Objective Studies Launches ‘A Calm Place’ at 3daysofdesign

“A Calm Place” brings together emerging international designers with Danish home culture, marking the launch of Objective Studies, a new digital platform for objects and furniture. Curated by Sébastien El Idrissi and Sara de Campos, the exhibition will be featured at 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen from June 12-14, 2024.

3daysofdesign, held yearly in Copenhagen is widely recognised as the second largest design festival after Milan Design Week, with around 25o exhibitors exhibiting their products and visitors flying in from around the world to experience the Scandinavian design excellence. It is said to be a festival for dreamers, doers and the design curious and it is renowned for its annual festival celebrating design, innovation and creativity.

Within the 25o exhibitors is Objectives Studies, founded by digital expert Lijana Norkaityte and furniture designer and creative director Matteo Fogale with an aim to become a launching platform for emerging talent, “be the preferred marketplace for design enthusiasts, and a distinctive sourcing archive for industry professionals”.

Objective Studies is a newly launched digital platform dedicated to showcasing distinctive objects and furniture. By focusing on the uncompromising study and appreciation of craft, materials, composition, and context, it curates and features exclusive collections a few times each year, committed to fostering a supportive environment for designers, connecting their craft with the right audiences. It aims to serve as a launchpad for emerging talent, a preferred marketplace for design enthusiasts, and a distinctive sourcing archive for industry professionals.

Curators Sébastien El Idrissi and Sara de Campos have collaborated to curate the inaugural event for Objective Studies, which aims to exhibit, promote, and sell innovative creations by up-and-coming designers. “A Calm Place” will serve as the platform’s debut showcase.

Sabastien and Sara drew inspiration from the Korshage House, a piece of Danish architecture designed and built by Erik Korshagen in 1960, located in Rørvig, Denmark. They named the exhibition “A Calm Place” to reflect both the serene forest setting of the Korshage House and its tranquil design language. The curators believe that this calm design approach is essential for creating enduring objects.

“We felt like many exhibitions in today’s design festivals could benefit from the historical andgeographical context in which they take place, and we wanted to start exactly there. As a conceptual link for this project we chose the Korshage House. We admire it because of its close relationship with nature, the thoughtful and careful use of natural materials and its spaces, that allow flexible uses,” says the curators.

Sebastien is a Swiss industrial designer known for using design to enact positive change. Graduating from ÉCAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne, he emphasises meaningful concepts and efficiency in production. Since establishing his practice in 2019, his work has gained international recognition, including a permanent collection spot at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich and a Good Design Award in Chicago in 2024.

The other curator, Sara is a Portuguese industrial designer and photographer. She holds a Master’s degree in Product Design from ÉCAL and has received accolades such as the Grand Prix Design Parade at Villa Noailles.

“A Calm Place” features the work of 10 designers and design studios, including Ted Synnott from Auckland, New Zealand; CPRV, Camille Paillard & Romain Voulet from Marseille, France, and London, UK; Sara de Campos from Paris, France; Rasmus Palmgren from Helsinki, Finland; Mario Martinez from Copenhagen, Denmark; Sina Sohrab from Madrid, Spain; Laura Lange & Christian Juhl from Copenhagen, Denmark; Sébastien El Idrissi from Zurich, Switzerland; Asca Studio from Copenhagen, Denmark; and Thélonious Goupil from Paris, France.

Korshage House’s design sets the promise for the exhibition

Erik Korshagen, continuing this tradition, designed a summerhouse that blended seamlessly with nature. His attention to proportions, materials, and transitions remains influential, highlighting the connection between space and objects in Danish design.

“Using the Korshage House as a spatial and conceptual link, we bring together an international group of designers to showcase their contemporary furniture in the spirit of the historic site. In this way, the exhibition will create a link between Danish home culture and its influence on today‘s global design landscape. While highlighting the close connection to natural surroundings, the project also aims to
demonstrate that – if things are conceived having time, materials, people and its environment in consideration – they can stand the test of time and remain for the generations to come,” explain the curators.

“With this exhibition we want to articulate our belief in a more sustainable future, that is rooted in a careful observation of the past. And the Danish conception of modern life, specifically in the design of objects and spaces, offers so much in this regard. Denmark’s design heritage is very influential to the group of designers we selected,” say Sébastien and Sara.

Korshagen’s innovations, such as open balcony corridors and retractable walls, blurred the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces. This exhibition aims to inspire innovation and respect for the past, underscoring our interconnectedness across time and space.