Kasper Kjeldgaard — The Bench, Small Ones
ABOUT THE PROJECT:
United by a combination of modular functionality and a poetic aesthetic language, The Bench and Small Ones by Kasper Kjeldgaard display the variety of outcomes that result from material explorations and design processes. While The Bench is weighted and grounded through the repetition of milled solid aluminium rods that allow the design to shift form and adapt to various spaces, Small Ones appears to almost float – an installation of aluminium casings providing ambient or direct illumination suspended from thin steel wire. Both pieces provide flexibility through their adaptable compositions, enhancing their relationship with the user and their environment.
Material and dimensions:
The Bench.
Stainless Steel, Aluminium.
180 x 60 x 80 cm.
Small Ones.
Aluminium, Stainless Steel Wire, LED Light Source.
Various Elements, Approximately 2.5 x 2.5 x 6 cm.
Year:
2024 - 2025
PHOTOGRAPHY BY:
Benjamin Lund
LONG DESCRIPTION:
While diverging distinctly in appearance and function, The Bench and Small Ones by Kasper Kjeldgaard were both born out of the designers continued exploration of the mobilé within his practice. These explorations delve into the relationship between the abstract and function through notions of balance, friction and gravity. Both works combine singular elements that unite to form a greater functional whole – The Bench through its focus on the repetition of a single rod element and Small Ones which, more closely resembling his earlier mobile installations, combine a series of flexible lighting elements to create atmospheric and spatial defining compositions. Both projects are rational explorations into production practices, manufactured on the metal lathe and milling machine from archetypal forms – the cube and tube. From these humble building blocks, each project relies on Kjeldgaard’s artistic approach to form and composition to create eloquent outcomes, with a series of precise and simple incisions resulting in objects that unite poetry with the highly functional.
DESIGNER BIO:
Kasper Kjeldgaard.
Designer, born 1983.
Driven by a desire to create compositions that make sense unto themselves, Danish designer Kasper Kjeldgaard continuously pursues to broaden the definition of design through his work. In a poetic universe of balance and suspense, Kjeldgaard explores and communicates aspects of nature, such as friction and gravity. In the process of making, every object is given shape on the metal lathe, striving continually to learn new techniques and test new materials. Kjeldgaard’s work has a refined expression with a clear emphasis on craftsmanship. His objects hide nothing but lay their inner workings bare, available for decoding.
EDUCATION:
2016: MA, Furniture Design, Royal Danish Academy, Denmark.
GRANTS & HONOURS:
2025: Working Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2025 Contestant, Denmarks Next Classic, DR, Denmark.
2022-2025: Member of the Art Committee for Sydhavn, Aarhus, Denmark.
2024: Project Grant, The National Bank of Denmarks Anniversary Foundation of 1968, Denmark.
2024: Project Grant, Aarhus Arts Council, Denmark.
2024: Working Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2024: Project Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2023: Project Grant, Aarhus Arts Council, Denmark.
2023: Working Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.2022: Light of the Year, Design Awards, Denmark.
2022: Working Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2020: Project Grant, The National Bank of Denmarks Anniversary Foundation of 1968, Denmark.
2020: Project Grant, Aarhus Arts Council, Denmark.
2019: Working Grant, Danish Arts Foundation, Denmark.
2019: Formex Nova Award winner, Formex, Sweden.
2018: Craftsman of the Year, Design Awards, Denmark.
2017: Project Grant, The National Bank of Denmarks Anniversary Foundation of 1968, Denmark.
EXHIBITIONS:
2024: Group Exhibition, Æter, Art Centre Silkeborg Bad, Silkeborg, Denmark.
2023: Group Exhibition, Sensory Response, Formation Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2023: Group Exhibition, Common Grounds, Til:Værks, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2023: Group Exhibition, Reset Materials, Copenhagen Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2022: Solo Exhibition, Line and Curves, Tableu, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2021: Group Exhibition, The Schindler Foundation, Los Angeles, USA.
2020: Group Exhibition, The Mindcraft Project, Denmark.
2019: Group Exhibition, Earth, Wind, Fire, Water. Gallery F 15, Oslo, Norway.
2019: Group Exhibition, Wallpaper Handmade, Milan, Italy.
2018: Group Exhibition, Sharing, Design Museum Danmark, Denmark.
2018: Solo Exhibition, Selected, Copenhagen Design Agency, Denmark.
2018: Group Exhibition, REform, Munkeruphus, Denmark.
2017: Group Exhibition, The Year of the Circle, Patrick Parish Gallery, New York, USA.
2017: Group Exhibition, FOG, Patrick Parish Gallery, Los Angeles, USA.
2017: Group Exhibition, Glorious Objects, Patrick Parish Gallery, New York, USA.
2016: Group Exhibition, Design Miami/Basel, Patrick Parish Gallery, Miami, USA.
COMMISSIONS:
2019: Herredsvang, Aarhus, Denmark.
2017: Alma, Stockholm, Sweden.
2016: Designmuseum Danmark, Denmark.
2015: Aiayu, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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