Swedish design duo Folkform celebrate Masonite in a new exhibition at Svenskt Tenn.
The exhibition displays a series of cabinets exclusively designed for Svenskt Tenn by Anna Holmquist and Chandra Ahlsell of the design duo Folkform. In the cabinets, original Masonite hardboard from 1929 are combined with the last few sheets that was made before Sweden’s last Masonite manufacturer shut down in April 2011.

The exhibition features a gathering between the past and the present. Folkform’s four different models of cabinets are displayed along with a number of Svenskt Tenn objects from the same period, including the “Nationalmuseum” cabinet and textile print Terrazzo, both by Josef Frank.

The Masonite sheets that the cabinets were built from were recently discovered in an old warehouse. These were the very first product samples from 1929, with different colors and textures. In the cabinets, they are combined with new pieces of board manufactured just before the factory was closed down.

Folkform, who have been experimenting with Masonite for about ten years, have had a close collaboration with the Rundvik manufacturer in northern Sweden for a long time. The Folkform duo got to know each other at the Stockholm University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, where they created their renowned furniture with flowers pressed into Masonite.

Each cabinet is unique and will be sold after the exhibition, prices between SEK 16 000-75 000. Each model comes in a limited edition of four.

Masonite:Memoriam can be seen in the store at Strandvägen 5 in Stockholm until June 10.

Marble 4420
For the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2011, Monica Förster and Björn Kusoffsky have been invited to make their personal interpretation of Svenskt Tenn. Using the pattern Marble 4420 by Josef Frank as a starting point.


The Marble 4420 pattern, which is radically different from the typical Frank flowery patterns, is said to have been sketched when Josef Frank had encountered the art of Jackson Pollock, during this stay in New York in the 1940s. Designer Monica Förster and creative director Björn Kusoffsky have been inspired by the pattern to create a 3D installation with handmade artifacts and a film which explores the depths of Josef Frank’s world of patterns.

”This collaboration lets us experience how two of the most fascinating designers of our time combines today’s technology and creativity, making Josef Frank’s patterns come to life,” says Thommy Bindefeld, Marketing Manager at Svenskt Tenn. ”The choice of film as a medium followed quite naturally from the fact that Svenskt Tenn now has a temporary location in a former cinema house.”

Film:
Motion graphic designer Mika Pollack
Music by Nina Kinnert
Remix by Mika Pollack