What not to miss at 3daysofdesign 2023 in Copenhagen

Denmark's annual design festival 3daysofdesign returns for its 10^th edition in one of the most pleasant design capitals in the world. With 280 exhibitors from Denmark and around the world, the design event gives the opportunity to explore the city of Copenhagen as a whole, divided into 13 districts for easy navigation. Within each section, visitors can find diverse exhibitions from emerging to established design. Here is STIR's list of shows and events to discover.

Kinship at Alice Folker Gallery

Kinship is an interdisciplinary exhibition project created for 3daysofdesign 2023—based on a dialogue between designer Birgitte Due Madsen, architect Anne Dorthe Vester and curator Henriette Noermark Andersen. With elements from and aesthetical nods to Birgitte Due Madsen's Lucid Chair, Neon Cast and Breton Cubes and Anne Dorthe Vester's Kilen and Vitrine, the series is a collection of handmade furniture consisting of terrazzo bases in combination with seats of light slat wooden structures. The design exhibition highlights the often overlooked, invisible collaborations between designers, architects and curators.

The new series on view is a collection of handmade furniture consisting of terrazzo bases with seats of lightweight slat structures in Douglas fir from Dinesen. The merging of the light wooden seats and the heavy terrazzo modules accentuates the balance of the work and the potential of the collaboration itself. Inspired by the South African term ubuntu, which means "I am because we are", in Kinship, presence, dedication, and inclusion become as essential as the final object, very much in line with 3daysofdesign's theme this year, "Where would we be without you?", paying homage to the hidden aspects of the design world that make it all possible.

On view from June 2-July 29, 2023 
at Alice Folker Gallery, Esplanaden 14, Copenhagen

Weight of Wood by Dinesen x Christian + Jade

The exhibition Weight of Wood is a collaboration between Dinesen, Denmark's leading manufacturer of exclusive plank floors, and Christian + Jade, the design studio by Christian Hammer Juhl (DK) and Jade Chan (SG). 

A playful, explorative exhibit to awaken the curiosity about wood, Weight of Wood is presented at Dinesen's Copenhagen showroom, featuring tactile, balancing objects made of Dinesen wood, visualising wood's various weights and inviting you to touch, explore and interact with them, exploring the life of a tree and wood as a commodity and raw material. 

This exhibit explores wood through one of its most defining characteristics—its weight. Christian + Jade's designs aim to use the wood's weight to teach us about its personality and temperament and give a glimpse of the environmental conditions in which it was nurtured. Weight of Wood showcases their experimental quest to spark a new appreciation for the value, role and historical weight wood has on our material life.

On view from June 7–9, 2023
at Dinesen Showroom, Søtorvet 5, Copenhagen

Design in the age of AI at SPACE10

Design in the Age of AI is a new exhibition of speculative design concepts from SPACE10. It examines how AI can help identify hyperlocal and circular materials and challenge ingrained design processes. The exhibition also features the winners of Regenerative Futures, SPACE10's recent global AI design competition, which challenged entrants to use artificial intelligence to develop their vision of the future home, community, or city.

SPACE10 is organising a half-day symposium to elaborate further on the subject—Materials of Tomorrow, an inspirational live event introducing a new generation of innovative designers, architects and companies. Featuring global guest speakers, this event will collectively explore ways to rethink design, systems, and materials to build more sustainable and healthy homes of tomorrow. Register to attend: https://space10.com/event/materials-of-tomorrow/

Exhibition on view at SPACE10 Gallery, Flæsketorvet 10, 1711 Copenhagen
Symposium at Copenhagen Contemporary - Hal 6, Refshalevej 173A, 1432 Copenhagen

Sketches by Kvadrat

Sketches, a series of curtains by acclaimed designer Inga Sempé, is part of the Multiply collection by Kvadrat, which explores fibres, materials, and volumes through visionary manipulations of yarn dyeing, spinning, and folding techniques. Each design in the collection is infused with refined multidimensionality, resulting from the interaction between different materiality, weaving rhythm, and colours. Sketches will be on show in the Kvadrat showroom, along with rugs by Muller van Severen. 

Sketches is infused with subtle interplays between yarns and design elements, evoking a sense of drawing and graphic sequences, translating Sempé's art into a series of curtains. Intricate textures and tonal details intertwine with horizontal and vertical movements, creating a comforting sense of order.

"I have always liked subtle changes in normal systems. As I walk through the streets of Paris, I look for tiny changes that turn what looks normal into something lively," says Sempé on her inspiration for the series. 

Designer Inga Sempé and Kvadrat's creative director Isa Glink will give a walk and talk tour of the collection on June 8, 10:00-10:45 and 13:00-13:45.

On view at Kvadrat, Pakhus 48, Klubiensvej 22, 2150 Copenhagen

Penumbra: Georg Jensen x David Thulstrup

Georg Jensen unveils Penumbra, a striking new silver centrepiece designed by renowned architect David Thulstrup, who combined geometric expressions inspired by different Georg Jensen design eras. The design takes its name from the Latin term referring to a space of partial illumination, alluding to the design's play of light created by combining different geometric shapes. 

"The Georg Jensen team and I wanted to craft a piece that truly shines on its own without carrying a specific function. The strong contrast between the rectangular outline and the oval centre, both inspired by archive Georg Jensen designs, gives Penumbra the ability to stand out as a sculptural centrepiece," says architect David Thulstrup. He is an award-winning architect and designer whose refined and holistic approach to architecture, interiors, and product design combines his Scandinavian heritage with a modern design language. 

On June 8 at 3 pm, Georg Jensen Creative Director Ragnar Hjartarson & Designer David Thulstrup are holding a design talk, providing insight into the collaboration touching upon the inspiration, how the partnership came about and what it means for both brands. It is open to everyone who would like to attend, followed by an afternoon reception from 4-6 pm.

On view at Georg Jensen, Amagertorv 4 1160 Copenhagen

The Sensory Society by Helle Mardahl

Glass artist Helle Mardahl is unveiling her new collection, the Sensory Society, with a magical experience as the visitors see, smell, feel, and taste their way through the exhibition at her studio in a historical apartment on Bredgade. The delicate interplay between our senses is the focus of The Sensory Society, an exhibition conveying Helle Mardahl's distinctive candy glass to a world of imagination, mystique, and humour.

On view on June 8, 3-6 pm
at Bredgade 38, 2nd floor, Copenhagen, Denmark

Vipp Friday Bar

For 3 days of design, Vipp unveils a colourful art collaboration with Italian artist Paola Paronetto, showcasing novelty design and launching a new limited-edition bin inspired by Vipp's 80-year heritage. They are holding a casual Friday bar, the ultimate Danish tradition to celebrate the end of the week, at their flagship store in the heart of Copenhagen. 

On view on June 9, 5-8 pm
at Vipp Home, Ny Østergade 34 1101 Copenhagen