicorn Rørholmsgade, 13. Kld. Tv 1352 Copenhagen K Web: www.lenestevnsjensen.dk

Left: Lene has spent many hours learning the intricacies of clay and has a furnace in her gallery, which in her own words is useful both for firing her pots and for storage. Middle: Strong women are a theme throughout many of the sculptures, which often reflect the changing relationship between humans and animals. Right: Working in bronze is hard work, yet the walrus looks soft, relaxed and plump with its mammoth teeth.

Scan Magazine | Experience Feature | HCA Marathon

Photo: Lars Møller

Photo: Niels Holmgård

A fairy-tale marathon HCA Marathon has the fastest route in Scandinavia, making it the ideal run for debutants and runners looking to beat their personal best.

they can just choose the distance they are comfortable with,” says Simonsen.

By Nicolai Lisberg | Photos: HCA Marathon

The half marathon and marathon begin and end at Odense Sport Centre, while the ten-kilometre race starts at the city hall and ends at the Sport Centre alongside the others. This makes the infrastructure unique, as everything is within walking distance. “The route is also very well thought-through as you run in the shape of a four-leaf clover, which means that you run towards the centre of the city on a couple occasions, giving families and friends several chances to cheer for you,” Simonsen explains.

You cannot mention Odense without mentioning Hans Christian Andersen.

The famous Danish fairy tale author was born in the city, and it now does everything possible to keep his stories alive. So does the H. C. Andersen Marathon, in Denmark called the HCA Marathon, which is named after the writer. The route resembles the scenery from one of his fairy tales; there are characters from his stories on each kilometre sign, and you might even spot him cheering for you on the route.

But that is far from everything that makes this race like a fairy tale. “Odense is completely flat, which is one of the reasons why we have a very fast route.

In fact, HCA Marathon has turned out to be the fastest route in Scandinavia,” says race director Torben Simonsen. “This is

one of the reason why we consider HCA Marathon a good race for debutants as well as experienced runners who want to beat their own personal record.”

Different distances and everything nearby The organisers expect a total of 6,000 participants for this year’s race. 1,500 will run the marathon, and the rest will choose from the other available distances: a half marathon and a ten-kilometre race.

“Last year, we decided to make it possible to just run the last ten kilometres of the race as well. That turned out to be such a great success that we will do it again this year. It gives families and running clubs with different levels the option to participate on the same day, because

HCA Marathon is collaborating with the city’s hotels, so if you are travelling from abroad to participate in the run you can get a good deal for your stay in Odense.

Web: www.hcamarathon.dk Facebook: hcamarathon

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 63

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The innovators of chocolate From liquorice chocolate to carefully crafted figurines, Kultasuklaa has been a frontrunner in Finnish handmade chocolates since 1990. The company combines European chocolate mastery with traditional, pure ingredients. Now, the company is branching out to include chocolate made out of insects.

By Ndéla Faye | Photos: Risto Vauras

Perhaps one of the last places you would expect to find a chocolate factory is inside an unassuming red wooden house – but that is exactly where the Kultasuklaa chocolate factory is based. Located in Iittala, in the Häme region of southern Finland, Kultasuklaa is a Finnish family enterprise employing 11 people. It was originally founded by Ismo and Leila Salo, now a retired couple, who received training and learnt the secrets of chocolate making in Belgium.

The town of Iittala is perhaps most known for its glassware, and the area has a longstanding history of handi64 | Issue 110 | March 2018

craft. From day one, uniqueness has been at the heart Kultasuklaa, and their product selection has included unique chocolates not available anywhere else, such as various chocolate statues and figurines.

Showcasing Finnish know-how Since the beginning, Kultasuklaa has been a frontrunner in innovation and bringing new flavours to the table: the company was the first to bring salty liquorice and gingerbread flavoured chocolates to the market. “Many companies have followed in our footsteps, and now the combinations we’ve invented have

become mainstream chocolate flavours in Finland. But creating new taste combinations is what makes us unique, and we want to push the boundaries of chocolate making further,” says Juha-Pekka Kärkkäinen, chocolate entrepreneur at Kultasuklaa.

All of Kultasuklaa’s chocolates are handmade, and in line with the traditions of their town, they want to keep bringing Finnish craft and handmade chocolates to the forefront. “We only use the best ingredients, and our chocolates are made using Finnish ingredients whenever possible. For example, the fresh berries and milk used in our chocolates come from a factory only a short distance away,” Kärkkäinen explains.

Insect chocolate, anyone?

The company’s desire to change Finnish food culture has led to the co-creation

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | A Taste of Finland

of an insect chocolate with insect food company Entis, launched at the end of last year. “We have merged our expertise with Entis, and collaborated to create the first insect chocolate of this kind in Finland. As with all our chocolates, the insect chocolates are a perfect, deliciously sweet and crunchy snack for everyone with an experimental personality, or anyone with a sweet tooth,” Kärkkäinen laughs. “Our insect chocolates are a perfect example of the bravery and innovation our company represents. We always have our antennas raised when it comes to creating new and exciting products: we are always on the lookout for new trends. We want to create something that will thrill our customers,” he adds.

“Being ecological is very important to us, and the insects used in our chocolate come from Finland,” the chocolatier continues. “Insects are nutritionally comparable to meat, but growing them

produces a lot less greenhouse gases and uses considerably less water than meat production.”

new flavours for our insect chocolate as well as a rebrand happening this spring,” says Kärkkäinen.

The sky is the limit

“The know-how of our chocolate masters guarantees the quality of all our products. Our aim is to create wonderful taste experiences from the best ingredients.

Each of our chocolates is made with a lot of passion: this whole company started off because of the dedication and passion of its employees. With our courage and endless creativity, we want to show that Finnish handcrafted chocolates are able to compete globally. We are proud to say our products are Finnish through and through, and we want to spread the enthusiasm and love we have for our products. Our products are based on strong values within the family enterprise, and we are incredibly proud of our creations,” he concludes.

As well as individual customers, Kultasuklaa has many clients in the corporate world. “We also specialise in custom-made chocolates. We can do anything from chocolate logos to bespoke chocolate packages, or anything the customer’s imagination wants,” says Kärkkäinen, adding that the company’s figurine chocolates have been very popular recently. “We have sold thousands of chocolates in the shape of high heels.

The sky is the limit when it comes to new shapes and flavours.”

With their chocolate range constantly changing to accommodate seasonal favourites as well as new tastes, there is rarely a quiet time at Kultasuklaa. “We have several interesting projects in the pipeline for the near future, including

Web: www.kultasuklaa.fi

Owners Juha-Pekka Kärkkäinen and Juri Kaskela pictured outside the red wooden house that houses the Kultasuklaa chocolate factory.

Photo: Nea Ahtiainen

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 65

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | A Taste of Finland

Baking with love Based in Turku, on the southwest coast of Finland, Leipomo Rosten bakery was founded in 1939 and is owned by the Meltovaara family. The bakery treasures its long-standing traditions and prides itself on preparing tasty breads and pastries.

Their new crispbread range has gained huge popularity in Finland, and now the bakery is ready to take on the rest of the world.

By Ndéla Faye | Photos: Lauri Lehtonen

Leipomo Rosten is the third-biggest bakery in Finland, employing over 200 people.

The bakery has been owned by the same family for three generations, and by still making much of their breads and pastries by hand they aim to keep the spirit of the original bakery alive. “We make everything from traditional fresh bread to pastries, and we aim to use Finnish ingredients whenever possible. All the wheat and oats in our baked goods have been grown in Finnish fields,” explains Veera Meltovaara, marketing manager at Leipomo Rosten.

Recent additions to the bakery’s repertoire include a range of crispbreads with seeds. The crispbreads, made up to 70 per cent out of seeds, have become a favourite among many customers in a short period of time. “Crispbreads have gone through somewhat of a boom in recent years, and we wanted to create a healthy snack with plenty of flavour,” Meltovaara 66 | Issue 110 | March 2018

states. The current range includes interesting flavour combinations such as cranberry and honey as well as oat and chia, among others. “We will be launching new flavours to our crispbread range this spring. There’s a small team of us constantly coming up with new ideas, assessing new trends and listening to client feedback,” she continues.

“The crispbreads will be available in Europe in the near future,” says Meltovaara. “They are free from additives and preservatives, high in fibre, and the seeds contain a lot of healthy oils.”

There is also a gluten-free range in the pipeline. “We’ve always been a frontrunner in our trade, and we want to keep coming up with innovative, new recipes while being faithful to our origins. We’re proud that our name is still synonymous with tasty, preservative-free baking, and all our goods are baked with a lot of love,” she concludes.

Avocado and alfalfa sprouts - 1 ripe avocado - Alfalfa sprouts - 1 packet of crispbreads - Salt and pepper Halve the avocado and remove the stone. Slice the avocado lengthwise and place the slices on the crispbreads, along with the alfalfa sprouts.

Season with salt and pepper.

Web: www.leipomorosten.fi Facebook: siemenrapeat Instagram: @siemenrapeat

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | A Taste of Finland

Kalevala distillery founder Mortitz Wüstenberg and Tatyana Madzhugina, head of product development.

Photo: Teemu Lahjalahti

The spirit of Kalevala While studying chemical engineering, Moritz Wüstenberg set up a small distillery in a disused barn. Fast-forward nearly a decade, and he runs the successful Kalevala Distillery, producing handmade organic gin. Named after the Finnish epic poetry, Kalevala gin offers the perfect balance between old traditions and new innovation, with a hint of magic thrown in the mix.

By Ndéla Faye | Photos: Northern Lights Spirits

Wüstenberg first took an interest in distilling because of the history of his mother’s hometown, Kitee in eastern Finland: the town is renowned for having been a major bootlegging hub during the 1930s prohibition in Finland. He decided to name his gin after Kalevala, the epic poetry that consists of Finnish folklore and mythology. “I used the Finnish national epic as a source of inspiration for Kalevala gin because the epic is based near here, in Finnish Karelia,” explains Wüstenberg. The Kalevala epic revolves around Ilmarinen, a blacksmith who forged a magical artefact, called Sampo, which brings wealth and good fortune to its holder. “It seemed fitting to call our still Sampo, as it creates great happiness,” Wüstenberg laughs.

“Until recently, gin was relatively unknown in Finland, but it has experienced somewhat of a boom in the last few years,” he says. “I was also inspired by gin’s versatility: juniper is used as a base for gin, but the sky is the limit when it comes to flavouring gin with botanicals.”

Ingredients used in Kalevala gin include sea buckthorn, blackcurrant, rose bud and Jerusalem artichoke, and as many of the ingredients as possible are sourced from the Karelia region.

Each batch distilled produces around 500 bottles, and all are assigned a unique batch and bottle number. “We’re very proud of the fact that our product is handmade: our gin is bottled by Kirsi Holopainen, who is also in charge of la-

belling each bottle. Tatyana Madzhugina is our head of product development, and Pantteri, our cat, has been assigned the title of head of happiness,” Wüstenberg smiles. The company is also looking to launch a delicate gin as well as flavoured vodkas at the end of the year, and a whiskey is in the pipeline for the near future.

“I want to keep the spirit of the region alive, while staying faithful to the beautiful aromas of gin and adding something new to the mix,” Wüstenberg concludes.

Web: www.kalevalagin.com

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 67

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | A Taste of Finland

Gin and akvavit with a touch of history and nature Located in Fiskars Village, about an hour west of Helsinki, Ägräs Distillery is creating world-class premium spirits, surrounded by rich history and the raw magnificence of Finnish nature.

By Heidi Kokborg | Photos: Ägräs Distillery

When Ägräs Distillery was founded in 2016, the owners wanted to create really good spirits made from wild herbs from Fiskars, a small, historic village with less than 1,000 inhabitants. “Ägräs Distillery is named after an ancient Finnish God of vegetation, Ägräs. That is the core of our product philosophy. All the wild herbs, berries, flowers and roots that we use are naturally grown in Finland. Finnish nature is so vast and pure, so why go further for great ingredients?” says Tomi Purhonen, master distiller at Ägräs Distillery.

“It really sets us apart that we use wild herbs and local ingredients for our spirits.

We create both our gin and our akvavit like old potions, and we only use a handful of ingredients. Ägräs Gin, chosen as the best London Dry in Finland at the World Gin Awards 2018, has only four botanicals,” 68 | Issue 110 | March 2018

Purhonen continues. “We take great pride in creating tasty and smooth experiences with just a handful of ingredients.”

Akvavit – trending in cocktails Ägräs Distillery is encouraging bartenders to create exquisite cocktails with akvavit; it is not necessarily just a schnapps to enjoy at crayfish parties or traditional Christmas lunches. “The multidimensional taste and aromas of akvavit make it a very good base for cocktails. When introducing the traditional Scandinavian drink to Singapore, it was clear from the beginning that it was only feasible to do so through cocktails,” the master distiller explains.

To further make akvavit easily approachable, Ägräs Distillery created a readyto-drink product – or a ‘long drink’, as

it is called in Finland – with akvavit. The Ägräs Long Drink Nordic Nettle is a refreshing drink with nettle, fennel, lemon and akvavit, perfect to combine with fish dishes. Ägräs Distillery’s very own distillery bar, Ägräs Distillery Tap Room, by the Fiskars river is open to the public. The bar was built by local carpenters, the glasses are made by local glass blowers and the cocktails are created using local wild herbs. Put simply, Tap Room captivates the essence of Ägräs Distillery and is a must-visit for anybody visiting the historic ironworks village. Ägräs’ products have been prized at numerous international spirits competitions and are available in Finland, and in just a few weeks they will also be available throughout the rest of Scandinavia.

Web: www.agrasdistillery.com Facebook: Ägräs Distillery Instagram: @agrasdistillery

Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | A Taste of Finland

Taste the forest, naturally Polar Nutrition combines an ancient Nordic superfood with modern tastes. Using only natural colourants and flavourings, Polar Nutrition has created flavoured xylitol pastilles with the natural, fresh flavours of the Finnish forest.

By Ndéla Faye

When Toni Veteläinen, Tommi Paloniemi and Esko Koivula founded Polar Nutrition, they wanted to create something new and exciting from a traditional Finnish natural medicine, the chaga mushroom.

Living in Kuusamo, in Finland’s Northern Ostrobothnia region, the three friends were familiar with what the forest had to offer.

“Chaga is a Nordic superfood that’s been used as a traditional medicine for centuries.

Tommi’s grandfather swore by the use of chaga: he drank chaga tea and said it prevented him from getting ill, and boosted his general health,” says Koivula.

After a few experiments, the trio decided to mix chaga with xylitol, also known as birch sugar, a natural sweetener. Xylitol is proven to prevent tooth decay and is recommend-

ed by dentists in Finland to stop damage to tooth enamel after meals. The end result was a range of xylitol pastilles with four flavours: chaga, sea buckthorn, blueberryrhodiola rosea and green tea.

“We wanted to create pastilles that the whole family would be able to enjoy. They taste great and are healthy too,” says Koivula.

The three young entrepreneurs value

Photo: Arsi Koivula Photography

healthy, clean and natural ingredients, and all the flavours and colours in the pastilles come from real berries and natural extracts.

“We don’t use any artificial flavourings or colourants, and our products are suitable for vegans,” Koivula explains. “We’re proud to be bringing the natural taste of Finnish forests for everyone to enjoy.”

Web: www.polarnutrition.com

Esko Koivula, owner and managing director of Polar Nutrition. Photo: Nina Pajuniva

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Preikestolen, ‘the Pulpit Rock’, in Stavanger.

Photo: Terje Rakke/Nordic Life AS - Visitnorway.com

When the scenery comes alive – from historic sites and nature adventures to culinary delights and nightlife Get lost in the fjords or enjoy the most awe-inspiring views from atop the highest mountains. Here are the places not to miss if you are planning a trip to Norway this year.

Imagine panoramic sea views with a backdrop of majestic mountains as you notice the scent of freshly pan-fried fish finding its way into the restaurant where you are sitting – the same fish you watched being pulled out of the ocean just moments ago.

Imagine kicking back on an unspoilt beach before brushing the sand off your feet and 70 | Issue 110 | March 2018

stepping into your favourite pair of high heels for a night out in one of southern Norway’s most charming seaside towns.

Imagine discovering medieval churches, getting to know the local wildlife, hiking for days or trying out an extreme sport that has always been at the top of your bucket list.

Norway is known for scenery that takes your breath away, and for good reason.

But what makes it come alive is the detail: the friendly faces, the scents and the history, the encounters and the journey. We have listed our favourite places for an unforgettable Norwegian holiday in 2018.

Web: www.visitnorway.com

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Destination Norway: Top Places to Visit in 2018

Håholmen. Photo: CH - Visitnorway.com

Beach at Ramberg in Lofoten.

Photo: CH - Visitnorway.com

Food Festival in Oslo.

Photo: Terje Borud - Visitnorway.com

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 71

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Destination Norway: Top Places to Visit in 2018

Verdens Ende, ‘the World’s End’, is part of the Færder National Park, which is one of the newest national parks in Norway.

From hiking shoes to high heels in a matter of minutes Find your inner peace on the soft surface of the rocks, in an archipelago unlike anything you have ever seen before. Feel the pulse of the cities, and fill your senses with everything that is happening around you. A bit of magic – and a little bit of secrecy…

By Line Elise Svanevik | Photos: Visit Vestfold

In Vestfold, situated in the south of Norway, you are close to everything – from the Viking history to the World’s End. It is like being in an archipelago park full of experiences and contrasts.

It is the smallest and one of the most densely populated counties in Norway.

Rock music or the sound of seagulls?

High heels out on the town, or barefoot on a sandy beach? The choice is yours. There is only one thing the general manager of Visit Vestfold, Ellen Larsen, can promise you: “Come – and you will come back.”

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Home to Larvik, Stavern, Tønsberg, Sandefjord and Horten, Vestfold sees some amazing festivals every year, including Stavernfestivalen and Slottsfjellfestivalen, which attract many famous international artists.

Verdens Ende – the World’s End Among the real assets of Vestfold are the historical landscape and the archipelago – and, luckily, you do not need to hike for hours to enjoy spectacular views. “Verdens Ende, or ‘the World’s End’ is part of one of the newest nation-

al parks in Norway – Færder National Park with spectacular nature, coastal paths and breathtaking views, easily accessible for everyone. The visitor centre boasts a restaurant with panoramic nature views,” says Larsen. And though it is not technically the world’s end, it sure feels like it when you are overlooking the ocean, with nothing else ahead as far as the eye can see.

Viking history Vestfold is also a place to experience the history of the Vikings, as they truly left their imprints on the county – especially in the form of the ships that have been dug out. A visit to the museum Midgard Historical Centre and Borre mound cemetery, part of Borre National Park in Horten, is one way to experience this fascinating history.

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Destination Norway: Top Places to Visit in 2018

At Tønsberg harbour, you will see an exact replica of the famous Oseberg ship, as well as another Viking ship in the making. When in Tønsberg, also pay a visit to the Slottsfjellet museum and Slottsfjellet – ruins from a castle built after the Viking Age.

A true inspiration for Munch The famous Norwegian painter Edvard Munch drew a lot of inspiration from Vestfold, as he fell in love with the small port town of Åsgårdstrand, a place that inspired many of his paintings. He also had a summerhouse here, where he spent many summers. Munch’s house is now a small museum, appreciated by countless locals and tourists alike.

“We have some great coastal paths that are considered as some of the most beautiful coastal paths in Norway,” Larsen adds. “The terrain is relatively easy to walk in, and there are several places where you can stop for a cup of coffee by a camping site on the coast.”

Mølen – The Gea Norvegica UNESCO Global Geopark is a true highlight along

the more than 30-kilometre path from Helgeros to Stavern. It boasts unique geology and both natural and cultural history. Walk the whole way, or spend a night in an apartment at Brunvall Gård.

don’t need to choose either or,” she adds.

“We’ve got this easily accessible open landscape – and a short distance between the need for hiking shoes or high heels.

So you can get the best of both worlds.”

Bustling summer towns There are some fantastic towns located in Vestfold, which are truly bustling in the summer when a number of festivals and concerts take place. The main towns include Larvik, Stavern, Sandefjord, Horten and Tønsberg. “If there’s one thing Vestfold can offer, it’s the high cultural pulse, with lots of concerts and festivals in the summer,” says Larsen.

Top things to do in Vestfold

“This can be combined with trips to see the views and experience nature. You

- Experience a music festival in one of the bustling coastal towns.

How to get there Vestfold is easily reached by air, ferry and train. Flights to Torp Sandefjord Airport take you to the regional airport.

Color Line and Fjord Line run ferry lines between Hirtshals in Denmark and Larvik as well as Strømstad, Sweden, and Sandefjord.

- Visit Verdens Ende (‘the World’s End’) and take a selfie by the Vippefyret.

- Experience Viking history.

- Experience the archipelago and walk along some of the most scenic coastal landscapes in Norway.

- Go to Åsgårdstrand and visit Munch’s House, where the famous painter once lived.

- Visit the gorgeous Mølen in Larvik – The Gea Norvegica UNESCO Global Geopark.

- Enjoy seafood at Brygga 11, run

by Geir Skeie, on the docklands in Sandefjord.

Web: www.visitvestfold.com

Top left: Sandefjord is a buzzing summer town where visitors can enjoy plenty of sights. Bottom left: The Mølen beach in Larvik is known as one of Vestfold’s gems.

Right: Stavern is a great place in the summer – especially with its annual festival, attracting many international artists.

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 73

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Destination Norway: Top Places to Visit in 2018

Top left: Høytop Fort. Bottom left: Llama and Lars. Photo: Grete Elgetun. Middle: The Haldencanal festival during the last weekend in May. Photo: Jørn A Fjeld.

A hidden gem in eastern Norway Despite its location close to the capital of Norway, Indre Østfold is in many ways a hidden gem, which many are still unaware of – especially with regards to the many attractions and experiences that can be found there.

By Line Elise Svanevik | Photos: Visit Indre Østfold

Indre Østfold offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation. Here, you will find unspoilt nature and tranquillity that is ready to be explored by foot, bike, canoe or even a pedal board.

One of the major attractions is Halden Canal, which stretches over 80 kilometres and is Norway’s oldest canal, featuring three sets of locks: Ørje, Strømsfoss and Brekke – the last one being Europe’s tallest staircase lock at 27 metres.

There are both scheduled and chartered boats along the canal, and you can find one of Norway’s biggest steamboat environments here. Visitors can also bring their own boats.

The Halden canal museum is located just by Ørje locks, where you can enjoy history and culture from the surrounding area.

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You can hire a canoe or stand-up paddle (SUP) board and explore the canal with free campsites along the route. Høytorp Fortress in Mysen is also well worth a stop – or why not try climbing and abseiling in Romsåsen nickel caves in Askim?

When it comes to overnight stays, Indre Østfold can offer luxurious four-star camping and spa resorts, but also simpler accommodation options.

Grete Flæsen Elgetun, tourism coordinator at Indre Østfold, is keen to point out that the area’s fauna inhabitants also offer up recreational opportunities of their own: “For bird watching enthusiasts, there are bird towers in Eidsberg, Trøgstad and Marker. And if fishing is your thing, pike fishing is great in this region and visitors can fish by themselves or bring along a guide. There are farms that are open to

the public, where you can spot several different types of animals, including llamas, donkeys, woolly pigs and many more. You can also experience something completely out of the ordinary: a moose safari.”

Things to see and do in Indre Østfold - Hike in gorgeous scenery.

- Go to Momarken racing course and see the horse race.

- Enjoy motorsports at Rudskogen motorpark in Rakkestad.

- Visit Norway’s best waterpark, Østfoldbadet in Askim.

- See Norway’s best-documented 18th-century garden at Spydeberg Prestegård.

- Play a round of golf.

There is a range of events going on all year round – just visit the website to find out more.

Web: www.visitindre.no and www.visithaldenkanalen.no

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Destination Norway: Top Places to Visit in 2018

Photo: Wil Lee-Wright Top left: The history of Stiklestad can be experienced through the yearly play about St. Olav, held at Olsok 25-29 July. Photo: Marius Rua. Right: A meal at Øyna is highly recommended when visiting Innherred. Photo: Steinar Johansen

A central role in Norwegian history If it was not for the historical district of Innherred, which saw the Battle of Stiklestad play out in 1030, Norwegian history would not be what it is today.

municipalities you can see from the restaurant window,” she says.

By Line Elise Svanevik

Overnight offers

The Battle of Stiklestad, in Nord Trøndelag, is one of the most famous battles in Norwegian history – and with good reason. King Olaf II of Norway was killed in the battle, which started as a result of an indecision around whether to have many different local kings or be gathered under one Christian kingdom.

After his death, King Olaf II was made a saint as his side – which fought for Norway to be Christened under one king – won. This history can be explored and experienced through exhibitions, guided tours and the yearly play about St. Olav, which will be held at Olsok on 25-29 July this year.

In addition to its longstanding history, the Innherred region consists of five municipalities and boasts a beautiful cultural landscape as well as a rich past.

“The history of the Middle Ages is very clearly displayed in the landscape today, with many churches from the era near-

by. Additionally, there are a lot of burial mounds and traces from ancient times,” explains Kathrine Kragøe Skjelvan, project manager at Visit Innherred.

She adds that a stop at Stiklestad is essential when visiting the region – particularly the Stiklestad National Culture Centre. “You can take a tour of the folk museum, the medieval farm Stiklastadir and the medieval church, or rent electric bikes to cycle along the pilgrimage route or around the Borgenfjord. There, you will be able to experience award-winning cheese and a huge amount of great food.”

Innherred is known for its exquisite local ingredients from numerous awardwinning producers and suppliers.

Kragøe Skjelvan particularly recommends a meal at Øyna. “With local ingredients and a view overlooking the fjords, the rustic style of the restaurant is simply amazing. The food they serve is made using ingredients from all the

When it comes to an overnight stay, there is everything from cabins with squirrels and birds as your closest neighbour, to traditional farmhouses. The possibilities are endless. “There are also modern cabins and hotels to be found – which are all really special, unique places. And there is a range of familiar chain hotels.”

Husfrua at Inderøy and Scandic Stiklestad hotel are two of the most popular locations for a night at Innherred. Why not head over for a historical tour and see for yourself?

Photo: Wil Lee-Wright

Web: www.visitinnherred.com Facebook: VisitInnherred

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 75

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Destination Norway: Top Places to Visit in 2018

Nærøyfjorden is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, West Norwegian Fjords. There are goats, sheep and cows out all summer, which helps keep the cropland open.

World heritage park aims to be everyone’s garden As the southern part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, West Norwegian Fjords, the Nærøyfjorden World Heritage Park boasts an outstanding scenic landscape and unique geology.

By Line Elise Svanevik | Photos: Nærøyfjorden

Together with the historical Geirangerfjord, Nærøyfjorden is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, West Norwegian Fjords. “This means that we need to take extremely good care of them,” says one of the project leaders of the World Heritage Park, Gro Nesse-Bremer.

“There are people and animals – a cultural and cultivated landscape,” says Nesse-Bremer. “There are little villages in the nooks and crannies of the fjord, and people are able to live in cohesion with these natural powers. And that’s pretty amazing.”

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Nærøyfjord Foundation, which will be marked by sponsoring The Aurland Markets on 6-7 July.

She explains that she wants people to feel like they are coming ‘home’ to their own garden – and to treasure it like it is. “We’re trying to raise awareness for the tourists coming to this area – to teach them how to not leave a trace. It’s these untraceable journeys we want to promote, and it’s an ongoing balancing act trying to preserve the nature while welcoming tourists to the area.”

“The Nærøyfjord is exceptionally beautiful and wild – and has lively geology.

You can see the changes happening in the landscape from year to year. There are several avalanches and rockslides every year, which helps shape it. The rivers and waterfalls rub on the rocks and change the landscape over time,” Nesse-Bremer explains.

What distinguishes the Nærøyfjord from other wild and beautiful places is that there is an entire community living there.

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With such high mountains and deep fjords, there is a range of different climate zones, meaning you can go through all the seasons in a day. “In the valleys, there are incredibly fertile grounds because of the soil, which is affected by the precipitation from the glacier and makes

a nutritious ground where farmers can grow high-quality fruit and berries,” says Nesse-Bremer. Small-scale producers also make use of the resources, making traditional foods such as goat’s cheese and cured meats.

“Our good helpers are the animals,” says Nesse-Bremer. “There are goats, sheep and cows out all summer, which helps keep the cropland open so it doesn’t grow over, which happens easily.”

A place to truly relax and reconnect with the powers of nature, the Nærøyfjord forces its visitors to consider their environment and how to be a part of nature without disturbing it.

Web: www.naroyfjorden.no

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Destination Norway: Top Places to Visit in 2018 Nordal. Photo: Ivar Flagestad

Galdhøpiggen.

Photo: Ove Nestvold

Discover the majestic Jotunheimen Whether you are a beginner or an extreme skier, the spectacular and untouched grounds at Jotunheimen make a great destination for discovering Norway’s finest mountain areas. Here, you can experience everything from short day trips in easy terrain to more challenging routes, or simply slow down while enjoying the breathtaking views.

By Ingrid Opstad | Photos: Visit Jotunheimen

“There are not many places in Norway where the peaks are as accessible as they are here in Jotunheimen,” says Mari Wedum, manager at Visit Jotunheimen.

The national park, situated in the municipality of Lom, is adorned with some of the tallest mountains in northern Europe – an excellent area not only for winter and skiing, but to visit all year round. Here, you will find Norway’s two highest mountains, Galdhøpiggen and Glittertind, with spectacular views towards glaciers, rugged landscape and surrounding peaks. In fact, most of the country’s 300 peaks over 2,000 metres are found here.

Lom has a national park village status, surrounded by three national parks and well known for the beautiful medieval wooden church, a national park visitor centre, a climate park and a climbing

park, and a world-famous bakery offering fresh pastries every day. Here, you can also find a large network of hiking trails.

This majestic area has a great selection of lodging and dining venues taking care of tourists whether they wish to see the peaks of Jotunheimen or seek a warm and quiet atmosphere. “You can stay in an accommodating hotel or a charming mountain cottage with marked trails that run between the lodges,” says Wedum. “Wake up, buckle your skis on right outside the door and enjoy a hike in the beautiful landscape before ending the day with traditional, local food.”

For experienced skiers, Wedum suggests taking part in Høgruta, a five-day trip taking you between 2,000-metre peaks and serviced cabins. Each leg of the trip

is about 15 kilometres long with a climb of between 1,000 and 1,500 metres. This hike has become Norway’s answer to the popular Haute Route in the Alps, a classic that ranks highly on the priority list of ski enthusiasts. “Whatever you choose to experience, a local guide can help and teach you what is required to have a safe and enjoyable time,” says Wedum.

For anyone wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, Lom and Jotunheimen make the perfect place. “It’s possible to hike for days without meeting a single soul, if you wish. A more peaceful and unique setting is hard to find,” Wedum smiles.

Fossheim hotel.

Web: www.visitjotunheimen.no

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Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Destination Norway: Top Places to Visit in 2018

Top: Garsnes Brygge has its own marina for boat owners to come and moor up. The holiday complex is perfect for guests wanting to explore the outdoors. Bottom: With outdoor dining facilities, guests can experience the midnight sun in the summer.

A holiday destination by the sea Hotel and cabin complex Garsnes Brygge welcomes visitors to its slightly tucked away resort, where guests can enjoy the great outdoors, high-quality food and fun activities – all in the land of the midnight sun.

By Line Elise Svanevik | Photos: Garsnes Brygge

Located in the Sagfjord in Salangen municipality in northern Norway, Garsnes Brygge started up 12 years ago, in the summer of 2006. “We’ve gradually built our way up to where we are today,” explains owner Andreas Utstøl. “We’re now quite a well-known area – both nationally and internationally. People come to us for several reasons – the location, facilities and food. We’re on the southern side of the fjord, where we also get the midnight sun.”

Utstøl adds that the atmosphere and immediate surroundings are what make Garsnes so idyllic. “We’re quite central, even though we’re also tucked away,” he says, explaining that their location is on the axis of Lofoten and Kirkenes.

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The cabins can welcome a total of 40 guests, in addition to a camping area where visitors can park their caravans and mobile homes near the beach.

The restaurant serves food focusing on good-quality ingredients, and in the summer, they run an à la carte menu.

“We have a particularly good head chef, who has been with us for many years.

We have a 50:50 ratio of seafood and other foods. We use what we can get locally, and we change the menu after what’s available at that point in time, so that means the menu can change daily,” says Utstøl. “It’s a mix between traditional Norwegian dishes and more international dishes. But we never have a big menu.”

Exploring the outdoors The Polar Park in Bardu, which is a 30-minute drive away, is worth a visit for adventurous guests. There are also signposted hiking trails and a weather- dependent cave trip, as well as other activities, run by the company Arctic Freedom.

Garsnes also offers its visitors rental of fishing gear and boats for fishing, which means that visitors can truly enjoy a wide range of activities.

Web: www.garsnes.no, www.polarpark.no and www.arcticfreedom.no Facebook: Garsnes

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Destination Norway: Top Places to Visit in 2018

With its idyllic surroundings, locally sourced seafood, and entertainment by the waterside, Knarren Brygge is a natural hub on the coast of Trøndelag. Top left: Hellbillies.

Gourmet food and live music by the waterside Along the Norwegian coastline, the scattering of numerous islands and islets make up one of the world’s most striking archipelagos. During the summer months, tourists travel from near and far to sample fresh seafood, explore the nature, and get a taste of the Norwegian coastal life. Knarren Brygge, located on the island of Ulvøya in Hitra near Norway’s third biggest city, Trondheim, welcomes them with open arms.

By Alyssa Nilsen | Photos: Vindfang Reklame

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the idyllic retreat offers visitors locally sourced gourmet food and drink, accommodation, guided tours, and world-class entertainment. With its own marina, available for guests travelling the waterways, it is a popular destination for people wishing to explore the area by boat.

Since its early days as a tavern, Knarren Brygge has grown into an institution loved by locals and tourists alike.

Event manager Knut Ranum and his wife and executive manager Trude Fiskum recently relocated from the Norwegian capital of Oslo to be Knarren Brygge’s new hosts, and have a passionate enthusiasm for the place.

The ambition, Ranum explains, is for Knarren Brygge to be a destination where, in addition to the sandy white beaches and blindingly beautiful scenery, you can count on high-quality experiences. “We want Knarren to be so much more than just a tavern!” he says.

“We want people to be able to come here and eat food that is sourced right outside the door, drink beer brewed by the best local breweries, go on hikes guided by locals, and listen to first-class live music.”

The annual concerts and festivals have become staples for Knarren Brygge, with big national and international names coming through each year. Names

confirmed so far for the 2018 season include Norwegian singer Halvdan Sivertsen, rock band CC Cowboys and country-rockers Hellbillies. During the last weekend of June, the quay will be transformed into a beautiful dance venue with bands entertaining guests by the waterside, and August boasts an annual German-style beer festival.

Knarren Brygge will also be marking its anniversary throughout the year, taking place at Easter and during their annual seafood festival in July.

Knarren Brygge is open during the week of Easter, and the official season starts in May. For more information, visit the website.

Web: www.knarren.no Email: post@knarren.no Facebook: Knarrlagsund Instagram: @knarrenbrygge Twitter: @knarrenbrygge

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 79

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Destination Norway: Top Places to Visit in 2018

Scenic nature at the end of the world Located right by Verdens Ende, Norwegian for ‘the World’s End’, in Tjøme, Norway, surrounded by the sea and the beautiful archipelago, Færder National Park visitor centre offers astonishing nature experiences and activities for the whole family.

By Synne Johnsson | Photos: Vidar Moløkken

Færder national park opened back in 2013, which makes it one of the youngest national parks in Norway. Here, you can enjoy the spectacular nature for free, enjoy guided tours or experience the picturesque boat life at the marina.

“We arrange guided tours where visitors can learn about our unique flora, fauna and geology. We also have free activities for children, like crab fishing, arts and crafts, and nature trails with a quiz,” says operations manager Linda Mills.

The visitor centre is located right at Verdens Ende in a rebuilt house from the 1930s with an amazing panorama room where visitors can enjoy views over the beautiful island. One floor down is the digital and interactive exhibition At the Edge of the Sea,

as well as a tourist information spot and a shop with locally produced goods. “Right outside the door is the iconic tipping lantern lighthouse, where many tourists take their holiday selfies,” Mills laughs.

The park is within a day’s travel distance of two million people and known for

its teeming summer life, allowing visitors to have a swim and enjoy the summer in genuine, Norwegian nature. “It is the perfect mix of culture and nature, experience and pleasure. With mountains and fjords, this is one of the most beautiful nature experiences Norway can offer,” says Mills.

Web: www.ferdernasjonalpark.no/ besokssenter/ Facebook: Faerdernasjonalpark

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Scan Magazine | Business | Keynote

Scan Business Keynote 81 | Business Profiles 82 | Business Column 88 | Business Calendar 88

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New local economy challenges the global ‘Apple economy’

By Nils Elmark, consulting futurist, Incepcion, London

We live in an ‘Apple economy’. When Apple launched its Macintosh computer in 1984, global trade was two trillion dollars and Apple was a relatively poor tech company.

Today, global trade has accelerated to 16 trillion dollars, and Apple has become the richest company on Earth; some analysts even predict that it may reach a value of one trillion dollars within the coming year.

Apple’s business model in this era of hyper globalisation is to manufacture where it is cheapest, sell to everyone in the world and profit in jurisdictions with low taxation. A growing number of big companies operate like this, and an increasing number of people are beginning to question whether this is actually a good idea: is it really so exciting to eat at the same chain restaurants as everybody else? Does hyper globalisation not drain local communities of jobs and investment?

I think it does, but I also think there is a new, creative reaction to globalisation – much more creative than just voting for politicians we had never heard of a few years ago. I am referring to the growing trend towards ‘new local economy’, a revival of the pre-globalisation small-scale economy, but fuelled by urbanisation,

new technology and people’s need to feel connected and to contribute to their community.

One sign of this is the growing number of cities creating their own local currencies. The best-known example is the Brixton pound, boasting its own colourful notes. Another recent example is the East London pound, created on top of a cryptocurrency called ‘colu’, based on blockchain technology such as bitcoin. I like it. The idea behind all local currencies is that people want money to circulate in their neighbourhood and not disappear to holding companies far away.

The Danish trendsetting restaurant Noma stressed almost a decade ago that the modern kitchen was unthinkable without local produce, even in cities where local vegetables are possible because of new technology such as vertical farming. In Clapham, London, 100 feet below ground in an old World War II bomb shelter, there is an urban farm growing delicious lettuce for Londoners – not flown in from another country.

New technology makes it easier to establish local businesses, and inter-

national companies are beginning to understand this. Last year, Carlsberg bought London Fields, a craft brewery based in Hackney in East London. But Carlsberg did not move the production to its main facility in Northampton, as I suspect they would have done just a few years ago. Not only did the Scandinavian beer giant keep its new local brewery under the railway arches in Hackney, where it belongs; it also invested in new local production facilities, fully aware that if they took production, jobs and the identity away from Hackney, customers would stop buying the brand.

This mega trend towards ‘new local economy’ is good news. It gives modern people and local communities new opportunities without being dependent on what goes on in Silicon Valley or Beijing.

Nils Elmark is a consulting futurist and the founder of Incepcion, a London-based consultancy that helps organisations develop new and braver dreams.

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 81

Scan Magazine | Business Profile | House of Energy

Photo: Peter Halskov House of Energy works to integrate and develop the Danish energy market and assists members to seek funds for sustainable energy projects.

Integrating the energy sectors Almost 50 per cent of Denmark’s electricity today comes from renewable energy sources – the goal is 100 per cent. The Danish cluster organisation House of Energy tells Scan Magazine what it will take to reach that goal.

other countries don’t face it today, they will tomorrow, and that means that we are building significant expertise within an area that has great export potential.”

By Signe Hansen | Photos: House of Energy

With a member base of more than 400 companies and researchers, House of Energy works to integrate and develop the energy market regionally, nationally and internationally. “We want the transformation to 100 per cent renewable energy to be as fast and cost-efficient as possible, and this can only happen if companies in the energy sector collaborate with each other and with science and government institutions,” says cluster manager Preben Birr-Pedersen. “But it will also require an integration of the different energy sectors: electricity, gas and heating. Instead of working separately within each sector, we need to integrate them intelligently and ensure that all the players – from energy production, distribution and storage to the end users – work together.”

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One of the challenges with renewable energy is achieving a constant and stable supply of electricity, and this is why collaboration across sectors and borders is vital. The integration of energy systems, as it happens when excess electricity is, via electrolysis, transformed into gas or heating, requires a great extent of development, research and resources – but that is not, stresses BirrPedersen, an obstacle, but rather a reason in itself to pursue it. “To create a truly integrated energy system, it requires a targeted use of digitalisation, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Because we are one of the first countries in the world to have this big a share of renewable energy, we are also one of the first countries to face the challenge of integrating and digitalising it. But if

House of Energy facts: House of Energy was founded via the merger of several regional organisations in 2016.

House of Energy provides expert assistance to members applying for Horizon 2020 funding to develop new sustainable energy projects.

House of Energy works with companies, researchers and government institutions within the areas of wind energy, gas, heating and integrated and efficient energy solutions.

House of Energy and Nordic Energy Research will host a side event during the Nordic Clean Energy Week in Copenhagen and Malmö 21-25 May, 2018.

Web: www.house-of-energy.dk

Scan Magazine | Business Profile | Butik Bernadette

Left: Soap nuts can provide a natural, sustainable alternative to detergent and soap. Right: Butik Bernadette’s founder Mira-Malenah Rose Bernadette Ulrickeborg wearing a CO2-negative cork bag and recycled silk scarf from her range.

Making sustainability fun, easy and stylish If we could, many of us would prefer to buy products that are sustainable or maybe even positively affecting our environment. But it is difficult. Where should you look, and how can we ensure that products are truly sustainable? The Danish online shop Butik Bernadette was set up to help make a sustainable lifestyle easy, stylish and enriching.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Butik Bernadette

Organic nut detergent, beautiful recycled silk scarves, and stylish handbags in CO2-negative cork – Butik Bernadette unquestionably proves that shopping sustainably does not leave you with poorer choices than the alternative.

On the contrary: the items sourced by the store’s owner and founder MiraMalenah Rose Bernadette Ulrickeborg ooze fun and creativity. Yet, the ambition behind the boutique is as serious as can be. “The crazy consumption we have in Denmark today is much more than the planet can cope with, and it’s affecting our world very negatively,” says Ulrickeborg. “But seeing through marketing and normal conceptions of what’s sustainable and what’s not is very difficult. For instance, a lot of people think that regular cotton is sustainable,

when in reality the production of cotton is extremely harsh and exhausting to the environment. That’s why I wanted to do this; I wanted to create a place where you know that no matter what you buy, you are making the best possible choice for the planet.”

The products in Butik Bernadette are selected and researched by Ulrickeborg, who has for many years been pursuing a more sustainable lifestyle. Based on her own experience, she has selected products that do not make the sustainable factor limiting, but rather enriching. “I have been using the organic and natural shampoos I sell for years, and my hair feels much more in balance; I’ll never go back to regular ‘chemical’ shampoos,” she stresses.

Included in the web shop’s assortment are also products that not only promise not to negatively impact the planet, but which positively affect it. One of the most popular products is the bracelet from 40cean, a company that uses the profit from the bracelet to remove waste from the ocean. Ulrickeborg rounds off: “It’s all about doing the best we can. I want to help preserve our resources so that in ten to 20 years’ time, I’ll be able to look my son in the eyes and say, ‘I did all I could’.”

Photo: Claus Nielsen

Web: www.butik-bernadette.dk

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 83

Scan Magazine | Business Profile | Zinobel

Joan Arler gets a lot of help from her family. Her husband helps with the IT side of things, and her daughters, Sandra and Sidsel, act as models.

Organic skincare with world-class natural anti-ageing ingredients Joan Arler set up Zinobel Organic Boost out of a desire to create the best and purest skincare products for her family. Today, Zinobel Organic Boost has expanded well beyond her family and is sold in health shops and beauty clinics all around Denmark and the Netherlands. The philosophy, however, has remained the same: pure, organic, high-quality skincare with nature’s foremost anti-ageing ingredients.

not possibly also boast top anti-ageing qualities and truly make a difference for your skin. Think again. Zinobel Organic Boost is filled with nature’s best nutrients, known to help prevent premature ageing of the skin.

By Heidi Kokborg | Photos: Zinobel Organic Boost

Zinobel Organic Boost was not born in the the same way most skincare brands are born. For 18 years, the founder, Joan Arler, worked with developing horse feed for world-class horses that competed in the Olympics. “When I worked for Blue Hors, I read hundreds of scientific articles and studies about nutrients. We created feed for world-class horses, so we needed to make sure that the compositions were the best of the best,” she explains.

spending most of her spare time studying this topic. “As a hobby, I started creating skincare products for me and my family at home. I wanted my two daughters and husband to use the highest quality skincare possible, that was organic, pure and bursting with natural nutrients. Shortly later, friends and family started asking for the creams, and it has just developed from there,” Arler smiles.

Along the way, Arler started to develop a real passion for natural nutrients, and also for skincare. Eventually, she was

Top anti-ageing ingredients

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You might be thinking that organic, natural and pure skincare products could

“Each and every ingredient is carefully selected based on its qualities. The active ingredients are scientifically documented to have anti-ageing effects,” says Arler. “Radiation and pollution are very damaging and age the skin. Our high-level compositions help prevent that damage.”

Zinobel Organic Boost’s products contain ingredients such as rosehip, hyaluronic acid and grape seed extract. Rosehip is bursting with many different nutrients, including Vitamin C, and it has a sky-high level of antioxidants that protect against breakdown. Zinobel Organic Boost uses

Scan Magazine | Business Profile | Zinobel

rosehip oil as the main oil in all its facial creams and oils.

First mover in skincare Grape seed extract helps block the enzymes that break down the skin, so it is a powerful protector. You might also have heard of hyaluronic acid in recent years, as beauty bloggers have started talking about it. Zinobel has always used this in high-level concentrations.

“It’s one of those ingredients that are very beneficial. It is a natural substance in skin and has the amazing capacity to attract and hold vast amounts of moisture. This substance is today a must in several luxury skincare brands,” Arler explains.

Pomegranate, macadamia nut, carrot and avocado oil are among the many other wonderful ingredients used in Zinobel Organic Boost’s range – all oils that are full of protecting antioxidants, natural vitamins and skin-friendly fatty acids, all

organic and free from pesticides. Vitamin A, C and E, as well as peptides, are also among the ingredients used in the skincare products. “All these ingredients help each other attract, hold and protect the regeneration of the skin. Zinobel is a great example of an organic skincare line that is at the top of the anti-ageing game,” says Arler.

Integrity is the core For Arler, another important thing when it comes to her business is integrity. “We had a Japanese company that was interested in the Zinobel Organic Boost line, which was lovely. However, they did not like that our serum and day creams have a brownish colour. We were told that the Japanese wish to be pale, and they want to use white creams – even though our creams in no way make your skin dark,” Arler explains. “We could either decide to remove the ingredient that gives the products the brownish colour – the grape seed extract – or put in bleach.”

The Zinobel Organic Boost team did not wish to do either. “We did not want to remove a main ingredient, the very potent grape seed extract, and thereby devalue the quality, nor did we want to add bleach, which we see as a problematic chemical that has absolutely no place in our products,” says Arler.

Zinobel has been nominated in the Danish Beauty Awards a whopping four times. Three times, it was the products that were nominated, in 2012 as Danish Product of the Year and in 2013 and 2014 as Green Product of the Year. The fourth time, it was Joan Arler herself who was nominated as Årets Ildsjæl (loosely translated as ‘Passionate Soul of the Year’).

Website: www.zinobel.dk Facebook: Zinobel Instagram: @zinobel_organic_boost

Joan Arler

Photo: Pixabay

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 85

Scan Magazine | Business Profile | Essential Foods

Left: By using low preparation temperatures and low-glycaemic ingredients, Essential Foods’ Behavioural Optimising Foods (BOF) aims to positively affect dogs’ behaviour by ensuring stable blood sugar levels. Right: The founder of Essential Foods, Christian Degner-Elsner, is passionate about making a difference in the lives of his four-legged customers as well as their wild counterparts.

Food for thought – and dogs Founded by the Danish dog and wildlife philanthropist Christian Degner-Elsner, Essential Foods is not just aiming to improve the lives of the dogs that enjoy its grainfree food, but those of wild animals too. Located in Copenhagen and exclusively producing in the UK, the company donates a large part of its surplus to animal and wildlife causes all over the world.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Essential Foods

Founded in January 2013, Essential Foods has just celebrated not only its fifth anniversary, but also the achievement of three main goals: to improve and prolong the lives of its four-legged customers, to reduce the CO2 footprint of dog food, and to help better the living conditions of animals everywhere. “When we founded Essential Foods, there was a widespread conception that only the US and Canada produced real quality dog food, so the fact that Essential Foods is today perceived as an absolute top product is something I’m very pleased about,” says Degner-Elsner.

“The amount of CO2 saved by not importing dog food and ingredients from the other side of the planet is something I feel we can be proud of.”

86 | Issue 110 | March 2018

Selling food through online stores all over Europe, Essential Foods today provides a range of grain-free cat and dog foods specifically tailored to suit the needs of different ages, breeds and activity levels.

Among its innovations is Behavioural Optimising Foods (BOF), a concept that, with low preparation temperatures and low-glycaemic ingredients, aims to positively affect dogs’ behaviour by ensuring a stable blood sugar level.

Prepared and cooked in the United Kingdom, Essential Foods consists almost exclusively of local produce such as red fallow deer, trout from the River Avon and Gressingham Duck. On top of the dedication to reduce CO2, Essential

Foods works to improve the life of the farm animals used in the production as well as their wild relatives all over the world. Last year alone, the company donated 600,000 DKK to causes improving the lives of dogs, wild animals and the nature that is their home. “All of this is only possible because more and more people choose our dog food,” stresses Degner-Elsner.

Facts about Essential Foods: The food is 100 per cent grain free and follows the BOF concept.

More than 90 per cent of the ingredients are sourced locally and regionally in the United Kingdom.

More than 70 per cent comes from animal sources.

The rest consists of vegetables, fruit, seeds, minerals and vitamins.

Web: www.essentialfoodsgb.co.uk

Scan Magazine | Business Profiles | Codemenders Oy / Klimaformidling ved Jesper Theilgaard

No more queueing We hate queueing. Queues are boring and time-consuming. Imagine if you could run errands, finish your work or pick up groceries instead of standing in line, waiting for your turn. With the Qtip.Me app, you can do just that.

A few years ago, two soon-to-be exNokians were standing in a long queue and thought about all the things they could do while waiting, wondering why there was no app for that. Soon after, Qtip.Me was born. “Qtip.Me has helped serve more than 115,000 customers, saved people who wait in queues more than 17,000 hours, and saved businesses who use the system more than 20,000 hours,” says Aseem Shakuntal, co-founder and CEO.

By Heidi Kokborg | Photos: Codemenders Oy

smart cities. Qtip.Me helps streamline the process and saves an hour a day for citizens where it is being used.”

“Quite often, we find ourselves waiting in line wishing we could do other things.

We want to help people save time,” says Shakuntal. “At this time, our focus is completely on corporate customer service and

Customers served: 115,000+ Hours saved for customers: 17,000+ Hours saved for businesses: 20,000+

A time saver Qtip.Me means that, instead of queueing for an hour, you can go to a coffee shop, do some grocery shopping, work or run errands. The app keeps you updated on your position in the queue, also making sure to tell you when it is time to return to the queue.

Website: qtip.me Facebook: qtipmeapp Twitter: @qtip_me

The importance of communicating climate change Meteorologist Jesper Theilgaard has made a virtue out of lecturing us on what has caused climate change and, crucially, what needs to be done to prevent further chaos.

By Nicolai Lisberg

For more than 40 years, meteorologist Jesper Theilgaard has been communicating the weather. The current climate changes are frightening, but what is even scarier to him are the misunderstandings and conspiracy theories that are still floating around.

“It’s important that we provide the correct information. If you do a quick Google search, you’ll find hundreds of different explanations, and many of them are completely wrong. We need as many people as possible to understand what’s really going on in order for us to act. And we need to act now, because we are facing a serious and global issue,” says Theilgaard.

To disseminate knowledge regarding climate change, Theilgaard travels the world giving lectures and speeches in business areas as well as in social communities, ex-

plaining how we have ended up in this situation and what needs to be done. “I aim to explain climate change in a very simple manner. This needs to be made understandable for everyone, and there is no need to turn it into rocket science – especially because the solutions are also very simple,” says Theilgaard, who sees schools and education institutions as crucial to this public education effort.

“I use my climate film, Climate Planet, which describes the story of the climate.

Watching this film, most people understand the science. Young people are exposed to so many stories on a daily basis, so it’s important that they are provided with the correct information. They are the ones who are able to change their behaviour, and they can influence their parents.”

Photo: Genaro Ledesma

Jesper Theilgaard.

Press photo

Web: www.klimaformidling.dk Email: jt@klimaformidling.dk Facebook: jtheilgaard Twitter: @JesperTheilgard

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 87

Scan Magazine | Business | Column / Calendar

Three things to like about Scandinavia There are of course an infinite number of good things about Scandinavia, but since my remit is to write about business culture and communication, here are three of the virtues I particularly appreciate about the Scandinavian world of work.

The first is the work environment. Scandinavian offices tend to be light and spacious, with plants and personal touches.

There is a sense that someone has actually thought about the design and about how to make real human beings feel comfortable.

Second comes work relations. Consult Geert Hofstede’s measure of power distance (degrees of hierarchy) across cultures, and the Scandinavians come top for flatness.

An absence of deference does not translate into rudeness, as British nostalgists might suspect. On the contrary, people treat each other with a respect that derives from notions of equality embedded in the Social Democratic tradition. Senior managers feel

less need to separate themselves from other lesser mortals, like they do elsewhere.

Scandinavian society is traditionally more collectivist or group-oriented than others, and so decision-making is more consensual. I think people listen to each other more across organisational levels.

Third, I find gender relations mercifully less complicated. Scandinavian women have a natural sense of empowerment, which makes them open, friendly and easy to get on with. Unlike in parts of the UK at least, the business culture does not seem to make them feel that they are always having to prove something or do more than male colleagues in order to get the same recognition – again the product of a more egalitarian society. May British women gain equal power and wages in the workplace very soon.

Yes, I know these are massive generalisations, but they are three reasons why I

Business Calendar

By Steve Flinders

personally always enjoy doing business in Scandinavia. On the other hand, Norway, for example, might seem so relaxed simply because the country closes for the weekend at lunchtime on Fridays.

Steve Flinders is a freelance trainer, writer and coach, based in Malta, who helps people develop their communication and leadership skills for working internationally: steveflind@aol.com.

By Sanne Wass | Photo: DUCC

Scandinavian business events you do not want to miss this month Nordic Future Days The Nordic Future Days are all about “bridging the Nordics with the world”. The event will bring together local entrepreneurs, global investors, thought leaders and innovation communities for three days of networking, debates and events in Sundsvall, Sweden. Each day has a theme, the first exploring sustainability in business and the second covering women and social entrepreneurship, before finally rounding off with a day focusing on digital innovation.

Date: 20-22 March 2018 Venue: Grönborg, Storgatan 73, 852 30 Sundsvall www.nordicimpactweek.org

Branding workshop The Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK and its Young Professionals network invite you to an evening about marketing and branding. The event will include interactive workshops with industry experts, followed by a pitching session where the best idea is

88 | Issue 110 | March 2018

awarded. The evening will culminate in networking over drinks and canapés.

Date: 6 April 2018, 6.30-9pm Venue: Home House, 20 Portman Square, Marylebone, London W1H 6LW www.scc.org.uk

Going Global Live Going Global Live is one Europe’s biggest shows for businesses looking to expand internationally, export products or set up overseas operations. In addition to a two-day programme packed with talks by experts from around the world, you can set up one-to-one meetings with marketing specialists and network with exhibitors and thousands of other visitors. Going Global Live runs at the ExCel London alongside the Business Show, the Business Startup Show and the Foreign Direct Investment Expo.

Date: 16-17 May 2018 Venue: ExCeL London, Sandstone Lane, London E16 1XL www.goinggloballive.co.uk

Anglonordic Life Science Conference The 15th Anglonordic Life Science Conference gives European investors and research and development companies from the Nordics and the UK a unique opportunity to connect with each other. More than 60 investment firms attended last year’s event. The conference will host panel discussions, parallel technology and biotech investment rooms, one-to-one meetings and a networking reception.

Date: 24 May 2018 Venue: The County Hall, Belvedere Road, London SE1 7PB www.anglonordic.biopartnering.co.uk

Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Sweden

Restaurant of the Month, Sweden

Hearty food from Central Europe For great food and friendly service, head to Bar Central in Stockholm. This popular restaurant has a Central European menu, a fantastic wine list and unpasteurised beer from Pilsner Urquell in the Czech Republic.

By Malin Norman | Photos: Idha Lindhag

Bar Central is the brainchild of restaurateur Boban Rudinski, as a tribute to his grandmother from Budapest. Based around the hearty cuisine of Germany, Hungary and Austria, the praised restaurant offers dishes such as pasties, stews and soups, schnitzel and homemade sausages with sauerkraut. “Before we opened, there were no real Central European restaurants in Stockholm,” says Rudinski. “We wanted to highlight traditional cooking and great produce, but package it slightly differently. At Bar Central, it’s a bit more modern and stylish, without being luxurious.”

In January 2018, Bar Central was included in Condé Nast Traveller’s list of the most beautiful restaurants in the world.

Its interior was created by Swedish design collective Uglycute, which has succeeded in lifting the experience of traditional

cuisine to a new level. Rudinski emphasises that a restaurant needs to have a combination of good food, friendly service and a welcoming environment to become successful. “Apart from tasty and affordable meals, our customers appreciate the hassle-free service and laidback style, as well as the atmosphere. They feel at home here, where they can relax after a busy day at work.”

Beer delivered from Plzen Also complimented in Condé Nast Traveller is the opportunity to drink classic beer from Pilsner Urquell. As the first restaurant in Scandinavia to do so, Bar Central gets unpasteurised beer transported in special tanks from the Czech Republic. Delivered once per week, the beer is as fresh as when served in its hometown of Plzen, where it has been brewed since 1842. Rudin-

ski and his team certainly take beer seriously and, as he explains, “Pilsner Urquell is the original pilsner. Thanks to the ‘tankovna’ technology, we can guarantee fresh beer delivered straight from the brewery to the beer glass.”

Bar Central has also been selected for the Star Wine List, a guide to the best wine bars and restaurants in Sweden.

Guests can choose from a list of almost 300 wines, of which more than 100 are Riesling wines. And why not try Palinka

by Robert Rudinski, a traditional brandy from Hungary that has received the prominent Guldägget (Golden Egg) 2018 for design?

Future plans for this successful concept include a new venue in Stockholm as well as a restaurant in Helsinki, Finland. Stay tuned for even more Central European delicacies.

Web: barcentral.se/birger-jarlsgatan-41 Facebook: barcentralbirgerjarlsgatan Instagram: @barcentralbirgerjarlsgatan

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 89

Scan Magazine | Hotel of the Month | Denmark

Hotel of the Month, Denmark

Comfort and community in central Copenhagen Hotel Kong Arthur lies gently tucked away off Nørre Søgade by the famous three lakes in the centre of Copenhagen. The hustle and bustle of the popular Torvehallerne market and Nørreport Station are a two-minute walk away, yet Hotel Kong Arthur presents you with an oasis of calm, luxurious relaxation from its charming courtyards to the huge Ni’mat spa – all at surprisingly reasonable rates.

and work with Knuthenlund, Denmark’s largest organic farm; we make our own jams and make sure that ingredients are in season, so you may find rhubarb juice rather than orange juice at the breakfast buffet, for example.”

By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Hotel Kong Arthur

“We wish to give our guests memorable experiences while they stay with us,” says hotel director Helle Bisholm. “If you just want to be left alone to recuperate for a couple of days, that’s splendid, and if you’d like a bit more contact and community while you’re in Copenhagen, we have several ideas for you too.”

The hotel is the epicentre of a running club incorporating energetic Copenhageners as well as the hotel’s guests, and Kong Arthur’s Cozy Hour at 5pm daily lets guests intermingle and enjoy a drink together at the hotel’s bar and lobby.

marrying modern Danish design with the quirky characteristics of a classic Copenhagen building. “We’ve kept a lot of the original personality of the house, so no two rooms are quite the same,” Bisholm remarks. “These features make the hotel fun, warm and memorable – we also have a fireplace, bookcases full of books and a friendly, real medieval suit of armour that greets you in the lobby. But using the original house also makes sense in terms of sustainability.” Elements such as recycling, use of materials and the restaurant are carefully monitored to reduce the hotel’s environmental footprint.

Built in 1882 as a residence for apprentices, the hotel building has been transformed into a light and modern space,

“We’ve taken the New Nordic way of thinking to heart in the restaurant,” says Bisholm. “We use fresh, local produce

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The building also houses the excellent Italian La Rocca and Spanish Pintxos restaurants, and the neighbouring Sticks’n’Sushi does room service deliveries. La Rocca also caters for Kong Arthur’s business and conference guests, who can take advantage of up to three floors of fully equipped meeting rooms and conference spaces. The hotel’s biggest pull, however, may be its 850-square-metre wellness and water temple, which is run by one of Copenhagen’s largest spas, Ni’mat, and offers treatments and pure relaxation to those who take advantage of spa deals.

Web: www.arthurhotels.dk/ hotel-kong-arthur Facebook: HotelKongArthur

Scan Magazine | Activity of the Month | Denmark

Activity of the Month, Denmark

The largest agricultural and livestock fair in Denmark Roskilde Dyrskue boasts an impressive history, having gone from originally being a rallying point for farmers and industry professionals, to also becoming a huge family event. The agricultural fair takes place during the second weekend of June and is a day filled with tractors, shows, food, and plenty of animals.

By Josefine Older Steffensen | Photos: Roskilde Dyrskue

Denmark is famed for its agriculture, and with more pigs than people it is understandable why. However, few Danes nowadays have a close relationship with farming. Roskile Dyrskue, based in the same field as the famous Roskilde Festival and attracting around the same number of people, has become a connection between the countryside and the city. It gives young and old a chance to explore all elements of farming.

During the three days the fair is open, there are over 200 events. The events stay true to the fair’s origin and include horse shows and livestock competitions where the best in class are rewarded with a rosette. Tractor pulling is one of the newer events, which alongside the chainsaw competition provides a chance to show off some of the machinery and equipment used in farming.

“Every year, we have around 1,800 animals displayed, from cats to cows, most of whom you can get close to and touch and hear more about. We estimate that it takes around 16.5 hours to visit them all,” says Camilla Holck, press and communications manager, with a smile.

“The event is a chance for the whole family to explore not only Danish farming, but also where it is their food actually comes from. There are many local suppliers, some of whom do cooking classes, and all are ready to answer any questions. You actually get to see the

For the whole family

farm-to-fork process,” explains Holck.

In 2017, Roskilde Dyrskue was nominated as the best event for children in 2017.

Beyond the shows, workshops and classes, there are also plenty of stalls selling and showcasing goods, so for those interested in gardening, horse riding, food, hunting, sustainability or pets, to name just a few things, there is a stall to take your fancy. A large area of the fair is dedicated to heavy machinery, something both adults and children can get excited about.

“There is always a great atmosphere during the weekend, and it is a hugely popular event with 90,000 visitors. I think what people really love is a chance to get in touch with the Danish countryside. It’s genuinely just a really fun day out,” concludes Holck.

Web: www.roskildedyrskue.dk/en

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 91

Scan Magazine | Experience of the Month | Denmark

Experience of the Month, Denmark

Welcome to the cosiest football youth tournament Vildbjerg Cup is the fourth-biggest youth tournament in Europe, but probably the cosiest one of them all. This year, the tournament is celebrating its 40th anniversary and once again inviting clubs from all over the world to a true football festival.

By Nicolai Lisberg | Photos: Vildbjerg Cup

When a few locals 40 years ago came up with the idea of creating a football tournament for youth teams, their ambition was relatively humble. Getting 64 teams to participate was the goal. Not in a million years could they have imagined that Vildbjerg Cup would turn out to be such a big success, which now hosts and welcomes around 750 teams. But that is exactly what happens every year in the beginning of August.

Boys and girls come with their teams and their families to spend four memo92 | Issue 110 | March 2018

rable days at Vildbjerg, located between Herning and Holstebro in the western part of Denmark – four days where around 10,000 players and coaches in addition to another 10,000 family members are creating an impressive atmosphere in Vildbjerg.

The last day of entering teams for this year’s tournament is in the middle of May, and even though there is still plenty of time for teams to register, the organisers urge teams to enter as soon as possible, as Vildbjerg Cup has a tradition of becoming fully booked.

“We have already received a lot of registrations from both regulars and newcomers, and I expect that we will have to close registration at an earlier date, like we have done in previous years, because we will have reached our maximum number of teams,” says Jørgen Trankjær, daily manager at Vildbjerg Cup. Participants at the tournament have free access to all facilities, such as a swimming pool with a hot-water pool, tennis courts, as well as free fishing in Vildbjerg Søpark. On the Friday and Saturday, there is a free open-air disco and on the Saturday night there are fireworks.

A family holiday But what exactly is it that makes this tournament so special that teams keep

Scan Magazine | Experience of the Month | Denmark

coming back year after year? “I believe one of the important things, and what separates us from other tournaments in Denmark and Europe, is the fact that everything is nearby. All the matches are played on the same ground, and the camping area is nearby as well, so you don’t have to spend unnecessary time on travelling from one place to another.

That is also why we have set the bar at 750 teams; we want everyone to be able to play at the same place,” says Trankjær.

The 1,900 matches that are played throughout the four days are all played on 44 excellent grass pitches, and during the tournament 2,500 tents and caravans are set up on the campsite around the sports centre. Some teams decide to sleep in schools or gymnasiums, and some stay with their families during the tournament.

“Many families use their stay here as a part of their holidays, since we also have a lot of activities and playgrounds for younger children. Having so many

people staying on the grounds gives the tournament a special atmosphere. The matches get plenty of spectators, and in the evenings, there is a very special feeling. We call it the Vildbjerg vibe – it’s difficult to explain. You’ll have to come and experience it for yourself,” Trankjær smiles.

Finding a level for everyone The tournament is for teams aged nine to 17, and no matter the level of your team, you are almost guaranteed to find a level that suits. “We want Vildbjerg Cup to be fun for everyone, and it’s only fun if you play against teams on your own level. That’s why we divide the group stage into different levels and then again in the play-offs. That way, clubs with more teams in the same age group can enter the tournament without the first and second teams ending up playing against each other,” explains Trankjær.

Vildbjerg Cup attracts teams and clubs from all over Europe and sometimes

from Africa and Asia as well. This year, seven American teams have already announced their arrival to the competition.

Typically, 15 nations are represented at Vildbjerg Cup, and the organisers are hoping that they will be able to increase that number to 25 in a couple of years.

“Having international teams coming here to play adds something extra to the tournament and creates a rather unique atmosphere. Even though some of the players are only ten years old, we can see that most teams feel like they are about to play an international game, representing their country,” says Trankjær.

This year’s Vildbjerg Cup takes place 2-5 August.

Web: www.vildbjerg-cup.dk Facebook: vildbjergcup

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 93

Scan Magazine | Fair of the Month | Denmark

Fair of the Month, Denmark

Catch a glimpse into the future It is no exaggeration to say that technology has come to define our modern world, and the revolution shows no sign of slowing down: on the contrary, technology’s impact on the way we interact, produce and do business keeps expanding, and only our collective imagination is the limit. This September, the E-18 conference and exhibition will once again showcase some of the newest technological, electronic and robotic advances in Odense, Denmark.

By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Odense Congress Center

The E-conferences began back in 2002 – the year that digital capacity exceeded analogue storage handling abilities for the first time, signalling the advent of the digital age. “It’s just incredible to think about all the changes that have occurred in the field since then,” says E-18’s project manager, Søren Therkelsen. “The internet was still a new household thing, and progress has anything but slowed down since.”

The life-changing pace of technological evolution is perhaps best felt when we consider that the smartphone – and the app development that accompanied 94 | Issue 110 | March 2018

it – only really gained traction ten years ago. And those are just the most visible areas of change. “Technology businesses and electronics producers have seen their entire industry transformed beyond recognition with recent concepts like Big Data and IoT,” Therkelsen adds. “These will be big at the conference this year.”

“We’ll have different areas, such as an innovation zone, to connect people across different expertises, as well as a greater focus on the conference and workshops.

There will even be a parallel robotics exhibition for the first time, in recognition of the fact that robotics, electronics and digitalisation are more intricately tied together than ever.”

Complex cooperation

Several well-known international companies will make their first visit or return to showcase their newest products – and to meet future collaborators. One of those companies is the electronics giant Arrow, which has been part of the exhibition at the E-conferences since the beginning. This year, they are also on the committee for E-18.

The last conference, E-16, took place two years ago and featured 142 exhibitors from Denmark and abroad as well as 3,600 visitors and 75 conference talks. “This year will be even bigger,” Therkelsen notes.

“As the technological world becomes increasingly complex, expansive and intricate, the benefits of cooperation and exchanging ideas across different sectors

Scan Magazine | Fair of the Month | Denmark

becomes not just beneficial to businesses, but crucial,” says Morten Kreiberg Block, engineering director at Arrow Nordic.

“We’ve benefitted greatly from the previous conferences through the people we’ve met and the creativity we’ve encountered,” he says. “Naturally, the exhibition is a great way to show other experts the new products and visions that we bring to the table, but it is equally valuable to us as a way to connect with the innovators and start-ups with the great ideas that we can help to support and develop.”

Local technology on a global scale “When most people think of electronics production today, they probably think of vast factories in Asia producing as much as possible, as cheaply as possible,” says Therkelsen. “But that’s beginning to be an outdated view.”

As technology advances and becomes tailored to the specific needs of individual enterprises and systems, more and more different components and skillsets are required in order to create the solutions

needed. “Denmark, and Scandinavia more broadly, has an excellent, innovative production sector. We’re well-known for our design, of course, and for producing honest, high-quality and innovative products. We’re moving on from the mass-produced to the tailor-made, from apps to circuit boards, and that’s why Scandinavia is emerging as an important and inspirational player on the international stage,” says Therkelsen.

“I heard a crazy thing the other day,” Block recalls. “Now clearly, the amount of data we’re able to collect and process is accelerating at a crazy speed every year.

There’s this theory that all of the text humankind had created up until 1940 would take up around 70 terabytes of storage today. That’s a tiny amount compared to modern computers – we’re already seeing normal external hard drives for home use that can hold a couple of terabytes.

Since then, information has just exploded. Imagine what we can do with all this knowledge, and all the possibilities that the future holds!”

Those within the technology and electronic sectors will have a better idea after attending E-18 at Odense Congress Center from 11 to 13 September.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution IoT: Objects, factory systems and even natural phenomena and entire cities are beginning to be connected through the Internet of Things (IoT).

Big Data: The digitalisation of information and behaviour allows for data storage and analysis on an unprecedented and rapidly growing scale.

These concepts will allow for such things as optimisation of resources, tailored maintenance apps, and the tracking and prevention of potential problems before they occur.

Web: www.elektronikmesse.dk LinkedIn: Elektronikmessen

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 95

Scan Magazine | Gallery of the Month | Norway

Photo: Jan Inge Haga

Gallery of the Month, Norway

A contemporary gallery with an international focus Internationally-focused gallery BGE Contemporary Art Project recently relaunched its gallery in a brand new space in Stavanger, Norway, tailor-made for its contemporary art offering.

By Line Elise Svanevik

BGE Contemporary Art Project was launched in the spring of 2014 as a collaboration between Kim Brandstrup, Marit Gillespie and Eli Lilleeng Ertvaag.

Specialising in providing contemporary art on commission, the gallery is heavily influenced by Galleri Brandstrup in Oslo, directed and co-founded by BGE’s own Kim Brandstrup.

Galleri Brandstrup has been open for 30 years and works across several interna96 | Issue 110 | March 2018

Ertvaag. “We are going to be putting on the same exhibitions that you see in other major cities, and we have relatively high ambitions.”

Tailor-made gallery tional cities, such as Dubai, Brussels and Copenhagen, as it holds an enormous international network. Since the very beginning, BGE Contemporary Art Project has worked with different ornamentations in addition to exhibitions from its previous studio, Tollboden, in the centre of Stavanger.

“Although we’re sitting here in Stavanger, we’re part of the international art scene, and we don’t see any limitations,” says

On 1 November 2017, BGE opened a brand new gallery, which boasts over 600 square metres and has been tailor-made to suit the needs of the gallery. Built over a one-year period, the gallery will focus on displaying both Norwegian and international contemporary art.

“The reception from the public has been overwhelming,” says Ertvaag. “We chose to build a completely new gallery, which is a new concept in itself as galleries

Scan Magazine | Gallery of the Month | Norway

aren’t really built in Norway. It’s the first commercial private gallery that’s been built, that I know of.”

The gallery welcomes six main solo exhibitions every year, with transitional exhibitions from multiple artists in between. “It can be everything from classical oil paintings to Dolk, photo and video installations.

The six main ones are solo exhibitions, and the next one we’ve got coming up on 11 April is Marina Abramovic,” Ertvaag adds.

The gallery offers the artists who work with print and so-called edition work a cornered-off area, titled PrintLab. There are also contemporary sculptures, both around and inside the gallery, in addition to the little park on the roof and in the gallery’s main exhibition room.

The exhibition list for 2019 is already fully booked and contains a varied and exciting programme including Michael Kvium, Sverre Bjertnes, Marina Abramovic, Lars Elling, Ola Kolehmainen and Bjarne Melgaard. These artists display the gallery’s international ambitions.

Despite its new location, the gallery and concept behind it is not new. The founders hold 30 years of experience in the gallery business, in addition to long-standing experience with international collaborations. “It’s simply taking it all into a new setting,” says Ertvaag.

Web: www.bgeart.com Facebook: bgeart Instagram: @bgeart_stavanger

The founders: Marit Gillespie Gillespie specialises in site-specific projects, and her work ranges from clients such as NSB, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Terra-Gruppen and Rom Eiendom. She has also previously been the organiser of several museum exhibitions.

Eli Lilleeng Ertvaag A previous project manager for Innovation Norway, Ertvaag has a degree in business administration and is currently working with property development.

Kim Brandstrup Director and co-founder of Gallery Brandstrup in Oslo, Brandstrup builds relationships with established artists and works both with commissions and as an advisor for significant collections.

Left: There are six main solo exhibitions per year, with transitional exhibitions featuring multiple artists in between. Photo: Sindre Ellingsen. Right: Launching in 2014, the gallery opened its doors to the new space in November 2017. Photo: Sindre Ellingsen. Bottom: BGE recently moved into its new, tailor-made gallery space in Stavanger. Photo: Jan Inge Haga

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 97

Scan Magazine | Artist of the Month | Norway

The time by Yang Zhu.

Artist of the Month, Norway

Chinese oil painter who craved the quiet life At the age of ten, Chinese artist Yang Zhu begged his parents to swap the music lessons for art lessons. Today, he is a successful artist, having moved all the way across the world to Norway in 1989 to realise his artistic dream.

father having studied in Russia for many years,” he says.

to study music and learn to play an instrument,” Zhu continues. “I played the violin, but I hated it. All school papers were always full of drawings in any empty corner.

I found that I could use images to better understand things as a child. I always dreamed of being a painter, because I can express myself without words.”

“When returning from Russia, he brought with him a lot of art books. This had a big effect on me from childhood, but like so many other Chinese children, I was forced

After spending a long time convincing his parents, at age ten, Zhu was allowed to swap the music teacher for an art teacher. “Although I was warned by my parents

By Line Elise Svanevik | Photos courtesy of the artist

The Sandnes-based artist focuses on oil paintings that quite predominantly feature poignant images of women. “I was born in Beijing in 1962, and grew up in Shanghai. My upbringing was free and open-minded, which was rather different from the traditional way, much due to my 98 | Issue 110 | March 2018

Scan Magazine | Artist of the Month | Norway

that I would have a poor life as an artist, and probably starve,” he smiles. “Nevertheless, from the age of ten, I spent every evening drawing and painting, from when I’d finished school work until eleven at night. I loved it.”

you go beyond the superficial and look at what makes us human – we all like friendship, sharing a meal, friends, love, beauty, and I don’t mean superficial beauty; I look at what’s underneath it all. I find that we all share that, wherever we come from.”

From 1984 to 1988, Zhu studied at the art institution at Shanghai Normal University.

“But after graduation, I really wanted to experience a different way of life and needed a break from the hustle and bustle of Shanghai’s crowds,” he recalls.

In 1991, he moved to Stavanger, where he resides today. He describes his daily life as “quite chaotic”, and often finds himself in opposition with preconceived ideas.

“But in my paintings, it’s totally different,” he confides. “I find an outlet for all the craziness and a calm, quiet space in front of my easel. I would go mad if I didn’t have my paintings. It’s my escape, I need to paint to relax. I’ve always tried to express myself through words as little as possible.

Painting is perfect for me.”

A peaceful place “My friend had just returned from studies in Norway, leaving a good job offer because he couldn’t handle the quiet way of life after growing up in Shanghai.

I thought, ‘this is the place for me’,” says the artist.

With eyes closed

Moving to Oslo in 1989, Zhu experienced a great culture shock, mixed with a notion of feeling at home straight away. “I found that people deep inside really are the same wherever you go,” he says. “When

“In some of my paintings, you’ll see women with their eyes closed or blindfolded.

If you are not able to see, you feel more, you sense more and you are able to take in things not known to the eye,” he explains.

“I like to experiment with new materials,

but at the same time, I like to make my paintings look aged, because I find the passing of time fascinating. Like with old things – they are a footprint from the past.

My paintings are at the crossroads of the present and the past, trying to incorporate both in the same picture.”

Zhu explains that he finds inspiration wherever he goes. “I try to capture a short second of stillness, a fleeting emotion across a girl’s face, the changing light and shadows, music, everyday moments that go by and change,” he reflects. “There is a certain expression of vulnerability on people’s faces, or in their body language, that is so elusive I just have to capture it.”

Web: www.atelieryang.no Facebook: artyangzhu

Breeze by Yang Zhu.

Artist Yang Zhu swapped the music lessons for art lessons at age ten.

Soul’s eye by Yang Zhu.

White poppies by Yang Zhu.

Chinese artist Yang Zhu predominantly features women in his paintings.

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 99

Scan Magazine | Humour | Columns

IS IT JUST ME…

By Mette Lisby

Who struggles to understand how it can be a mystery to men that women need a lot of clothes?

Every time I buy something new, my husband seems genuinely happy about it and I think to myself how sweet he is and how wonderfully romantic it is that he is looking forward to seeing me in the new dress or skirt or pair of jeans.

That is, until he says: “Well, that means you can throw something out.”

What? No! That is not what this means at all. Unless I bought a complete replica of something I already own, that is so not what it means, much to my husband’s bewilderment. He looks at my wardrobe on the brink of exhaustion, saying: “Why do you need all this? You never wear it?”

To prove his point, he points to a stack of jeans and says: “Six pairs of jeans! And you only ever wear two of them.” Yes! But what has that got to do with anything? Do not use that man logic on me. It does not work on women and clothing. To women, clothing is never just about the actual wearing of clothes. It is about options, occasions and aspirations.

At least half of my wardrobe is aspirational: the purple shirt that shows just the amount of cleavage that I need just the right occasion and maybe also a little bit of courage to wear; the pair of jeans I look good in when I shed two pounds; the other pair of jeans I look good in, in case I gain two pounds – both of these options are fairly realistic for any woman at any given point in time. There is the corsage corset that I will absolutely slay in, given the right invitation to a fancy ball, which happens to not be on a winter’s night. That occasion has not materialised yet, so no, I have never worn it – yet! But I cannot throw it out.

Are you crazy? I think about that top almost daily, and I know one day I am going to wear it, and that one time I will look and feel every bit as sexy as I imagine myself every time I think about it.

That is the aspirational part of the wardrobe. Then there are the clothes just waiting for practicalities: the blue jacket that will be great once I get the right colour shoes to

Spring bulbs Spring arrives quickly in the UK. One minute it is Christmas, the next the daffodils are in full bloom. I am a terrible gardener, so I appreciate how fool proof spring bulbs are: dig a hole at any point between autumn and spring, tip them in and wait. Their low maintenance is topped only by how lovely they are.

Is there anything better than the first dots of colour amongst the dead leaves and debris from the year before?

I think this appreciation is something that has stayed with me since my childhood in Sweden, where spring did not come quite so quickly or easily. Gravel-peppered mounds of snow would cling to the ground, refusing to let anything through. Even the sound of spring birds sometimes makes me shudder, as I am reminded of those bleak times.

I would stand in the slush wearing my soaking, freezing mittens, fearing that winter would never end. But just as I was about to 100 | Issue 110 | March 2018

match it; the floral dress that will be my goto summer option once I get a shawl to go with it. So no, I do not need to throw stuff out. Quite the contrary: I need to buy even more to use the stuff I already have. Try getting your man logic around that!

Mette Lisby is Denmark’s leading female comedian. She invites you to laugh along with her monthly humour columns. Since her stand-up debut in 1992, Mette has hosted the Danish version of Have I Got News For You and Room 101.

By Maria Smedstad

Not so in the UK though. Here, spring explodes to life in a rainbow of colours and scents – bluebells and snow drops and other plants that I do not know the names of because of aforementioned gardening skills.

There is definitely something to be said for the tiny miracles of the single, fragile flowers of my childhood. However, I am very happy to accept miracles UK-style: plentiful, multi-coloured and explosive.

give up hope, there they were – the tiny blue heads of grape hyacinths peeking through, where the wall of our house had created enough of a sun trap for the snow to melt.

Best of all was the smell: that intense, sweet scent that made you realise you had not experienced anything like it for months.

Maria Smedstad moved to the UK from Sweden in 1994. She received a degree in Illustration in 2001, before settling in the capital as a freelance cartoonist, creating the autobiographical cartoon Em. Maria writes a column on the trials and tribulations of life as a Swede in the UK.

Jewellery inspired by the ever-changing northern lights Handmade silver jewellery, designed and produced by goldsmith Merete Mattson in her workshop at Hemnesberget in Helgeland. Here you are welcome to savour the view of the fjord from the cosy gallery- cafè and enjoy unique design inspired by the landscape, the Northern Lights, living organisms in the sea and the culture of Northern Norway. www.gullblom.com

Scan Magazine | Culture Feature | Statement Festival

Emma Knyckare, comedian, author and founder of Statement Festival. Photo: Kitty Lingmerth

Sweden’s first ‘man-free’ festival

– less controversial than you might think It all started with a tweet. Well, at least by the looks of things, that is how Statement Festival was born – but Swedish comedian Emma Knyckare, the initiator of Sweden’s first ‘man-free’ festival, explains that the real trigger was societal.

Knyckare. “I haven’t a clue about putting on festivals, but luckily I was able to gather this gang of amazing people with experience of all this stuff.”

By Linnea Dunne

“There’d been a huge amount of sexual assault at festivals in Sweden for years, and it peaked last summer,” Knyckare says. “It was the first day of my summer holidays and I was there watching the news and drinking cheap wine, as you do, when I heard that yet another rape had been reported. So I thought I’d tweet, and I never tweet, but I did.”

The tweet – proposing a festival welcoming only non-men until all men have learnt to behave – got traction, and quickly. “I didn’t think much of it and went to bed, but when I woke up the day after I realised how many people actually really wanted this to happen. I got messages and emails 102 | Issue 110 | March 2018

and calls from journalists… but then I felt a bit cocky and thought it would be pretty cool, so I gathered a working group of 25 people, and two weeks later we had our first planning meeting in Stockholm.”

Funded by women and men A lot has happened since. The festival has been announced and garnered a heap of media attention, both in Sweden and internationally, and the working group has put hundreds of voluntary hours into everything from marketing and fundraising to booking and strategising. “Six months on, it’s pretty much the same people that are still working together to make this happen – still all voluntary,” says

Needless to say, fundraising was among the crucial first steps towards getting the festival off the ground. Amazingly, mostly with the use of social media, the team managed to reach its goal of crowdfunding half a million SEK (approximately £47,000) reasonably painlessly. Almost 3,500 supporters contributed, with prizes up for grabs for those who donated above a certain amount including a specially designed Statement piece of jewellery, a painting, and an in-house gig with Emma Knyckare herself. “It’s been fantastic, and when the early bird tickets went up for sale they all went in about eleven minutes. I think we’re the only festival ever to have sold tickets without even booking any acts yet!” Knyckare laughs. “It’s also

Scan Magazine | Culture Feature | Statement Festival

interesting that most of our supporters have been individuals – and almost half of them men.”

You might think that a festival banning men – or cis* men, as the initiator makes sure to specify – would get a lot of criticism. Indeed, Knyckare was prepared for the worst, too – but she was proven wrong. “It’s been mostly positive. I think that fear was founded in my 15-year-old self and the resistance I would’ve experienced then, but nowadays so many people agree that this is needed. We just want to put on a festival and make it a free zone, a safe space, and undoubtedly recent debates around things like #metoo have contributed to awareness around this too.

People no longer question the fact that this is a huge issue.”

Abroad, however, she admits that some journalists have appeared to find the whole thing a tad more spectacular. “But the focus seems to be on the fact that it was a comedian who started it and not rabid, militant feminists,” Knyckare laughs. “But, you know, either way it’s no big deal: it’s two days of the year – a lot of people don’t feel safe at festivals as things stand, and this is an easy way to do something about it. Men have access to pretty much all other spaces in society, and there are plenty of other festivals for cis men to enjoy. Moreover, as we’re only booking female artists, we’re significantly improving the gender-breakdown statistics over artists booked at festivals across the board, because I can tell you the stats aren’t exactly overwhelming otherwise.”

line-up of her own festival, but will MC the comedy stage.

Other than that, she has had to take a step back in terms of other work to make room for festival duties, but she is also excited to get two interns on board in the near future as she presents yet another of her babies – not literally, but almost – to the world this month. The book Hit Med Flaskan: Handbok för panikslagna mammor (loosely ‘Get Me the Bottle: Handbook for panic-stricken mothers’), which does what it says on the tin, is out on 5 March and will be followed by related events and content including shows and podcasts.

What happens to the statement Knyckare and her working group are putting out there remains to be seen. The festival looks set to be an unmissable event, and the group are already hard at work writing policy documents so that next year’s instalment can get off the ground quickly.

Yet, as the founder herself puts it, the real goal is the opposite of growth: “The goal is to close it down – that the festival will no longer be needed.”

Statement Festival Statement Festival welcomes all women, cis and trans, as well as trans men and non-binary people, and will take place on 31 Aug to 1 Sep at Bananpiren in Gothenburg. *Cis – a term for people whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.

Web: www.statementfestival.se/en Facebook: statementfestival Instagram: @statementfestival

Photo: Robert Eldrim

All set, aiming for shut-down Set to take place at Bananpiren in Gothenburg 31 Aug to 1 Sep, Statement Festival has already made a number of announcements to date, revealing acts including Frida Hyvönen, Karim & Karam, Nour El-Refai, Petrina Solange and Tami T among others. A total of 7,000 lucky ticket holders will take to the pier along with staff and performers, all women, and somewhere in connection to the main festival area there will be a space for male guests such as managers and partners.

Knyckare herself declined the invitation to perform as she felt odd about joining the Issue 110 | March 2018 | 103

Scan Magazine | Culture | Column/Calendar

Scandinavian music UK readers – as well as Finns! – may well be familiar with Finland’s own Saara Aalto, who finished second on UK X Factor back in 2016. She has been relatively quiet since then, but is about to make an impact on an even bigger stage in May. She will be representing her native Finland at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. Her song, Monsters, is a high-camp dance track, already one of the big favourites to go and win the whole thing. Just like the last time, the Finns are sending monsters to the Eurovision.

Denmark, meanwhile, is going into full Viking mode in its approach to this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The epic ballad Higher Ground by Rasmussen is apparently inspired by Icelandic sagas about Saint Magnus Erlendsson the Martyr, Earl of Orkney in the 12th century, and the staging of the performance that won Denmark’s

By Karl Batterbee

Melodi Grand Prix was designed to imitate the look of popular TV shows such as Game of Thrones, The Last Kingdom and, of course, Vikings. Check out Rasmussen’s fetching period clobber, if you can make it past his ginger beard. The Danes will certainly be making an impression on the rest of Europe in May. Swedish artist Christian Walz has been mentoring and writing with a fresh new talent emerging from Sweden. You should get acquainted with Juliander, who has just released his first EP, Afterglow. It is a fivetrack affair that is well worth a listen in its entirety, though if you are pushed for time, I would say skip to Same Moon and The Chance, to get a glimpse as to just how well this collaboration is working out for them.

Juliander is definitely one to watch, and he has just completed a tour of Europe supporting Norwegian producer Alan Walker.

Finally, everyone’s favourite disco defenders have returned for their 20th anniversary celebrations with a brand new single.

Swedish pop icons Alcazar are back! New single In The Name Of Love has already been named as the official theme of Europride 2018, which will this year take place in Sweden, with hosting responsibilities shared between Stockholm and Gothenburg.

www.scandipop.co.uk scandipop@gmail.com

Scandinavian Culture Calendar – Where to go, what to see? It’s all happening here!

Swedish Bicycle Show (16-18 March) Join Sweden’s cycling enthusiasts at the Swedish Bicycle Show, which for the second year will give you a unique opportunity to emerge yourself into Scandinavia’s famous cycling culture and find out about the latest developments in the cycling world. The event will exhibit everything cycling-related and is for everyone who enjoys cycling, whether it’s racing, mountain biking, city commuting or using an electric bike for pleasure. Kista Convention Center, Arne Beurlings Torg 5, Kista. www.cykelmassan.se

Robert Wells and Joja Wendt (20 March) Two world-class pianists team up for an evening of jazz and rock in Soho, London. The Swedish pianist, composer and singer Robert Wells is best known 104 | Issue 110 | March 2018

Robert Wells and Joja Wendt.

Press photo

By Sanne Wass

Scan Magazine | Culture | Calendar

for Rhapsody in Rock, a musical containing elements of rock, classical and boogie-woogie, and has been awarded the King’s Medal for his work. He will perform together with Joja Wendt, the German pianist and entertainer whose international career has spanned over 30 years. 8.30pm. PizzaExpress Jazz Club Soho, 10 Dean Street, London W1D 3RW www.pizzaexpresslive.com

London Ear Festival (21-25 March) This year’s London Ear, a five-day contemporary music festival, is focusing on music by composers from countries with a Baltic coastline. The festival will host a range of concerts with top international musicians, workshops, talks, open rehearsals and educational events, including an evening with Finland’s Helsinki Chamber Choir and conductor Nils Schweckendiek, performing works

by Finnish composer Antti Auvinen.

Various locations, London www.londonearfestival.co.uk

Century of the Child: Nordic Design for Children 1900 to Today (30 March-2 September 2018) From Brio to Lego, Nordic childhood products are everywhere. This exhibition will for the first time bring together the 20th century’s most influential Nordic designs, architecture and art for children. Featuring iconic brands such as Arne Jacobsen, IKEA, Alvar Aalto, BabyBjörn, Tetra Pak and Helly Hansen, the show will explore a range of themes, including Nordic values, creative freedom and eco-innovations.

V&A Museum of Childhood, Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9PA www.vam.ac.uk/moc

Short Films from a Small Nation – book launch (28 March) This event looks back at three decades in Danish film history, in which statesponsored short filmmaking educated its citizens, promoted Denmark to the world, and shaped the careers of celebrated directors such as Carl Th. Dreyer.

The launch of the book Short Films from a Small Nation: Danish Informational

Vik Prjónsdottir’s The baby seal, 2006, is among the many designs featured at the V&A Museum of Childhood’s new Nordic exhibition. Photo: Marino Thorlacius © Vik Prjónsdottir.

Issue 110 | March 2018 | 105

Scan Magazine | Culture | Calendar

Film 1935-1965 will feature screenings of a selection of Danish informational shorts, followed by a discussion. 6pm.

IAS Common Ground, South Wing UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT www.eventbrite.co.uk

SUPERFLEX – One Two Three Swing!

(Until 2 April) If you have not already seen this fascinating piece of art, it is time to head to Tate Modern in London where One Two Three Swing! weaves through the gallery’s Turbine Hall. The large-scale interactive installation by Danish collective SUPERFLEX is made up by an orange line connecting dozens of three-seated swings, inviting audiences to take part through collaborative action, and a large pendulum swinging from above. Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG www.tate.org.uk

Susanna Mälkki and the London Symphony Orchestra (15 April) The world-renowned Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki returns to London to conduct a thrilling programme of works, including the fifth symphony of Jean Sibelius, a Finnish composer who stands as a cultural hero to his

Helsinki Chamber Choir will perform at this year’s London Ear contemporary music festival. Press photo

106 | Issue 110 | March 2018

homeland. Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, the show will take you on “an exhilarating journey to the grand, elemental hymn of the finale, inspired by a flight of swans swooping across the sky”, promise the organisers. 7pm.

Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS www.barbican.org.uk

moving image and photographic works

by Tamar Guimaraes and Kasper Akhøj, two Denmark-based visual artists.

Much of their recent work has emerged from research undertaken in the small Brazilian town of Palmelo, many of whose inhabitants are Spiritist mediums. De La Warr Pavilion, Marina, Bexhill, East Sussex TN40 1DP www.dlwp.com

Journeys with ‘The Waste Land’ (Until 7 May) Turner Contemporary’s new exhibition, Journeys with ‘The Waste Land’, is now open to the public, presenting over 60 artists who through visual arts explore the significance of T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land. One of the gallery’s headliners is Norwegian artist Vibeke Tandberg, who was awarded the prestigious Lorck Schive Art Prize in November. Turner Contemporary, Rendezvous, Margate, Kent CT9 1HG www.turnercontemporary.org

Tamar Guimaraes and Kasper Akhøj (Until 3 June) Under the name I blew on Mr. Greenhill’s main joints with a very ‘hot’ breath, this new exhibition in East Sussex presents

SUPERFLEX’ One Two Three Swing! installation at Tate Modern. Press photo

Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki.

Photo: Simon Fowler

Olafur Eliasson and Frederik Ottesen’s Little Sun, 2012, is among the many designs featured at the V&A Museum of Childhood’s new Nordic exhibition. Photo: Merklit Mersha © Little Sun.

THEATRE

FOLK

Logo - bruges til store annoncer, «flyers mm

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JAZZ

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POP

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ROCK

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CLASSICAL

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COMEDY

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DANCE

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CONTEMPORARY CIRCUS

CONCERTS HIGHLIGHTS 2018 MARCH 21st

ESKO JÄRVELÄ EPIC MALE BAND (FIN)

Exuberant, crispy and powerful folk rock - “the fiddle has a Jimi Hendrix meets Jean-Luc Ponty ring” - Rhythms Magazine APRIL 3rd

BARLUATH (SCO)

A diverse and innovative Glasgow-based folk band performing Scottish and Gaelic songs.

APRIL 4th

HELENE BLUM HARALD HAUGAARD BAND (DK) “A haunting voice and transcending grace” - The Telegraph “Haugaard is a brilliant fiddler, one of the very best in the world” - fROOTS APRIL 6th

A TRIBUTE TO ELLA FITZGERAL (DK)

MAY 3rd

DREAMERS’ CIRCUS (DK)

Multi-award winning trio - the main force of Danish folk innovation.

MAY 6th

SWING-TIME STIG ROSSEN & BIG BLUE BAND (DK) Local eminent big band feat. Danish beloved singer known for his worldwide staring roles in Les Misérables.

MAY 22nd

ERLEND VIKEN TRIO (N)

“Spacious and rugged stuff from Norway” – Songlines MAY 23rd

BALTIC CROSSING (FI/UK/DK)

Award winning blend of lively modern folk with a Nordic/Celtic feel. Promising a foot-stomping fun night out.

Feat. Cæcilie Norby + Nikolaj Hess Spacelab Organ Trio Danish Jazz diva nr. 1 with string orchestra + Funky Nacht Music.

SEPTEMBER 2nd

NOVEMBER 24th

THE REVEREND PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND (US)

FATMA ZIDAN (DK/EG)

A thick, bass-heavy hillbilly delta Blues with percussive scratch of a washboard - makes this open air concert a celebration of harvest.

OCTOBER 26th

ROCQAWALI (DK/PK/UK)

A fireball of a spiritual rock band, performing a mix of RocknRoll and Sufi music with classical Quawali sounds.

OCTOBER

27th

SHKURTE GASHI (AL)

Winner of the ‘Best World Track’ by the ‘Danish Music Awards’ Egyptian born Arabic vocal diva is backed up by he excellent musicians.

NOVEMBER 29th

ALIREZA GHORBANI (IR)

Based in Tehran and considered as one of the most important classical Persian voices, using subtly skilful displays of tahrir, the rapturous yodelling technique of classical Persian singing.

Alireza Ghorbani is the custodian of this remarkable style.

An exclusive concert featuring an Albanian folk/pop-star.

BALTOPPENLIVE.DK / BALLERUP / DENMARK