Author: HA magazine

Transformations
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Modifications of modernist buildings in Reykjavik

Published by HA magazine

Reykjavik has many examples of architecture from the sixties and seventies, as large parts of the city were built during that period. Now, 40-50 years later, many of these buildings have undergone extensive changes. Architekt Garðar Snæbjörnsson has illustrated a selection of modernist buildings in Reykjavik, showing how they have changed from past to present. (Garðar´s illustrations were shown on Design March 2018)

From overseas — Architect Dagur Eggertsson

Published by HA magazine

HApeers into the live of architect Dagur Eggertsson, at Rintala Eggertsson Architects in Olso, Norway. “I moved to Norway in 1986 to study architecture at the Oslo School of Architecture. I planned to live there for three years, but I’m still here now, 30 years later. In 1995, I moved to Finland to do my master’s. That’s where I met my closest collaborator, Sami Rintala, who sat across from me in class. It’s really quite incredible, as I sat across from Vibeke Jenssen when I was studying in Norway, and she went on to become my wife. I guess people should really think twice before sitting across from me. After completing the two-year master’s program, I returned to Norway to work as an architect with my wife amongst others. Five years later, my friend Sami called me to say that he was moving to Norway. At first, Sami and I would just meet up to play football and solve the problems of the world over beer. Then, we started advising each other on various projects, …

Bonding with the Environment — Product designer Brynjar Sigurðarson

Published by HA magazine

First published in HA issue no. 02, 2015. Since graduation, product designer Brynjar Sigurðarson has achieved some remarkable things, among them the coveted Swiss Design Awards, which he won in the category of product and industrial design. The award was issued for the line of products he conceived during his month-long stay in the tiny Icelandic fishing village Vopnafjörður several years ago, a stay he describes as having had a marked influence on his career. Brynjar has a unique and honest approach to his subject matter, and is now forging new paths within the design world. The ECAL Years After graduating from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2009 with a degree in product design, Brynjar’s path lay to the door of the esteemed École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL), this time seeking an MA in product design. When asked, Brynjar explains that his choice of Switzerland was largely coincidental; he’d noticed a poster advertising the university, gotten an interview and moved to Lausanne shortly thereafter. Brynjar describes his studies at ECAL as being …

Overseas — Industrial designer Ragna Ragnarsdóttir

Published by HA magazine

I had been looking for the right school and finally found one that I liked, Ensci Les Atelier in Paris. The school has fantastic workshops, for example for metal, wood and plastic, and an open-minded approach to design. There would be people building cars or working on computer software side by side. I needed many kinds of design around me, a bigger environment to find my path. I had been looking for the right school and finally found one that I liked, Ensci Les Atelier in Paris. The school has fantastic workshops, for example for metal, wood and plastic, and an open-minded approach to design. There would be people building cars or working on computer software side by side. I needed many kinds of design around me, a bigger environment to find my path. But to apply, you had to send a portfolio and do an interview in French. And I couldn’t speak a word of it. Somehow I managed to bullshit my way in. I moved to Paris in 2010 and graduated as an …

Student Series 2017
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Blikur by Dagný Björg Stefánsdóttir

Published by HA magazine

Blikur by Dagný Björg Stefánsdóttir is an investigation into ways we can sensorily relate to the weather. Poetic and meditative, the project transmits quiet strength as it melds contemporary design with old traditions and methods as a way to reconnect us with our bodies and the environment. These four minimal artefacts are a direct comment upon our dependence on technology and its corresponding loss of traditional knowledge for reading nature. As beautifully observed by Thomas Pausz, the power and beauty of Blikur lies in its reactionary nature: “Change is happening and we are learning to listen again. Blikur participates in this new consciousness.” Hello Dagný! How would you describe your project? Blikur is a series of four objects made out of materials that change in dialogue with different atmospheric conditions to reveal patterns of the weather with movement rather than numbers. The objects are sensors measuring atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity levels and wind direction. They encourage the viewer to learn how to read into nature—into its surroundings and seek to reestablish the connection between humans …

Student Series 2017 / Through the Looking Glass
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Interview with professor Thomas Pausz

Published by HA magazine

Through the Looking Glass is a series of spotlights showcasing new design talent. The series offers an in-depth look into six exceptional graduation projects from the Iceland Academy of the Arts, along with an introductory interview with Thomas Pausz—a professor of product design at the Iceland Academy of the Arts and the curator of the 2017 BA degree show TEIKN / GESTURES. In the interview below, Thomas helps us gain a greater perspective on this year’s graduating students and insight into what young designers are making today. Through the series, we hope to gauge the upcoming creative pulse in Iceland and offer a window into how a new generation of creatives is responding to times of environmental anxiety, political instability and redefined values. — As the curator, how would you characterize this year’s graduating projects? I was very inspired by the humour with which the students are addressing difficult topics. We live in confusing times, with a disturbing political and ecological crisis, but this generation is making the choice to challenge the gloom and to …

HA#5
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Is out now

Published by HA magazine

The fifth issue of HA magazine on Icelandic design and architecture is out now. In this fifth issue of HA we cover a lot of ground and consider projects, ideas, and dreams. Fittingly for the summer edition, we discuss a few projects that were introduced at this past DesignMarch. Among them is an interview with the design team And Anti Matter, which reveals just how important it is to have a holistic approach when presenting design. We also cover Siggi Odds’s rune project and Aníta Hirlekar’s new clothing line – as both of them garnered well-deserved attention at DesignMarch this year. In this edition we also approach issues of city planning from a new perspective. We join Birkir Ingibjartsson, architect, as he allows himself to dream of the metropolis Reykjavík. In the article “Nowhere Land”, Birkir considers how we might consummate the city in four steps; the city that we abandoned after the impractical dreams of the modernists came to nothing. We look at how the educational programme Biophilia has contributed to innovation in schools and shaken up traditional teaching methods in the Nordic countries.  …

DesignTalks 2017 Spotlight
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Studio Folder

Published by HA magazine

In our DesignTalks Spotlights, we’re going into the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of what you should know about each of our DesignTalks speakers and why we are so excited about their work. We covered Christien Meindertsma in our first post, Alexander Taylor in our second post, Ersin Han Ersin in our third, and most recently Michèle Degen. Next is the formidable work of Studio Folder. Who? Cerebral and daring, Studio Folder is a design and research agency founded by Marco Ferrari and Elisa Pasqual. The studio was established in 2011 and is based in Milan, Italy. The agency works “both in the cultural and commercial domains and through the investigation of autonomous research paths.” Studio Folder focuses on the visualization of ideas and concepts through a diverse range of work in Italy and abroad, including editorial, art direction, exhibition design, brand identities, data visualization, web platforms and curatorial projects. An architect and designer, Ferrari’s main research interests hinge upon the understanding of contemporary technology and its effects on society, and the relationship between cartography and politics. He works across a …

DesignTalks 2017 Spotlight
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Michèle Degen

Published by HA magazine

In our DesignTalks Spotlights, we’re going into the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of what you should know about each of our DesignTalks speakers and why we are so excited about their work. We covered Christien Meindertsma in our first post, Alexander Taylor in our second post, and Ersin Han Ersin in our third. We will now look into the thoughtful work of Michèle Degen:   Who? Michèle Degen is a young Swiss designer whose work seeks to break norms through visual and experimental methods. For Degen, design is about “connecting disciplines and merging thoughts, translated into a communicational outcome.” Her methodology is based on offline research, directly interacting with everyday circumstances. What has she done? What is she doing now? Degen graduated cum laude from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2016. Past projects during Degen’s studies explored how humans value stones and the creation of printed patterns derived from material research on sand. Another project of note, Sheeker, is a sneaker sourced entirely from Drenthe Heath sheep. The production of Sheeker “offers an …

DesignTalks 2017 Spotlight
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Ersin Han Ersin

Published by HA magazine

In our DesignTalks Spotlights, we’re going into the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of what you should know about each of our DesignTalks speakers and why we are so excited about their work. We covered Christien Meindertsma in our first post, and Alexander Taylor in our second post. Now we’re moving into the work of Ersin Han Ersin of Marshmallow Laser Feast: Who? Ersin Han Ersin is a Turkish visual artist and director, and ⅓ of the creative studio Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF). The London-based studio playfully experiments with technology and human perception. Ersin creates sensory installations that interactively redefine our expectations of technology—its power to offer emotional experiences and its ability to instill a sense of wonder. According to Ersin Han Ersin’s artist statement, he is “focused on interaction between virtual spaces, light and body, including the tension between real and synthesized experiences.” What have they done? What are they doing now? Ersin collaborates with Barney Steel and Robin McNicholas to create Marshmallow Laser Feast projects. MLF’s latest project In the Eyes of …