Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.10.2016, Qupperneq 44

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‘BOUT IT
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i8 Gallery
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101 Reykjavík
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t: +354 551 3666
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6 October - 25 November 2016
Part 1 | Sigurður guðmundSSon
6 October - 15 October
4 Parts
divided
Art Design For Children
Nordic Design
Tells More
‘Century Of the Child: Nordic Design
for Children 1900 to Today’
Words ARTA BALODE Photo ART BICNICK
Over the past century, the Nordic
region has become synonymous
with simplicity and functionality
in design. From now until Febru-
ary 2017, The Nordic House is host-
ing the exhibition ‘Century of the
Child: Nordic Design for Children
1900 to Today’. The exhibition dis-
plays almost 200 items that reflect
both social and design changes
within the 20th century, all revolv-
ing around children. It’s the first
time this travelling exhibit will be
shown in Iceland.
I met with project manager
Kristín Ingvarsdóttir for an in-
spiring tour around the show-
room. Though the exhibit focuses
on children’s design, it is not de-
signed for children only. Kristín
highlights the fact that it is meant
for people of all ages; it is a child-
hood flashback for the elderly and
a time machine for the youngest
visitors.
The story of
a century
“One of the key factors of the ex-
hibition is the underlying story
of how the role of children and
ideas about children have devel-
oped throughout the 20th cen-
tury,” Kristín says. She explains
that nowadays kids grow up with
unlimited ability to express them-
selves using modern technologies.
“You only need to go few genera-
tions back to find children work-
ing in factories and so forth,” she
continues. “Even though the 20th
century is not such a long period,
within it the Nordic region be-
came a pioneer when it comes to
children’s rights and children’s
culture.”
The exhibition gives histori-
cal background on how we see
children, how this has changed
through the years, and how this
can be seen in improved goods
for the youngest ones. On display
are advertising campaigns aimed
at children who lost their parents
during wartime. Another focus is
on the improvement of educational
tools—books and illustrations,
toys, and environments—that have
evolved to pay more heed to chil-
dren’s sensitive nature, creativity
and development.
Something for
everyone
Step by step, I’m led further into
the exhibition of toys, literature,
furniture, fashion, as well as ar-
chitectural plans for schools and
playgrounds. The amplitude of
the work on show is wide and, as
is particularly common to Nordic
design, iconic.
Several characters evoke my
interest. “Maximus Musicus is
the most famous musical mouse in
Iceland,” Kristín smiles. Maximus
is easy to fall love with, but there
are a number of equally endearing
displays, like the Finnish “Dance
Shoes for Father and Daughter”
and the Icelandic Krumma-Flow
play sculptures, located outside of
the Nordic House.
Towards the end of my tour
of the exhibition, Kristín intro-
duces me to its curator, Guja Dögg
Hauksdóttir. She is collaborating
with the Nordic House to produce
educational materials designed
both for the exhibition site, and to
provide schools with online exer-
cises in the future. It’s a fascinat-
ing look at how design can illus-
trate the history of children, and
how it will evolve in future.
SHARE:
gpv.is/kid16
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44The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 16 — 2016