Produktionsnoveller (Production Novellas)

14 Mar 2020 – 31 May 2020

Exhibition

Production Novellas is Folkform’s biggest solo exhibition to date and presents a selection of the duo’s last decade of production. Here the finished objects are shown together with the raw materials they are made of. Photos and documentation from and reflections about the end products’ entire creation process are also presented, resulting in ‘production stories’.

Do you know how, where and by whom the objects you surround yourself with were made? We live in an age when we know less and less about how things are manufactured. So much is produced so far away from the consumer that there is absolutely no link to the manufacturer. When the production process has become anonymous and inaccessible, it is easy to forget the fact that historically there was a direct tie between an industry and a location’s people, traditions and material resources. It is these very stories that Folkform wants to capture through its design processes.

Since it was founded in 2005, Folkform, consisting of Chandra Ahlsell and Anna Holmquist, has been working to convey, through the design of furniture and objects, an understanding for our industrial heritage – for the people, places and processes. The duo not infrequently showcases forms of production that are at risk of being lost or moved – and with them all the knowledge that has been inherited from generation to generation.rade eller flyttas – och med dem all den kunskap som ärvts från generation till generation.

Folkform has a strong fascination for materials, which are often allowed to lead the way in its explorations. The journey began back in 2005, when Ahlsell and Holmquist began collaborating with the last Masonite factory in Sweden, a joint venture that still continues today.

This exhibition was produced by Vandalorum and was exhibited there from 05.10.19 – 08.03.20.

Folkform

Chandra Ahlsell and Anna Holmquist studied industrial design together at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Designin Stockholm. Ahlsell also trained at Pratt Institute in New York and Holmquist at Goldsmiths in London. Awards won by Folkform include: Future Design Days Award 2006, Lauritz Icon Award for 2016, Residence Stora Formpris 2016 and the Bruno Mathsson Award for 2019.

Thanks to: Konstfack, Malmstens Linköping University, Magnus Laupa, the Masonite factory in Rundvik, and Finnish Fiberboard.

This exhibition is made possible by the Swedish Arts Council, Region Jönköping County, Värnamo Municipality and Vandalorum’s Partners: Hamrin, Liljedahl, Svenstig.