Reykjavík Grapevine - maj 2021, Qupperneq 14

Finally, Desi!nM(ay)arch
Here’s to Lucky 13 and a sustainable future
Words: Andie Sophia Fonatine & Hannah Jane Cohen Photos: Kevin Pages & DesignMarch
After delays due to some sort of world event, the
13th iteration of DesignM(ay)arch has finally
arrived! And with over 100 exhibitions and 250
events, it’s clear nothing has dampened their
drive for innovative design. This year’s theme is
sustainability, showcasing how design can be a
driving force for innovation during this time of
global uncertainty. While this year’s program is
stacked, here are some of our not-to-miss events.
Follow Us
May 20th-30th - Ger!arsafn Kópavogur Art
Museum
Is our future safe? In this exhibition—one of
the pinnacles of this year’s DesignMarch—a
number of up-and-coming artists give their
own takes on the problems of today and the
solutions for tomorrow. Ecological depletion,
the future of sustainable fashion production,
widespread social anxiety, the dissonance of
virtual reality and many more new-world is-
sues are all tackled head on by a selection of
architects, graphic designers, fashion design-
ers and more. HJC
Object-ive
May 19th-29th - Ásmundarsalur
Remember that CD rack you got free with your
Motorola LX2 pager? It’s in your garage—next
to your Segway! Yes, there are many things
that have lost their purpose as the years have
passed, from crimping irons to floppy discs.
The Icelandic Product and Industrial Design
Association seeks to rectify that with an exhi-
bition of repurposed objects, culminating in
an auction on May 29th at 17:00. Stop by, but
be warned: you'll have to pry our 1999 phone
books out of our cold, dead hands. We’re sure
they’ll come back soon. HJC
As Told by Mold
May 19th-23rd - Lækjartorg, Greenhouse
Design has put a great deal more focus on sus-
tainability of late, usually in terms of housing
and infrastructure. At the same time, one of
the things killing this planet is planned obso-
lescence—products that are designed to fail
after a limited amount of use, so new prod-
ucts must be bought on a regular basis. This
is especially the case when it comes to com-
puter hardware, such as printers. In the spirit
of this, As Told By Mold, a project by Valdís
Steinarsdóttir, Arnar Ingi Vi!arsson and
Sigrún Thorlacius, proposes a novel concept:
using fungi in a controlled setting instead
of toxic inks for printing. While unlikely to
replace those overpriced cartridges any time
soon, this novel experiment may point the
way for practical applications in the future.
And it’s awful fascinating to witness. ASF
Kiosk Extravaganza!
May 19th-23rd - Kiosk
Kiosk—your one-stop-shop for Icelandic fash-
ion design—will play host to three installa-
tions this year. First up, the bold and unpre-
dictable Eygló has teamed up with Hugleikur
Dagsson for a wearable interpretation of his
sci-fi graphic novel ‘Opinberun’ (‘Revelation’).
Bring your nerdy friends, but maybe leave
grandma at home. Next up, a collaboration
between the always elegant Anita Hirlekar
and British luxury eyewear brand Cutler and
Cross, which can be pre-ordered at the store.
Lastly, MAGNEA’s new collection, which, as
the designer explains, uses traditional Icelan-
dic wool in unseen ways. Talk about a triple
threat! And don’t miss the special opening
event on the 19th from 17:00 to 19:00. HJC
Man In The Woods
Guided tours on May 22nd & 23rd, but the
exhibition will remain permanent after the
festival - Elli!aárdalur
When it comes to Icelandic design, you might
think of Hallgrímskirkja, or Harpa, or any
of the exhibitions in this article. But one of
the greatest achievements of Icelandic de-
sign is Elli!aárdalur—in particular, the forest
that grows there. This forest was deliberately
planted, by Reykjavík Energy amongst others,
starting in 1951. Today, it’s a beautiful place to
get to just a stone’s throw from Reykjavík. In
honour of this, Stúdíó Flétta, Sóley "rainsdót-
tir, and the duo of Kristín María Sigur#órs-
dóttir and Fri!rik Steinn Fri!riksson have
set up exhibitions at Elli!aárdalur that both
honour and seamlessly compliment the loca-
tion. Well worth checking out, especially as
the daylight hours grow longer. While there
will be guided tours on May 22nd and 23rd, the
exhibition will remain after the festival. ASF
Design In The Gaming Industry
May 20th - Gróska/Online
No coverage of the concept of design would
be complete without a discussion of game
design. As a medium it has evolved from the
blip-bloop-dots-on-a black screen domain of
nerds to fully fledged worlds in themselves,
replete with all the challenges that construct-
ing new worlds bring. How do you make your
world accessible? Sustainable? How can you
structure a game in such a way that anyone
can make the most of it, regardless of level
of ability? As we move further into the 21st
century, game designers will have to answer
these questions and then some. CCP Games,
home of Iceland’s own MMORPG Eve Online,
will be participating in this event and will
likely have much to offer on the subject. ASF
14The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 05— 2021Best of Reykjavík
Mirror mirror in the square, which design festival is most fair?
Joy, Sustainability
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