The Power of Danish Design

In the beginning, when I first arrived at this country, everything had to do with design, because I saw design everywhere. In fact, I have never been so confused in my life. Really, I would have never imagined was I was about to learn. Now, I am lucky to be able to say, “I lived in a country where the best design and the designers of the world are from”, Denmark. And not only that, Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen, principal of the Design School of Kolding, was my host mother of my exchange back there. Also, I must point out that she was Minister of Culture from 1994 to 2007. On the other hand, my host father Søren Nielsen is an architect and we had a very good relationship. So, thanks to him, I started looking at all the buildings in the city, which although it was small, it had a fascinating architecture. Little by little I learned to appreciate the power of design. Honestly, I, like many people were accustomed to live in a country where design means almost nothing. Therefore, it was extremely rare for me to sit in a designer chair and think why to spend so much money on an object that fulfills a single task (sitting down). I said, «it is not the big deal either, it is not even that comfortable.» That is until you start spinning around the chair thinking, and suddenly, you find out that this chair is worth almost $ 15,000 dollars. Then, you start wondering that maybe design is not as simple as you think.

Let me explain myself. I began then, going around the city and I started getting curious about its culture with the desire of knowing more and more. That way, I discovered that the chair was an Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair. Suddenly, my way of looking at the chair changed. The chair was no longer a simple chair, but a piece of design. It was a neat design from the same person who did the typography of the letter A of the cup that is beside me as I write, as well as the architect and designer of St Catherine’s College in Oxford. No doubt, it is difficult to appreciate design. It is hard to understand why the author used this or that material or color, or just how someone came up with something so «ridiculous». The first few months I found it hard to accept that what I was living was real. In that sense, what helped me the most to process this radical change were the structures. When I was riding the bicycle to the bank or the library, I loved to see those new shapes in the buildings. I even noticed that the schools had peculiar designs and I loved this because it made me feel that I was seeing something different and not just a place where you go to study.

Later, when I began getting used to see design everywhere, including phones, televisions and headphones like the Bang & Olufsen brand, I had the opportunity to visit the Trapholt Museum. There, I realized that I still did not fully understand what I saw. I should mention that in total I went 3 times to this museum. The interesting thing was that every time I went there, still all the chairs kept calling my attention. At that moment, I thought “maybe that is the power of design: to create something unique to the eye, an object that just by seeing it you know that someone put all their passion there and that, therefore, you do not necessarily need to like it”. And why is that? Simply, because you do not know the context behind what you see, you do not know under what circumstances it was created and something very important, you may not even know from what period the object is. The power of design implies that it will never be out of fashion. For example, the designs of George Jensen, born in 1866, are still perceived as incredible. I always complained paying more for something that probably has the same features that a much cheaper tool. Nevertheless, after knowing this brand, I was fascinated and I started to understand the world of design. Finally, my point of view changed, when I had no choice but to pay almost $100 for a table clock for my dad just because it was George Jensen, I felt it worth it. Denmark has the magic of creating objects that are in harmony with the world. Each time I see my Hoptimists (Danish designer figures), I cannot avoid feeling great joy because these objects have a design that cause that sensation in people. Design in Denmark is so important that, in fact, it is part of the culture of people. There is no Danish family who does not have something of Kay Bojensen in their house.

Returning to the subject of architecture, when I traveled to Copenhagen I finally understood how design makes a difference. Not only in Copenhagen is there an incredible architecture, but also in many other Danish cities. For example, I was very impressed by the museums at Aarhus such as the Moesgaard Museum and the ARoS Museum, which are a sign that there is always room for innovation. Having been to many design fairs (including inside Koldinghus Castle and The New Kolding Campus which is part of the University of Southern Denmark) opened my mind regarding art and specially design.