Dezeen Magazine

10 Danish designs made from new technologies and traditional crafts

As part of our Dezeen x The Mindcraft Project 2022 collaboration, we've rounded up the work of 10 Danish designers, including three-dimensional knitted objects and a sculpture coloured by pigments made from found materials.

Organised by Copenhagen Design Agency (CDA), The Mindcraft Project is an annual digital exhibition highlighting the explorative work of Danish designers who combine new technologies and traditional craft techniques in their design process.

The project aims to showcase the experimental work being created at the junction of craft, technology and architecture.

From 2008 to 2018, The Mindcraft Project presented Danish design in its annual exhibition at Milan design week but in 2020 the CDA relaunched the project as a digital-only exhibition.

Dezeen has showcased its projects since 4 October as part of the Dezeen x The Mindcraft Project 2022 collaboration, and all 10 of this year's works are gathered together below.


Two paper light installations by Frederik Gustav

Paperwork by Frederik Gustav

Copenhagen-based design studio Frederik Gustav has created a light installation made from paper sheets and thread.

The studio suspended and weighted down small steel weights, which twist together to create tension, allowing the paper to be held around an artificial light source without damaging the delicate material.

Find out more about Paperwork ›


Photograph showing wooden chair on white plinth

Bend to Caress Me by Anne Brandhøj

Designer Anne Brandhøj has interlocked two subtly contrasting wooden volumes to create a chair that explores the boundary between "functional sculpture and sculptural furnishing".

By contrasting a raw Danish cherry wood back – which retains its natural knots and cracks – with a smooth ash veneer, Brandhøj aimed to encourage users to interact with the chair.

Find out more about Bend to Caress Me ›


Photograph of a large-scale circular sculpture in pink and orange

Poly Powder by Carl Emil Jacobsen

As part of his ongoing investigation into the colours and materials of the east coast of the Danish mainland, Carl Emil Jacobsen has sourced and handcrafted pigments to cover the surface of his large-scale sculpture called Poly Powder (Lip Tub).

Poly Powder consists of two circular shapes and is made of fibre-reinforced concrete on a steel frame.

Find out more about Poly Powder ›


Red Oak Circuit by Sara Martinsen

After investigating the over-reliance of European white oak, designer Sara Martinsen has created a sculpture called Red Oak Circuit, which intends to explore the underutilised American red oak as a potential substitute.

Martinsen has created a circular structure made from small rectangular pieces of American red oak, which aims to showcase its material qualities.

Find out more about Red Oak Circuit ›


Superbloom 02 sculptural vase on a white pedestal

Superbloom 02 by Pettersen & Hein

Design duo Pettersen & Hein aimed to encapsulate the rare phenomenon of the sudden bloom of flowers in the desert by creating a vase made from ceramic concrete in a hand-carved polystyrene mould.

The vase has been handpainted with a mix of red, yellow, orange, white, blue and mint colours.

Find out more about Superbloom ›


Photograph showing a green and brown-toned textural glass sculptures on white plinths

Morphosis I and II by Lene Bødker

Glass artist Lene Bødker has created two sculptures called Morphosis I and II that reference the resemblance between a tree trunk and the human torso.

The artist used the lost-wax casting technique to create her sculptures and cast them in solid coloured glass.

Find out more about Morphosis ›


Wall Light by Vibeke Fonnesberg Schmidt

Designer Vibeke Fonnesberg Schmidt has overlapped several layers of plexiglass with various levels of transparency to create a number of sculptural forms that explore the interplay between light, materials and colours.

Each Wall Light is made from a combination plexiglass ovals arranged on a grid and supported in a brass structure.

Find out more about Wall Light ›


Blue and pink Sh(r)ine textile container by Iben Høj on a pedestal

Sh(r)ine by Iben Høj

Designed to contradict hard containers, textile designer Iben Høj has created a series of three-dimensional knitted objects using natural and synthetic materials that function as a vase.

The textile containers intend to explore the unifying point between the contemporary and the traditional.

Find out more about Sh(r)ine ›


Photograph of black chair on white plinth in front of white background

Maestro chair by Rasmus B. Fex

Repeated blackened Douglas pine planks come together to form the Maestro chair by Rasmus B. Fex. The seat is informed by music, in which the ample spaces between the planks represent pauses in musical scores.

Fex aimed to deconstruct traditional furniture archetypes in his work, with each chair undergoing a series of rigorous sketching, 1:5 prototype and full-scale modelling to thoroughly test his concepts.

Find out more about Maestro chair ›


Blob no.1-9 by Kristine Mandsberg

Textile designer and artist Kristine Mandsberg has created a range of soft sculptures that reflect the act of human embrace.

The designer combined foam boards and nylon jerseys with a flocking technique to make each piece, and Mandsberg intends to expand the collection with sculptures placed in large-scale environments.

Find out more about Blob no.1-9 ›

Dezeen x The Mindcraft Project 2022

Dezeen x The Mindcraft Project 2022 is a partnership between Dezeen and Copenhagen Design Agency. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.