Officina Corpuscoli, The Growing Lab Mycelia, 2009–ongoing. Courtesy of Maurizio Montalti.
Officina Corpuscoli, The Growing Lab Mycelia, 2009–ongoing. Courtesy of Maurizio Montalti.

Press release -

Design Matters at Bildmuseet

Bildmuseet opens two new exhibitions in November; the group exhibition Design Mattersand the artist Ann Edholm’s solo exhibition Tongue on the Tip. We proudly welcome you to a press preview and presentation of both these exhibitions on Thursday, 14th of November between 10:00-12:00.

The Design Matters exhibtition presents objects and technologies that may soon become part of our everyday life. In a world facing major challenges, from the threat of climate change to adapting to an increasingly digitised society, most would agree on one thing: We must produce and consume in new ways.

Design Matters presents internationally established designers and design groups who, through their work and approach to design, challenge our expectations of consumer products and furniture, functions and services. Does our relationship to things change if the shoes we wear have been cultivated by us, or if the plate we eat from is a living organism? Can a cause of the climate catastrophe be transformed into something beautiful and worth preserving?

Design works on the basis of an old but very effective formula consisting of client, designer, producer and consumer. We still prefer fast consumption and mass production, but what would happen if we really decided to take on the challenges we face? What does it mean to go from mass production to production from the masses, and will such a change be brought about by us, the customers, or be initiated by the designers themselves?

The designers that Bildmuseet has invited to showcase their work are presenting design that allows for reflection on what function, durability and beauty actually are. It is design that not only presents actual solutions to practical problems but also asks questions about the times we live in and broadens the horizon for new ways to interact with the world.

Participating in the exhibition are: Caracara, Liz Ciokaljo, Jesper Eriksson, Jenny Nordberg, Ewa Nowak, Officina Corpuscoli/Maurizio Montalti and Superflux. Curator: Anders Jansson.

Design Matters is produced by Bildmuseet and inaugurated during 2019 when our neighbour, the Umeå Institute of Design – for the fourth year in a row in the top position of the Red Dot Design Ranking – celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Press preview: Thursday 14 October 10:00-12:00 (RSVP)
Welcome by Director Katarina Pierre, after which curators Anders Jansson and Brita Täljedal will introduce the exhibitions through conversations with the designers Jesper Eriksson, Jenny Nordberg and Maurizio Montalti, Aleksi Vesaluoma from Caracara and the artist Ann Edholm.

Press images: www.bildmuseet.umu.se/press-images

Public opening: Friday 15 October 17:00-21:00
Jesper Eriksson, Jenny Nordberg, Maurizio Montalti, Aleksi Vesaluoma from Caracara and Ann Edholm will be present at the opening. Talks and presentations at 19:00, café/bar and guest DJ: Boys.

For further information, please contact
Anders Jansson, museum curator Bildmuseet
anders.jansson@bildmuseet.umu.se, +46 72-083 6616

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Bildmuseet is one of Sweden's formost venues för international contemporary art, and a part of Umeå University. In seven floors of striking architecture, art, humanities and science meet across the urgent issues of our time. Bildmuseet is a place for critical encounters and conversations on art, society and existence.

The exhibitions are produced in collaboration with artists, museums and universities around the world and often attract both national and international attention. As a visitor, you are invited to take part in guided tours and creative workshops, listen to artist talks, debates, lectures and live music, watch film screenings and attend other events, all with free admission.

Bildmuseet is housed at the Umeå Arts Campus by the banks of Ume River, right next to the Umeå Academy of Fine Arts, Umeå Institute of Design and Umeå School of Architecture. Umeå University is a multifaced university where studies and research within the creative realm make up an important part of the universty's cornerstone. It is one of Sweden's largest institutions of higher learning with over 32,000 students and 4,200 employees.

Contacts

Helena Vejbrink

Helena Vejbrink

Communication officer Bildmuseet +46 90 786 9073

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Ann Edholm, Tounge on the Tip – Stans (detail), 2006. Courtesy of the artist.

Ann Edholm / Tongue on the Tip

Bildmuseet is presenting parts of Ann Edholm’s series of paintings Tongue on the Tip, together with sketches and collages. With their defined geometric shapes, her large-scale paintings may seem completely abstract but the works include interpretations of art history and ancient legends, of Jewish deportations during the Nazi reign, and her mother’s memories of World War II Berlin.

Umeå University

Umeå University is one of Sweden's largest universities with over 37,000 students and 4,300 employees. The university is home to a wide range of education programmes and world-class research in a number of fields. Umeå University was also where the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 was discovered – a revolution in gene-technology that was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Founded in 1965, Umeå University is characterised by tradition and stability as well as innovation and change. Education and research on a high international level contributes to new knowledge of global importance, inspired, among other things, by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The university houses creative and innovative people that take on societal challenges. Through long-term collaboration with organisations, trade and industry, and other universities, Umeå University continues to develop northern Sweden as a knowledge region.

The international atmosphere at the university and its unified campus encourages academic meetings, an exchange of ideas and interdisciplinary co-operation. The cohesive environment enables a strong sense of community and a dynamic and open culture in which students and staff rejoice in the success of others.

Campus Umeå and Umeå Arts Campus are only a stone's throw away from Umeå town centre and are situated next to one of Sweden's largest and most well-renowned university hospitals. The university also has campuses in the neighbouring towns Skellefteå and Örnsköldsvik.

At Umeå University, you will also find the highly-ranked Umeå Institute of Design, the environmentally certified Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics and the only architectural school with an artistic orientation – Umeå School of Architecture. The university also hosts a contemporary art museum Bildmuseet and Umeå's science centre – Curiosum. Umeå University is one of Sweden's five national sports universities and hosts an internationally recognised Arctic Research Centre.

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