– A DISOBEDIENT PATHWAY
TO A
MORE RESONANT
DESIGN PRACTICE
(2025)
This PhD project grows from a desire to explore the core of my practice. It is not about leaving the design world to become an academic; I still want to be a designer, but I aim to redefine the kind of designer I wish to be, and whether I want to continue to be part of the international furniture design industry. I am more interested in understanding how designed objects influence our lives and the environment than in creating products for mass production. Although this PhD is based on my personal experiences, I believe other designers share similar frustrations; nonetheless, like me, they stay in design because they know their voices are needed.
HUMAN OBJECT –
A DISOBEDIENT PATHWAY
TO A MORE RESONANT
DESIGN PRACTICE
24.–27.09.2025
Room 61 / KMD
THE HAMMERS
210x297mm / 226 pages Digital Giclée Edition of 100 978-82-691839-4-8
Published by Madrid Publications
Designed by Mads Andersen
Over three million years ago, our ancestors used hammer stones to break other rocks into tools for cutting and killing. Today, we have a wide variety of specialised hammers, but despite their differences, most still consist of a head mounted on a handle, just like the hammer dating back more than 30.000 years, when we placed a stick on the hammer stone to increase force and comfort. The hammer is the oldest known tool and has always been part of human life. It illustrates how our desire to simplify tasks and shape environments manifests as designed objects. The hammer, perfectly fitting the hand, unites human and design, body with object. Yet I wonder, do we really know and appreciate the hammer, or do we take it for granted? This book explores the intimate and entangled relationship between humans and designed objects, represented by the hammer. To deepen my understanding of the hammer, I have explored it through various practices and used a wide range of techniques and materials, including (experimental) drawing, laser-cutting, ceramic works, and bricolage. I have also shared my process with others, inviting participation through exhibitions, workshops, and collections. I have engaged in conversations with and about hammers. I have built hammers, tied and taped myself to them, danced around with them, and even shared a bed with one. In this book, you will meet hammers that have a story to tell as well as hammers that do not (yet) exist. You will meet strange, broken, and useless hammers, as well as human hammers and hammer humans. I welcome you into my world of hammers.
Download PDF version here
NA(CUL)TURE
210x297mm / 142 pp. Digital Giclée Edition of 100 978-82-691839-4-8
Published by Madrid Publications
Designed by Mads Andersen
I am fascinated by the cycles of growth and decay that occur as nature and culture intertwine. An in-between space emerges that is difficult to label as purely natural or entirely human-made. In this space, objects no longer serve human needs; instead, they lead their own independent lives. Here, nature pushes back against human intervention, reclaiming what was once its own.
Alongside my artistic research, I have been observing my surroundings. This book presents a selection of the snapshots I have collected. Nothing has been added, removed, or changed to make the images more spectacular. I simply want to capture the resonance, dissonance, and absurdity I observe in these encounters between nature and culture as I cross paths with them.