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The National Gallery of Zimbabwe will run a one month long exhibition titled Fair Danish Design, Zimbabwe, starting tomorrow. The exhibition will showcase products that came out of design workshops held with Danish designers and Zimbabwean Shona art sculptors from Chitungwiza Arts Centre. The Danish company House By The Sea facilitated the unique Danish-Zimbabwean collaboration to exchange knowledge, skills and introduce new production methods while creating innovative design, which unites elements of the two cultures.
Commenting on the initiative, the acting head of mission at the Danish Embassy Office, Signe Winding Albjerg said, “By facilitating this collaboration, House By The Sea has promoted a productive partnerhip, which combines shona stone art with functional Danish design and principles on sustainable production and fair trade of art.
The designs are a testimony of how Danish and Zimbabwean culture can inspire each other to create relationships, where both partners benefit from the mutual cultural exchange.
“We are grateful to the National Gallery of Zimbabwe – as one of the leading actors in promoting contemporary art in Africa – for hosting the exhibition. It’s a significant contribution to the recognition and promotion of design in general, and Zimbabwean and Danish design in particular.
To invite design into a space conventionally reserved for art is a bold decision and a celebration of contemporary design in stone sculpting as a future important component of Zimbabwean culture and identity.”
The initiative was made possible through a partnership with Fair Trade Denmark, the Danish trade organization for importers whose mandate is fair trade approval, certification, and marketing of art products.
The project is part of a larger effort to maximize the synergy between fair trade and Danish design, and to help Zimbabwean manufacturers generate sales of design with Scandinavian simplicity and functionality through upgrading their products with new ideas and production methods.
In an interview ahead of the exhibition, House By The Sea executive director Alice Jul said, “Through the workshop, Zimbabwean sculptors were introduced to the concept of Danish design as well as the Scandinavian market for design and lifestyle products. This helped producers to get an insight into what Danish design is, what style and what products are attractive in the Scandinavian market.”
The Fair Danish Design Project was launched to contribute to Chitungwiza Art Centre’s efforts to reach new markets.
“The design products that we will showcase are a demonstration of a fruitful cultural exchange between related professionals across tradition, geography, nationality and cultural references. The workshop also raised awareness on Danish requirements for design, quality and delivery and how products are marketed. In addition, we also exchanged knowledge on the potential and challenges related to production and sales in Denmark and Europe,” said Jul.
In a statement, National Gallery executive director Doreen Sibanda said, “Design permeates every area of everyone’s lives and is a key component in the drive to distinguish the Zimbabwean brand on an international platform.
We should use this as a call for more research into Zimbabwe traditional design practice if we are to underpin local design with research and identification of the Zimbabwean aesthetic.”
The Fair Danish Design, Zimbabwe project was launched 2011 by designers Pil Bredahl and Henriette Melchiorsen from the design group FairTrade Designers in collaboration with Fair Trade Denmark, House By The Sea and Chitungwiza Arts Centre.
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