Letter from Ambassador in July “A thought in Aalborg”
Dear Friends,
“I hope that this letter will find you well in the middle of a warmer summer this year. This summer has been comfortable for me since I have been accustomed to even hotter and more humid weather back in Japan. Last weekend, I traveled to Aalborg and started to write this letter and now almost finished it after returning to Copenhagen, where it feels a bit warmer. Almost three years have passed since I assumed the post in Denmark. One of the wonders is why both Danes and Japanese are so attracted to simplicity in design. My predecessor, Ambassador SUZUKI Toshiro had also told me such a positive story. The more I have met and talked with Danish and Japanese friends here, the more I have been convinced that this is definitely a true story. Let me try to share my personal observations as below.
Lindholm Høje, the original burial site for Vikings (Aalborg)
Firstly, it seems that we share a strong sense of respect toward nature. While I was visiting the Utzon Museum in Aalborg, I was recalling one of the interesting conversations with Mr. Jan Utzon who said to me that he, like his father, Mr. Jorn Utzon had been, sometimes was inspired by watching trees and leaves growing and acquired certain images of new design. My assumption is that the characteristic of both Danes and Japanese to find precious value in nature around oneself might be rooted from our strong respect for nature since ancient time.
Another commonality of us may be community spirit, in other words, how an individual relates to society. When COVID-19 hit Denmark and Japan most severely, I experienced a sense of solidarity and good considerate approach to one’s neighbors almost every day, and sometimes felt that Danish and Japanese reactions to the COVID-19 were similar in some regards. In the history of development of community, maybe both in Japan and Denmark, simple designs have probably been appreciated more than complex ones. My guess is that as a result, both countries have respectively developed community spirit containing certain common elements. Incidentally, Dr. Christian Bason, CEO of Denmark Design Center has given me some enlightening suggestions on how to revitalize organizations by design for the post Corona period, such as changing the layout of the rooms, making use of external experts’ advises among others. Then I thought why discussion on reform of organization by design attracted attentions quietly both in Denmark and in Japan. My bold answer is that because we share positive assessment for community spirit.
Finally, the third reason for our common appreciation of simplicity in design is that accumulation and repeated works of simple design and ideas lead to the most sophisticated things at the end of the day. I heard that back in the history of Vikings, the smartest Viking ship were constructed by assembling simple designs layer by layer. We see common wisdom in Japanese traditional lacquerware and woodblock printing by way of simple designs are repeatedly added layer by layer.
Denmark Design Museum (the brims of Japanese swords)
Finally, let me briefly share the biggest design-related news for me during this summer. Denmark Design Museum did reopen in Copenhagen! I referred to “Dr. Hugo Halberstadt and the brims(“Tsuba”) of Japanese sword” in my letter dated February 2021. Ms. Anne-Louise Sommer, Director of the museum, who taught me a lot about Danish design and its relations with Japanese design in the past three years, told me a most pleasant news that the renewed museum now accommodates an expanded room with larger exhibition of the brims of Japanese swords. Both the collection of Mr. Pietro Krohn, the first director of the Danish Museum of Art and Design and the one donated in 1940 by doctor Hugo Halberstadt are now exhibited in the same room thanks to donation by KROGAGERFONDEN. I have visited the room a couple of times and been struck by these finest collections.
I wish the readers beautiful summer days, looking forward to seeing you on this page or somewhere in the Kingdom of Denmark in August next time.
 |
|||
|