Nordic Design Cultures in Transformation, 1960-1980: Revolt and Resilience

Abstract

The recent influx of design history scholarship surrounding Nordic design culture demonstrates the strength of academic programs across these countries. That three prominent design professors in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, respectively, are the lead editors further reinforces this point. This volume proposes a revelatory premise: that contemporary Nordic design is not rooted in the mid-century splendor that was “Scandinavian Design”, that is, those well-promoted export home products from the Nordic countries, but instead, is located in the discourses that emerged during the 1960s and 1970s—those that confronted, challenged, and ultimately uprooted design culture globally. Fundamentally, the book charts 'historical developments and changes in the professional networks, discourses, institutions, and practices' distinguishing the Nordic design of the 1970s from that of the 1950s (p. 1). Given that the 1960s were a turbulent time of changing fashions, new materials and production techniques (alongside escalating social, cultural, and political undercurrents), the editors also argue that because Nordic designers were at the forefront of these discussions, as part of a broader international movement, it is important to understand the local conditions that fostered dissent. Similar ideas were manifested differently in other locations, which is why history and context are so necessary to understanding the mechanics of design culture. The book also participates in recent trends, tackling design through 'ideologies, critiques, and systems' as opposed to objects and makers, (p. 3).