Scandinavian Design Influences Canada

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Kjeld Deichmann and Erica Deichmann, "Goofus," 1950-1963

stoneware with oatmeal glaze (Collection of the Gardiner Museum, gift of Gail and Gerry Crawford; photo by Toni Hafkenscheid)

Scandinavia’s impact on Canada’s national design sensibility is traced in True Nordic: How Scandinavia Influenced Design in Canada, on view at the Vancouver Art Gallery until Jan. 21. Organized by the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, the show assembles a striking collection of objects from museums, private collections and thrift stores to advance the proposition that Scandinavian design meshed uniquely with Canada’s ambition to embrace modernity and define its national character, particularly as the 1967 centennial approached.

Curators Rachel Gotlieb and Michael Prokopow organize the show chronologically, locating the origin of Scandinavian influence in the early 20th century, when highly skilled artisans from Sweden and Denmark relocated to Canada. At this time, quality handmade goods were primarily the purview of urban elites, as evidenced by Carl Paul Petersen’s elegant silver tableware.

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André Morin, IPL Plastics, Moulded plastic kitchenware, 1979

plastic (private collection; photo by Toni Hafkenscheid)

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Roman Bartkiw, Cream jug, sugar pot, salt shaker and pepper pot, circa 1960

stoneware and silver, varied dimensions (Roman Bartkiw Estate; courtesy of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia; photo by Raw Photography)

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Scandinavian influence entered a more populist phase after the Second World War, when rising incomes and expanding suburbs created fresh demands for household goods. Government-sponsored exhibitions and lifestyle magazines actively promoted these designs to the broader Canadian public. Presented as a softer, more organic and nature-inspired version of modernity, Scandinavian design was seen as sympathetic to the Canadian psyche because of its use of natural materials, which are plentiful in Canada, and because of social, geographic and climactic similarities between the two regions.

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Lotte Bostlund, Bostlund Industries, Lamp, circa 1964

ceramic with paint and spun nylon (private collection; photo by Toni Hafkenscheid)

The exhibition, which is accompanied by an authoritative catalogue, includes ceramics, jewelry, textiles and furniture. Danish immigrants Lotte and Gunnar Bostlund repurposed skills learned in Europe to develop an attractive line of ceramic lamps with innovative fiberglass and yarn shades, which were popular with homeowners and industry. Fellow Danes Erica and Kjeld Deichmann designed and produced domestic ceramics, which they sold from their New Brunswick studio. Short clips from the National Film Board documenting both family enterprises are included in the exhibition.

Velta Vilsons, Wall hanging, 1965-1970

Suzanne Swannie, "Brud II," 2004

Textiles ranging from handwoven neckties to bolts of brightly printed fabric drew on both craft and industry to create distinctive and original consumer goods. While some feature Canadian icons, such as Thor Hansen’s length of fabric hand-screened with images of flying geese and pine trees, others are more cheerfully decorative, or abstract, such as Marion Smith’s large woven wall hangings, which approach contemporary painting in their impact.

The exhibition concludes by arguing that Scandinavia continues to influence and inspire young designers. Examples include Doha Chebib Lindskoog’s brightly painted, reclaimed log bowls, Dara Humniski’s birch plywood coat rack, shaped to resemble stacked skis, and Chari Cohen’s delicate slip-cast ceramic Birch Pendant Lamp.

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Lars Dressler and Jason Dressler, Brothers Dressler, "Branches Chandelier," 2009

white oak wood (courtesy of Brothers Dressler; photo by Brothers Dressler)

Today, however, Canada is a far more diverse society, and Canadian identity a more hybrid and ironic construction. The introduction of digital methods into manufacturing allows for trans-national commodities such as Liz Eeuwes’ Land Rug, which arranges iconic Canadian animals on a flat-woven Swedish-style rug. Computer-designed in Toronto, it was hand-woven in India using New Zealand wool. Issues relating to sustainability motivate many young designers, such as Brothers Dressler in Toronto, who use responsibly sourced wood in their spiky, modular chandeliers. Social issues relating to gender and identity surface in Chromosome X, Paul McClure’s gold and silver necklace. Scandinavian design might have provided the initial spark, but as this exhibition demonstrates, Canada’s young designers draw on issues and influences from around the world.