Mindcraft is an annual exhibition from which we have learned to expect the unexpected, and for Mindcraft15 expectations are particularly high, having GamFratesi as curators and participants such as Louise Campbell, Cecilie Manz, benandsebastian, Henrik Vibskov and Eske Rex.
Mindcraft is basically a curated showcase aimed at demonstrating the depths and range of creativity in contemporary Danish design and craft. The exhibition typically attempts to incorporate experimental and transdisciplinary as well as more conventional practices. Previous participants include such diverse designers as Mathias Bengtsson, B°Fex, Iskos-Berlin, Eske Rex, Thomas Bentzen, Line Depping, Kasper Salto and many more. Exhibition curators GamFratesi, have also participated in a couple of exhibitions, the sofa Haiku in 2011 and the Beetle Chair in 2012, both of which are now in production by Frederica and GUBI respectively.
For this year’s edition Louse Campbell has contributed a series of felt-tip pen drawings, variations on a specific set of instructions creating wavy winding patterns. Cecilie Manz’s Solid Table with a ”skirt” of textile and limestone table top is an attempt at incorporating three traditional craft methods into as single design, namely woodworking, stonemasonry and sewing. Although we usually don’t venture into the world of fashion, but we did thoroughly enjoy Henrik Vibskov’s Neck Plus Ultra exhibition at GL Strand a few years back. For Mindcraft Vibskov has created a variation on the umbrella, albeit a non-functional but technically complex version.
One of our favorite pieces this year is benandsebastian’s The Castaway, a replica of a transport case found at the Medical Museon in Copenhagen, containing a transparent glass insert, moulded to fit the case. The duo, or perhaps unit, benandsebastian consists of Ben Clement and Sebastian de la Cour known for their combination of theoretically complex and at the same time meticulously crafted works and exhibitions. The Castaway is part of a larger context where benandsebastian has worked extensively with ontological inquires into the nature of absence and presence, notably for the Phantom Limbs exhibition and Museum of Nothing.
Another favorite this year is Terroir by Jonas Edvard and Nikolaj Steenfatt, a pendant and chair made from a new material developed by the designers themselves, from recycled paper and seaweed gathered from the coastline of Denmark. The Terroir project is a combination of innovative and sustainable design thinking not yet that common in New Nordic Design compared to, for example, contemporary Dutch design.
And a couple of more:
Mindcraft15 will debut during Milan Design Week but there will be a second chance to see the collection at Design Museum Copenhagen later this year.