national holiday

in honor of the national labor holiday, i went to the Danish Design Center to enjoy some the fabulous fruits of Danish laborers--carefully crafted wooden furniture, among them. One of the coolest parts of the museum was a little show by The Flow Market. here are some shots to give you the gist of the exhbition:



this one featuring the lovely sara Harbo as Vanna/model






there was also a space to play with wooden letter blocks. i'll be going back for more fun there.


the current front-room show was all about wood and featured this olfactory test. each vase has a unique wood scent meant to be smelled and then identified. i didn't get any of them, but they smelled great!

they also have a collection of wooden chairs that are lovely and you are allowed to sit in them. i do have to say, though, that the interactive aspect of the museum was the best part. it sort of felt like playing in a furniture store. however, the designs featured are pretty banal and ubiquitous for most Danes because much of Danish design is made available on the market here, and people's homes are filled with the stuff featured at the DDC. for that reason, i think the Centre might benefit from a re-envisioning of their mission. last night i was at a rock show and a Danish guy said that he was concerned that Danes were living in the past and resting on their historically excellent laurels rather than continuing to innovate. there is a turn of phrase to describe this sentiment: Danish design is an old chair (Danske design er gammle stolen). but from what i have observed, the Danes are not living in the past. in fact, the history of good, democratic design may have contributed to one of Denmark's most meaningful contemporary exports--a tolerant, well-educated population and a thoroughly scandinavian notion that all people deserve fair treatment, and equal opportunities. happy labor day!