The TRAPHOLT museum in Denmark has invited Edelkoort Exhibtions to curate “Fetishism. Obsessions in Fashion & Design”. This rich exhibition is a new selection of works that address how both design and fashion question why we have a personal connection to certain materials and objects.
 
Lidewij Edelkoort has defined 10 themes which she thinks have a touch of fetishism to them – from nudism to infantilism, spiritualism, shamanism and consumerism. 100 international designers have contributed with creations corresponding to the themes.
 
Trapholt Museum director Karen Grøn says, “Edelkoort focuses on the fact that we increasingly use design as a fetish to link up with an increasingly uncertain society. Much of our desires and obsessions stem from our childhood and are later developed into a fascination for example, lingerie, leather, velvet or shoes. We create fetishes by the choices we make, and thus we are connected to the world around us.”
 
The exhibition illustrates the fetish-trend with spectacular garments and intriguing design objects collected around the planet, illustrating the overwhelming creativity of a new generation of experimental designers who in their works lustfully use references from nature, religion, anthropology, society and history, thus building a bridge to a future common consciousness. Well-known designers and young, talented stars contribute equally to the exhibition, including Fernando & Humberto Campana, Maarten Baas, Jaime Hayón, Front, Rick Owens, Studio Job, Iris van Herpen and Pharell Williams, who besides having written the world hit “Happy” has also designed furniture.

Trapholt has also invited five design bloggers from Denmark to present their view on how the exhibition’s fetish themes are expressed in everyday design for our homes. Karen Grøn says, “The bloggers keep us updated with frequent posts – they are our local trendspotters. Here we get another view of the fact that the fetish trends also exist in the objects that we encounter every single day.”

The five bloggers are

wearemad bypankalla nemesisbabe wewonder  julievonlyck.

Exhibition period: 12 March, 2015 – 24 January, 2016
 
Curated by Lidewij Edelkoort, Philip Fimmano & Willem Schenk, with Danish contributions by Karen Grøn

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