modebranchen.NU NU International June 2019 | Page 72

LI
EDELKOORT
AS GUEST CREATOR
AT FORMEX
Formex’s Guest Creator August 20-23 is none other than Lidewij “Li” Edelkoort –
one of the design world’s most respected trend experts.
Li has previously attended Formex as a trend lecturer, but this time - together
with Philip Fimmano, the art director at Edelkoort Inc. - she will create a unique
inspiration exhibition in Stockholmsmässan’s Entrance Hall. It will be the largest
exhibition in Formex’s history in terms of floor area.
Li Edelkoort’s exhibition focuses on an object’s inherent energy, and is inspired by
animism – the belief that even inanimate objects could have a soul.
Learn more about the trend area in this Q&A.
BY HELLE MATHIESEN
Q | Tell us about the theme for the exhibition you are creating
for Formex.
What will the visitors experience?
A | Our exhibition will be an almost spiritual experience
at the fair entrance, serving as a guide to another way of
shopping. By giving a strong focus on the emotional values
of goods and materials we hope to convey the beauty and
energy found in everyday objects. We will bring together
the exhibitors’ designs with respect and intend them to be
contemplated in a calm and soothing environment. As if en-
countering them for the very first time.
Q | How do you explain the concept of “animism”? Can you
give an example of what animism is to you?
A | Because the overall focus at Formex this year is on mate-
rials we want to explore the philosophy of new materialism,
a current strain in philosophy which analyses the power of
all matter, believes that all materials are alive and have a
proper existence, just like animals and us humans. The idea
that we are all sentient beings connected in a natural way
brings the idea of animism to the fore, revisiting the earliest
and most primitive rituals before religion; the veneration of
the forest and the feather, the river and the rock, the shadow
and the stick. Even clouds and words could become objects
of devotion.
Q | Does the exhibition have any kind of message?
A | Apart from highlighting the most serene and thoughtful
products from the fair, we hope to install another and new
respect for materials and forms, taking time to actually see
them, giving space to unique but everyday objects that de-
serve to be venerated in their own right. The beauty of a