Program release for the 4th edition of Southern Sweden Design Days

Graphic design: Madelene Wikskär

On 23–26 May, Southern Sweden Design Days is back for the 4th edition. During four days, the city is filled with exhibitions, seminars, workshops and networking events at more than 70 different locations. Today we are delighted to announce the program on southernswedendesigndays.com.

Southern Sweden Design Days invites visitors from all over the world to explore a wide range of design areas focusing on sustainability, development and innovation – from artistically progressive objects to examples of how leftover industrial materials can be given new life. Galleries, shops, showrooms and designers' workspaces are open to visitors. 

Lokstallarna in Kirseberg is the festivals Main location with 6,000 square meters of exhibitions, a live studio, activities for kids, a food court and much more.

Southern Sweden Design Days is organised by Form/Design Center.

Highlights of the program

This year's theme for the program of Southern Sweden Design Days is ’CARE’. To CARE is to look after and provide for the needs of others. From intimate, personal subjects to large-scale contexts, CARE covers a wide spectrum of topics. Explore the entire program with over 160 program activities here →

ALTER EGO

With its iconic design objects and equally iconic designers, Källemo has become something of a cult company on the Swedish furniture scene. However, with long experience and professional pride, there's a risk of getting stuck in established patterns. Ebba Lindgren breaks the pattern by leading Källemo straight into the artificial realm. The exhibition "Alter Ego" is the result of an alternative design process where emphasis is placed on technology, but also on poetry. So to deal with the overwhelming, I decided to hire an alter ego. She knows that sparks don’t fly when you worry, but when you allow yourself to experiment and play. She is a prominent designer who takes her artistry very seriously. Like me, she works from passion, but she has cult status, she believes where I doubt, she is: "artificial where I'm real, sacral where I'm banal, stone where I'm textile, action where I'm intellect, resolute where I compromise."

Participants: Ebba Lindgren, Källemo, Nordiska Galleriet
Location: Nordiska Galleriet
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GOING DARK

Going Dark is an interactive installation that enables participants to experience public spaces as they are impacted by light pollution. The interactive environment depicts what happens if human impact continues to disrupt the ecosystem through light pollution or if artificial lighting regulations are effectively enforced. Shifting landscapes guide participants to reflect on the invisible forces of light pollution. The installation encourages reflection on civic engagement and informs visitors on how to take action in their communities. Going Dark combines interactive art with design research principles following a human-centered approach. The exhibition is a co-production between the designers Monica Hauck and Mathias Schach, two designers who met during their master's studies at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland.

Participants: Monika Hauck, Mathias Schach
Location: Mitt Möllan
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UNG SVENSK FORM

Ung Svensk Form, an annual jury-evaluated exhibition for young designers, shows some of the best from tomorrow´s design scene. Students and recent graduates show a willingness and opportunity to challenge prevailing norms and show alternative solutions and approaches. The exhibition Ung Svensk Form/Young Swedish Design 2024 is a co-production between Svensk Form and Dunkers kulturhus. The project is presented in association with Ikea of Sweden, Ikea Museum, The City of Malmö, Stockholm Furniture Fair, Swedish Wood and a raft of scholarship providers and exhibition organisers.

Participants: Sebastian Alneskog, Johanna Boman, Josefin Bravo, Jessica Broberg, Vincent Dumay, Karl Ekdahl, Wasim Harwill, Anna Herrmann, Ellen Hällebrand, Hanna Johansson, Kelly Konings, Karoline Kvist, Mia Lehtonen Madsen, William Liljeblad, Ola Lindgren, Mårten Malmnäs, Malin Norberg, Sophie Olsson Joof, Emilie Palle Holm, Malin Parkegren, Charlotte Samuelsson & Matilda Lindstam Nilsson, Kirsten Vikingstad Hermansson, Jovan Vulic, Amanda Wisselgren.
Location: Main location, Lokstallarna
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THE WAITING ROOM – A SPATIAL EXPERIENCE OF TIME PASSING

My Comét (tæt studio) and Stina Henriksson (sa:k design studio) explores the Waiting Room as a “non-place” (a kind of spatial passage), aiming to create an exhibition space to dwell in for a while, among objects carefully selected for the visitor. The objects have a meaning, a history, and are there to be used and experienced, rather than just being perceived - contributing to a memorable impression of the place. What you sit on, drink from, read, the queue ticket in your hand and the art you look at, while letting your mind wander, are all carefully selected as part of this group exhibition where we are allowed to unconditionally just be.

Participants: My Comét & Stina Henriksson + 23 Designers
Location: Hyregatan 8
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MONUMENTAL KNIT 

Research Studio for Knit and Architecture (RSKA) turns design hierarchies upside down and uses textiles to approach the built environment in a new and different way. Through artistic research, the studio investigates how the textile industry's 3D knitting technology, which is currently used to produce cheaper garments in less time, can be used for completely different purposes. By bending, draping and shifting, the studio investigates how objects, garments and spaces can come to life while remaining intact. In his investigative work, the interplay between light and heavy structures develops, where form, transparency and tactility come to life

Participants: Our Architectural Office, Matilda Norberg
Location: Form/Design Center
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SEASONAL CLOTHING – DRESS REHEARSAL FOR CHANGING CLIMATES

What if houses would be dressed up to be warmer in winter, wear a jacket in which insects can hibernate or householders sharing insulation with houses wardrobes insulation indoors could be worn by people too? What if we would grow our curtains on the bathroom floor, and leave the window open for pollinators to feed from the blossoming cover? The Linnaeus University and The Swedish School of textiles invite visitors to take part in creative and reflective sessions to speculate about householding, sharing of resources and habitats with human and more-than-human neighbours. 

Participants: Linnéuniversitet, Borås Textilhögskola
Location: Main location, Lokstallarna
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DIALOGUE

The exhibition Dialogue at Galleri S:t Gertrud features works by Jonatan Appelfeldt and Carl Martinson. Their common denominator is wood and a care and respect for the material - together they offer visitors an insight into the creative process and the different outcomes of working with a chainsaw and scalpel respectively. Appelfeldt and Martinson share a care and respect for the material and its characteristics but use very different craft techniques. Despite the different approaches, there are points of contact in both form and expression.

Participants: Jonatan Appelfeldt, Carl Martinsson, Konsthantverkscentrum
Location: Konsthantverkscentrum, c/o Konstfrämjandet Skåne
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DESIGN FOR CIRCULARITY

We're exceeding the planet's limits - Every year, the Footprint Network marks "Overshoot Day," when we consume more natural resources than the Earth can replenish. Reuse is a step towards a solution, but it's not sufficient to reverse the trend. Every new product must be part of the solution from the outset, designed for circularity. Explore SuperLab’s innovative design approach and witness how they utilize leftover materials and recycled resources to craft products that fit into a sustainable cycle. 

Participants: SuperLab, Swedese
Location: Main location, Lokstallarna
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SSDD STUDIO: KEYNOTE – STEPHEN BURKS

Stephen Burks is an American designer and a professor of architecture. Burks is known for his collaborations with artisans as well as incorporating craft and weaving into product design. He is the first African American to win the American National Design Award for product design. Stephen Burks will be the first recipient of the newly established Bruno Mathsson Design Residency. Burks, will participate in the residency from May 15 to end of June, 2024, residing and working in a house from 1955 in Värnamo designed by architect and furniture designer Bruno Mathsson, commissioned by Vandalorum’s founder Sven Lundh.

Participant: Stephen Burks
Location: SSDD Studio, Main location, Lokstallarna, Thursday, 23 May, 11:15
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SSDD JUNIOR: TEDDY BEAR KILLER WORKSHOP 

Transform old teddies into new treasures! The Teddy Bear Killer Workshop is a unique and exciting opportunity for both kids and adults to explore their creative side while also learning how to repurpose an old friend they used to care for. Through the act of deconstructing teddy bears, participants will gain an understanding of the materials used to create them and how they can be repurposed to create something new. This act of transformation instead of creating new demonstrates the importance of caring for our environment by reducing waste and reusing materials. The workshop is also a call to care for the planet. 

Participant: Felicia Hansen 
Location: Main location, Lokstallarna
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→ Discover more program activities at southernswedendesigndays.com