Design as Art

Imagine a chair – not an ordinary chair as the one you probably know from your childhood home – but a chair carefully designed with every little detail in mind. Can a chair like that be considered art?

As Duchamp’s readymade urinal, Fountain, is considered one of the most important pieces of modern art, maybe it is time to start thinking of the furniture we surround ourselves with as more than just functional objects, to start thinking of a chair as more than just seating? At Nordic Tales, we think it is –and we are not alone in this: Kunstindeks Danmark (Art Index Denmark) has registered our Moth Chair in their central register. And maybe more interesting: In 2019 you can experience the same chair design as part of the exhibition Trapholt Collect.

Trapholt Collect

At Trapholt you can experience contemporary art and design. Situated in Kolding, Trapholt is oftennicknamed “Jutland’s Louisiana” – maybe because of its location at Kolding Fjord and the way old andnew architecture is combined, maybe because of its contemporary focus.

In the midst of art and sculpture displays, Trapholt exhibits a big collection of Danish design classics, including a collection of chair designs from 1900 onwards. Among these chairs you will find our Moth Chair designed by Jonas Hoejgaard.

In the upcoming exhibition Trapholt Collect, Trapholt showcases the museum’s newest acquisitions, including the Moth Chair originally obtained by the museum as part of the exhibition Eat Me, Collection by Claydies og Kirstine Roepstorff – Edicius & Lilith.

Eat Me

In short, last year’s exhibition, Eat Me, was a sentient showcasing of how the World and our everyday lives are influenced by food. The human relationship with food has always been reflected in art and design – just think of the often portrayed fruit bowl, or Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting of the last supper – but lately food as an element in art and design is boomed.

By tasting, listening, smelling, and feeling, Eat Me made you reflect on our relationship with food. In the middle of it all was a big dining table where visitors could experience the exhibition on their own bodies. Contemporary dining chairs designed by Danish Designers were placed around the table, presenting an image of the contemporary Danish dining chair, and raised questions like how does seating affect the tasting experience? One of the chairs curated for this experiment was our Moth Chair– a dining chair designed to be able to stand alone like a piece of art.