Hasta La Ideas

When asked to represent Nordic identity, Norwegian studio Permafrost created wooden toys based on an oil rig and tanker.

Painted with red highlights, the set of blocks includes a little helicopter that docks neatly in H-shaped cut-outs forming helipads on the boat and platform.

The set was commissioned by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen for one of 30 small dioramas representing Nordic culture as part of an exhibition called New Nordic – Architecture and Identity. The show continues until 21 October.

See all our stories about Norwegian architecture and design »

Photos are by Johan Holmquist.

Here’s some more information from Permafrost:

Is there a Nordic identity? Does The Nordic Way exist? Can one, despite the tendency of globalization to erase national and cultural differences, still understand identity as something associated with particular places? And if that is the case, how has the Nordic identity developed alongside the development of the rest of the world? These are some of the questions posed by the New Nordic – Architecture and Identity exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Permafrost has been asked to create one of 30 small ‘Nordic dioramas’ in the exhibition, reflecting on Nordic identity in relation to our own cultural profession. Their contribution is a set of wooden toys depicting modern day industrial icons, while at the same time honouring traditional Nordic craftsmanship.

The post Wooden Toys by Permafrost appeared first on Dezeen.

Ma quant’erano affascinanti i vecchi giochi analogici tipo questo Frankonia Deluxe Bowing Game? Lo trovate su Etsy.

The influence of kids on 100 years of design

The historical ebbs and flows of an entire century can certainly encompass a significant amount of societal change, but did anyone bother to ask about the kids? The new book “Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900-2000” by MoMA’s architecture and design curator Juliet Kinchin and the department’s curatorial assistant Aidan O’Connor does just that, compiling an extensive history of objects and ideas linked to the population’s youngest members.

The illustrated book examines the historical context and beginnings of philosophical and influential movements such as Avant-Garde Playtime and the German Youth Movement, and their influence on modern design movements in their respective cultures. Released in conjunction with the MoMA exhibition of the same name, the survey examines the impact of design on children’s development and conversely, their role in shaping the direction of design through the years.

The book and exhibit stem from Swedish design reformer and social theorist Ellen Key’s 1900 book, “Century of the Child” that foresees the 20th century as a time for progression in regards to human rights, as well as an overwhelming societal importance of children.

The book begins at the start of the 20th century with The Kindergarten Movement and the emerging idea of childhood in Vienna with the art of Gustav Klimt, paralleling Sigmund Freud’s influential theories of child development. The authors envision the concept of childhood as a symbol of the inevitable constant change of what is modern. “By its own definition what is up-to-the-minute and aesthetically or conceptually innovative in a certain decade or in one particular context should not, indeed cannot remain so, any more than a child can remain a child,” they write.

Children may shape culture, but they are also products of their own creation, as seen through their role in The German Youth Movement. World War II and its traumatic aftermath was universal for humanity, even the children who assisted in its evolution. The book explores the changing use of toys and books to enable the processing of trauma and therapy from what was then described as “Effect of War upon the Minds of Children”.

Laden with essays, artwork, objects and images from school architecture, clothing, toys, children’s hospitals, nurseries, furniture, posters, animations and books, the book and exhibit offer the audience an endless supply of examples of the theories and ideas explored. Through this exemplification, the book harps on the fact that our world revolves around a universal desire to build a better tomorrow for children, and thus the modernization of cultures progresses.

The book is available online and at the MoMA Store. Keep an eye out for the museum’s upcoming exhibition, which will run from 29 July through 5 November 2012.

È disponibile su Atom Plastic il nuovo Fat Tony Open Edition by Ron English. Imho uno dei più belli visti fin’ora. Spedito oggi, non me lo sono potuto perdere!

These felt elephant toys by German designer Daniel Böttcher are available at our pop-up design emporium Dezeen Super Store at 38 Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, Covent Garden, London WC2.

Called Ronny, the toys are cut out from flat sheets of wool felt and assembled by hand with cotton laces at the corners. The felt is rigid enough to make them stand upright, and the bodies and heads are hollow so they can also be used as puppets.

There’s also a rhino called Peggy but we only have a photo of her from behind:

Böttcher founded design brand Formverleih with Marlene Schroeder last year after they graduated together from Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau University of Applied Arts in Schneeberg.

Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs spotted the toys at the Blickfang Design Workshop in Copenhagen last month. Check out photos from the event in our Facebook album.

See all our stories about toys »
See all our stories about animals »

Dezeen Super Store

38 Monmouth Street, London WC2
1 July – 30 September 2012

Monday to Saturday: 11am to 7pm
Sunday: 11am to 5pm

Here’s some more information from Formverleih:

Ronny and Peggy
limited edition

The elephant Ronny and the rhinoceros Peggy are timeless toys, collectibles or accessories for interior design. Their bodies are hollow and their heads are moveable, that’s why they can be used as hand puppets, too.

Daniel Böttcher developed the felt toy collection for formverleih based on the idea to combine certain felt pieces to build three dimensional objects. All pieces of Ronny and Peggy are connected by hand with cross stitches such as the bindings of shoelaces. All stitches and the 5 mm thick felt body make them robust. The whole production process of Ronny and Peggy is located in Germany.

Formverleih is a German label for product design, which was founded in 2011 by the junior designers Daniel Böttcher and Marlene Schroeder. The name Formverleih is a German wordplay. It means to give something a new form but also to lend a form to somebody.

From 2005 to 2010 both the young designers studied product, object and textile design at AKS Schneeberg in Germany. During this time they worked together for certain projects. After their studies they decided to create and produce limited product collections in collaboration with local companies.

Daniel Böttcher and Marlene Schroeder mostly create furniture, toys and interior accessories with ecological and sustainable materials like felt or wood. They try to combine traditional handicraft techniques and timeless shapes to develop multifunctional products. The two designers are focused on high quality and characteristics of materials to establish a new way of simplicity.

Materials
Bodies: 100 % wool felt
Ribbon: 100 % cotton

Price
Ronny: £85
Peggy: £73

The post Ronny by Daniel Böttcher for Formverleih
at Dezeen Super Store appeared first on Dezeen.