tina midtgaard

Leave No One Behind

2022

Article about inclusion and Universal design in relation to Design and Craft in Denmark.

Part of the publication ‘VALUE, GROWTH, REALITY’, that consists of a number of articles with different perspectives on craftsmanship and design. The publication has been created in a collaboration between the Danish Art Foundation and Charlotte Jul and focuses on what craftsmanship and design do - for people, society, the present and the future.

Published by The Danish Art Foundation.

Read the publication here

Exhibitionarchitect

2021

The exhibition design is inspired by La Belle Époque where Skønvirke, Art Nouveau, Jugend and the Arts and Craft Movement were dominating the creative landscape. I have wanted to add to the overall experience some of the optimism, creative urge, modernity and surrealistic avant-garde atmosphere that was present when the works of beauty were created.

Nature plays the main role of inspiration in the magnificent works from the Danish design movement around 1900 called Skønvirke of which a selection may be admired in the Treasury at the museum. Especially the pieces in fine porcelain by Fanny Garde and Effie Hegermann-Lindencrone demonstrate a particular fascination of the world of plants.

For the exhibition Nature. Traces & Reflections three prominent ceramicists have been invited to interpret and revive the topic: Malene Hartmann Rasmussen, Manuel Canu and Marianne Nielsen. Following their individual and very different artistic strategies, they have entered into a dialogue with a selection of works from the museum collection of works from the Danish design movement.

Read about the exhibition design here

Exhibitionarchitect

2021

An exhibition on paper sculptures of the human body

The exhibition focuses on paper sculptures which deals with the human body as a motif and study. The purpose is to show how precisely these artists work with paper as a medium, to express experiences and conditions for man and the human body in their sculptural works of paper. The exhibition shows how paper as a material and form of expression contributes to the sensory experience and convey the artists' work, technique and messages. All the sculptures depict people, but in different ways and with different results.

Artists: Vally Nomidou (GR), Felix Semper (USA), Will Kurtz (USA) og Warren King (USA)

Article about the danish furniture designer Jakob Berg: Ahead of his time. With focus on Jakob as a pioneer in sustainable furniture design and his work with materials like bamboo and grass.

Part of the book Jakob Berg - Furniture published 2021 by Arnoldsche

MUSEUM FOR PAPER ART

Curator and architect.

2021

What does Her Majesty The Queen Margrethe II, H.C Andersen, Nicolaj Hübbe, Knud Romer, Jytte Abildstrøm, Søren Pilmark, Peter Høeg and Søren Østergaard all have in common? They have all played Paper Theatre!

For 200 years the Paper Theatre has brought joy, inspiration and knowledge to the users, but in our digital age, the Paper Theatre is almost forgotten.

A Paper Theatre is a small model of a theatre as it looked and worked until the mid-20th century. The theatre is made of paper and wood, where the set design consists of flat sets, and the actors are small flat cardboard carachters that are moved in and out on metal bars.

The paper theatre was originated in the early 1800s in England and Germany and soon spread to many countries, and in 1880, lithographer Alfred Jacobsen began printing and publishing several sheets for the paper theatre in Denmark.

Curator and architect.

2020

Venue: Museum of Paperart, Denmark.

This exhibition looks at the use of paper in design.

It includes examples of design objects in small or large production series as well as storytelling, poetic and experimental works of art in paper that offer conceptual and critical comments on the field of design. Paper is gaining momentum today, as we strive for sustainability and technological advances are creating new possibilities for realizing the full potential of paper.

designbypaper offers a snapshot of the important role this economical, natural yet also complex material has played over time and continues to play for contemporary designers. It also takes a peek at the role it can play on tomorrow’s design scene.

Curatorial project management in collaboration with the Danish Art Workshops

Design Manifesta is an annual celebration of design and craft and was initiated in 2016 by the Danish Arts Foundation to redeem the potential and resources of the design/craft field. The goal is to facilitate networking activities and create an insight and an overview in the business internationally as well as nationally, as the previous years have shown.

In the 2020 edition, the theme was focused on originality and originals. Selected national and international practitioners in the field of design and crafts were brought to the fore, and common to all of them was that they stepped out of an extraordinary universe with an original approach to their subjects. They have broken down boundaries and built up industries. It has made them first movers and some real originals!

Speakers: Fredrik Nielsen (SE), Nikoline Liv Andersen (DK), Henrik Vibskov (DK), Maiken Ingvordsen (DK), Maarten Baas (NL), Ron Arad (IL).

Moderator: artcritic Mathias Kryger Catering: foodartist Mette Martinusen Venue: KADK

Exhibition design ATRIUM the living pot. 2018 - 2019.

The design of the exhibition is based on the historic concept of the Atrium in a modern translation.

The exhibition is the result of the group’s collective work with different shapes of pots from 2015 to 2018. The outcome is a coherent installation where the story of an archetype within ceramics is unfolded in new ways with inspiration from and in interaction with different types of plants.

The ceramicists of ATRIUM are: Anja Bache, Pia Baastrup, Lis Biggas, Vibeke Buciek, Ane-Katrine von Bülow, Lea-Mi Engholm, Vinni Hedegaard Frederiksen, Inger Heebøll, Vibeke Krog, Ann Linnemann, Lone Skov Madsen, Helle Rittig, Lise Seier Petersen, Tine Secher and Mette Marie Ørsted.

Supported by: Ernst og Vibeke Husmans Fond, Beckett-Fonden, Middelfart Sparekasse

Design School Kolding Graduation exhibition at Koldinghus 2017/2018

Curator and design of the exhibition.

Designer, seize the power!


In the exhibition, 40 new designers show how design can lead the way and make a difference in a modern world that needs new ways of thinking.

Inspired by three subthemes, People, Planet and Play, the exhibition debates how power is not necessarily an externally imposed dictate. Power is also the freedom to influence the world how and where you can.

The new designers create what they set out to and break with the sense of powerlessness. They set up partnerships to be able to design for various professional realities. And they give us the power to become co-creators of our own future.

The three guest curators, Multi Artist and Fashion Designer Henrik Vibskov, Designer Mads Quistgaard, and CEO at Danish Design Centre Christian Bason, have put the new designers’ solutions into the perspective of this year’s exhibition theme: ’Designer, seize the power!´

The exhibition is organized and staged by Architect Tina Midtgaard.

Exhibition curator and architect

Il Salone 2018

In collaboration with LEGO Foundation and the LEGO Group, Design School Kolding has established the world’s first two-year Master’s Programme in Design for Play.

The Play in Milan sets the stage for playful collaborative and cultural communication by inviting users to engage in interactive and dynamic hands-on dialogue. Nontoxic colours, water, light, smell, soundscapes along with a mountain of plates, glasses and cups will provoke your senses and set the table for continuous discussions and dialogue.

Play design: Master students at Design For Play, Design School Kolding

Artistic framework: Rune Fjord Studio

Curator: Tina Midtgaard

Thanks to: The LEGO Foundation, Augustinus Fonden, Kolding Municipality, Designit, Kvadrat

6 hearts Politiken

https://politiken.dk/kultur/kunst/kunstanmeldelser/art5965137/Udstilling-om-nordisk-designkultur-rummer-alt-hvad-hjertet-kan-begære

Q&A Tina Midtgaard - Ultimate Impact

https://designetc.dk/qa-tina-midtgaard/

Review designETC

https://designetc.dk/ultimate-impact-eksistentiel-oplevelse/

5 phenomena in nordic design culture

The exhibition ULTIMATE IMPACT investigates history, substance and movements in nordic design culture.

Based on already existing and recently created works, the exhibition shows how crafts and design derives from a current social and cultural context. Subdivided into five phenomena, the diverse works of the exhibition, point to a number of cultural movements:

Fantasy – Exoticism – Silence – Ragnarok – Baroque

The exhibition shows a contemporary insight into 33 Nordic photographers, writers, artists, craftsmen and designer’s artistic work.

The exhibition is initiated by architect/curator Tina Midtgaard, Superobjekt and produced in collaboration with cultural analyst/ethnologist Christina Dvinge, film director Per Flyvehavn and cultural facilitator Karen Helmer-Hansen. Thanks to Katarina Siltavouri, curator, Design Museum Helsinki, Deepa Panchamia, textile artist and David Carlsson, design strategist.

Supported by: Statens Kunstfond, Knud Højgaards Fond, Grosserer L. F. Foghts Fond, Beckett-Fonden, Nordisk Kulturfond

Articles, exhibition and book reviews

designETC is an online magazine for crafts and designs that aired at the end of January 2017. designETC had critical communication as the focal point and dreamed of gathering all curious readers of the field. Right now, the project has unfortunately been suspended due to lack of financial support.

https://designetc.dk

Supported by: Statens Kunstfond, Nationalbankens Jubilæumsfond, Albertsen Fonden

Projectmanagement

Agency of Culture

2016/2017

Planning and organization of Cultural Exchange Program in Cape Town, South Africa.

Mette Saabye - RESHAPE

Sustainable, intercultural design project focusing on recycling of plastic waste. Collaborators: Beth Uriel, House of Light, Cape Town. Boys home with 25 boys between 15-24.

Collection and processing of plastic waste for recycling in a normal household. Integrates methods from the open source project: www.preciousplastic.com

Petter Thörne / Joshua Morrison - RECLAMING THE NIGHT

The project investigates ways of improving urban conditions in a township. Collaborators: LocaL residents in the area.

Monwabisi Park, Khayelitsha township. The activities in 2017 are the last of 3 phases and are based on conclusions from local cocreation workshops held in 2015 and 2016.

Helle Vibeke / Tina Ratzer - HEARTWORKS WORKSHOP

Workshop 2017, based on a workshop by Tina Ratzer and Heartworks, 2016. Activities focus on developing a creative catalog of colors, patterns and materials, and creating new and more sales-oriented products.

The Danish Cultural Institute - WORKSHOP AND SEMINAR

Collaborators: UCT and Peter Clark Art Center.

Art and Culture in primary school. Workshops for kids from 6 to 10 years old, coming from local schools.

Art, movement, communication and teaching methods. The workshoppen was followed by a seminar + the production of research articles articulating conclusions from the workshops.

Projectmanagement 2015/2016

The MANIFESTA conference was a collaboration between a number of key organisations in the danish design and craft field: Design Denmark, Danish Design Centre, Danish Craft and Design Association, Danish Fashion and Textil.

The launch of the MANIFESTA conference in 2016 were introducing an overall theme based on the concept of change making. The 3 talks were by Julia Lohmann, Bradley Quinn and Alice Rawsthorn.

Venue: Danish Architecture Centre

From early 2014 - 2016, Superobjekt gallery, showcased eleven exhibitions in the gallery in Borgergade and two exhibitions in Museumsbygningen, Copenhagen. The gallery was realized in collaboration with Jens Gehl and Christian Bjørn.

Thanks to everyone who supported the gallery and The Danish Art Foundation.

2013

The Nivaagaard collection contains unique pieces of renaissance and baroque paintings by Rembrandt, Van der Neer, Jan Steen, Bellini, Van Ruysdal and many more.

Please come and sit down!

Eight designers and artists were invited to enter a dialogue with the paintings and the audience were encouraged to spent time in front of the art works, entering a symbiotic situation with the art pieces.

Chris L. Halstrøm, Jonas Trampedach, Karen Kjærgaard, Malene Bach, Else-Rikke Bruun, Maria Lyhne Grønaa, Sophie Brünner, Vibeke Fonnesberg Schmidt, Violise Lunn.

Temporary urban space 2011

Ofelia Beach - a maritime and magical urban translation of nature.

Designed by Tina Midtgaard/Karen Kjærgaard/Lise Kassow.

Politiken wrote: “Ofelia Beach is a state-of-the-art world-class urban space that kicks ass to New York and Berlin”.

“Ofelia Beach offers inclusiveness and accessibility, creating the frame for cultural activity and recreational leisure. It´s a small refuge surrounded by water and monumental buildings and overlooking the Opera House. The beach area stretches between two scenes; the elevated music scene and the lower dancing terrace. The most significant part of the design is the large wooden structure that bridges the space between the two outdoor scenes. The pattern of the timber reflects the ripples of sand dunes shaped by the wind, and the change of light during the day gives the structure a wavering tactility. The repetition of two kind of wood modules gently sloping, amplifies the flexibility of usage, from scaters to kids, lovers and old people”.

Curator and architect in collaboration with Karen Kjærgaard.

Venue: various venues around Copenhagen.

Installations by IKEA, Erik Juul Architects, Copenhagen Design Week, CITA, EGE Danish Design Centre a.o.

Copenhagen Design Week 2011 was challenging standardised practice and exhibited new-urban structures, experiments and idealistic creativity revolving around the idea of up-cyckling in many fields of the multifacetted landscape of creative thinking.

Inhabitat wrote: “ The second edition of the fantastic Copenhagen Design Week just kicked off, and Inhabitat is on the scene, capturing all bustling events going down in the Danish capital. This year´s fair features lots of exhibits, international conferences, street installations, workshops, awards and open showrooms all throughout the city. But for any good design week hunter, the natural starting point is of course the Information Point. Located right by the incredible Copenhagen Kvæsthusmolen Harbour, the stacked structure has been built from one of our favorite building materials: recycled shipping containers!”

Interiordesign

2013

The test house was constructed by recycled shipping containers. Designed by Arcgency and inititated by Worldflexhome. The house was built in Denmark for the pilot project and another test house will be constructed in the Chinese city Wuxi, as part of a large development project with a total of 45.000 m2, located 28 km´s east of Shanghai. The project started 2 years ago at the Danish Institute of Technology. The architect-designed homes meet the requirements of the international Active House coorperation, which ensures healthy indoor climate.

Projectmanager, curator Danish Design Centre

2008-2011

Venues: Copenhagen: Danish Design Centre Copenhagen, China: Shanghai, Brazil: Curitiba, Chile: Santiago

The exhibition was organized as a collaboration between Danish Design Centre, Danish Architecture Centre and Danish Crafts.

What will future designers do and how does Danish Design address global issues such as sustainability, new technology and consumption?

The exhibition explored future design practice and new perspectives in Danish Design, Craft and Architecture. With focus on 4 themes: Sustainability, Human Scale, New Craftmanship and Non-Standardised Praxis, the exhibition challenged the traditional role of the designer. Six interdisciplinary scenarios seek a new relevancy for design - in the world.

Get a tour of the exhibition here

architect / curator / projectmanagement. In collaboration with Karen Kjærgaard

2011

Venues: Zona Tortona, Milan, The Royal Play House, Copenhagen

A small and focused exhibition showing 100 danish pendants.

Inhabitat wrote: “Lamps have always fascinated Scandinavian Designers. One of the reasons for this can be attributed to their vast exposure to the distinctive, soft light that comes with the dark nordic winters. Hanging from a modular metal structure, the Still Light exhibition is shining. A collection of 100 inspiring pendants by Danish companies and independant designers. The exhibition features brilliant sustainable lamps with a focus on new materials, easy transportation, energy-efficiency and repurposed standard components”.

Initiator / curator / architect In collaboration with Elisabeth Topsøe

2007 /2008

Venues: Copenhagen: The Round Tower, Oslo: Doga, Washington DC: Worldbank

Politiken wrote: “All the way up the Round Tower you can begin looking forward to the meeting with a colossal colour and pattern flamboyance that unfolds under the titel “newafrica”. What especially characterizes the exhibited projects and products, is social conciousness. African designeres are not only motivated by designing something new, but rather focused on the idea of inclusiveness and renewal of traditional crafts”

exhibitiondesign / design of displaycases In collaboration with Elisabeth Topsøe

2005

venue: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

exhibitiondesign / design of displaycases In collaboration with Elisabeth Topsøe

2005

venue: Paris: Musee de Luxembourg

exhibitiondesign In collaboration with Elisabeth Topsøe

2004

Venue: Fields

Politiken wrote: “Fields is located on Arne Jacobsens Allé and the shoppingmall takes that serious. I like that!. They decided to do an Arne Jacobsen Lounge, ultimate stylish. The architects are Tina Midtgaard and Elisabeth Topsøe. They decided to show the masters work on a wide scale with furniture, cutlery, lamps, textiles and naturally architectural models and photos. It is very beautifully done in a three stories tall space, that Jacobsen would have liked”.

Exhibitiondesign

1996

Venue: Copenhagen: The ferry Kronborg, Turbinehallerne

Cultural Capital of Europe 96