2010 European Design Labs visits Scandinavia
From June 7-12, 2010, European Design Labs students traveled to Copenhagen, Malmö and Stockholm where they met international designer Sigga Heimis and visited factories, museums and centers of art and design.
Their trip began in Denmark. In Copenhagen, they visited the innovative warehouse Illums Bolighus, which is entirely dedicated to interior design, and the Dansk Design Center, a professional center for training in design and innovation.
The students also visited temporary exhibits and the sculpture garden at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaeck and the Fritz Hansen factory specializing in furniture design in Alleröd, where they attended the complete development of the production process of the emblematic chair “Ant” by Arne Jacobsen. The company impressed them with its excellent technology, the cleanliness of its facilities, and the quality of its products, services and customer service. They confirmed how important it is to take care of every aspect involved in producing a design.
In Malmö, Sweden, the students participated in a workshop in Labland, the studio of Irish designer Sigga Heimis, a professional who is known for her work with Ikea and Fritz Hansen. They collaborated with her on the creation of a collection of cut and folded metal, following a real briefing, sharing their doubts and proposals. The research generated a lot of creative alternatives that, throughout the course of only one day’s work, they surprised the designer with their great finishing touches and effectiveness. The result was a very effective workshop: a professional job developed in a professional environment.
Sigga herself accompanied the students on their private visit of the Ikea headquarters in Älmhult and presented some of her designs for the brand. As well, a product designer, who is a member of the staff they met during their visit, revealed the keys to the design department’s operations, as well as the company’s history and ideology.
In Stockholm, they saw the collections of the Moderna Museet and the Konstfack, the main Swedish university of design, graphic and fine arts, among other spaces that are reference points of design.
