A tribute to Nanna Ditzel – An exhibition set in a colourful design context
Nanna Ditzel is one of the greatest Danish designers of the 20th century. For the first time ever, all her inspiration and ideas will be fully unveiled when Trapholt presents her entire oeuvre in a sensory context of furniture design, textiles, jewellery and immersive installations.
In honour of the exhibition entitled “Nanna Ditzel – Taking Design to new Heights”, the Trapholt museum has published a booklet of the same name, beautifully depicting Nanna Ditzel’s story in print and images.
Nanna Ditzel’s approach to design was to involve all our senses and the whole body. She believed that what we surround ourselves with affects how we feel about ourselves and how we interact with others. Her furniture and rooms set the body free, and she experimented with different surfaces and shapes to create sculptural furniture that encouraged new ways of socialising.
The exhibition celebrates Nanna Ditzel’s 100th birthday in 2023, and is the most comprehensive exhibition of her work to date. It runs until August 2024 at the Trapholt museum.
Aesthetics with edge
Collaboration on the booklet began with a brainstorming session with Lower East, drawing inspiration from a wide range of previous print and paper collections to produce the final version. After careful image processing and proofing, we were ready to start printing in Horsens, with both Trapholt and Lower East present. Next came the design of the cover and front cover.
The result of the extensive collaborative work is a yarn-bound, raw-cut hardcover that meets the desire for a book combining aesthetics with a little edge, just like Nanna Ditzel’s designs.
Info about the print Nanna Ditzel, Taking Design to New Heights:
1. oplag 2023 / 1st edition, 2023
Print run: 1,200
Graphic design catalogue: Lower East Design
Designs you (might) know
You’ve probably already sat in one of Nanna Ditzel’s iconic furniture designs.
The Trinidad chair was designed in 1993, when a brand new milling technique was introduced that made it possible to cut through plywood chair shells. Nanna Ditzel was inspired by her travels to Trinidad, where she fell in love with the detailed carvings typical of colonial-era houses. The chair gained a lightness and transparency, while the palm leaf patterns created an architectural play with the surrounding light. The Trinidad chair is a one-of-a-kind chair, and its status as a 90s design has turned it into a true classic on a par with designer furniture that is 30 to 50 years older.
And did you know that the interior design of Denmark’s IC3 trains was created by Nanna Ditzel? Starting with the blue base colour, she added the green, pink and purple. “I thought it would be nice to get some cheerful colours in there so people could feel comfortable,” the famous designer said at the time.
View all her creative and colourful designs here: https://www.nanna-ditzel-design.dk