Young Swedish Design 2024–2026, Svensk Form, 2024
Ung Svensk Form is a jury-selected, annual touring exhibition and platform for young design. The project was initiated in 1998 with the aim of increasing knowledge and broadening the reach of new, innovative Swedish design, helping it connect with new audiences.
The brief from the founder, Svensk Form, the producer Dunkers Kulturhus, and the main sponsor Svenskt Trä (Swedish Wood) was to create a mobile exhibition concept capable of hosting the project’s selected entries for the next three editions. The design needed to offer great spatial flexibility to adapt to the varied conditions of the different venues along the tour. There was also a strong desire for a concept that could convey the project’s message more broadly and help generate visibility across various media platforms.
This presented an intriguing challenge: designing something for such an extended period, for objects not yet created, and for venues not yet chosen.
The result is Årsringar (Annual Rings). A library of podiums in various sizes was developed. These podiums stack into each other, creating a compact design for transport while allowing great flexibility depending on the location and the objects exhibited.
A subtle sprinkle of grey paint adorns the fir wood displays. The technique is inspired by traditional paintwork in rural Swedish wooden architecture, where it was used to enhance the value of simple building materials.
Each year, a new sprinkle of paint in a different color will be added to maintain, renew, and evolve the exhibition design. Layer upon layer. Generation after generation. A maturing expression—like the annual rings of a tree.
