INGER – Optical Illusions
Homage to Inger Ekdahl

Inger Ekdahl (1922-2014) was an artist and Swedish pioneer in spontaneous painting during the middle of the 20th century. In many of her later paintings and sculptures she worked with optical illusions and prismatic effects. Ekdahl often worked from home and used, among other things, a vacuum cleaner as an aid in the production of her works. Inger Ekdahl has become more known for a larger audience and placed in an international context after her death.

There is a clear relationship between Jenny Nordberg and Inger Ekdahl’s work including methods that are both strict and controlled parallel with random elements and effects. The collection “INGER – Optical Illusions” consists of two objects that both generate rainbow phenomenons. One solar powered and the other one electrically powered. In the same way that Ekdahl worked in a home environment, Nordberg has developed a kind of home-adapted production line for the final surface treatment of the rainbow makers. The process is relatively controlled but also has some indeterminate elements.

“INGER – Optical Illusions” are designed during 2018 on behalf of Ystad Art Museum.

Photos by Korta Ben.

Nordberg’s fascination for the ultra-standardised is materialised in the BRICK series. Casted glass bricks with the exact measurements of old traditional bricks are composed into sculptural candle holders.
Besides the traditional dimensions of the bricks nothing else is standard – the BRICK series is hand casted in a small Italian glass foundry and patiently assembled in Sweden.

The Bricks series is designed for Swedish Ninja.

PRESS IMAGES

The Open series for Minus Tio consists of three sculptural objects for storage.

When developing the Open series designer Jenny Nordberg looked for manufacturers who where willing to work with preexisting tools instead of making new ones for these particular objects. This approach was a deliberate strategy to contribute to a more open-source-like mindset within manufacturing where tools usually are locked to one client only. Working with preexisting tools also means that external and predetermined factors become part of the design process and final expression, something Nordberg appreciates.

Open comes in four different colours — ocher yellow, matte black, oyster white and rust. Buy here.

PRESS IMAGES

Things my daughter said about objects, interiors, ornament and crime

I was asked by Jr-Work-Shop to do something related to kids. Not having ever worked with, by or for children I asked my daughter for some advice, she then became my muse. Her thoughts about furniture, objects and interiors are both grand and unrestricted. The ideas she has are also constantly changing, often inconsistent and based on seemingly random impulses. This project has been guided by our conversations. It is a tribute to the creative and un-ruined mind of this young person. The objects created are not necessarily children’s furniture but furniture from a child’s mental world.

During this project me and my daughter have had several talks about objects, design and interiors. After a while she directed our discussions into also including ornament and crime. Below is a transcription of one of her expositions:

What should furniture be and look like?
“It should be square, like dark blue and pink stripes, and in the middle there will be a green heart for all three, because we are three. Well yes, it’s for all three: daddy, you and me. Triangular, so there’s only places for us – that’s good, no? And then you can fix it into a four-table. Then the chair… pink and white. And on it there will be umm… a green, I mean a blue glitter… purple glitter… like heart. It will also be a little fluffy, with a pillow on it.
And a strange chair which is high – right up to the table – plus it could be a little higher, so that daddy, you, then it will look like, how will it look again? I mean the table which is triangular. What does triangles look like? Oh yes, like that… Then daddy will sit there and I will sit there… or you can sit where you want.
It, that is for all three. Then probably daddy’s… yours must hold the wight of your bum. Mm, so you can borrow one of mine. And mummy, your stool can be green with black glitter on it that sparkles, that it is made of wood. And me and mummy will paint it. I will have a chair. Umm… white, white and purple, with a purple heart that sparkles green.”

Listen to the monoluge here: https://vimeo.com/202720833

Other comments of importance

About the glitter ornaments she put on every door handle and knob in our apartment:
“Look how nice it is! Before, not so nice, boring. Now, beautiful!”

About the drawing of her hand she gave me:
“It’s made from my hand. You can have my hand.“

About the drawing on a post-it note she put on the freezer about interior related crimes:
“You’re not allowed to play ball in here.“

Represented at Jr-Work-Shop during Stockholm Design Week 2017:

Stools in two different heights
Metallic coated steel and uncoated aluminum

A transformable table for three or four
Metallic coated steel

My daughters hands
Painted MDF

A prohibition sign
Painted MDF

Glitter
Plant based plastic

PRESS IMAGES

Is it possible to obtain unique results within industrial production? Jenny Nordberg has examined the issue in the Swedish foundry industry for the past year by working with three founders parallel. The result sought for has been a large scale macro-composite made of several assembled cast metals. During the process, there has been an interesting turn of events – each of the three foundries have had different theories, all of which contradict each other. The project is ongoing and has more to come.

PRESS IMAGES