Wooden Toys by Permafrost

When asked to represent Nordic identity, Norwegian studio Permafrost created wooden toys based on an oil rig and tanker.

Painted with red highlights, the set of blocks includes a little helicopter that docks neatly in H-shaped cut-outs forming helipads on the boat and platform.

The set was commissioned by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen for one of 30 small dioramas representing Nordic culture as part of an exhibition called New Nordic – Architecture and Identity. The show continues until 21 October.

See all our stories about Norwegian architecture and design »

Photos are by Johan Holmquist.

Here’s some more information from Permafrost:

---

Is there a Nordic identity? Does The Nordic Way exist? Can one, despite the tendency of globalization to erase national and cultural differences, still understand identity as something associated with particular places? And if that is the case, how has the Nordic identity developed alongside the development of the rest of the world? These are some of the questions posed by the New Nordic – Architecture and Identity exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Permafrost has been asked to create one of 30 small ‘Nordic dioramas’ in the exhibition, reflecting on Nordic identity in relation to our own cultural profession. Their contribution is a set of wooden toys depicting modern day industrial icons, while at the same time honouring traditional Nordic craftsmanship.

Read more

• Design