Fashion and design are the two keywords of upcoming four-day event DesignMarch (HönnunarMars in Icelandic). The event is taking place from March 28-31 in Reykjavík. During DesignMarch, the capital of Iceland is turned into one big showcase for innovative creations and designs. The festival aims to connect local and international designers at more than one hundred events and exhibitions. Fashion designers, architects, furniture designers, and product designers are all part of the programme. It promises to be a spectacular edition!
DesignTalks
On March 28, the seminar DesignTalks takes place at Harpa Concert Hall. This will be a day filled with lectures from international professionals on the importance of design. Speakers of DesignTalks 2019 include Lara Lesmes & Fredrik Hellberg, Philip Fimmano, and Kristian Edwards.
Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg are graduates from the Architectural Association in London. They founded Space Popular in Bangkok in 2013, a multidisciplinary design and research practice. They focus on architecture, furniture graphics, interfaces, and research. Philip Fimmano is a contemporary fashion and lifestyle specialist. He cofounded Talking Textiles with Lidewij Edelkoort to promote sustainability and innovation in textiles. He also contributes to several books, magazines, and studies, and is curator for design exhibitions. Kristian Edwards is senior architect at Snøhetta and focuses on zero-emission buildings. He worked on Svart, a hotel at the foot of the Svartisen glacier that is not only zero emission but generates more energy than it needs.
Don’t miss these events!
During the festival, hundreds of events are organised. Confirmed events include:
Flowers in a Vase
Sigurrós Björnsdóttir and Gudrun Havsteen-Mikkelsen display handcrafted clay vases in collaboration with flower studio Pastel. Pastel makes flower installations in the vases. They use cut, dried, and fresh flowers, and let the flowers take their own space, just like in nature. Most of the vases have more than one hole so the flowers spread out in several directions. Clay is a material that is easy to shape but often objects turn out differently than you expected initially. All vases and flower bouquets are unique and are shown with all their natural imperfections.
Urban Shape
Architect Paolo Gianfrancesco invites everyone to celebrate cities. He displays maps of European capitals and the largest cities in the United States side by side. In this way, he’s creating an overview that cannot be found anywhere else. Cities are made up of visible elements like buildings and parks, but also lots of invisible ones like history, culture, and human interactions. Using data from Open Street Map, coding allows him to choose the information he wants to show. His goal is to capture the essence of cityscapes through the flow of information.
Skógarnytjar
Being at the forefront of using Icelandic wood, Skógarnytjar designed the first furniture line from Icelandic materials. Their publication under the same name discusses the use of Icelandic wood and other sustainable Icelandic resources that can benefit society. Skógarnytjar works closely with the Icelandic forestry sector and bases their designs on ongoing research and development. During DesignMarch, their furniture line will be premiered.
Plus Eternity
Plus Eternity is an installation by &AM inside Grótta lighthouse. It’s described as “a metaphysical product line where the connections between objects are obscured, but all have a common source of the founding lovers of &AM and chronicled in their drawings.” &AM explores materials and techniques, such as 3D printed ceramics, pre-coloured porcelain, concrete, alcohol, and wearable sculptures. Please note that because of the tides it is only possible to visit the exhibition during certain times. Check out the website of DesignMarch for more information.
Banana Story
Banana Story represents an ongoing investigation of the complex system of transported goods around the world. This investigation is told as a story from the viewpoint of a banana that is transported from Ecuador to Iceland, showing various ports and checkpoints. It’s a story about mundane objects, international business, and human relations.
Most events are open to the public, for more information visit www.designmarch.is.
