The way
you move
is a
mysTery
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Foreword
Norway
Interview Birgit Toke Tauke Frietman
Edito Products
The true Nord utopia style at Antwerp
Streetstyle
Layer app
Vehemence Evolution
Merging two different worlds
Breathless
Scandinavian Architecture
Con Structure
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11 - 15 16 - 25 28 - 41 42 - 43 44 - 61 62 - 63 66 - 73 74 - 79 80 - 93
We proudly present our editio princeps of the Nord Magazine. What started for me as a
fascination for the Scandinavian countries, eventually flowed into this brand new magazine.
As a team we settle the utopian dream of a Nordic trend and our vision on it in the
hope it will inspires you just like it inspires us. Especially the calmness and the balance in
life is at the centre stage in our magazine. To our opinion we dont linger over the small
beautiful things in live enough. The admiration for natural elements, materials and handcraft
is something we want to excite. In fact, the distance between humans and animals is not
that big or rather we strengthen each other in some aspects.
Four years ago I discovered the special qualities of the North during my vacation in Norway.
There I stayed with my family in a Nordic hut. Between the green grass the icy coldness
ooze through the hut. The roof of the hut was covered with moss which proves a good
insulation. This kind of nature kept us warm. Also the electricity me and my family used
was totally generated by hydropower. On the other hand, the amount of fish in that area
was kept in balance by the fisherman. So, the nature and the self-sufficient population is
balanced. Also prominent is the fact that within the cities the government try to keep the
city, population and the nature balanced to provide a sustainable and livable climate.
With this magazine we try to give a picture of a new elementary perception of the environment
and give the reader the opportunity to seclude oneself from the world and hold on the great
admiration for the small restful moments.
- Editor Nina van den Broek
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B Birgit Toke Tauke Frietman
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I'm Birgit Toke Tauke Frietman, 19 years old and I have
been living for a year and a half in London. I study at
Central Saint Martins for Jewellery Design. My style is
mainly about simplicity. Therefore I keep the designs
minimalistic and clean. Besides this I focus on the quality
of the materials.
When it comes to experiences; there were a few events
that were remarkable. For example; I lived in Africa
(Malawi), which had a big influence on my view of society.
The insights I gained here really had an impact on my
work.
Another experience was moving to London. This was of
course a big step for me. Its wonderful to live in a city
where every day new exhibitions opens and were there
are many different cultures. This results in the fact that no
day passes by without experiencing something.
Study at Central Saint Martins was a dream that came
true, but is still a littlebit unreal. Especially the personal
contact with designers and artists as Caroline Broadhead,
Jane Freud, and Naomi Filmer, make it very special.
My last experiences had definitely the biggest impact on
me. This was my internship were I worked 2 months for
Iris van Herpen. I can say Ive never learned so much in
such a short period.
Another experience was to be part of the haute couture
fashion week in Paris. Im very grateful I had the opportunity
to be there.
WhAT ArE yOur INSPIrATION SOurCES FOr yOur WOrk Or WhICh ArTISTS dO yOu FINd INSPIrATIONAL?
Most of my work is related with social issues, but though
this often the main subject, I also include other topics
into my work. For example some of my past project were
about water, albinism, distortion, movies and mankind
itself. A few artists which I find inspirational are Marina
Abramovitch, Iris van herpen, Caroline Broadhead, david
rouix Fouillet, Alex Ebert.
CrAFTMANShIP IS IMPOrTANT FOr yOu, Why? yes, I think its important because craftmanship forms
the basis and starting point for every design. If you dont
control your handwork and technics, it becomes hard to
create a good product. In particular when youre working
in an environment with many designers.
TO WhAT ExTENT hAd ThE INTErNShIP AT IrIS VAN hErPEN INFLuENCEd yOur OWN STyLE?
I think the internship hasnt really an influence on my own
style but it has given me a lot of other things. For example,
I got the chance to look at the real haute couture world
and I learned a lot about, for me, new materials as new
kind of woods and metals.
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dO yOu hAVE, BESIdES yOur SChOOLWOrk, A jOB Or ASSIST ANy OThEr STyLISTS Or PhOTOgrAPhErS?
yes I do an internship at a fashion jewellery studio called
john & Pearl.
WhAT IS yOur WEEk FOrMAT Or hOW dOES A dAy LOOk LIkE?
Every week is different for me. But an average school
week looks like this:
Monday - Cultural Studies or art history. In the morning we
always have a presentation in the Lecture hall and in the
afternoon a seminar where the students discuss the topic
with your seminar group.
Tuesday - Workshop day, which means that the students
work on their designs in the workplace.
Wednesday - In the morning we usually have a one-to-
one conversations with the teachers and in the afternoon
we get a guest lecture of a well known jeweler or relevant
artist.
Thursday - Workshop day.
Friday - Friday is a day in which new projects are introduced,
and the student usually have usually an assessment or
end presentation.
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IN ThE FIELd OF MATErIAL uSE, WhAT dO yOu PrEFEr ANd Why? ANd dO yOu ALSO PAy ATTENTION TO ThE OrIgIN?
Presently Im still very much experimenting with material
and I still dont really have a preference. yes, I am very
busy with the origin. Ive learned from david rouix Fouillet
(a jewelry designer) that you first need to have knowhow
of a product or material before you can work surprisingly
with it. So you always do research where products come
from.
WhErE WOuLd yOu LIkE TO SEE yOur jEWELry BACk?
Of course it would be wonderful for me to see them back
in a big magazine like vogue or i-d for example. In terms
of shops it is trickier, but I would like to cooperate with
ACNE. Besides that, I think that film and moving images is
a very interesting media. So, it depends on the direction I
choose after my third academic year.
Our MAgAzINE FOCuSES ON ThE NOrdIC STyLE, SCANdINAVIAN COuNTrIES ANd INFLuENCES. hOW WOuLd yOu dESCrIBE ThIS STyLE ANd dO yOu ThINk yOur jEWELry INCLudES Or rELATES WITh IT?
When I think about the Nordic style, I think in terms of
fashion that characterized the simplicity and the powerful
style. No inexplicable bits and pieces. Beautiful materials
and well structured designs. - I realize now that this
style probably describes mine as well, because I see
many associates. I also always look for this kind of style,
minimalized, basic but original. But maybe my description
is totally wrong. In terms of jewelry I still dont know the
Scandinavian style good enough.
hOW dOES yOur WOrkPLACE LOOk LIkE? At school I have a typical jewelers Workbench and I sit
next to a window with a nice view on regents Canal. At
home I have a workingtable and a few pictures on the wall
which inspire me. unfortunately I have no photos, but this
video of my school building gives you a tour around the
school building.
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hOW dO yOu dESCrIBE ThE PrOCESS OF yOur WOrk ANd WhAT IS ThE FOrMAT? WhErE dO yOu STArT ANd FINISh?
I start with something I notice. For example, the reflection
of a building in water was the starting point for my last
project. Then I tried to examine different elements of this
inspiration source. By doing this I create new thoughts
and a better idea of the direction of your project. I also do
a lot in terms of materials research. In fact, we get an entire
period to do experiments. Also doing research is helpful to
form ideas. After I decided the direction of my concept I
search for the best implementation. I really want to find
something special with my material experiments. For my
last project I found a sort acrylic that reflects on both sides
but also transparent. This fits perfect in my concept. After
determining the materials the execution begins. At that
time you make models and make your first tryouts. By
doing this I mostly find the best techniques. Eventually I
start to model the end work. ultimately, the real ornament
is put on as the finishing act.
. dId yOur WOrk AFFECT yOur SOCIAL LIFE? yes, school requires a lot of me. I have lessons every day
from 10AM to 5PM. Especially the evenings costs a lot of
energy. I work from 7PM to 12PM on my school projects.
In the weekend I never have a moment to repose and it is
also difficult to do something comprehensive. Fortunately
the jewellery sector works on socializing so that will
keep your way through your social life still cons
