In the World of an Architect - Reiulf Ramstad Architects

‘New Nordic’, ‘Nordic Noir’, Nordic design and Nordic cuisine. Over the past decade our Nordic self-awareness has increased. However, while there has been a major focus on our Nordic roots, some people think that the expression ‘Nordic’ has become diluted and cliché-ridden. Together, in the spirit of Jørn Utzon, let us take a step back and look at things in a broader perspective.

In a new exhibition series the Utzon Center explores what it means to be a Nordic architect in a globalised era. The title of the series is In the World of an Architect.

The exhibitions will examine the inspiration Nordic architects draw from the world, and the role their vision plays in their work. The exhibition series, In the World of an Architect, sets out to clarify the concept of ‘Nordic’ and to appreciate the importance of the architects’ standpoint as a natural premise of their work.

For each exhibition, we will choose an architect or designer who relates to a modified and more complex geography, a modified view of landscape, increasing urbanisation, new relationships between innovation and production, the digitisation of craftsmanship and other era-specific preconditions, which push the boundaries of what we mean by Nordic architecture. 

Reiulf Ramstad Architects

The first In the World of an Architect exhibition features the Norwegian practice, Reiulf Ramstad Architects. Led by the starchitect, Reiulf Ramstad, the work of the practice reflects the fact that we live in a world that has both local and global preoccupations, but that that these preoccupations can fuse into an architectural entity. In the exhibition you can discover a wide range of the practice’s poetic, sensitively site-specific works all over the world.

Though Reiulf Ramstad’s work is firmly rooted in the rocky landscape of Norway, Ramstad has said:

“In the Nordic region we have a legacy that is immensely valuable in a global context. But being able to see where you come from can be quite difficult, if you only experience your own culture from the inside.”

The exhibition at the Utzon Center will show visitors what an independent, enquiring, sensitive, free architect Reiulf Ramstad is, and how his work encourages a more diverse, subtler understanding of what it means to be a Nordic architect in a globalised era.

Photo: View. Trollstigen, Reiulf Ramstad Architects. © R. Hjortshøj.