A research centre exploring how craftsmanship, industrial production, and global processes - from industrialisation to digitalisation - have shaped Danish Design, from materials and practices to branding, education, and culture.
The conditions for the production of design and fashion in Denmark changed dramatically over the course of the 20th century, and these developments have profoundly shaped the design culture, encompassing both design practices and design institutions.
The strong reputation of Danish Design has most often drawn on notions of a distinctive grounding in craftsmanship, materials and artistic sensibility, even though export success was secured through industrial production. Overarching processes such as industrialisation, outsourcing, automation, globalisation and digitalisation have often appeared irreversible, however, design has frequently been characterised by more complex production and corporate cultures in which manual labour and machinery, analogue and digital processes, apprenticeship traditions and artistic training have interacted.
There have been significant differences both between the conditions of different industries and between individual companies’ capacities to retain production in Denmark, as well as training activities and artistic departments.
However, history has also presented shared challenges, such as increased international competition following Denmark’s accession to the European Common Market in 1973, rising demands for working conditions and wages, and the growing digitalisation of both design processes and marketing. Developments in branding culture since the 1990s, driven by both print and digital media, have created new opportunities and brought about significant changes in the Danish design tradition.
The roles of design-related competencies have shifted markedly towards the purely visual and meaning-making, storytelling and brand identity, even though Danish Design continues to rest on its reputation for practical detailing and physical quality. The content and development of design education therefore also constitute a relevant perspective.
The Centre’s participants will establish ongoing collaboration and knowledge exchange concerning sources and theories and, through seminars, raise awareness and generate insight among companies and students as well as a broader public. This collaboration is intended to form the basis for project ideas and applications for research funding involving multiple partners and disciplines, including PhD and postdoctoral projects.
Our point of departure lies in a range of material categories, with an initial focus on ceramics, glass, textiles and fashion, electronics, silver and metal ware as well as furniture, however, it would be natural to expand this scope to include, for example, plastics.
Through open seminars, we therefore hope to broaden the circle of collaboration. The museums maintain close contacts with several leading design companies, such as Royal Copenhagen, Bang & Olufsen, Holmegaard and Kähler, which could be involved. At the level of public engagement, the museums' direct connection to wider audiences through exhibitions, lectures, and school programmes can also be utilised, ensuring that the Centre’s research is made accessible to audiences beyond the academic world.