Homedemo

Scandinavia Dreaming

Tor Kjølberg

December 14, 2018

The book “Scandinavia Dreaming: Nordic Homes, Interiors and Design: Scandinavian Design, Interiors and Living: Volume 2” illustrates today’s evolving story of Nordic design: one that is equal parts elegance, function, and tradition. Read more about the book Scandinavian Dreaming, published by Gestalten.

“The book explores everything I love about Scandinavian design: dazzling interiors, architecture, and products that show the richness, variety, and intensity of contemporary Nordic spaces,” says author Angel Trinidad.

What is Scandinavian design, and why is it everywhere?
In Scandinavia Dreaming Angel Trinidad claims that Nordic design has two personalities. On one side, there sits the open, light, friendly, and democratic constituent. And, on the other hand, is its moody counterpart: sleek and sophisticated; timeless and traditional; and deeply rooted in the sensations and juxtapositions of nature.

Scandinavia Dreaming
“I enjoyed every moment working on the book: doing research, looking for the most inspiring projects and images, and writing the words to tell the story,” says Trinidad.

The easiest way to understand why it seems that every perfectly appointed home and cool office features sleek yet classic, unassuming furniture, or an aesthetic that is at once mindful of natural materials and poignantly sophisticated, is to simply have a look into this book. Within the lines of tile-covered roofs born from the existence of nearby clay deposits and large windows that let in light during the shorter winter days, insight into this special thread of skilled craftsmanship awaits.

A tie that binds the Nordic countries together
“Delving into this exquisite world characteristic of gorgeous aesthetics, warm materials, a gentle co-existence with nature, and that one-of-a-kind Nordic light made me remember all the special things about the region, and why I love it so much in the first place,” explains the author.

Though it may seem unfair to lump the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden into “one big, blond-wood pile,” as the introduction notes, there’s still an undeniable tie that binds them together. The book presents dazzling interiors, architecture, and products that show the richness, variety, and intensity of contemporary Nordic spaces.

A Dream come true
“As most of you already know, Scandinavia was/is my greatest dream – it was my goal in life to live in Sweden (which I did!) – and of course, the design aesthetic of the region is one of the things that inspired me the most. So, this book is like coming full circle, a dream come true; literally Scandinavia Dreaming,” says Trinidad.

Related: Cool Scandinavian Looks

Nordic design is a result of the harsh weather and the even more severe terrains, but also of optimism, and of entrepreneurship coexisting harmoniously within a welfare state. There’s the element of fairytale and furry animals: of elves and trolls as well as polar bears and reindeer. Artisans fresh from design school have brought new life into the wonted usage of tile, wood, glass, ceramics, and other customarily Nordic materials.

An evolving story
Nordic design has an evolving story: one that is equal parts elegance, function, and tradition. There is something truly special and specific about design in the North – the love for light, airy spaces, which are not just limited to minimal and whitewashed designs, but is truly creative and dynamic.

Mostly, though, it’s the spirit of cooperation and harmony—whether with the environment or an object—that makes Scandinavian design work for a wide swath of people, no matter where they’re form.

Scandinavian Dreaming, written by Tor Kjolberg

Nobel Peace Prize Exhibition in Oslo 2018: The Body as a Battlefield

December 13, 2018

Nobel Peace Prize Exhibition in Oslo 2018: The Body as a Battlefield

This Year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Dr Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.” The Nobel Peace Prize exhibition is about sexual violence as a weapon of war.

This year, the Nobel Peace Center makes use of art photography to illustrate the topic of sexual violence in war. The brutality of the violence makes it hard to convey through the documentary genre. Sexual violence is still used worldwide as a weapon of war. What can be done to prevent such crimes?

The exhibition, which the Nobel Peace Center stages each year to honor the new Peace Prize laureates, is always opened the day after they have received their awards in Oslo City Hall. When Dr Denis Mukwege came to the Nobel Peace Center to officially open the exhibition on 11 December, he could see how this year’s photographer, Cristina de Middel, had used conceptual art photography to illustrate the heinous crimes that he and have both worked so tirelessly to halt.

Tiny toy soldiers on a naked body; a papaya with a machete-driven clean through its core. “I wanted to make representations of the sexual violence that has been inflicted on people all over the world, both in the past and the present. The violence itself is in many cases so overwhelming that it’s hard to convey sufficiently through the documentary genre. I hope the abstractions in these photos will help the viewer have an empathetic realization within themselves about the victims’ experiences,” explains Cristina de Middel.

A Magnum Photo nominee, the Spanish photographer spent time with both Peace Prize laureates in November 2018. Mukwege was photographed in the hospital he runs in DR Congo, along with some of the thousands of women he has treated. Nadia was photographed in Paris, between meetings with government officials and world leaders.

Visitors to this year’s Peace Prize Exhibition will also have the opportunity to become involved in the struggle to end the use of sexual violence in war. Inside the exhibition, visitors can show their support to the victims by urging Norway’s Director of Public Prosecutions to bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice.

“Sexual violence is a crime in Norway. The Norwegian authorities therefore have the legal framework and enforcement mechanisms needed to make an active and tangible contribution to the eradication of sexual violence by holding perpetrators to account and prosecuting those who commit such crimes,” says the Nobel Peace Center’s executive director, Liv Tørres. “We owe it to the survivors – and prosecution will send a clear signal that should deter other would-be aggressors.”

The Body as a Battlefield exhibition has been produced in collaboration with Norad and with support from the City of Oslo.

The exhibition is open until November 2019.

Facts about the Nobel Peace Center

One of Norway’s most visited museums with app 250 000 vistors per year presents the Nobel Peace Prize laureates and their work, in addition to telling the story of Alfred Nobel. It is an arena for debate and reflection around topics such as war, peace and conflict resolution

Nobel Peace Center is internationally recognized for its emphasis on documentary photography and interactive technology, presenting changing exhibitions, engaging digital solutions, films, seminars and events.

Olav Njølstad is chair of the board, Liv Tørres is the Executive Director

Nobel Peace Center in Oslo is financed by a combination of public and private funds, the main sponsors and collaborating partners being Hydro, Telenor Group and ABB.

Nobel Peace Prize Exhibition in Oslo 2018: The Body as a Battlefield is based on a press release from Nobel Peace Center in Oslo.

Denmark and Sweden Want to Build the ‘First International Metro in the World’

Tor Kjølberg

December 10, 2018

Denmark and Sweden Want to Build the ‘First International Metro in the World’

City chiefs in Copenhagen and Malmö are looking at spending up to €4 billion on what is thought to be the world’s first international metro.

Copenhagen and Malmo are investigating the construction of a 22-kilometre tunnel under the Oresund River to link the two metropolises. A new study shows that an Öresund subway between Copenhagen and Malmö reversed the population doubling from 1.3 to 2.3 million people traveling to the other side of Öresund for a maximum of one hour.

Related: Copenhagen is Growing

Denmark and Sweden Want to Build the ‘First International Metro in the World’
This month a new working group — called the Oresundsmetro Executive and featuring representatives from the two cities, industry and researchers — was established to firm up the proposals. With a new fixed link under the Fehmarnbelt between Denmark and Germany, a new Northern European region is also being built, including Hamburg, Copenhagen and Malmö.

On the stretch between Copenhagen and Malmö the group plans to use high-speed (maximum speed of 120 km/h) driverless trains to transport passengers underground between the cities in 20 minutes, and there would be five stations. The proposed metro line would run in a 22·1 km tunnel under the Øresund strait separating Denmark and Sweden. It would have a design capacity of 36 trains/h per direction, with headways of 2 min in the peaks and 5 min off-peak.

Related: Copenhagen Connecting

Öresund Metro Partnership
Train passengers can already travel between Copenhagen and Malmo over the Oresund Bridge, which takes around 35 minutes. With the Fehmarn Belt connection, the journey time between Copenhagen and Hamburg is reduced to 2.5 hours. Mobility in the new region will increase, with Malmö Copenhagen as a major focus.

The Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link is an 18-kilometre road and rail tunnel that is set to open in 2028 and link southern Denmark with northern Germany. At the Fehmarnbelt Day Conference in Malmö recently, Malmö Municipality Chair Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh and Copenhagen Governor Frank Jensen unveiled the new Öresundsmetro Executive Partnership.

The international metro could open in 2035
That is expected to have the knock-on effect of increasing freight, regional and high-speed trains using the existing Oresund Bridge between Copenhagen and Malmo. Proponents of the metro scheme say it would ease this bottleneck. Oresund metrology would create growth on both sides of Öresund and strengthen the region’s international competitiveness.