Copenhagen Photo Stories: April 2010

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Art and Culture in Copenhagen and Scandinavian design

Samantha Lister, from Tripbase.com shares her thoughts on "Art and Culture in Copenhagen and Scandinavian design"

Copenhagen has a cosmopolitan culture and is also renowned for being one of the most stylish cities in the world. This is due to the notorious Scandinavian design that is evident in everything ranging from fashion to furniture and the clean lines of the architecture that can be discovered in every corner of the city. Scandinavian design appeared in the 1950s and is a movement that is uniquely characterised by simple designs, functionality, and low-cost mass production.

Prominent Danish designers and retail companies include:

Bang and Olufsen, which is a company that designs stylish audio devices, TV sets and telephones. The first product designed and manufactured by Bang and Olufsen was an innovative radio that was powered by an alternating current rather than a battery and was produced in 1925. Today they are most famous for their “high fidelity” loudspeakers.

George Jensen, who was a Danish silver smith, fused his skills in fine art and metals to produce beautiful and high quality art nouveau creations. By allowing his designers to freely express their ideas, George Jensen ensured the broad scope of his business that has kept with the times and is still a success today.

H&M, renowned for its cost effective but fashionable clothes designs, is a well known Scandinavian fashion chain enjoyed by people of all ages across Europe and the rest of the World.

The main inspiration behind the development of modernism and functionalism in Scandinavian design is the belief that beautiful everyday objects and pieces of art should be available for everyone to enjoy. The design movement has also benefited from the increase in the availability of new low-cost materials and methods for mass production. This is evident in the use of form-pressed wood, plastics, anodized or enamelled aluminium or pressed steel which is apparent in many Scandinavian designs.

Copenhagen is the cultural centre of Denmark and offers a rich diversity of superior museums and art galleries that highlight the development of Scandinavian design. A wide variety of captivating exhibitions can be enjoyed, for example, at the New Carlsberg Glyptotek, The National Museum of Fine Art and the Danish Design Centre. There are also plenty of opportunities to enjoy other forms of art such as ballet, opera and theatre. The royal theatre, which is a building inspired by the Italian Renaissance, offers three main groups that includes The Royal Ballet Academy, the Royal Danish Orchestra and Opera Chorus.
Art and culture in Copenhagen is renowned for its diversity and fine standards, so why not come and experience it for yourself.

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