Scan Magazine | Issue 62 | March 2014

EAGLE-EYE CHERRY – RESTLESS BUT ROOTEDISLES OF DENMARKCRAZY FOR CULTURE: SWEDEN’S CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTSNORWEGIAN FOOD AND DRINK SPECIAL P

ROMOTINGBRANDSCANDINAVIA

ISSUE62

MARCH2014

2_2_ScanMag_62_March_2014_Text:Scan Magazine 1 28/2/14 15:59 Page 1

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Scan Magazine | Contents

COVER FEATURE8 Eagle-Eye Cherry: restless but rooted

The star behind Save Tonight has grown up, become adad, and learnt to live in the moment. Scan Magazinetalks to Eagle-Eye Cherry about his love for the superhit, growing up next to Talking Heads, and going on anunforgettable journey in aid of charity.

DESIGN14 Architecture aplenty

In this month’s Design Section, we revisit some of ourfavourite Scandinavian architecture firms, learningmore about office buildings with world-class air qual-ity, interior design by personality type, and stunningzero-energy private homes.

FEATURES22 Winston Reid: Maori Viking

Having spent his teenage years in Denmark and playedfor Danish Superliga club FC Midtjylland, footballerWinston Reid still chose to side with New Zealand’s na-tional team. Scan Magazine meets the West HamUnited player.

24 From Svalbard to HaderslevWe have got the travel bug, and from the Arctic Ocean,halfway between Norway and the North Pole, to Hader-slev at the south-east of Jutland, we discover some un-usual gems. To top up on history, we stop by at theViking Ship Museum in Roskilde on the way.

SPECIAL THEMES28 Isles of Denmark

Free from traffic jams and high stress levels, Bornholmwith its cliffs in the north and white sandy beaches inthe south is a part of Denmark that can easily be for-gotten – but should not be. Here’s a tribute to the islesof Denmark.

33 Cultural Highlights of SwedenAs Umeå in the north of Sweden warms up as Europe’sCapital of Culture 2014, we head to Sweden for thevery best of Swedish culture. Fast-forward to p. 33 tosee what we found.

46 Finland’s FinestRanked the most competitive country in Europe andthird overall in the Global Competitiveness Report 2012,Finland is a place where seemingly everything works.A reliable financial market, thoroughly sound infra-structure, and social and political stability all add to anenvironment where innovation flourishes. Scan Maga-zine presents the evidence.

60 A Taste of NorwayJust when you thought Nordic cuisine could not get anyhotter, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall went to Scandi-navia and found a sheep’s head on a plate. But Nor-way’s culinary traditions owe gratitude to much morethan smalahove.

BUSINESS79 Top security, marketing and HR tips

To say that this month’s Business Section is jam-packed is to put it mildly. We learn how to hire the rightpeople, how to keep oil rigs safe, and how to talk to dogs– and that is only the beginning.

CULTURE100 Nordic Noir fest and Danish director

extraordinaireAs Nordicana ends after another sold-out weekend ofbook signings and panel discussions themed NordicNoir, Scan Magazine meets the nostalgic film directorwho is not scared of sex, drugs and rock‘n’roll – nor toturn down big budgets.

REGULARS & COLUMNS11 We Love This | 12 Fashion Diary | 70 Restaurants of the Month | 73 Attractions of the Month

75 Hotels of the Month | 93 Conferences of the Month | 98 Humour

Contents

61


I am expat enough to still feel a little bitrobbed of that Sochi 2014 ice hockey gold,even though I had never once watched asingle Olympics competition before leavingSweden. I am also expat enough to know,almost care, that despite the ice hockeymisfortune, we did perform incredibly wellthroughout the games; and still Swedish

enough to find it difficult to congratulate the Norwegians ontheir predictable yet so amazingly impressive success.

It is strange what happens to you when you emigrate, sud-denly far more aware of the pros and cons of your country and itsnation, yet unable to stop yourself from becoming a cartoon ver-sion of the national stereotype. Fascinating, then, that the idea ofSwedes as consent-seeking team-players and Danes as impa-tient innovators has turned out to be more than just prejudice –at least if you ask the brains behind Garuda, featured in thismonth’s Business Section, which, by the way, is a real treat,jam-packed with everything from canine communications to co-working trends.

But there is something for Scandinavian expats of all kinds inthis issue of Scan Magazine: a whole special section on Swedishculture, countless features on Norwegian food and drink, a Dan-

ish isles special for nostalgic Danes, and interviews with someof the brightest entrepreneurial stars hailing from Finland rightnow. That is in addition to an interview with Winston Reid, theWest Ham United player who takes the meaning of the word ex-pat to a whole new level, having grown up in New Zealand, spenthis teens in Denmark – and had to choose a national team.

While expat might not be the correct label for Eagle-EyeCherry, this month’s cover star and the voice of Save Tonight, thenow-settled father tells Scan Magazine that there is a restless-ness that comes with growing up between America and Swedenand touring extensively as his father’s roadie. And somehow,that makes sense. I was 15 when the super hit was released,completely oblivious to the fact that I would one day become anexpat – but perhaps the restlessness was there. Perhaps thatwas Cherry’s secret.

Linnea DunneEditor

4 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Scan Magazine | Editor’s Note

Dear Reader,

Scan Magazine

Issue 62 | March 2014

Published 07.03.2014

ISSN 1757-9589

Published by

Scan Magazine Ltd

Design & Print

Liquid Graphic Ltd

Executive Editor

Thomas Winther

Creative Director

Mads E. Petersen

Editor

Linnea Dunne

Graphic Designer

Svetlana Slizova

Copy-editor

Mark Rogers

ContributorsStine GjevnoeSigne Hansen

Maya AcharyaUlrika KuoppaKjersti WestengMarjorie de los Angeles MendietaAstrid ErikssonSara MangsboJoanna NylundJulie GuldbrandsenStephanie LovellStian SangvigMia HalonenAnette BerveCamilla HuuseSanne WassElin BertaElse KvistJulie LindénEmmie CollingeAija SalovaaraLisa GustafssonMagnus Nygren SyversenKarl BatterbeeMette LisbySara SchedinAnja Elen EikenesDavid NikelAnette FondevikMaria SmedstadSophia StovallAnna TaipaleChristina Cadogan

Hannah Gillow KlosterChristina ToimelaIngvild Larsen VetrhusDidrik OttosenEllinor ThunbergNdela FayeSanna HalmekoskiMalin NormanIan MoralesMaria MalmrosThomas Bech HansenUlrika LöfdahlKaroliina KantolaNia KajastieEmelie Krugly HillTina Lukmann Andersen

Sales & Key Account ManagersEmma Fabritius NørregaardMette TonnessenJohan EnelyckeJonna Klebom

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Camilla Huuse is Norwegian andmoved to London two years ago topursue a degree in Journalism atKingston University. She is a passion-ate writer, a news junkie and a Londonlover who is always on the hunt for agood story.

Fascinating people are amongCamilla’s biggest passions, and writ-

ing for Scan Magazine has given her the opportunity to speakto and write about such people on a regular basis. Writing issomething you will always see her doing, be it sitting at thekitchen table at home in Norway or out travelling the world.

Camilla’s main interests are food, wine and London’s excitingcity life, and there is nothing but a smile on her face when thethree are combined. No better person, then, to tell this month’sScan readers about a booming brewery in Norway (p. 66) andthe world’s northernmost syrup factory (p. 63).

Monica Takvam is a Norwegian pho-tographer who came to England in2005 to take a degree in photography.After graduating, she started freelanc-ing, and her work has regularly beenpublished and exhibited in England andNorway since then. She now dividesher time between London and Scandi-navia, workingmainly on editorial com-missions and on her own practice.

Monica loves travelling and cannot sit still for long. She hastravelled extensively on journeys throughout Europe, Asia andthe US, always with a camera and a curious eye, and she oftenworks in different countries. She is interested in how we seeand perceive ourselves and others, and is therefore often tak-ing portraits and other pictures of people for her projects andcommissions. When she does sit still, she works from her stu-dio in London, with a strong black Scandi-style coffee on thedesk. In addition, she curates exhibitions and projects withother artists’ work.

Monica’s photos can be seen in this month’s business featureabout Scan TheMarket (p. 86-87) and atwww.monicatakvam.com

David Nikel is a British freelance jour-nalist and entrepreneur living inTrondheim, Norway. Hemoved to Nor-way in 2011 and began recording hisobservations on the country and thequirks of the Norwegian people in hisblog www.lifeinnorway.net.

Of particular interest to David is theScandinavian obsession with English

football, and trying to get his head around themechanics of ski-ing. In addition to writing for magazines about the topics ofScandinavia, travel and innovation, he helps Norwegian com-panies to improve their global communications.

The March issue of Scan Magazine sees David talk to some ofthe people behind the co-working boom in Norway (p. 91).

Hannah Gillow Kloster moved fromNorway to England in 2008 to pursuea degree in English Literature and in-vest in her passion for the writtenword. After graduating she somehowfell into writing TV listings, while beingactive on the London book bloggingscene, which exists, but mainly onTwitter.

In 2012 shemoved to Chicago, where she is completing a mas-ter’s degree in Digital Humanities, combining words and tech-nology in any manner possible, while working as a freelancewriter and being the mother of one grumpy cat. Despite beingfurther away from home than ever, she is still fiercely Scandi-navian, and can often be found standing in line at the SwedishDeli of Chicago’s Andersonville, desperate for some Norwegianbrown cheese.

This month, Hannah examines what mining and democracyhave in common, in a feature about The Norwegian Mining Mu-seum (p. 73).

This month’s contributors

Scan Magazine | Contributors


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Scan Magazine | Cover Feature | Eagle-Eye Cherry


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 9


Eagle-Eye CherryRestless but rootedIn 1997, the world fell head over heels for him as he sang about saving tonight. Today, as ScanMagazine finds out, Eagle-Eye Cherryhas grown up, become a father, and is more interested in seizing the day.

By Linnea Dunne | Photos: The Umbrella Group

“I was only three whenmy dad put me be-hind the drum kit for the first time,” saysEagle-Eye Cherry about the career pathset out for him. “I lost my first tooth play-ing drums.” Born in Stockholm to jazzmusician Don Cherry and painter and tex-tile artist Monika Cherry, he did not reflecton the family’s lifestyle of going on theroad a lot and eventually packing up andheading for New York. “As a child, youpretty much accept what you’ve got, don’tyou, and it’s not until you grow up thatyou realise that perhaps you had it quitedifferent. We lived next door to TalkingHeads for years and I used to hear themrehearse Psycho Killer, but it’s only as I’vegrown up that I’ve come to realise what abig deal that was.”

Yet, there is no denying that the constantstream of artistic influences and excitingeveryday moments of his childhood yearsvery much shaped who Cherry is today,and though he did try a slightly differentpath for a while, studying drama and act-ing for a few years in New York, he admitsthat getting a traditional job never evencrossed his mind. “I guess I felt the needto do something else, to do my own thing,and that’s what acting was to me. But I’ve

always felt like I had to be on stage. It’s notlike I could’ve gone and become a police-man – my dad would have gone crazy.”

Moreover, there is a restlessness that willnot go away. “I was perhaps always theone who wanted things a tiny bit more or-ganised and planned out, and that waspart of the reason why I ended up movingback to Sweden,” says the singer. “But I’dbeen a roadie with my dad from the age of17, and when I didn’t tour for almost adecade, I really felt it – the restlessnesskicked in. It was like a home-coming forme when I started touring Europe again. Ihad really missed that life.”

Platinum success

Eagle-Eye Cherry released his debut al-bum, Desireless, in 1997 and hit it bigacross the globe that same year with thehit Save Tonight. The song has remainedhis trump card ever since, and you couldforgive him if he wanted to shake it all offin favour of new beginnings and differentmusical references. But more than adecade and a half later, Cherry still lovesthe track for what it has given him. “I don’tunderstand why some artists hate theirhits, that luxury of having an ace up your

sleeve that you can throw into the set atany point and you know that people willlove it. Titiyo [Cherry’s half-sister] and Isometimes argue about the fact that she’lldo gigs and not play Come Along. I don’tknow, Save Tonight took me around theworld.”

If anything, Cherry regrets the timing ofthe album’s success. The title track is acover of one of his father’s songs, but hepassed away little over a year before thealbum was released. Then Desirelesswent on to sell four million copies world-wide and being certified platinum inAmerica. “I wish my dad had been alivewhen all this happened. All the chequeshe would’ve got…”

Had to return to life

Riding the wave of platinum success,Cherry toured extensively and releasedanother three albums during the firstthree years of this century. But then thingswent quiet. “I was exhausted,” he says. “Ihadn’t paused, and then I realised thatfriends had stopped calling. I felt a bit likelife had disappeared, and I had to return toit.” Other than a live album, the fans wouldget to wait. It was not until 2012 that a new


10 | Issue 62 | March 2014

full-length release finally saw the light ofday, and the journey had been far fromstraight-forward. The music industry hadchanged, and by the time Cherry foundthe right record label to work with he wasyet again thrown into the depths of grief ashis mother died.

“Life-changing things happened. It wasso difficult when my mother died. Andthen, in 2010, I became a dad, and I reallywanted to experience that fully.” Songsthat had been years in the making, andlyrics like those of Your Hero and Alone,suddenly gained new meaning.

That Cherry ended up returning to thespotlight sooner this time around wassomewhat of a coincidence, as he insiststhat he had had no intentions of partici-pating in a TV show. But the bug for trav-elling had been there for a while, so whenSweden’s TV4 called about the En ResaFör Livet (A Journey For Life) project, heasked to get the summer to mull it over. “Ihad wanted to take a trip like that, a trip ofsubstance, but I wasn’t sure about doingit in front of a camera crew,” says Cherry.

“Then I thought that if someone as privateas Sophie Zelmani can do it, I can too –and I’m so glad I did.”

Uplifting charity single

In aid of children’s charity SOS Barnbyar,Cherry and Zelmani joined fellow popstars Uno Svenningsson and Darin on ajourney to the Philippines to visit the char-ity’s children’s villages in the capitalManila as well as the slums outside thecity from which many of the children hadcome. As part of an overwhelmingly emo-tional journey, the artists were asked tocompose a song about their experiences.

“A mid-tempo uplifting track with inspira-tional lyrics about having dreams, it’s gotthe guitar sound of Eagle-Eye’s most fa-mous hit, and the sort of epic pop chorusmelody that is associated with Darin,”wrote Scan Magazine’s music columnistKarl Batterbee about Dream Away, theresulting single courtesy of Cherry andpop star Darin of Idol fame. “Working withsomeone of a different musical generationand with such a different voice and regis-ter, and a great pop sensitivity too, was

just fantastic,” says Cherry. “All in all, theexperience was life-changing. How thesekids can be so positive and full of energy…and then people in Stockholm are all bit-ter and walk around moaning – it reallydoes make you think.”

Now, the restlessness is back. With ahandful of acoustic tracks and a numberof other different projects on the go,Cherry is not just planning a new albumbut also a family trip to Los Angeles. “Mydaughter is named after my grandmotherDaisy who lives in LA, and I want them tomeet,” he explains. “We’re going to goand just have some family time and hangout for a while, and hopefully by the timethe album is ready we’ll feel that it’s timeto return to Sweden again.”

Read more about SOS Barnbyar atwww.sos-barnbyar.se and support thecharity’s work by buying the singleDream Away.


For more information, please visit:www.eagle-eye-cherry.com


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 11

Scan Magazine | Design | We Love This

We love this...Start the new season afresh by giving your home interior a little spring clean. Clear out, clean up and introduce a fewfresh touches that will energise your space. Here are a couple of decorative objects that can revive a room in a jiffy.

By Julie Guldbrandsen

Sweet dreams.

Put a cute spin

on your

bedroom

interior with

this sweet owl

print bed cover

by Soft Gallery.

Comes in a baby and junior size as well.

£68.50. www.softgallery.dk

Marble has had a great comeback and we can understand why. We simply love these glass jars with

lids in grey or white marble. Three sizes available. From £27 to £33.

www.nordstjerne.eu

Inject some life and vivacity into your hallway

with a colourful runner like this yellow and

turquoise rug by Pappelina. Available in four

different lengths, from 70cm x 150cm to

375cm. Prices start at £95 to £217.

www.husandhem.co.uk

Elegant candleholder by Ester & Erik.

Comes in four different finishes. We

suggest combining the different polishes

for an effortlessly contemporary look.

£6.95.

www.husandhem.co.uk

This candle by Karmameju will invigorate

your space with a clean, cheerful scent. Pure

essential oils of lemongrass, sweet orange

and lemon in combination with lavender and

geranium create an atmosphere of balance,

freshness and new energy. £39.

www.karmameju.com


12 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Scan Magazine | Design | Fashion Diary

Fashion Diary...Think pink! It is the colour of romance and passion, and it has been reigning the catwalks for several seasons now,having become a firm fashion favourite. From delicate powdery-pink to bold bubble-gum and warm fuchsia, it makesa lustrous addition to simple separates and injects instant charm.

By Julie Guldbrandsen

Marry romantic allure with street style

cool in this oversized wool coat by Ganni.

The sugary-pink colour is offset by its

menswear inspired fit, which gives it a

refined edge. £240.

www.ganni.com

The pastel watercolour print on Selected

Femme’s trousers makes it a standout

style. For an elegant look, style them

with a cashmere knit, or go fashion-

forward and combine with the matching

shirt. £75. www.selected.com

A cool shirt in a relaxed cut by Selected

Femme. The boldness of the print

makes it an impeccable companion to

white denim; alternatively, you can make

an artistic impact and pair with the

coordinating trousers. £65.

www.selected.com

Embellish your look with feminine

charm in pink accessories like this

scarf by Pieces. It makes for an easy

adornment over sweaters. Wear with

neutral separates for a fresh spring

look. £16.

www.pieces.com

Soften a tomboyish look consisting of

distressed jeans and a tee with a pink

cardigan. This fuchsia knit by Jacqueline

de Yong adds a lovely warm touch. T-shirt,

£6.50, cardigan, £12.50, jeans, £24.90.

www.only.com


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 13

With the Lyngby porcelain comes a pieceof Danish history. The cylindrical flutedvase, also known as the grandmothervase, was designed in Denmark in the1930s and originally produced byPorcelænsfabrikken Danmark. Though itis unknown who the original designerwas, the Lyngby Vase is considered a clas-sic design icon. “Most people have comeacross the vase at some point. Some haveseen it at a flea market; others rememberit from their grandmother’s living room.People recognise it,” explains Daniel Hil-fling, designer and director of Hilfling De-sign.

Porcelænsfabrikken Danmark closed in1969, and the Lyngby Vase was not pro-duced for 43 years. Then, in 2012, HilflingDesign brought the vase back to life: anew and modern look, but with the great-

est respect for its unique history. “We arefaithful to the old design but we contributewith something new, and we give the vasea contemporary touch. We are for exampledesigning black vases because it goeswell with today’s trends,” says Hilfling,who has a background as an architect.

While the original shape and sizes arepreserved, Hilfling Design has introducednew colours and finishes. In addition tothe classical white, the vase is now avail-able in a matte green and matte black.

A broad appeal

Hilfling Design is relatively young butgrowing rapidly. The story began in 2012with the Lyngby Vase, followed by theLyngby Bowl last year. Today, HilflingDesign is available in 300 stores acrossDenmark, with 85,000 items sold already.

“The design appeals to a great many. It issold in small, exclusive design shops incentral Copenhagen, and at the sametime it’s popular in some hardware storein Northern Jutland. It has become a de-sign of the people,” says Hilfling.

The products of Hilfling Design can forinstance be found in the large retail chainsImerco, Kop & Kande, Illums Bolighusand Salling, and are increasingly soldabroad. Soon a set of floor vases will belaunched, followed later this year by a fulldinner set. Hilfling will not yet reveal anydetails – merely that the new seriesmatches the current design and colours.

An old classic is back. Hilfling Design has recreated the iconic Lyngby Vase, which hasnot been in production since 1969. Soon, even more of the traditional Lyngby porce-lain will be relaunched – based on the original design, but with a modern twist.

By Sanne Wass | Photos: Hilfling Design

For more information, please visit:www.hilflingdesign.dk

Historic Danish design– with a modern touch

The Lyngby Vase (Lyngby Vasen) is relaunched in white, green and black in three sizes: 15 cm – DKK 299; 20 cm – DKK 499; 25 cm – DKK 799

Scan Magazine | Design | Hilfling Design

The Lyngby Bowl (Lyngby Skålen) is available inwhite in three sizes.


14 | Issue 62 | March 2014

When we spoke to Pål Ross of Ross Ar-chitecture & Design last year, we got toknow an artist and engineer who refusedto put life in a box, insisting that squarehouses are illogical – because nothing innature is square, and indeed, people donot move in squares. Today, the architecttakes that very same idea to a whole newlevel as he talks about the award-winningzero-energy house Villa Äntligen: “Tradi-tional zero-energy houses tend to makepeople depressed. But what’s the point ofliving green if you walk around feelinghalf-dead all the time?”

Zero-energy – with windows“Pål Ross doesn’t draw houses, he cre-ates homes,” said a former Ross cus-tomer – a sentiment perfectly embodiedby Villa Äntligen, the zero-energy privatehome so brilliantly different from what wehave learnt to associate with eco-consciousness that it won the HaningeBuilding of the Year award in 2013. “Wemanaged to avoid creating a boring, near-windowless square,” says Ross, explain-ing that windows are the first element tobe eliminated in the search for energy ef-ficiency.

What Ross did to reach the same resultswithout compromising on the happiness ofthe house’s inhabitants was to recycle andmodernise the old concept of detachablewinter windows. In a collaborative effortbetween the architecture firm and its part-ner window factory, a discreet but particu-larly insulation-effective triple-glazed win-dow was created, with an attachablewindow opening inward. Behold Sweden’slowest u-valuewindows, add groundbreak-ing foundation engineering using high-insulation recycled glass, and it is no won-der that the result has been celebrated.

With his Villa Victor awarded European Property Awards’ Best Architecture Single Residence in Sweden last year and more in-quiries than he has time to even consider, Pål Ross is the architect who brought life-affirming architecture to the previously no-go area of private housing and took it by storm. Today, thanks to a Limited Edition series, more people can have the privilege ofliving in a work of art.

By Linnea Dunne

Live in a work of artVilla Viken, one of the villas in the Ross Limited Edition series, is the most technologically intensive private home in Sweden. Photo: Mikael Damkier


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 15

The Ferrari of homesAlso widely noted, yet a far cry from theunderstated wood-panel eco villa, is VillaViken, the most technologically intensiveprivate home in Sweden. Fulfilling everylast desire of the most tech-savvy of cus-tomers, this house is confidently smartand sassy, perfectly complemented by aFerrari parked on the driveway. Thinkhome cinema, spa section and state-of-the-art technological solutions in regardsto everything from VVS and electricity tosound.

Villa Viken is part of the Ross Limied Edi-tion series, a collection of 12 different pri-vate residences, all available for Ross fanswith amore restricted budget or who sim-ply cannot wait until the architect is nextavailable. “We simply had so many moreenquiries than we had the capacity tocommit to, so this was our way to givemore people the pleasure and privilege tolive in a Ross house,” says Ross, com-paring the Limited Edition collection to anartist’s lithographs. “I come from a familyof artists, so I’m quite comfortable withthat idea.”

Reaching new heights

The privilege referred to, that of living in acustom-made, top-quality, life-affirmingenvironment, at this point has its ownstrapline: live in a work of art! Printed

across one of the hurdles at the world’sbiggest indoor horse riding event, Stock-holm International Horse Show, the slo-gan made a quirky statement, comple-mented by a scale 1:10 Limited Editionhouse right next to the hurdle, suggestingthat Ross architecture is reaching newheights.

Aptly so, one should say, as the firm iskeen to position itself as a market playerbrave enough to embrace change and newtechnology sooner rather than later.Through a partnership with BMW, all thecompany cars will be replaced by thebrand new electric car, BMW i3; and an-other collaboration, with environmentaltechnology company Rehact, will see thecreation of a series of demo housesthroughout Stockholm, showcasing therecently-patented, groundbreaking heat-ing and cooling units with a record energy-saving rate of 85 per cent. Reaching newheights is putting it mildly.

That is before you ask Ross about hisdream of transforming the future of nurs-ing homes. Relentless drive and stubbornideas appear endless, something the ar-chitect ascribes to his roots: “People fromSmåland are known for their persistentapproach to business. I sometimes thinkthat this is my key strength – and per-haps my greatest weakness. I'm incredi-

bly bad at giving up, but thanks to thisperseverance and skill I have done whatpeople thought impossible.”

But let us not forget the other keyplayer,the co-founder and co-owner withoutwhom the firm might have never beenborn. “I married an architect, not ateacher,” said his now-wife Deirdre, hav-ing discovered Pål Ross’s graduation proj-ect at a time when he was still teaching ata Waldorf school. That was the beginningof Ross Architecture & Design, and thebeginning of some of the most ground-breaking, brave architecture Sweden hasever seen.

For more information, please visit:www.ross.se

Scan Magazine | Design | Architecture Profile

Ross’s Villa Victor won the European Property Awards’ BestArchitecture Single Residence in Sweden last year. Photo:Mikael Damkier

With Villa Äntligen, Pål Ross proved that a zero-energy housedoes not need to be a near-windowless square.

Ross Architecture & Design is not scared to try new things,as the audience at Stockholm International Horse Show wasmade aware. Photo: Mikael Wahlstrom


16 | Issue 62 | March 2014

It was a tricky brief that was put up for bid-dingwhen the newUPMheadquarterswereto be designed. City zoning put demands onthe building to beL-shaped, and the roof tophad to be of a specific height. In addition, theoffice buildingwas to be the first on the newAlvar Aalto street and act as a gateway to thenew development.

Modestly confident – drawing on heritagefor groundbreaking modern solutionsWith an illustrious awards collection and an impressive portfolio of projects for big clients including Nokia and the Finnish Parliament,Helin &Co Architects has been amajor player in shaping Finland’s cityscapes. Between extensive experience of office environment de-sign, a love ofwoodandFinnish cultural heritage, anda founder anddirectorwhodescribes architecture as anall-encompassinghobby,the firm certainly deserves its reputation as one of Finland’s architectural greats.

By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Helin & Co

The completed UPM headquarters boast impressive energy-saving features, innovative utilisation of wood, and a stunning façade, acting as gateway to the new AlvarAalto street development. Photos: Marc Goodwin


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 17

Setting design freeThat Helin & Co won the contract is unsur-prising considering its expertisewithin officeenvironment design, but Mariitta Helineva,one of Helin & Co’s residential architectswho worked on the project, thinks that thefirm’s creative and flexible approachwas keyto its success. “We tried to free the designfrom the strict L-shape required, adding thehalf-cone-shaped Bioforum gallery spaceand the pyramid-shaped wooden bridge tohelp break the symmetry,” she explains.

The benefits of wood – wood being a bit of aHelin & Co hallmark, according to founderand director Pekka Helin – were utilised tothemax in this project, the firm’s creative ap-proach leading to somegroundbreaking ar-chitectural features. UPM’s own Wisa-Grada, a type of bendable plywoodpreviouslyonly used in the furniture industry for seatsand chairs, was used for the development ofa veneered ceiling system for the meetingrooms and office floors, whileWisa-Phon, asort of plywood sandwichmaterial with rub-berboard in between, otherwise primarilyused for truck and shipping containers,helped soundproof the walls of themeetingrooms.

From top to bottom, the energy-saving fea-tures of the office building, which was com-pleted last year, make quite the statement.“The building is in the process of reachingLEED (Leaders in Energy and Environmen-tal Design) platinum,” saysHelineva. “It hasthe highest standard of internal air qualityand control, and stainless steel nets on thefaçade help with sun protection. The rulesand regulations for the insulation of façadesand windows are quite tough in Finland.”

Thanks to cultural heritage – and a grit pit

With awards to its name such as Environ-

mental ConstructionProject of the Year 2001and Roof of the Year 2006, as well as theState Award for Architecture awarded toMr.Helin himself twice, there is no shortage ofevidence that the firm has both the expert-ise and the commitment to achieve somegame-changing results. But to the mainman, architecture remains what he calls anall-encompassing hobby, or a lifestylechoice, like an integral part of his being.

“I was playing with small boards of wood ina grit pit and realised that the mountain-like terrain was perfect for adding buildingsand creating tracks – just like planning acity,” he says of the moment, at the tenderage of five, when he realised that hewantedto be an architect.

Offering services ranging from large-scalecity planning to the product design of a doorhandle, and having designed the tallestwoodenoffice building inEurope,Helin&Coboasts a portfolio full of large public com-plexes andurbanmulti-use sights. Butwhilethe use of wood, and wood in combinationwith steel and glass in particular, is charac-teristic not only of the recent UPM head-quarter design but also of the Helin & Costyle, the director refuses to take full credit,pointing instead to the Finnish cultural her-itage. “Having lived in scanty, bare condi-tions, we have developed an authentic un-derstanding for materials,” he explains.“Finns have built wood and stone churchesfrom scarce raw materials, so the Finnishconstruction culture stems from theworld ofpurematerials and austerity.”

Modern solutions for end-users’ needs

Established in 1999, Helin & Co has won inexcess of 40 competitions for contracts, andthe offices inHelsinki and Turkunever seemto see a quiet day. Yet, the question of how

the successful UPM headquarters designreflects the firmstrikes residential architectHelineva as a tad backward – after all, theproject is about the client, not about the ar-chitecture firm. “In our design process, wework very closely with the client,” she says.“Our aim is to exceed the expectations of theclient and produce modern solutions. Goodarchitecture has to serve the end-users’needs.” Now isn’t that a recipe for success?


For more information please visit:www.helinco.fi

Top & middle: Extension of the Finnish Parliament Building.The Atrium (Photo: Voitto Niemelä). Exterior, Nightview(Photo: Michael Perlmutter).

Above: Metsätapiola, restaurant interior.Photo: Mandi Halonen

Left: Finnair headquarters. Photos: Marc Goodwin


18 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Elegance and ecology to every extent

Tuomo Siitonen Architects has over 50award-winning entries to Finnish and for-eign architecture competitions, whileTuomo Siitonen himself has years of in-dustry experience. He spent 15 yearsworking as a professor of architecture atthe Helsinki University of Technology TKKand is the only architect to date to havebeen awarded the Finnish State Art Prizefor Architecture twice.

While presenting the award, the jurynoted: “Tuomo Siitonen’s recent work

shows uncompromising professionalismin challenging settings and an admirableability to revitalise. The renovation ofAlko’s (the Finnish alcohol monopoly)plant and headquarters into the HelsinkiCourt House was a huge undertaking,where the old was transformed into thenew, without losing the original spirit ofthe building. Taking the place of theSalmisaari coal stockpiles, the insurancecompany Varma’s red-brick office build-ings are now a cogent part of thecityscape. The plan for the Helsinki Lep-päsuo block opens new perspectives intoFinnish housing architecture.”

With its impressive portfolio, Tuomo Siito-nen Architects is often working on someof the biggest and most demanding proj-

Tuomo Siitonen Architects is an award-winning architecture office consisting of 15leading architects and designers. Working on a broad range of projects, from townplanning to interior design, the company emphasises elegance and ecology in all itsarchitectural solutions, no matter the scale of the project.

By Nia Kajastie | Photos: Tuomo Siitonen Architects


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 19


Arkkitehtitoimisto Tuomo Siitonen OyVeneentekijäntie 12, FIN 00210 HelsinkiTel. +358 9 8569 5533

Top: Helsinki Court House - refurbishment of theold alcohol factory. Photo: Jussi Tiainen.Bottom: Studio Widnäs. Photos: Rauno Träskelin

ects in Finland. The renovation of Alko’splant into the Helsinki Court House wonthe award for Concrete Structure of theYear and was, like the Varma office build-ings, the largest project of its kind thatyear in Finland.

Sustainable architecture

A recurring theme in Tuomo Siitonen Ar-chitects’ work has been the importance ofsustainability and the ecological require-ments of different-sized projects.

“We take into account the unique condi-tions and potential of each site,” explainsSiitonen. “It is important to bear in mindthe requirements set by sustainable de-velopment. The key elements in our de-sign are the users, the location, the pur-pose of use, and the human factor, whichis more important than ever.”

The ‘Modern Wooden Town’ plan for thewest bank of Porvoo river, a winning entryfor a competition, is a whole district rep-resentative of modern timber buildingmethods, while the ‘Open InnovationHouse’ at Aalto University is an example ofan on-going project with a high LEED cer-tification (Leadership in Energy and Envi-ronmental Design).

Another project emphasising Tuomo Si-itonen Architects’ commitment to sus-tainability is the studio building created forceramicist Karin Widnäs. A real architec-tural pearl, emphasising Finnish close-ness to nature, it was built using only lo-cal materials and making the best use oflocal expertise, renewable natural re-sources and geothermal energy.

The jury for the Finnish State Art Prizefor Architecture describes Siitonen’s workas follows: “His architecture is charac-terised by a confident and clear allocationof masses supported by the choice of sim-ple materials. The complex buildings havebeen fashioned in a functionally logicaland rational way, and are sited in theirenvironment with a perceptive sense oflocation. Including details and interiors,the carefully-planned buildings stand forboth reason and emotion.”


20 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Thon Hotel Opera, Lobby. Bold, cold colours, defined shapes and reflective sur-faces.

Thon Hotel Oslofjord, Lindholmen restaurant. Cold pastel colours, archedshapes and surfaces with a shine.

Trond Ramsøskar had been developing hispersonal project for many years before hisinterior architect firm tookshape in 2010. To-day, six interior architectsworkaspart of theTrond Ramsøskar team, and together theyundertake eachprojectwith oneunwaveringgoal: to create good rooms that sell.

Keeping it simpleRamsøskar thinks that the best roomsare those that people want to buy. “I be-

lieve that people choose places based onsimple and uncomplicated needs,” hesays. “Satisfying these doesn’t entail hav-ing designer furniture or the most luxuri-ous accessories, but it’s about under-standing individuals and their specificrequirements,” he explains. For Ram-søskar, the key to achieving this is findinga solution based on the user’s identity.This is the foundation for the firm’s work-ingmethod and subsequently the essence

of the company motto: analysing and con-veying your personality.

“We use something called ‘personalitytypes’,” explains Ramsøskar. “For example,one type might like strong, cold colours,defined lines and shiny surfaces, while an-other may prefer warm pastels, roundedshapes and ornate surfaces. Defining thesetypes and approaching interior design inthis way helps us to better understand cus-

Personal spaceInterior design firm Trond Ramsøskar AS creates spaces infused with their users’ personality and individual preferences.Whether it is harking back to the eighties through the renovation of an atrium or designing ballet-themed hotel rooms, the com-pany never ceases to come up with something new around every corner.

By Maya Acharya | Photos: Espen Grønli


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 21

tomers’ identities, something that is crucialfor achieving good results.”

Rather than focusing on trends and fads insociety, Ramsøskar prefers to focus onpersonality, carefully analysing and dis-covering what will best suit the user. Thisapplies to concept design for hotels, shopsand offices just as much as the personaldesign of houses and other properties.“Without transferring a dose of personal-ity into the building, it is impossible toreach the right market,” he emphasises.

This strategy ultimately results in a veryvaried range of projects, each with its ownparticular creative expression. However,Ramsøskar is known for having one uni-fying streak: a lack of caution when itcomes to colour. The firm is known for itsbold and imaginative use of textures andlively nuances.

Reconnecting with Retro

One of Ramsøskar’s most extensive proj-ects was the redesign of Thon Hotels, oneof Scandinavia’s largest hotel chains. Thisincluded creating ballet-themed roomswith a theatrical appearance at Thon Ho-tel Opera, in line with the hotel’s locationnext to the opera and ballet house in Oslo.A recently completed project is the interior

of Thon Hotel Bergen Airport. The hotelserves as a perfect example of adapting in-terior aesthetics to cater to users’ needs.Airport hotels are known to be, as Ram-søskar puts it, “places where you feel a bitstuck.” That is why he wanted to ensurethat the hotel’s interior would be as bright,comfortable and pleasant as possible, sothat guests would not feel so isolated.

Ramsøskar, who also collaborates withSissel Berdal Haga, head of design for theThon group, mentions that one of hisfavourite projects was the interior rehabil-itation of ThonHotel Oslofjord’s atrium, partof a postmodern building from 1985. “I re-ally believe that it is important to under-stand the concept of retro when workingwith hotel interiors,” he asserts. “We revivedthe original flooring and used the iconog-raphy of palm trees to recreate the soul ofthe hotel from its eighties heyday. We usedcolours such as pink and turquoise, whichyou could argue are quite terrible colours,but in this case they worked perfectly todraw in an audience that experienced theirteenage years during the eighties and couldidentify with that nostalgic feel.”

An all-encompassing experience

As for the future of interior design, Ram-søskar predicts that hotels in particular

will move towards providing a more well-rounded experience in which everythingfrom atmosphere and design to menusand graphics will become increasingly im-portant. “Today’s array of social and digi-tal platforms is also part of this develop-ment, as it has created a meeting placewhere people can share their detailed de-scriptions and experiences of hotels orrestaurants,” he notes.

Another important factor, according to thedesigner, is focusing on local roots. “Ahotel in London wouldn’t automaticallywork if you just placed it in Oslo – it mightfeel alien. That’s why, in order to under-stand the users, you have to understandwhere they are from,” he says.

“I think the importance of having an all-encompassing experience that gives youthe feeling of being somewhere totallyunique is gradually being realised. Byunique I don’t mean that you necessarilyhave to be in the world’s most fantasticplace, but that you have to be somewherethat is different, out of the ordinary –somewhere worth visiting.”

Scan Magazine | Design Profile | Trond Ramsøskar AS

For more information please visit:www.ramsoskar.no

Thon Hotel Oslofjord. Bold, warm colours, natural shapes and surfaces with natu-ral textures.

Thon Hotel Munch, Lobby. Warm pastel colours, rounded shapes and ornatesurfaces.


22 | Issue 62 | March 2014

It is an unquestionably striking 190-centimetre tall West HamUnited defenderwho enters the foyer to sit down for a chatat the club’s training ground. But Reid isnot the stereotypical football prima donnaand tends to shy away from the limelight,instead letting his feet do the talking on thepitch. Yet he appears both smart and com-pletely down-to-earth as he opens up

about his memories of growing up in Den-mark, chatting away in fluent Danish witha slight Southern Jutlandic dialect.

It is his first day back training following anankle injury, which put him out of actionfor threemonths and ruled him out of NewZealand’s vital World Cup play-offs againstMexico. “It feels good to be back with the

boys,” he says. And to someone who hashad to move around and adjust a lot froma young age, comradeship is important.

Culture shock

Friendship was something Reid also foundamong the Danish children and whichhelped him get over the initial disorienta-tion. “I came from Auckland, a city with 1.5million people, to Sønderborg with about

Winston Reid was just 11 years old when hemoved from the other side of the world toSouthern Denmark with his mother and Danish stepfather. It was a complete cultureshock for the young lad, who still remembers how hard his first Scandinavian winterwas. The 25-year-old Premier League player has come a long way since his footballtalent was spotted a couple of years later. But his life’s toughest decision came whenchoosing to play for New Zealand’s national team instead of Denmark’s. Both his bio-logical parents are Maori, and feeling part of that heritage played an important role.

By Else Kvist | Photos: Rob Newell

Discovered by the Vikings– but Maori at heart

Winston Reid in action. West Ham Vs Manchester City.

Scan Magazine | Feature | Winston Reid

Winston Reid playing for FC Midtjylland. Photo: FC Midtjylland


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 23

40,000 people – so it was a culture shock,”says the footballer. “I arrived in April, atime of year when I was used to swim-ming and playing several sports outside.The first winter was really hard with snowand everything, but slowly I got used to it.I was about to begin year five at school andthe other kids had started learning Eng-lish, so it made it a bit easier communi-cating. It took me about a year and a halfto learn Danish.”

Reid continues: “I felt accepted back then,it was no problem at all. I think theythought it was exciting with someone com-ing from the other side of the globe, whowas a bit different. But of course when youare young and you play football, or an-other sport, then it automatically makesthings much easier.”

Talent spotted

It was during a youth game for SUB Søn-derjylland that a talent spotter for FCMidtjylland eyed up Reid’s potential. Hewas then offered a place at Denmark’sfirst football academy in Ikast before sign-ing a full-time contract with Danish Su-perliga club FC Midtjylland a year later.“Again I had to get used to a new town andmoving away frommy family. But it helpedbeing a part of a group of boys who wereall in the same boat. We were together24-7 and never bored. It was among thebest years of my life; we had good com-radeship, and the academy taught mesome useful lessons for later in life.”

Then in 2010, after a superb World Cup inSouth Africa, Reid got his big break whenhe signed for West HamUnited and is nowearning an estimated £30,000 a week.

Gut instinct

Reid’s decision to play for New Zealand’sinternational team, which he is now thecaptain of, despite having played for Den-mark’s under-18, under-19 and under-21 national teams, was a pivotal moment.“It’s definitely the hardest decision I’ve evermade. But in the end, I followed my heartor my gut instinct,” he says. “The more Ithought about who I was, the more I feltthat I was fromNew Zealand. There aren’tmany Maoris playing in the national team,

so that was an important factor too. I felt Icould domore to help the kids and footballprogress down there.”

“I lived in Denmark for 10 years and had areally good upbringing there,” Reid con-tinues, “so of course I have some sort ofsense of belonging there too – even thoughI probably won’t go back to live there whenmy career ends.” Today, Reid lives in Ca-nary Wharf with his Russian girlfriend,

Yana. His contract with West Ham Unitedexpires next year, and what the futureholds is still uncertain.

Winston Reid was last year votedHammer of the Year by West Ham fans.

He played 15 games for Denmark’snational U-19, U-20 and U-21 teams.

He has played 17 games for NewZealand’s national squad.

Winston Reid in action. Leicester Vs WestHam game.


24 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Born in Finnsnes in Northern Norway,Dahle is a well-travelled woman with anappetite for adventure. She grew up inKristiansand and has since lived in manydifferent places around the world. How-ever, when her friend invited her to comeand live in Svalbard, she was hesitant. Lo-cated in the Arctic Ocean, the SvalbardIsland lies halfway between Norway andthe North Pole. “At first, I didn’t think itwas for me. But despite my doubts, Imoved up in 1997, and it turned out myfriend was right: I absolutely loved it,” shesays.

The story of Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg startedjust two years later, when she found the

old wooden barracks originally built forconstruction workers and miners. Havingspent her last money on rent, shesearched through storages for furnitureand things she needed for the big opening.

Word spread quickly, and the hotel was aninstant success. Fifteen years later, Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg has more than tripled insize to a total of 42 rooms, a restaurant, anoutside bar and the AuroraSpa.

Not a standard hotel

The hotel is divided into three buildings:the mining rig, the luxury rig and thetransportation rig. Additionally, the Auro-raSpa is located in a newly-renovatedbuilding where visitors can enjoy marvel-lous treatments for both body and face. Allof Dahle’s profit is spent on refurbish-ment and expansion. “It is an ongoingproject. I’ve built my hotel on the princi-

In 1999, Mary-Ann Dahle took a chance. Wanting to share her wonderful experienceof living in Svalbard, she spent her last savings on renting some old wooden barracksand opened up a small hotel. Fifteen years later, she is the proud owner of Mary-Ann’sPolarrigg, a hotel completely out of the ordinary.

By Kjersti Westeng | Photos: Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg

Charismatic hotel with soul

With a mish-mash of objects, paintings and old furniture, Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg is an unusual hotel to say the least, aiming to mirror the lives of the miners and workerswho once lived in Svalbard.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 25

ples of recycling and reusing, as well asthe historical aspect,” says Dahle.

Most visitors are surprised by what theysee once they walk through the front door:a mish-mash of objects, paintings and oldfurniture. Wanting to offer her guests ataste of the real Svalbard and the lives ofthe miners and workers who lived here,Dahle has maintained the authenticity ofthe old wooden barracks. By collectingvarious items from when the mines werein use, she has created a spectacular,museum-like atmosphere. The hotel hassoul, a distinct character and a wonderful,relaxed vibe. The rooms have no TV; in-stead, they are filled with colour and life,such as paintings done directly on thewalls. “When I started expanding, myguests were concerned that the hotelwould lose its character. It never will. Ihave created something authentic and dif-ferent, unlike other hotels of the samesize,” Dahle explains.

The hotel restaurant, The Winter Garden,is an experience in itself, with walls andceiling made of glass so that you can ad-mire the beautiful landscape while youeat. This is where the Orient meets theArctic, and surrounded by exotic plantsyou can enjoy both Thai food and Arcticspecialities, all made from scratch. “I uselocal ingredients and free-range meat ofthe very best quality. I would never eventouch farmed fish,” says Dahle, whomakes sure she does her part when itcomes to environment care.

The Arctic experience of Svalbard

Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg is located on Skjær-ringa, just a five-minute walk from thetown centre of Longyearbyen. With spring

and summer fast approaching, Dahle hasa number of summer activities to recom-mend. Svalbard consists of huge, impres-sive mountains, and even as an experi-enced hiker you are bound to beabsolutely blown away by the incrediblescenery. Another great way of seeing Sval-bard during the summer is by kayak, boattrips, cruises or by dog sledding onwheels. In August, Dahle arranges herown autumn festival with music and en-tertainment for all ages. Additionally, thehotel bar is popular all year around.Rompa Bar has an outdoor hot tub andbarbecue which can be lit upon request.While the sun never sets during the sum-mer months, the experience is the com-plete opposite in the winter. A lot of visitorscome to Svalbard during the wintermonths to experience the magical Polar

nights, where the sun is at least 6 de-grees below the horizon and the famousnorthern lights light up the sky.

There are plenty of activities to choosefrom in the winter, such as dog sledding,snow scooter safaris and ice caving trips.One of Dahle’s personal favourites is thesnow scooter safari to the gorgeous Tem-pelfjord. “On a clear winter’s day it is ab-solutely stunning. You can go all the wayup to the glacier front, see seals poppingup from the water and polar bears walk-ing around. It’s an unforgettable experi-ence,” Dahle finishes.

For more information, please visit:www.polarriggen.com

Scan Magazine | Travel Feature | Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg


Scan Magazine | Culture Feature | Viking Ship Museum

26 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Ever wondered what it would be like to livelike a Viking? With the impressive locationon the Roskilde fjord, visitors can learnabout life as a Viking before headingstraight onto a boat and onto the fjord,following the same routes as the Vikingsbefore them.

Experimental Archaeology

From 1 June to 19 October, The VikingShip Museum will be hosting ‘Experi-mental Archaeology’, a programme ofevents and activities exploring a morehands-on approach to archaeology. Visi-tors, including children, can watch andlearn traditional Viking techniquesbrought together by skilled weavers, car-penters, sail wrights, silversmiths andmany more, using authentic processesand materials. Carve your own runes,stamp your own coin or paint a warriorshield. For the full schedule of events,visit the website as activities vary day byday, but be sure not to miss the festival‘Vikings and Craftwork’ 16-17 August.

The World in the Viking Age

11 April sees the arrival of the all-encompassing ‘The World in the VikingAge’ exhibition, developed through collab-oration with the Archaeological projectENTREPOT, Maritime Network Urbanismin Global Medieval Archaeology, and theinteraction design company YOKE. Inno-vative digital interactive design enablesvisitors to experience and interact with themaritime routes, innovations and devel-opments within an international context.

Three guides, contemporary to one an-other, will steer the audience through the

expanding network of trade routes: Ottarfrom Norway, Persian Abhara, and Theo-dosious who lived in the nucleus of Byzan-tine Constantinople. Artefacts on displayhave come from as far as China, Persia,Zanzibar and European lands such as Ire-land, Scotland, Norway, Denmark, Ger-many and Poland to give visitors a thoroughunderstanding of the networks that existedduring the 9th century. Through the sights,smells, opulent silks and spices, artefactsand displays, visitors get the chance to dis-cover the reasons behind the expansion ofmaritime communications and trade net-works during the Viking period.

For more information, please visit:www.vikingshipmuseum.dk

Vindeboder 12DK-4000 Roskilde+45 46 300 200

Open every day of the year, the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark, offers aunique opportunity to experience life in the Viking Age through an extensive collec-tion, including the world-famous permanent exhibition of five ships housed in theViking Ship Hall, designed by Professor Erik Christian Sørensen. Through explo-ration of these magnificent ships, each built for its own special task, visitors arelaunched through the striking history of the seafaring Vikings.

By Sophia Stovall | Photos: Werner Karrasch

Visionary Vikings of Roskilde


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 27

Scan Magazine | Culture Feature | Visit Haderslev

Explore the old town with the Cathedraland the square in the town centre which,despite the devastating fires in 1627 and1759, is well-preserved, boasting count-less houses dating back to the 1500s.Haderslev Cathedral is part of the BrickGothic Route, which stretches fromPoland via Mecklenburg Vorpommern toHaderslev, from where you can watch theguard parade or join a historic walkingtour through the old town. If you want todelve deeper into the heritage of Hader-slev, VisitHaderslev offers a number ofguided tours where ‘watchmen’ lead you

through the 700 years of the town’s his-tory. Travel 30 kilometres out of Haderslevto explore the grandeur of Gram Castle,the largest Middle Age building outsideCopenhagen, built over three centuries.

Planning your holiday

From hiking, sailing, cycling and walkingto fishing, canoeing, disk golfing and geo-caching, Haderslev has activities for alltastes. Sailing enthusiasts will enjoyHaderslev’s three marinas: Aarø, Aarø-sund and Haderslev. If you are planning onspending the summer in South Jutland,

you will be spoilt for choice: when you arenot canoeing across the picturesqueHaderslev Lake, why not enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride through the old town?

There are plenty of experiences for bothadults and children, with tailor-madeevents and activities for the whole familyto enjoy. For guides and suggestions, in-cluding information on Haderslev’s sixblue-flag beaches, pop by VisitHaderslev’swebsite.

Getting a good night's sleep is an impor-tant part of your holiday. Book one of therecommended hotels in the heart ofHaderslev, and you will be guaranteed thebest base and service during your stay. Ifyou prefer a bit more of an adventure dur-ing your visit, take advantage of the beau-tiful scenery, hiking and cycling possibil-ities with VisitHaderslev’s campingpassport. As one of Denmark's leadingcamping areas, Haderslev boasts 10 localcamp sites. If camping is not for you, stayinstead in one of the many traditionalDanish summer houses along the coast.

The official tourist office VisitHaderslev offers a comprehensive guide to the widerange of activities and attractions available in Haderslev, including information on out-door pursuits, history, shopping and music for individuals, couples, families andgroups. Whatever you are looking for, VisitHaderslev will help you find it. The com-prehensive website offers advice on all kinds of questions, from accommodation en-quiries to wedding planning.

By Sophia Stovall | Photos: VisitHaderslev

With a well-preserved, historical town centre and plenty of exciting outdoor activities on offer, Haderslev is ahit with adults and children alike.

Holiday in Haderslev

VisitHaderslevNørregade 526100 Haderslev+45 73 54 56 [email protected]


28 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Proudly presenting the island of Bornholm

SPECIAL

THEME:

ISLANDSOFDENM

ARK

There is a lot you will miss when you headto Bornholm: long traffic jams, high stresslevels, pub crawls, and vast hotelsdumped on the beach. Instead, you willhave to make do with some of Europe’sbest beaches, the idyllic tranquilly of tiny,half-timbered fishing villages, andscenery that gets under your skin, notleast because we hold the Danish recordfor hours of sunshine.

In many ways, Bornholm is a world of itsown: a place with its own heartbeat, itsown pace and its own language. The is-land also has its very own climate, wherethe spring is dominated by cascades ofcherry blossom, anemones and wild gar-lic. The summer arrives slightly late, onlyto last much longer than elsewhere inDenmark. Once the rocks, sand and waterhave soaked up the sun, the island hangson to summer for a long, long time.

Bornholm offers great cultural variety.Tradition and progress go happily hand in

hand, and everything is easy to get to. Oldcrafts such as clock making, the millsand the smokehouses live alongside themost advanced glassworks, modern ar-chitecture and art exhibitions.

Bornholm’s culinary range has much tooffer, too, including organic productsranging from cheese and sausages tosweets and chocolate. The traditional cui-sine using only local produce is becomingincreasingly popular, mostly due to thefact that themany chefs of Bornholm havesuccessfully made their own versions oflocal dishes in accordance with moderntraditions and tastes. Visit the manysmokehouses with their production ofherring, salmon, mackerel, prawns, mus-sels and other fruits of the sea and try thelocally-made sweets, toffee, liquorice, ice-cream, red wine, beer, brandy, crackers,biscuits and honey. And it is not just Born-holm natives who know about the highquality of these products – they are nowexport items.

For outdoor activities, Bornholm is a par-adise. The breathtaking landscape is per-fect for all kinds of outdoor activities, in-cluding climbing, surfing, abseiling,kayaking, mountain biking, diving andcountless other action-packed activitiesin the open air. All it takes is an urge to trysomething new.

Bornholm is a fantastic island. More thanhalf a million people visit the island everyyear and, in fact, about 80 per cent of ourvisitors are regulars who return for moreof that special Bornholm spirit.

Bornholm is a very special part of Denmark, quite unlike the rest of the country. Cliffsin the north. Deep rift valleys. A huge forest with ancient beech trees, rugged rocks,deep forest lakes, and miles of broad, white sandy beaches in the south. Bornholmcontains a huge variety of landscapes and different sights.

Text & photos: Bornholms Velkomstcenter

Tourist information office:Bornholms Velkomstcenter,Ndr. Kystvej 3, 3700 Rønne.Phone: +45 5695 9500Email: [email protected]


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 29

Situated in scenic surroundings just out-side Nexø, the second largest town inBornholm, Hotel Balka Strand offers itsvisitors an unparalleled opportunity to re-lax and emerge into the laid-back, cosylifestyle of the islanders. With the islandbeing easily accessible by plane and ferry,Hotel Balka Strand welcomes visitorsfrom all over the world and offers a flexi-ble and adaptable repertoire of holidayoptions suited to everyone’s wishes, be ita short spring vacation or a longer sum-mer stay.

With its idyllic location and a mixture ofdouble rooms, studio apartments andlarger family apartments, all accessedthrough a lovely, peaceful garden, Hotel

Balka Strand is an ideal choice of accom-modation for anyone wishing to exploreeverything Bornholm has to offer. Mar-ried couple Charlotte Koefoed and BennySchou, who run the hotel, aim to organiseevery stay around guests’ specific needsand wishes. “Freedom and flexibility arecentral to our business. We want to pro-vide the setting for an unforgettable stay inBornholm,” Koefoed explains.

In addition to the close proximity to one ofthe country’s finest beaches and somebeautiful nature reserves, the hotel offersan array of activities and facilities includinga heated pool area with outdoor furniture.When wanting to explore the history, mag-nificent landscapes, and seaside villages of

Bornholm, cycling is the classic and pre-ferred mode of transport for gettingaround, and Hotel Balka Strand of coursehas a popular rental service. While sum-mer is naturally the busiest time, the hotelis open and can facilitate large-scale con-ferences and private events all year round.

Koefoed and Schou are now in their thirdseason at the hotel and emphasise theirfocus on freedom and flexibility. “Every-thing in Bornholm is easily accessible bycar, foot or bike, and we can assist ourguests on all practical issues, giving themthe necessary ease to enjoy a relaxingstay,” Koefoed concludes.

Boosted by its idyllic location on the strikingly beautiful island of Bornholm, Hotel BalkaStrand is the quintessence of Danish ‘hygge’. With a tireless focus on personalisingevery stay according to the guests’ wishes, the hotel offers the ideal long- or short-stayholiday experiences for anyone wishing to explore Denmark’s Sunshine Island.

By Stine Gjevnoe | Photos: Hotel Balka Strand

Freedom and flexibilityin scenic surroundings

For more information, please visit:www.hotelbalkastrand.dk

The married couple behind Hotel Balka Strand, CharlotteKoefoed and Benny Schou, emphasise an inherent focus onfreedom and flexibility as part of their aim to help visitorswith any wishes they may have.

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Islands of Denmark


30 | Issue 62 | March 2014


Nested in the rocks of North-East Born-holm lies Svaneke, the easternmost andsmallest borough in Denmark. It startedas a fishing hamlet in the 13th century butrose to prominence as a seafaring town ofsome significance in the 15- and 1600s.

Today, Svaneke is known as one of themost historically-significant towns in Den-mark with regards to the town layout andhouse exteriors. In 1975, the town wonthe Council of Europe’s gold medal for itspreservation of its architectural heritage.

Overlooking the town port and the BalticSea, the old merchant’s house of Siem-sens Gaard dates back to the 1600s. Sincethe 1930s, the house has functioned solelyas hotel and restaurant, and its old innercourtyard, named the Dauphine’s Garden,now offers the promise of a sea viewmealsurrounded by Denmark’s largest collec-tion of English Roses – a collection inau-gurated by Queen Margrethe in 2006.

In the summer season, the garden hostsa weekly barbecue buffet accompanied by

a jazz concert. For those who do not optfor wine to go with dinner, the hotel servesspeciality beers from the local SvanekeBrewery. The hotel’s classic yellow-tinted,half-timbered exterior is typical of Born-holm architecture, and needless to say,the interior has been overhauled to meetmodern demands with bright, spaciousrooms and suites, a spa, sauna and a fit-ness room.

Situated in downtown Svaneke, HotelSiemsens Gaard is just a short distanceaway from every corner of the town. Justbehind the hotel lies the town square,hosting a biweekly town market, whichdraws a crowd from the entire island ofBornholm. But its location also makesthe hotel an ideal starting point for ex-cursions along the charming east coast orthe dramatic north coast of the island, aswell as bicycle rides to its enchantingmid-lands.

With six different resorts located inmag-nificent natural surroundings and pre-senting an array of activities, Dayz Re-sorts offers everybody the chance to enjoytheir holiday just the way they like it.

Whether you want to hike Silkeborg’sbeautiful hills, chill by the sea, or bikethrough the West Coast’s open widths,you will find a convenient base for it atDayz Resorts. The six resorts, all locatedin Jutland, are hugely popular with fami-lies from not just Denmark but all theneighbouring countries. Marketing assis-tant Hanne Toftgaard Pedersen explains:“All our resorts are located in beautifulnatural surroundings and on top of thatoffer an array of activities. This meansthat whether you want to just relax, enjoynature or take part in the many activities,it’s possible – we call it active relaxation,because you get both.”

While heated indoor swimming pools andbeautiful nature are found at all resorts,other attractions are specific to the indi-vidual resorts. Water worlds, bowlinghalls, in- and outdoor play centres and askiing slope are among some of the fa-cilities sure to make a splash with theyounger generations. But older genera-tions are also well looked after with offerssuch as golfing, badminton, wellness,mini golf, restaurants and much more.“We also see a lot of grandparents visit-ing with their grandchildren, and what wegenerally hear from our guests is thatthey love it here because it is so nice toget the chance to do something togetherin beautiful surroundings,” says Peder-sen.

Active relaxation for the whole familyBy Signe Hansen | Photos: Dayz Resorts

For more information, please visit:www.dayz.dk

The special Bornholm feelingBy Marjorie de los Angeles Mendieta | Photos: Hotel Siemsens Gaard

For more information, please visit:www.siemsens.dk


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 31


The dramatic scenery makes it hard tobelieve that just south-east of this place,the rocks recede, and the quiet getaway ofMelsted Badehotel lies perched on a ter-race of a gently sloping grassy hill justabove a most pristine white fine-grainedsandy beach. Basking in the summer sun,the white Functionalist hotel building withits blue window frames is the perfect en-visioning of a seaside resort from a by-gone era of the 1920s or ’30s.

The hotel grounds boast an English-stylecroquet pitch, and there is even a puttinggreen catering to the golfers staying at

Melsted when visiting the three nearbygolf clubs. Two renowned Copenhagenchefs who opt to spend the summer sea-son on Bornholm run the hotel restaurant,and the gourmet menus consist mainlyof local Bornholm products.

Put simply, Melsted Badehotel’s hallmarkis a laid-back, cosy feeling. Hotel ownerLise Hjort Madsen insists that part of theallure of the resort is the fact that staffand guests are all treated as part of onebig family. The special atmosphere of thehotel is reputed to be what attracts a largenumber of regular visitors each year.

So what is really the secret behind thisgetaway recipe – this concept of whole-some relaxation? It might be the brightand tastefully-furnished rooms or thepanoramic ocean view from the restaurantas one enjoys the breakfast. It might bethe lazy murmur of the waves by thebathing jetty or the exquisite taste of thegourmet dinner tickling the taste buds. Itmight be the high skies and the specialwarm glow of the Bornholm summer af-ternoons, or the quiet tempered eveningson the room balcony enjoying a glass ofwine conversing with the neighbour.Likely, it is the combination that createsthe special, intangible welcoming feelingof Melsted Badehotel that cannot be de-scribed but merely experienced.

Almost hewn into the craggy rocks of the north-eastern coast of Bornholm lies theperhaps most enchanting town of the island: Gudhjem. Hidden from sight behind thetrees lining the main road until the very last moment, the red rooftops of the typicaldeep-red and bright-yellow Bornholm houses beckon from below, as the incrediblysteep drop of the main road through the town leads downwards to the rocky piers ofthe harbour.

By Marjorie de los Angeles Mendieta | Photos: Melsted Badehotel

For more information, please visit:www.melsted-badehotel.dk

The seaside resort from another time


32 | Issue 62 | March 2014

If you are looking for the perfect spot foryour dream beach wedding or somewhereto live the quiet life for a week, the some-what neglected island just off Denmark’swest coast is a perfect fit. For one thing,the Fanø summer season runs fromEaster to early November, which is longerthan its two greatest competitors, Ska-gen and Bornholm, at the northern andeastern corners of this fair country. And ifyou do choose to come during the winter,you can enjoy the luxury of catching andeating your very own fresh oysters.

Furthermore, Fanø is situated within a na-tional park, and you will see how the beau-tiful scenery is made the most of by sealslying in the sun and visitors renting a houseor flat from Danibo, the largest distributorof holiday accommodation on the island.Hanne Thyssen and her sister have takenover the running of the family business

from their father, who has been rentingout holiday cabins and apartments since1979. Today, Danibo has 650 houses andapartments in all price ranges for Fanøvisitors to relax in when not out enjoyingall the things the atmospheric island hasto offer. “Fanø is slow living – the clocksimply stops when you are here,” says oneyoung guest. Whether you are looking forwater activities, cycling lanes, fishing, oran authentic history experience walkingdown the narrow streets of the two mar-itime towns, Nordby and Sønderho withtheir old houses and museums, the 56-square-kilometre island has it all.

Every year, the island hosts the world’sbiggest kite flying festival, catering for vis-itors of all ages from all over the world.“Here Fanø goes worldwide and really be-comes visible on the world map,” saysThyssen and goes on to explain that peo-

ple come from the States, Japan and Aus-tralia to fly the many kites above one ofEurope’s biggest sandy beaches, whereyou are even allowed to drive your car allthe way down to the clear blue water.

Flying high in slow-living Fanø,Western Denmark’s hidden treasureAt themost western point of Denmark lies a small island, which has not had the sameexposure as other Danish holiday attractions such as Skagen or Bornholm over theyears, but has just as much to offer.

By Tina Lukmann Andersen | Photos: Danibo

For more information, please visit:danibo.dk

The ferry from Esbjerg only takes 12 minutes andleaves every 20 minutes during the summer season.

The kite flying festival takes place this year 14-28June.


The annual kite flying festival at Fanø takes place this year 14-28 June.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 33

This year is a special year for Sweden’scultural life since Umeå, alongside Riga,is the European Capital of Culture. Thecity offers a wide range of cultural activi-ties such as music festivals, theatre per-formances, exhibitions and much more.For example, recently-inaugurated Gui-tars – the Museum is home to one of thelargest collections of vintage guitars inthe world. Another example is the newVäven cultural centre in Umeå, hostingthe 2014 Film Festival. The festival drawsinspiration from the northern countriesand the rest of Europe and will featurescreenings in several of its new digitalcinemas. The 2014 Film Festival is thestarting point for a long-term film initiativein Umeå with regular screenings and fes-tival activities in the Väven building.

The programme for Umeå 2014 is basedon the Sami calendar with its eight sea-sons. I think this is a golden opportunityfor tourists as well as locals to learn moreabout the Sami cultural heritage and ex-plore cultural life in Umeå. I would rec-ommend visiting Umeå’s website (below),which holds useful and detailed informa-tion in English about the activities thattake place during different times of theyear.

In the capital, the Royal Dramatic Theatrewill be showing ‘Emigrants’, a play based

on renowned Swedish novelist VilhelmMoberg’s epic novel. Director and chore-ographer is the internationally-acclaimedMats Ek.

Moreover, the Royal Opera in Stockholmfaces a complete renovation and refur-bishment but still puts on plays in front oflarge audiences. The opera with its reper-toire of classical and modern opera pro-ductions draws huge crowds, and the in-ternationally-known Swedish sopranosinger, Nina Stemme, has had frequentperformances here. The building itself iswell worth a visit.

Supply of cultural activities for children isgreat in Stockholm, and several museumsoffer activities for children during week-ends. For example, Moderna Museet, orthe Museum of Modern Art, on the Skepp-sholmen Island, puts on ‘family Sunday’every week during spring. The exhibition‘Surrealism and Duchamp’ opens thismonth and stays open all summer.

Another favourite among children is theNational Museum of Science and Tech-nology, where you can experience the ex-hibition ‘100 Innovations’, which show-cases the most important innovations inhistory as rated by the Swedish people, orwatch 3D films with special effects atCino4.

I hope that many visitors get the chance todiscover a wide range of cultural activitiesin Sweden this year!

Lena Adelsohn LiljerothMinister for Culture

By Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, Sweden’s Minister for Culture

For more information about Umeå’syear as Capital of Culture, please visit:umea2014.se/en

A culture-packed year in Sweden

Sweden’s Minister for Culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth

SPECIAL THEME:

CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS OF SWEDEN

Umeå, Europe's Capital of Culture 2014. Photo :Jorgen Wiklund/imagebank.sweden.se Sami Footwear. Photo: Tina Stafren/imagebank.sweden.se


34 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Cultural Highlights of Sweden

That the tragic destiny of Vasa turned intosuch a success story is quite the lucky co-incidence, as information officer MartinaSiegrist Larsson explains. “She only madeit 1,300metres before she sank during hermaiden voyage in 1628, spending over 300years at the bottom of the sea, but it isthanks to the brackish water of the BalticSea that she is as well preserved as she istoday. The type of mussel that eats into thewood can only survive in salt water.” Per-sistent wreck researcher Anders Franzénfinally found the first piece of the ship in1956, and after five years of preparation,she was salvaged.

Today, the stories behind the ship tell usabout the people who drowned when Vasasank, and the historical events that led tothe commissioning of such a time-consuming, costly build. With exhibitions

displaying belongings of some of the Vasapassengers and examining the manysculptures decorating the ship, you canlearn about all of the above andmore at theVasa Museum in Djurgården.

This year, said historical events will beput into a global context, offering new aswell as former visitors more than ever.With a brand new exhibition hall, in addi-tion to a larger, much-improved foyer andshop, the Vasa Museum presents ‘Mean-while’, an exhibition exploring the firsthalf of the 1600s through stories fromacross a more connected world, whereideas, commodities and illnesses startedto spread as big ships crossed theoceans. In China, an emperor takes hisown life. In India, a princess dies upongiving birth to her 14th child. Europeanstates start establishing colonies, and

Poland-Lithuania becomes the greatestkingdom of Europe.

Vasawas built at a timewhen the idea of theuniversewasdramatically changing. “Whosestory shouldwe tell?” asksSiegrist Larsson,pondering the difficulty of establishing con-crete facts in cultures of oral traditions.“Should we take a Swedish viewpoint or lis-ten to the stories of different continents? It isa complex issue but at the same time verystimulating and interesting.”

‘Meanwhile’ is an attempt to broaden theperspective and put Vasa into context. Fol-low her masts to find the way to a forgot-ten world.

The ship that leads theway to the past25-metre tall, its masts visible frommany of Stockholm’s heights, the Vasa ship is notjust a landmark but a vessel full of secrets of life in the 17th century. This year, the VasaMuseumadds to the permanent exhibitions about the ship that sank and rose againwitha temporary exhibition about the events that shaped the world at the time – far beyondthe Baltic Sea.

By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Anneli Karlsson

The 25-metre tall masts of the Vasa ship give a majestic impression, but her destiny was tragic.Svante Hampf, CEO and co-owner of Kaffa Roastery.

The new exhibition Meanwhile looks at the different significantevents that took place across the globe in the first half of the1600s, aiming to put the story of Vasa into context.Photo: Fer-nanda Peruzzo

For more information, please visit:vasamuseet.se


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 35


Astrid Lindgrens Näs is the birthplace ofScandinavia’s most famous children’s au-thor, Astrid Lindgren. This is where shewasborn, over 100 years ago, and people fromnear and far are still flocking to visit herchildhood home and the scenery surround-ing it. This is also the place for the only per-manent Astrid Lindgren exhibition in theworld, The Whole World’s Astrid Lindgren,an exhibition about her authorship and life.

This cultural treasure is now preparingfor a new tribute divided into three chap-ters that are sure to amaze. The chaptersare all part of a garden series wherebeautiful gardens, floral creations and in-stallations will be built and shown inhomage to Lindgren’s written works, theperson she was, and the emotional legacyshe left behind for future generations.

Chapter one: meetings

Chapter one will open on 14 June and isgoing to create a bond between the main

buildings at Astrid Lindgrens Näs. It willguide visitors from Lindgren’s childhoodhome to the beautiful Vicarage and fur-ther tell the story of Lindgren and her in-spirations. Art installations by Swedishartists Emma Karp Lundström and Mag-nus Lönn will explore the theme ‘meet-ings’, one often depicted in the literaryworks of Lindgren. An open-air café in abeautiful apple orchard and a playgroundwith swings and climbing towers willmake Astrid Lindgrens Näs a treasurechest for people of all ages.

Be sure not to miss this first chapter inthe trilogy homage to the author wholeaves no child or grown-up unaffected.And add a reminder to your diary, be-cause one year after the opening of thefirst chapter, the second will open tothe public, themed with garden rooms ofemotions based on Lindgren’s litera-ture. The gardens will make visitorswant to linger and contemplate on the

big issues Lindgren frequently battledwith in her writings – questions aboutbravery, standing up for what is right,and perhaps the most complex and as-tonishing of them all: what it means tobe human.

Very few authors have left a legacy as big as the one Astrid Lindgren left behind whenshe passed away in 2002. In her childhood home in Vimmerby, this legacy flourishesand is now preparing for an extraordinary homage to the beloved author and herfondness for nature and the wilderness.

By Astrid Eriksson | Photos: Astrid Lindgrens Näs

A treasure chest for all ages

For more information, please visit:www.astridlindgrensnas.se

The lemonade tree based on the one in the tales of Pippi Longstocking

Astrid Lindgren on her porch. Photo: Vimmerby Archives


36 | Issue 62 | March 2014


As one of the birthplaces of the industrialrevolution, Vallonbruken holds a signifi-cant place in Sweden’s history. The iron-rich area became a match made inheaven alongside the Walloons’ un-matched wrought iron technique, pro-pelling Sweden to take the lead as aniron exporter. The introduction of com-pulsory schooling for all, public libraries,and the pension system gave rise to Swe-den’s strong welfare state.

Today, Vallonbruken is a non-profit insti-tution, characterised by its rich culturalheritage. Located just north of Stockholm,and soaked in history, the villages withtheir manors and forges still retain manyof their original features, and some of thechurches date back to the 13th century.Guests live like kings and queens inmanor houses, or in one of the forgeswhere the Walloons lived and worked in

the 1600s and through to the 1800s, andthere is no shortage of activities to keepvisitors entertained. “One of this year’shighlights is ‘Vallonbruksveckan’, a week(9-17 August) when all the forges show-case their unique features. This year’stheme is food and beverages, and visitorscan enjoy a trip to the brewery to sampledelicacies from the region,” says KickiLidén, communications officer at Vallon-bruken.

Folk music and the traditional key fiddle,or nyckelharpa, play a huge role here dur-ing Swedish festivities, such as Midsum-mer and Valborg. While visitors come tocelebrate a legacy, Kicki Lidén says theyare also “wined and dined while livingbeautifully.” Sprawling parks surroundedby crystal clear ponds and leafy vegetationmake it a natural getaway for those look-ing for rural tranquillity.

Junibacken is a fantastic fairy-tale worldbased on Astrid Lindgren’s and manyother famous Scandinavian authors’books for children. Step into a colourfulworld full of fun and meet Pettson andFindus, Moomin and many others.

Junibacken was established in 1996. Theidea was developed by actor Staffan Götes-tam, who always found museums boringas a child. He had a vision to build anythingbut an ordinary children’s museum –something playful and interactive. Heshared his thoughts with the late AstridLindgren, whose work he admired andwanted to incorporate and showcase. Sheagreed, but on the condition that otherwriters and creators were involved as well.

This resulting children’s cultural centreis now a huge success, leaving generation

after generation of families, from all cor-ners of the world, mesmerised. Here, itseems that the possibilities for adventureare endless: you can play in Pippi Long-stocking’s house, Villa Villekulla, or catchThe Story Train, which takes you on anexciting journey through Astrid Lindgren'smagical fairy-tale world, narrated by Lind-gren herself.

“The idea is to both encourage and in-spire children to read more books. Wehave a wonderful multilingual children’sbook shop that is very popular,” saysMaria Reuterskiöld, marketing manager.Junibacken is also the proud owner of oneof Sweden’s largest children’s theatreswith several performances daily.

Junibacken is collaborating with Stock-holm’s largest airport, Arlanda, where Ju-

nibacken has a children’s lounge based onElsa Beskow’s much-loved children’sbooks. In the lounge, children can crawlinto a hat house, ride on a field mouse orslide down a giant mushroom.

A world filled with stories,laughter and surprisesBy Emelie Krugly Hill | Photos: Junibacken Archive

For more information, please visit:www.junibacken.se

Sweden’s beating heartBy Elin Berta | Photos: Vallonbruken

For more information, please visit:www.vallonbruken.nu


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 37

The enthusiasts at Ronneby Kultur-centrum spend a lot of time finding new,engaging exhibits. “We want to attract abroad audience to our centre, and weare looking for an extensive range of dif-ferent modes of expression and tech-niques,” says culture assistant MariaLundström. This is made obvious by bothformer and forthcoming exhibitions, andthe centre keeps attracting new visitorswhile maintaining the interest of return-ing guests.

New exhibitionsTwo new exhibitions open at the end ofMarch. Old friends Angelica Kristenssonand Yvonne Jeppsson met at the Royal In-stitute of Art in 1980 and have ever sincekept up a dialogue about art and the hard-ships of life. The exhibition, initiated by thewomen themselves, is a result of this dia-logue. Anyone interested in hearing an ac-tual conversation between the two is wel-come to the opening of ‘Two painters indialogue’. “His art has a contagious silli-

ness in its expression,” says Lundströmwhen explainingwhy Paetrick Schmidt waschosen as another of this spring’s exhibitingartists. With the hope to attract a youngeraudience, the German artist will showworks of various techniques: three-dimen-sional objects, collage, drawings and digital.

‘Graffiti week’ 10 years

In addition to its exhibitions, Ronneby Kul-turcentrum organises an annual graffitiweek. 2014marks the 10-year anniversaryand Håkan Robertsson, initiator, explainsthat it was initially somewhat controver-sial among local politicians. “In the past,you expressed your opinions in a certainway. Today, a mixture of media is beingused and graffiti is one of them. It’s a mat-ter of freedom of speech.” The week ofcreative workshops is open to the publicand takes place at the end of May.

Above: From late March onwards, the work of German artist Paetrick Schmidt is shown in hope to attract a younger audience. Right: In their exhibition, Swedes Angel-ica Kristenson (below right) and Yvonne Jeppsson (above right) present a dialogue the two artists have had for many years.

For more information, please visit:www.ronneby.se

A year ago, ScanMagazine wrote about the beautiful Ronneby Kulturcentrum and theoutstanding exhibitions it features all year around. This spring, the work of Germanartist Paetrick Schmidt is exhibited, as is that of Swedes Angelica Kristenson andYvonne Jeppsson, whose exhibition ‘Two painters in dialogue’ is the result of a long-lasting friendship.

By Sara Mangsbo | Photos: Ronneby Kulturcentrum

Art with a contagious silliness


Highlights of 2014’s exhibitions:

Summer: Blekingar. Exhibition of works by artistsliving in, or with a connection to, the province ofBlekinge, selected by a jury.

Autumn: Swedish and Japanese textile artists cometogether in an exhibition called A trace of Shibori –a sense of belonging.

The art gallery is open Tuesday-Friday11am-4pm and Saturday-Sunday 11am-3pm.


38 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Founded in the 1960s to build travellingexhibitions, the Swedish Exhibition Agencyhas gone through several changes, all inthe spirit of its current mission. Today, it isa journalistically-driven organisation withfocus on developing the Swedish museumculture through global monitoring. One ofthe more recent big changes came aboutwhen the Swedish Ministry of Culture de-cided to move the organisation fromStockholm to Visby, on the island of Got-land. “Unfortunately we lost a lot of his-torical knowledge as a consequence ofthe move,” says Staffan Forssell, generaldirector. “But on the upside we were leftwith new staff, hungry for change.”

With 25 specialists in several fields suchas technology, contemporary art andcommunication, the agency cooperatesacross borders to collect information andknowledge. “We constantly travel theworld, searching for new exciting ideas

andmethods,” Forssell continues. “By vis-iting galleries, museums, conferencesand artists, we collect information thatwe transform into workshops and articlesavailable for everyone in the Swedish ex-hibition sector.”

Every year, exhibitors can apply to join theagency on a selection of trips, giving theman opportunity to take part in the globalmonitoring. “By bringing people from out-side of our organisation we also get abroader perspective on what we see. It’salways good to have an extra pair of eyes,”Forssell says.

But the organisation’s search for innova-tive ideas not only takes it across geo-graphical borders. With the aim of keep-ing an open mind and finding inspirationeverywhere, it visits conventions on widelydifferent fields, including computer gamesand fun fairs. In addition, the agency offers

advice to people in the sector, but in beinga source of knowledge it also wants tothink new on every level. “We like to thinkof our experience as a useful source foreveryone. Much like we explore othercountries’ ways of improving their muse-ums, we would like other countries to takea look at us, allowing us to give somethingback by being a source of inspiration notonly here in Sweden.”

Creating a culture of innovationWith a mission to develop and inspire, the Swedish Exhibition Agency explores theworld of innovative ideas. By visiting museums, artists and conferences around theglobe, the organisation hopes to inspire the Swedish exhibition sector.

By Elin Berta

For more information, please visit:www.swedishexhibitionagency.org

The Swedish Exhibition Agencys office is based in Visby. Photographer: Håkan Ludwigson

Staffan Forssell, general director of the Swedish ExhibitionAgency. Photographer: Marco Gustafsson.


The Swedish Exhibition Agency monitors global trends andtechnologies in the exhibition field and converts that knowl-edge into development projects in collaboration with Swedishmuseums. Photo: Miraikain - National Museum of EmergingScience and Innovation - in Tokyo / Johan Pousette.

Graffiti workshop. Photo: Per Björklund


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 39


Amidst exuberant street life, wheremainboulevard Avenyn meets Götaplatsensquare, lies one of Northern Europe’smost exciting and prominent visual artscentres, the Gothenburg Museum of Art.

Erected in 1923, the museum’s art collec-tion includes nearly 70,000 artworks,mak-ing it as big as the entire Tate collection inthe UK. One of the world’s finest collec-tions of Nordic Art from the turn of the cen-tury, it is housed in a prominent period set-ting, where paintings by Nordic artistsEdvardMunch, Ernst Josephson, Carl Lars-son, P. S Krøyer and Anders Zorn can befound. “This is one of the state-of-the-art vi-sual arts museums in Northern Europe.We have broadened the concept by showingcontemporary national and internationalvisual art alongside cartoons and children’sbook illustrations,” says director of Gothen-

burg Museum of Art, Isabella Nilsson.Themuseum holds collections from the

15th century to the present day, including in-ternational modern and contemporary art.Visitors to themuseumcanexperienceolderDutch and French art, including importantworks by Rembrandt, van Gogh, Monet andPicasso, to namea few. “Wealso haveworksby Francis Bacon and Henry Moore on dis-play,” says Nilsson. “We are constantly re-hangingandwe’ve received three stars in theGuideMichelin Vert; our guides receive a lotof praise from visitors. The variety and highquality of themuseum’s collectionmake it asurprising experience!”

A popular retreat after cultural indul-gence overload is the alfresco dining areaoverlooking the Götaplatsen square, openduring summer – the perfect place to un-wind and reflect, before returning to thehustle and bustle.

In 2013, The Swedish Air Force Museumin Linköping, Sweden, received the Trav-eller’s Choice award on website TripAd-visor. Based on customer reviewsmostlyfrom foreign visitors, the honour put themuseum on the European map.

Cultural and societal aspects are whatdifferentiate the Swedish Air Force Mu-seum from its comparables around theglobe. The discovery of an old DC-3 in theBaltic Sea in 2003 was the start of a bigredesign, and today it reflects the devel-

opment of Swedish military aviation fromthe early pioneers to the present day. “Ouroverall aim is to trigger the interest of thevast general public, and we want to put allthe air forces in a societal perspective sothat more people can relate,” says mu-seum director Mikael Parr.

For anyone with a curious mind

The museum, which is a product of theSwedish Ministry of Culture, addresseschildren first and foremost, as well as any-one with a curious mind. By keeping the

joys of discovery in mind when designingthe exhibitions and activities, the museumhas proved to be a perfect example of whenlearning and playing go hand in hand.

In the science centre, families can ex-plore together through experiments andeven try to manoeuvre an airplane in oneof the simulators. Mascots Drakel andViggo make another popular addition tothe Swedish Air Force Museum experi-ence. They provide the little ones with spe-cially created maps and audio guides, andin the summertime they even arrangeguided tours just for kids.

Best museum in Sweden,says TripAdvisor

For more information, please visit:www.flygvapenmuseum.se

Indulge in a cultural overdosein Gothenburg

For more information, please visit:konstmuseum.goteborg.se

By Sara Mangsbo

Photos: Goran Billeson

By Ulrika Kouppa

Photos: Göteborgs Konstmuseum

The exhibition ‘Friction of Ideas: Gauguin, van Gogh, Bernard’(19 July-19 October 2014) shows exclusive works. (Vincent vanGogh, Olive Trees, Saint-Rémy, 1889, Göteborgs konstmuseum)

The exhibition ‘A Painted History: Swedish 19th century HistoryPainting’ (22 February-28 September 2014) illustrates Swedishglory and disasters in great detail. (Johan Fredrik Höckert, QueenKristina andMonaldeschi, 1853, Göteborgs konstmuseum)


40 | Issue 62 | March 2014

The birthplace of Swedish author andNobel Prize winner Harry Martinson,Olofström has a strong literary identityand a long narrative tradition. The oldschool in the parish of Jämshög, whereboth Martinson and Salje, also a famousauthor, received their primary school ed-ucation, now serves as a museum, tellingthe story of the their lives. “This year weare arranging a festival in the honour ofSven Edvin Salje, celebrating what wouldhave been his 100th birthday,” says AnnaLundholm, secretary of culture at Olof-ström council.

The strong tradition of storytelling is ex-pressed further by the annual festivalNässelfrossa, firmly rooted in the localheritage and attracting thousands of vis-itors during one week in June. In addition,

the new event Berättarkraft, also a liter-ature and narrative festival, aims to en-courage literacy promotion and creativeactivities in the schools of Olofström.

Throughout the year different fellowshipsorganise a large number of performancesand concerts, and as an extension of thenarrative tradition the folk music festivalMidvinterton has become a popular featurethat attracts people from all over the coun-try. “We believe that everyone should havethe possibility to enjoy culture. For instance,our goal is to allow every child in our pre-schools and all students in primary schoolto experience professional performing artstwice a year,” says Lundholm.

Olofström has been an industrial com-munity since the beginning of the 1900s.

“I think it’s important to cherish the cul-tural heritage of a community, and to doso by putting it into a modern context,”Lundholm continues. With the innovativeproject Art & Technology, both Europeanand regional artists work together withlocal technology companies to developnew products, and the goal is to createnew job opportunities in local businesses.

“We are brave enough to think outside thebox and take pride in local strengths. Ifind it encouraging that even those proj-ects that aim to create more jobs and eco-nomic growth are investing in encountersbetween culture and business.”

A small town with a big love of cultureWith a modest population short of 13,000, Olofström is for many people mainly known as a big player in the Swedish automotiveindustry. But last year, the small Swedish town was awarded a prize for being the cultural municipality of the year.

By Elin Berta

For more information, please visit:www.visitolofstrom.se

Clockwise, from top left: Nässelfrossa is one of the larger cultural events in the county of Blekinge in the south of Sweden, with around 150 events across eight days. Photo: Ylva Silverbern. Theold school in the parish of Jämshög, where both Harry Martinson and Sven Edvin Salje, also a famous author, got their primary school education. Photo: Åke Bondesson. Famous author HarryMartinson’s belongings on display in his old school, which now serves as a museum in his and Sven Edvin Salje’s honour. Photo: Åke Bondesson. The Dutch artist Anja Roemer working with asculpture for Diabas Sculpture Centre. Photo: Roel Faassen.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 41

“It is exceptionally spectacular, some-thing far beyond your wildest imagina-tion,” says Ulrika Kullenberg, museumdirector of Textile Museum of Sweden.“It’s where fashion meets art – exactlywhat we had in mind for our first exhibi-tion.” She is talking about the Iris vanHerpen exhibition, running from May toSeptember this year, and by first shemeans under a new roof.

On 23 May, the Textile Museum of Swedenwill open the doors to its brand new prem-ises as part of the Textile Fashion Center,housed in an old factory with wallssteeped in texile production history. “It’s areal opportunity for us to be a part of thistextile cluster,” says Kullenberg. “We’ll benext door to the Swedish School of Tex-tiles, with access to their showroom.Moreover, we’ll be right at the heart ofthis centre for science, culture, innova-tion and business, and the premises aremuch better suited to our needs.”

Textiles everywhere, all the timeThe museum works across five key ar-eas: fashion, design, art, textile industry,and innovative textiles. Compared to itsolder incarnation, the museum will nowbe “slightly more youthful, more ener-getic.” In addition, a brand new perma-nent exhibition will be opened, exploringthe use of textile in areas most peoplewould probably never have pictured it.“Textiles are everywhere, all the time –and we want to highlight this versatility,”says the director. “Generally speaking, itwill be like a world of patterns and shapes– like a textile explosion.”

As the Textile Fashion Center is sure to beone of Sweden’s most textile-dense areasand with the Textile Museum of Sweden’sspecialised textile library, unique in theNordics, it is a fair assumption that thegreat textile ideas of the future will starthere. As such, interactivity will be key atthe museum, with an entire open squarededicated to getting visitors involved in the

creative process. “Active dialogue and de-bate are crucial to us, but creating some-thing together with our visitors is equallyimportant,” says Kullenberg. “I hope thatone day we’ll be able to create future ex-hibitions in collaboration with them.”

Once Sweden’s textile capital, and still today at the forefront of textile and fashion production, Borås is the place to go for loversof patterns, prints and design. At the new and improved Textile Museum of Sweden, the secrets of past textile factories meet thepromises of future textile innovations.

By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Textile Museum of Sweden

Textile explosion

For more information, please visit:boras.se/textilmuseet

Iris van Herpen’s extraordinary creations blend fashion and art and make for the perfect opening exhibition at the Textile Museum of Sweden’s new premises. RefinerySmoke Collection (left), Groninger Museum, Photo: Bart Oome. Escapism Collection (right), Groninger Museum, Photo: Bart Oomes


In May this year, the Textile Museum of Sweden opens its doorsin brand new premises at the Textile Fashion Center in Borås.


42 | Issue 62 | March 2014


In the city of Uppsala, you will find the artmuseum Bror Hjorths Hus. Bror Hjorth(1894-1968) is one of Sweden’s most ac-claimed artists, and here, his colourfulmodernist artworks are displayed in theartist’s formerhomeandworkshop, offer-ing an art experience out of the ordinary.

Bror Hjorth made a name for himselfthrough his creative and original ways ofexpression. With sculptures, paintings anddrawings, he paid homage to love, musicand life, and his art has put him on themap of Scandinavian artists whose legacyis sure to live on for generations to come.The museum’s exhibition hall offers tem-porary shows at all times. This spring, forexample, Bror Hjorths Hus is proud topresent the work of praised Australian il-lustrator and author Shaun Tan. In 2011,Tan won the prestigious Astrid LindgrenMemorial Award, and this exhibition,

which is on display from 5 April and until1 June, will feature a selection of his orig-inal illustrations. After that, the exhibitionwill travel to a few other locations in Swe-den before returning to Australia.

Be sure not to miss Bror Hjorths Hus:while the artwork is truly amazing, thelush garden is in itself worth a visit, mak-ing the perfect place to enjoy a cup of cof-fee and pause to reflect.

The dramatic scenery where the sunnever sets in Northern Sweden is thebackdrop for a classical music adven-ture. This year, the line-up for FestspelenPiteå offers a lot of surprising acts.

The festival is heading for its fourthdecade as one of the leading high-endclassical music happenings in Sweden.“The artists, handpicked for the festival,are here because they know how to cap-

ture an audience and take them on a mu-sical journey,” says CEO and artistic di-rector Katarina Fallholm.

The festival dates back to 1982, whenprominent musicians were invited to cometo Piteå School of Music to educate futureclassical musicians. Since then, the youngstudents have prospered under the tutoringof internationally-acclaimedmezzo-sopranoAnn-Sofie von Otter, baritone Peter Mattei,Austrian baritone Wolfgang Holzmair, pi-

anist Matti Hirvonen, and violin teacherSaschko Gawriloff to mention a few.

“One of our most loved opera stars,Malena Ernman, who always surprisesthe audience and mesmerises with hervoice, will perform during the festival,”says Fallholm. Female opera trio Divinewill add excitement to the programme, aswill Eclipse’s three Scandinavian malevoices in perfect harmony, andmanymoreacts. One of the more surprising guests isthe Olympic figure skater Alexander Ma-jorov, who will perform an ice skatingshow during the festival.

“The audience can look forward to atruly memorable week, where anythingcan happen. A festive feeling is guaran-teed when the whole town gets involved inwelcoming its audience,” says Fallholmand adds, tongue in cheek: “This is ourHogwarts, with plenty of classical music,witchcraft and wizardry!”

An exciting musical journeyunder the midsummer sunBy Ulrika Kuoppa

Tickets available at: www.ticnet.seDates: 13-18 Junewww.festspelen.se

For more information, please visit thegallery’s website or Facebook page, andlearn more about upcoming exhibitionsand art displays:

www.brorhjorthshus.sewww.facebook.se/brorhjorthshus

Eclipse’s members John Martin Bengtsson, Angelo Rasmus Høgsetand Johan Christer Novsjø. Photo: Per Heimly

CEO and artistic director KatarinaFallholm. Photo: Marie-ThereseCarlberg

Divine members Gabriella Lambert-Olsson, Caroline Gentele and Jacque-line Miura. Photo: Marica Rosengård

Colourful art from home and awayBy Astrid Eriksson | Photos: Bror Hjorths Hus


Dansmuseet, the Museum of Movement,covers everything from 1920s ballet toWest African dance workshops at its newlocation in a busy pedestrian street in theSwedish capital. “Our work is more com-prehensive than what our name implies.One might think that it is simply a collec-tion of pointe shoes and tulle skirts, butwe do so much more,” says director ErikNäslund.

Founded by cosmopolitan art connoisseur

Rolf de Maré was born in 1888 into one ofthe wealthiest families in the country. Hewas one of Sweden’s most prominent cul-tural personalities, an art collector, bal-let director and museum founder, but ismost famous for launching the experi-mental Swedish Ballet in Paris in the1920s. The modern art connoisseur trav-elled the world and was fond of hand-some men and elegant parties.

Dansmuseet launched in 1953, but itsfounder, de Maré, is ever so present 60

years later, with a new permanent exhi-bition in his name. “He was a cosmopol-itan globetrotter, curious about foreigncultures and countries. The new perma-nent exhibition is a journey following inhis footsteps around the world,” saysNäslund.

Influential Russian Ballet

You can also admire the second largestcollection of costumes from the RussianBallet in Paris (1909-1929), no matterwhat time of year you pop by. The ground-breaking ballet was a trendsetter that in-fluenced the world far beyond the per-forming arts scene. “There was no radioor television at this time, but they stillmanaged to influence everything from thefashion houses in London, Paris and NewYork to interior designers, shops, restau-rants and hotels. It can be hard to under-stand that it all happened so quickly,without any help from media,” says Näs-lund.

The independent museum has evolvedover the years, targeting a wider audi-ence. Näslund explains how it is some-times associated with classic ballet only,but visitors can join in on everything fromchildren’s activities and dance perform-ances to film screenings this year. “Weare a multicultural museum in a smallformat. Many visitors are surprised to seethe wide range of work on display.”

Waltz, boogie or swing your way to Dansmuseet in Stockholm to explore a multicultural world of performing arts and culture.Fascinating exhibitions and activities are part of the fun.

By Ellinor Thunberg | Photos: Cato Lein

Dance is a universal language

For more information, please visit:dansmuseet.se/en

Costume by Endre Nemes, Gala performance at theRoyal Opera, 1949.


The permanent exhibition Rolf de Marés Dansmuseum.

Costume detail by Alexander Golovin, The Firebrid,1910.

Part of an installation by curator Charles Korolys.

Issue 62 | March 2014 | 43


44 | Issue 62 | March 2014


The grounds of Ecopark Halle-Hunneberghave beenmanaged by royals since King Gus-tav Vasa’s time. Still today owned by the state,the area hosts annual royal hunts for elk, deerand other wild animals.

The Royal Hunt Museum Elk Hill is located inthe Ecopark, in the county of Västra Götaland,Sweden. The park was inauguratedby King Carl XVI Gustaf in Septem-ber 2004, and Sveaskog is managingthe 7,000-hectare area with thetwin-plateau mountains Halle andHunneberg.

The main purpose of the Eco-park is preserving the natural re-sources and maintaining a healthyquantity of moose. There is a lot ofinterest amongst tourists to seewhat is normally referred to as ‘theking of the forest’, but in this case,‘the king of the mountains’ seemsmore fitting. “Thousands of visitors

come here every year to spot our majesticmoose,” says Ola Selin, guide at Elk Hill.

There is a long history of local residentsusing the area for hunting and to collect timber.In 1351, King Magnus Eriksson named themountains ‘a royal park’, and 200 years laterKing Gustav Vasa decided that all huntingshould be reserved for the king. The royal hunt

was introduced by King Oscar II in 1885, as away of controlling the quantity of moose. Nowa-days, King Carl XVI Gustaf is the host of the an-nual hunt, an event popular especially amongstinternational guests.

The Royal Hunt Museum Elk Hill hosts per-manent exhibitions about the history of hunting,the Ecopark and its wildlife. The interactive ex-hibitions are popular amongst children, in par-ticular the one about the elk’s senses and thehunting simulator. There are also events andactivities such as guided walks and safaris.

On 11 July 1897, S. A. Andrée, engineer andSweden’s first balloonist, set off on an epicvoyage to reach the North Pole. The goal wasto geographically map the vast, unknown areaby flying over it – a rather grand idea. Theflight was disrupted three days later, whenthe balloon quickly lost hydrogen and had toland on the pack ice.

The explorers were not hurt, but the real andgruelling adventure had now begun: the strug-gle to survive the Arctic. At the Grenna Mu-seum in Sweden, the Polar Centre takes youalong on the challenging and fatal expedition ofAndrée and his two companions. “The Andréeexpedition is really outstanding – it never failsto deliver a captivating adventure and encap-sulates all the essences of a good story: opti-mism, escapism, tragedy and love,” says HåkanJorikson, director at Grenna Museum.

Grenna Museum boasts an exclusive col-lection as well as an important piece ofSwedish polar history, of which Andrée’s polarexpedition is one of the best known. Spectacu-lar images and artefacts such asmeasuring in-struments, a camera, a sleigh and personal

belongings including Andrée’s pipe can be seenat the museum.

For those who really like to relive history, asmall collection of replicas of Andrée’s clothes,including a blazer, two woolen jumpers, an un-dershirt and a ballast bag, can be purchased atthe exhibition. The blazer only comes in 97copies and is embroidered with an ‘A’ across theheart – embroidery which, according to themu-seum, was most likely done by Andrée’s unof-ficial dame, Gurli Linder, a Swedish author andfeminist.

The Grenna Museum also offers insight intomany other expeditions, not only to the Arcticbut also to Antarctica. “It is a very rewardingand exciting time for the museum,” says Jorik-son, “as we are in the midst of planning the ex-pansion of our site to also include more con-temporary collections.”

The first publically-visible result of the re-furbishment will be an exhibition called ‘Refo-tografi’, opening on 10 May. A photography ex-hibition based on Tyrone Martinsson’s researchon historical photography and its resurgencetoday, it will also present lectures on the proj-ect, photography and glaciology. “The images

are aestheticallybeautiful to watch,but also give animportant insightinto the ongoingclimate change.Comparing im-ages from the pastand the present, itbecomes evidenthow the Arctic haschanged withtime, especiallyover the last sixtyto seventy years,” Jorikson explains. Come andsee for yourself.

Cool encounters at Grenna MuseumBy Ulrika Löfdahl | Photos: Mikael Juhlin

For more information, please visit:www.grennamuseum.se

For more information about the RoyalHunt Museum Elk Hill, please visit:www.algensberg.com

Meet the king of the mountainsBy Malin Norman | Photo: The Royal Hunt Museum Elk Hill

Guided Elk Safari

Mondays & Thursdays - 3 July - 21 August 2014

Opening hours

June-Aug Mon-Sun 10.00-18.00

Feb-May Tue-Sun 11.00-16.00

Sep-Dec Tue-Sun 11.00-16.00

January Tue-Fri 11.00-16.00



The Swedish Royal Armoury Museumshowcases coronation items, weapons,and carriages, in all their splendour.Each artefact narrates a part of theSwedish royal history from the 16th cen-tury up until the present time.

The objects are much more than rem-nants from the past, perhaps best exem-plified by the mystery and drama sur-rounding the assassination of Gustav III atthe 1792 masquerade ball.Visitors can catch a glimpseof the king’s dress, bullethole, and the smoking gun.

One of this year’s high-lights includes ‘Maktspel’(‘Power Games’). MalinGrundberg, director at theRoyal Armoury Museum,says: “History is intertwinedwith popular culture throughits depictions of characters

that existed in real life.” The exhibition in-corporates 16th century artefacts withpieces from the HBO TV series Game ofThrones, and Oscar-winning costumesfrom the films Elizabeth and Elizabeth –The Golden Age. The dramas explore thecharacters’ quest for power and love inbrutal wartime.

King Gustav II Adolf fell at the battle ofLützen in 1632, and his war horse, Streiff,attracts throngs of visitors. The handker-

chief that Gustav Adolf’s mourning queen,Maria Eleonora, wrapped his heart in isanother prized possession.

The museum easily holds the atten-tion of its youngest visitors, as children ex-plore armour and try out garments in thePlay & Learn room, or go on guided tourswith the Castle Mouse.

The Royal Armoury Museum incitesthe observer’s imagination, reinventingthe notion of an artefact; every piece be-comes a storytelling device that takes thevisitor on a thrilling journey to the past,while making the connection to contem-

porary life.

When worlds collideBy Maria Malmros | Photos: The Royal Armoury Museum

For more information, please visit:livrustkammaren.se/en

Left: StreiffRight: Erik XIV's Shield

Oslo

GothenburgFrederikshavn

CairnryanBelfast

LiverpoolHolyheadRosslare

DublinDun Laoghaire

Fishguard HarwichHook of Holland

Grenaa KarlskronaVarberg

Kiel Gdynia

Let Stena Line help you take the strain out of driving to Sweden.With a choice of short routes with frequent crossings and longer routes withovernight journeys we can help to make your journey more relaxing and convenient

Onboard our ships you will find a range of facilities all designed to make yourcrossing as comfortable as possible. Remember to book early for our best fares.

Welcome onboard!

www.stenaline.co.uk or call 08447 70 70 70

Drive to Sweden with Stena Line


46 | Issue 62 | March 2014

According to Fitch Ratings in 2011, Fin-land’s economy’s AAA status “is under-pinned by sound public finances, a solidexternal position, high income per capita,demonstrable political and social stabilityand an impeccable debt service record.”Three years on, Finland still has the sametop credit rating.

Finland is a countrywhere everythingworks.Red tape isminimal and according to Trans-parency International, Finland is one of theleast corrupt countries in the world.

Innovative high-tech industries

Finland has established a reputation forinnovative high-tech industries and is thebirthplace of Nokia, formerly the world’sleading mobile phone manufacturer. To-day, the country boasts a strong gamingsector, with highly successful companieslike Rovio and Supercell.

Finland’s power grid is themost reliable inEurope, while the price of electricity isone of the lowest. Google, TelecityGroupand Yandex, among others, have chosenFinland as a secure and cost-effective lo-cation for their data centres.

The relationship between R&D intensityand competitiveness factors is verystrong, and the knowledge transfer be-tween business and academia has beenone of the key factors in Finland’s trackrecord of innovation and economic suc-cess. Finland is also a global leader in en-ergy efficiency, clean industrial pro-cesses, and bioenergy.

Competent professionals and strategiclocation

According to WEF’s recent Global Com-petitiveness Report, Finland has the bestavailability of scientists and engineers in

the world, and they are trained by one ofthe best educational systems globally.

In addition, the country offers a central lo-cation in the expanding markets of North-ern Europe, home to 80 million con-sumers, and provides an ideal entry pointto Russia and the Baltic states.

Finally, the country has highly functionalinfrastructure and modern logistics andcommunications networks. Helsinki Air-port provides the fastest flight connec-tions from Northern Europe to Asia, in-cluding direct flights to many major Asiancities.

A solution-driven countrywith doors open to East and WestAs one of the most open and competitive economies in the world, Finland has established an international reputation for relia-bility and top quality. Finland is ranked the most competitive country in Europe and third overall in the Global CompetitivenessReport 2012.

Text & photo: Finpro

SPECIAL

THEME:

FINLAN

D’SFIN

EST

For more information, please visit:www.finpro.fi


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 47

In this fast-paced, globalised world, tra-ditional approaches to problem-solvingand team-building simply do not cut itanymore. When Eija and Olli-PekkaMäkirintala joined forces, combining theirextensive experience in art-based and sci-entific coaching methodology, they con-ceived AltoGame – the only agile softwareon the market that has been proven toproduce tangible results.

Unlike traditional e-learning solutions,the two games offered by AltoGame aremultipurpose, allowing you to pose real-life business questions yourself or defineyour own vision for new products or serv-ices. By inviting as many of your teammembers, shareholders and customersacross the globe as you like, together youcan play your way to innovative solutions.

Democratising innovation and teamwork“Although gaming elements are involved,it’s more like a virtual environment wheregoal-oriented collaboration takes placeusing elements of social drama,” explainsEija, CEO. “You step into a totally differentspace that enables you to come up withbetter-quality ideas and make better-informed decisions.” In Lateral Galleryplayers walk around a virtual gallery,drawing inspiration from the art to brain-storm out-of-the-box solutions together.Agile Avenue is where you put these ideasinto practice, taking on different roles andtesting out different scenarios, withoutthe added pressure of real consequences.All players remain anonymous and hier-archies do not exist, so everyone is free toexpress themselves and let their imagi-nations run wild.

Rapid idea generationSince their launch last October, thegames have been extremely well received.They are currently being used in an inter-national environmental project in the hopeof uncovering innovative ways to radicallyreduce CO2 emissions. Elsewhere, theyhave been used as a novel alternative tojob satisfaction and focus group surveys.“The director of a software company toldus that after playing the game for just 45minutes, they were able to generate moreideas than they had done in a whole year,”says senior partner Olli-Pekka.

With these unique tools, your businesshas a real opportunity to break the mouldand step ahead. Give the games a go andsee how innovative and agile you can be-come.

WithAltoGame’s pioneering agile tools, your businesswill see not only rapid results, butalso long-term learning gains. Founded in Helsinki, AltoGame brings together all thatFinland is renowned for: creative design, innovative technology and excellent education.

By Stephanie Lovell | Photos: AltoGame

Discover innovative solutions throughvirtual collaboration

AltoGame is something to beexperienced. Try out demo sessions at:www.altogame.com

A director of a software company attested that his team, after playing one of AltoGame’s games for just 45 minutes, was able to generate more ideas than in a whole year.

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Finland’s Finest


48 | Issue 62 | March 2014


Internet and smartphone user, you prob-ably know Foursquare, the social net-working platform where you can check inat different places or add them to yourmap; you can both provide other userswith information and see the informationthey have added. See, especially. But whatif you were not able to see?

That was the starting point for Ilkka Pirt-timaa, CEO of MIPsoft and the innovator ofBlindSquare, in 2012. “A friend of minewas talking about a friend of his, whowould need a mobile application for blindpeople. I started to think about what mo-bile devices would have to offer to theblind,” Pirttimaa explains.

Having been a coder for three decadesand created Apple applications for a cou-ple of years, Pirttimaa started to work on

a location application, all with the blindand visually impaired in mind. The resultwas BlindSquare: an iOS-based applica-tion working like Foursquare but adding avoice. With the help of Foursquare andOpen Street Map crowdsourcing, it givesyou precise, audible guidance of the sur-roundings: the shops, the bus stops, theparks, and more.

Hearing is indeed the sense blind peoplerely on. That is why the ears cannot beblocked by headphones. Thus, the guid-ance is given using bone conduction, aheadset allowing sound to travel via bones.“It is augmented, not replaced, reality,” asPirttimaa puts it. “In the beginning, I did notknow any visually impaired people. Then,when showing the first version of Blind-Square to the Blind People’s Association, Igot lots of tips on how to develop it.”

Thanks to the cooperation with the targetgroup, Pirttimaa was able to create anapplication that found users from thirtydifferent countries in just three weeks.Today, there are users in sixty countries,as well as dozens of testers from twentydifferent countries who try the upcomingversion, giving feedback and helping Pirt-timaa to make the application even better.

In just two years, BlindSquare has gained150 new features. “For example, basedon the feedback, BlindSquare got a simu-lation feature. It carefully describes thechosen area, even in a different country.As such, users don’t need to be afraid ofnew places, because they know them al-ready,” says Pirttimaa, promising that yetmore features are still to come.

The first evermobile application for the visually impaired, using crowdsourcing, Blind-Square describes the environment where you are and where you are about to go.

By Karoliina Kantola | Photos: Viljami Pirttimaa

Find and feel the places– without seeing them

Formore information, please visit:blindsquare.com


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 49


You need a carpet for a certain space,but there is a problem: a column right inthemiddle. What to do?With its bespokecreations, VM-Carpet has the solution.The motto of this family-run company isto only create rugs “that find their placein the world.”

VM-Carpet saw the light of day in 1973 inthe small town of Lappajärvi, Finland.

The company has remained true to itsroots and, with a workforce of 33, is oneof the town’s most important employ-ers.

The rugs are now sold all over Fin-land and abroad, but success has notchanged the fact that VM-Carpet is runwith a lot of heart. Among the core val-ues are joy and inventiveness. “We arepeople-oriented and care greatly about

our employees and customers,” explainsmarketing manager Jaana Saarela.

The company boasts a versatile col-lection of readymade rugs, made usingnatural materials such as wool, paperyarn, linen and cotton. “The idea is tocreate very durable rugs with materialsfrom renewable sources,” says Saarela.

VM-Carpet enthusiastically promotesFinnish design and has a string of pres-tigious collaborations and awards to itsname. The Design Deed of the Year 2013was given in recognition of the com-pany’s co-operation with Finnish de-signers and for keeping the carpet pro-duction local.

Products include bespoke carpets aswell as rugs for every room of the house.The range varies from the discreetly el-egant to the colourfully whimsical, withcut-out geometric shapes one of its de-sign trademarks.

If you are craving some sweet stuff withwhich to brighten up your accessorisingroutine, look no further. Makea Elämäjewellery has it all for you.

Heli Vihervaara first started experiment-ing with polymer clay while studying to bean artisan. Her children’s aunt was intoJapanesemanga role-playing and neededsome colourful gear. Inspired by the cute,unconventional accessories seen in Asianmagazines, Vihervaara started makingjewellery shaped like different types ofsweets.

Upon graduation in 2010, Vihervaaraestablished her company, Makea Elämä(Sweet Life), and her clientele now ex-tends from babies to grannies. “One 85-year-old lady came to my shop and pickedup pink liquorice earrings to wear to adance event, in the hope that they wouldencourage the gents,” says the designer.

A frequent reaction to Vihervaara’swork is a wide smile and a watery mouth.The designer herself cures her sweettooth regularly by designing somethingnew. “To be able to capture the essence ofa particular sweet, I’ll go to a bakery, pur-chase some yummies to design by, and fi-nally, of course, eat them,” she smiles.

When she is not developing new de-signs, Vihervaara runs workshops – apopular number at girls’ birthday parties.“My design is a little rebellious as it en-courages you to have fun, and that’s prob-ably the reason it attracts people from dif-ferent walks of life. It’s delightful to seebusiness women in high-up places add asweet little twist to their uniform with myaccessories.”

Sweet little rebellionBy Anna Taipale | Photos: Makea Elämä

For more information, please visit:www.makeaelama.fi

A rug for all seasonsVM-Carpet combines great design with plenty of heartBy Joanna Nylund | Photos: VM-Carpet

For more information, please visit:vm-carpet.fi


50 | Issue 62 | March 2014

The Raks, Marja and Jonas, soon relo-cated from Helsinki to his home town ofJakobstad on the west coast. As the fam-ily grew and settled, Marja picked up theold dream of starting her own fashionbrand. Once the decision was made, onething quickly led to another. In 2003,Noolan was asked to set up its first fash-ion show for a local boat manufacturerentertaining wealthy international guests.

“I only had a few pieces finished when Iaccepted to do the show, and about threemonths to get ready. The night before, Iwas up very late putting the finishing

touches to everything, and that’s when Inoticed that a seam on one of the trouserswas sewn wrong. I thought, ‘I’m just tootired to fix it now, no one is going to no-tice.’ But after the show, an American ladywanted to buy those very trousers andtake them home with her! I happily cor-rected the seam,” Marja smiles.

The show’s positive reception confirmedthat Marja was on the right path. “I haddone some scouting already, here andabroad, and really begun to see that noone else was doing the same thing,” shesays.

The whole family supported the ventureinto full-scale fashion design, and theRaks began their creative partnership.Jonas Rak is responsible for the look ofthe brand, takes photographs and runsthe website alongside his job as a graphicdesign teacher.

It is only natural

The fish skins may be a thing of the pastfor Marja, but Noolan is still a brand thatprides itself on using natural materials,local production and sustainable devel-opment. If not found in Finland, the mate-rials used – linen, felt, boiled wool – are

Back in the 1990s, a young fashion student met a future graphic designer, and sparks, both romantic and creative, flew. The bud-ding fashion designer was Marja Rak, who caused a stir at design school with her creations made from fish skin. They won her ascholarship, early esteem and a bright future as a versatile fashion designer. Leaving the fish behind, Marja now runs success-ful Finnish fashion brand Noolan together with her husband.

By Joanna Nylund | Photos: Noolan

That sweet northerly wind– a fresh breeze in Finnish fashion

Having caused a stir at design school with creations made of fish skin, Marja Rak now runs fashion label Noolan, a brand taking issue with the buy-today-toss-tomor-row culture of today’s fashion world and insisting on creating garments in a wide range of sizes.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 51


sourced from elsewhere in Europe. Andthe environmentally-conscious aspectgoes deeper than that. “Our design istimeless. We create clothes that work har-moniously together and last a long time,allowing you to mix and match with newpieces. New products should meet arecognised need. We are strongly againstthe current buy-now-toss-tomorrowmen-tality,” says Marja.

Marja affectionately calls Noolan ‘thefourth child of the family’, and it is clearthat running a fashion brand takes somemotherly dedication. Vivacious and en-thusiastic, Marja designs everything her-self and it is her vision that lies behind the‘Noolan look’ – well-cut, asymmetric linesin a soft Nordic palette of greys, whitesand neutrals. New models are releasedtwice a year, in addition to a line of peren-nially popular classics.

A wind from the north

‘Noolan’ is the name of the cold northernwind in the local Swedish dialect, and na-ture plays a big part in the brand identity.“Noolan is the roughness of the Finnishlandscape, the high skies, beacheswhipped by the wind, seaweed, the openfields, a scent of tar, autumn storms,snow and the four seasons…” The coastalway of life serves as inspiration, as doesthe typically Nordic aesthetic of pure,clean lines. “It may be a cliché but it’s stilltrue: less is more. People ask us some-times why we don’t do colours. I always

respond that there are others who do anddo it well, but Noolan looks like this.”

Judging by the accolades received, whatNoolan looks and feels like is widely ap-preciated. In 2005, the company won firstprize in the Finnish Association of De-signers’ ecological intelligence competi-tion. 2010 was a landmark year of recog-nition, as Noolan received the CraftsEntrepreneur Prize, the Taito Award, andthe prestigious Finland Prize, awarded bythe state for exceptional creative work.Noolan has also been awarded the Artand Design Quality Label, a hallmark ofhigh-quality design.

Sizing it up

In another step away from the fashionnorm, Noolan creations come in a widerange of sizes – from 3XS to 5XL. All pro-duction is centred around a team of highly

skilled artisans in the nearby town ofKokkola.

There are concept stores in Helsinki,Rovaniemi and Jakobstad, and retailersin close to ten countries. The US retailmarket is ever-growing. So what is next?“Conquering Europe on a broad scale,”says Marja. “We have retailers in manyEuropean countries, but there is potentialfor more.”

In the meantime, it is full speed ahead asusual, at home and abroad. If the passionof Marja Rak is anything to go buy, Noolanwill have a bright future indeed.

For more information, please visit:noolan.com

Founder and head designer Marja Rak


52 | Issue 62 | March 2014


How do you know that a photo was takenin the ’80s or ’90s? By the hair, the make-up and perhaps especially the clothespeople wear. Few of us wear clothes sim-ilar to what we did a couple of decadesago, and why should we? New fabrics andcuts make life so much more convenient.But there is one area of life where therehas not been much of improvement in re-gards to clothes: workwear. Nurses, doc-tors, cooks, cleaners, waiters, dentists –they are all expected to wear the same un-comfortable and unflattering cotton-polyester uniforms as in the last century.

“If you spend one third of your day inscrubs, shouldn’t they feel comfortable

andmaybe even stylish?” asks Anu Kivelä.She and her business partner, TainaSteiner, run the successful workwear de-sign and manufacturing companyMedanta, specialising in workwear for thehealthcare industry. Kivelä and Steinerstarted their Helsinki-based company in2008, when they realised that there was ademand for a new kind of workwear – forsomething that would actually work. Andit would not hurt if the clothes lookedgood, too.

Combining style with practicality

Both women feel strongly about the im-portance of workwear being, above all,functional. “The nursing profession is de-

manding, physically and mentally. Youhave to be able to kneel and lift and reachout without your clothes restricting you.But if the clothes are too big, they get inthe way or get stuck on some doorknob,”says Kivelä.

Medanta has solved this problem by find-ing inspiration and material solutionsfrom another area of life where clotheshave to be high-performing: sportswear.Stretch materials give the wearer thefreedom to lift arms and legs, stretch andkneel as needed. Yet, the shape of thegarments always returns to its originalstate. This enables the patterns to be fit-ted and always perfect in size. “Flatteringclothes naturally boost your self-esteem.You can feel good in clothes that work foryou,” says Kivelä. So, as a by-product offunctionality comes aesthetic value.“There is a high demand for well-trainedhealthcare professionals. If the pay is thesame, sometimes the choice between twosurgeries or hospitals comes down to theworkwear provided.”

When designing workwear, style is defi-nitely an important factor at Medanta. But,in the practical Finnish way, Kivelä andSteiner think stylish clothes also need tobe easy to care for. “For example, in thehospitals the clothes need to be washedvery often. It is vitally important that thetextiles can bear harsh industrial washingand then drying in up to 150°C,” saysKivelä. “Zippers, logos, all the little de-tailing – everything has to be microbio-logically clean. But with our new high-tech fabric innovations we can speed up

Finnish Medanta produces world-class workwear for demanding professions, espe-cially in the healthcare industry. Medanta believes that with high-tech workwear it ispossible to feel good, look good and make your company look good, too.

By Mia Halonen | Photos: Medanta

Stretch, do not stress– workwear can work for you

Medanta is adamant that the right kind of workwear can work not only for a safer, more comfortable work en-vironment, but also to improve employee satisfaction and strengthen the company’s brand.

Taina Steiner and Anu Kivelä


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 53

the cleaning process and even make itmore ecological.”

Saving lives with textiles

Medanta’s innovative ideas include usingeffective anti-bacterial treatments for fab-rics. This could save bothmoney and lives,and inmore ways than one. Obviously, doc-tors and nurses wearing anti-bacterialworkwear promotes hygiene, but oftenhospital patients, too, find the hospitalclothes so uncomfortable that they wouldrather wear their own clothes, thus takingdangerous viruses and bacteria like MRSAback into their homes. If all hospital textileswere comfortable, good-looking and anti-bacterial, the savings could be massive.

Luckily, many hospitals and clinics in Fin-land and increasingly around the worldhave realised the benefits of usingMedanta products. The young companyhas doubled its revenue every year. Thehard work put into research and develop-ment with experts in different fields – in-cluding nurses, patients and laundry spe-cialists – has paid off. Medanta Flex andMedanta Knit embody the very pinnacle oftextile technology.

Next: international food industry wear

Next, Medanta wants to expand into thefood industry and restaurant wear seg-ment. “If you think about the challengingsituations chefs face daily between thehot stove and cold freezer, you can un-derstand why they need special workwear.Different finishes could help keep theclothes spotless, too,” Kivelä points out.

Whatever the field, Medanta workwearcan be tailored to the client’s companyimage, assures Kivelä. “Smart companiesunderstand what potent media profes-sional workwear are. If your employeeslook good and feel good, it sends out astrong message. Every employee repre-sents the company. You only have onechance to make a first impression –wouldn’t you like for it to be professional,stylish and approachable?”

For more information, please visit:www.medantaglobal.com



54 | Issue 62 | March 2014


Take a look at any picture book about Fin-land and you will see the breathtakingscenery of North Carelia. Here, close tothe Russian border, the clear lakes shim-mer between the evergreen trees growingon beautiful hillsides. This now-peacefulenvironment was once the scene of dra-matic events that produced soapstone.

2.2 billion years ago, as the continentalblocks collided, nine-kilometre-highmountains were rising and huge air pock-ets were forming underneath them. Fluid,volcanic stone was filling those pockets. Itis hard to imagine the enormous pressureand heat, which was only to be followed bythe huge masses of continental ice of the

two Ice Ages; the sheer force even levelledthe mountains. In the process, all air waspressed away from the stone, so there arepractically no pores at all in the kind ofsoapstone that can only be found here.This gives the Finnish soapstone greatqualities of reserving energy.

For gourmands and spa fans“The fact that soapstone can handle hotfire and freezing cold equally well makesit excellent for preparing and storing food– especially since it does not absorb anyliquids or flavours,” says managing direc-tor of Hukka Design, Seppo Raijas. “Withthe Paistone individual frying stone youcan cook your steak just the way you wantit, while keeping your wine at the perfecttemperature with the Carafina winecooler.” No wonder that even French gour-mands are raving about the Hukka Gour-met line. All in all, Hukka designs are ex-ported to 23 countries and Hukka is theworld’s leading manufacturer of smallsoapstone items.

Raijas certainly has many reasons to beproud of the 30-year-old company. “Wetruly have a one-of-a-kind material towork with here. People at Hukka are ex-ceptionally dedicated, and every year wecome up with several new products.” Per-sonally, Raijas has lately been most en-thusiastic about the Harmony therapystones for the body and eyes. “They can behot or cold, depending on your needs.Everybody needs a little pampering.”Now that the secret is out, there seem tobe no limits for the soapstone market.Luckily, Hukka is not running out of thenatural material anytime soon.

The look of the innovative Hukka Design products is contemporary, but the materialcertainly is old – more than 2.2 billion years old, to be precise. Sleek soapstonekeeps your steak hot, your drink cold and your body relaxed.

By Mia Halonen | Photos: Hukka Design

Hot and cold

For more information, please visit:www.hukka.fi/eng

Using a kind of soapstone over 2.2 billion years old, Hukka Design creates items to keep your steak hot, yourdrinks cool, and your mind peaceful.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 55


The Finns are lucky, as the oats growing intheir fields are known for their extremelyhigh quality. The secret? The harsh, Nordicclimate: cold winters with long nights andwarm, sunny summers with plenty of lightand nights so short you will barely noticethem.

Exporting the goodness of oats

But there is good news for those living else-where, too: Finland is exporting its specialoats. In fact, the country is one of the biggestproducers of oats in the world, and leadingthe processing of organic grains is a com-pany calledHelsinkiMills. In 1934, the com-pany was founded in Helsinki by EdwardPuhk, one of five brothers related to a fa-mousEstonian family ofmillers. The roots ofthe company date as far back as the 1600s.“Clean and pure raw materials make thefoundation of everything we do,” saysMiska

Kuusela,managingdirector ofHelsinkiMills.“Andbeing environmentally-friendly is in ourDNA: our flakes are producedwithout fossilfuel and we use green electricity in our Jär-venpää factory.”

In addition to pure, locally-grown rawmate-rials, Helsinki Mills is proud of the com-pany’s solid milling expertise and state-of-the-art technology. Its innovative researchand development team is continuously de-veloping new delicious and healthy organicand conventional products for the food in-dustry and its consumers.

An organicmaster

It may already be the biggest player in or-ganic grain processing in Finland, but that isnot stopping Helsinki Mills from going fur-ther. “We want to grow and become evenbetter. We are undergoing a process of ex-

pansion and have given our internationalbrand a hugemakeover,” Kuusela explains.Besides oat-derived products, the companyspecialises in the production of tailor-madewheat, rye, and barley products. And onemore thing about that other trendy word –organic. For Helsinki Mills, it is no novelty.The company has two decades of experi-ence of organic food processing,making it amaster in the field.

Super food.Organic food.Whowouldnotwant togo for super food thesedays?Weallwantto knowwhat is good for us andwhat is not – butwhat youmost likely did not know is thatoat is a super food.High in fibre, protein andminerals, it is a super friend you justmust getto know.

By Aija Salovaara | Photos: Helsinki Mills

Super oat – a gift from Finland to the world

For more information, please visit:www.helsinginmylly.fi

Finland is one of the biggest producers of oats in the world, and Helsinki Mills is heading up the country’s grain processing development.


56 | Issue 62 | March 2014

At the moment, Ignatius is pushing outher new line of hospital wear for childrenaged 0-3 years. The line is a natural con-tinuation of her original hospital wear col-lection for premature babies.

Eight years ago, Ignatius returned to Fin-land after a 15-year career working as adesigner for well-known design compa-nies in Paris, London, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydneyand Edinburgh. When she fell pregnant,she was dreaming of a two-month paidholiday planting flowers, while expecting.

Things did not quite go according to plan.In the summer of 2007, Ignatius wasrushed into hospital to give birth throughemergency C-section; her first child wasborn nine weeks premature. The newmother was afraid, helpless and scared todress or let alone touch the little one cov-ered with tubes, because she did not wantto hurt her baby. She recalls thinking:“Who on earth designs unpractical cloth-ing that gets stuck in tubes, hurting thebaby and causing infections?” She couldnot understand why the labels had to be

on the inside of clothes, irritating the ex-tremely delicate baby skin. Moreover, shewas puzzled by the lack of clothing solu-tions that could be adjusted and extendedaccording to the quick growth of babies.

Life kept challenging Ignatius. She sepa-rated from her daughter’s father, andwhen planning to return to work, whenher daughter was a year and a half , shefound that she had no job to return to. Itwas there and then that she decided: “Youknow what, I’m going to start designingsmarter clothing for all babies, whether inhospital or not. This can become some-thing good and revolutionary.”

A graphic designer for brands and logos,she had an eye for design. However, she

Nina Ignatius, CEO and founder of Beibamboo Oy, has come a long way from the help-less mother watching hospital staff taking care of her prematurely born baby, to be-ing listed by Forbes as one of 40 Women to Watch over 40.

By Christina Toimela | Photos: Beibamboo Oy

Started baby wear revolution– got mentioned in Forbes


In addition to offering a baby clothing product without irritating seams and labels inside the garments, Beibamboo also helps parents save some money as the clothingsizes are extendable.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 57


had to learn the skills of clothing designand sewing techniques. In 2009, Ignatiusstarted up her Beibamboo Oy business inHelsinki, and in the spring of 2010 shestarted trading.

Extendable sizes

“As a parent, I wanted something smart,easy to put on and long-lasting,” says thedesigner. With the aim of the items beinglong-lasting, she did not only go for thematerials and sewing techniques but alsothe design of adjustable sizes, in orderfor babies not to grow out of their clothesso quickly. While babies normally gothrough five or six different sizes in theirfirst year alone, with BEIBAMBOO® ex-tendable sizes, they only have to gothrough three or four. The changing size ismade possible with built-in size adjust-ment: for example, the babygrow has adouble row of poppers and both thesleeves and the trouser legs can befolded.

Irritation-free clothing

To avoid scratching delicate baby skin, theBEIBAMBOO® labels are all on the outside,and the logo ribbon shows the cover seamthat is smooth against the skin. In addi-tion, the babygrow has fold-over mitts thatprevent babies scratching themselves withsharp nails, and all poppers and zips arenickel free in order to prevent any irritation.

Organic bamboo

Ignatius says that since becoming amother, she has started thinking moreabout her responsibility of preserving theenvironment for her daughter. BEIBAM-BOO® clothing is all naturally white toprevent harm to water systems by usingchemical colouring. The materials areOEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified,meaning that they are free from toxinsand chemicals.

The BEIBAMBOO® products are madeusing a combination of 50 per cent bam-boo and 50 per cent organic GOTS certi-fied cotton jersey. Ignatius discoveredbamboo as a material when she fell inlove with her new, soft and fluffy towels.She was glad to find that the bamboo usedby the textile industry is not the same as

the kind pandas eat, and that it can growwithout fertilisers and extra irrigation,making it more environmentally-friendly.

The world is the limit

One in ten babies is born prematurely,and babies under the age of three have150 million patient days due to accidentsand other hospital visits. Beibamboo iscurrently concentrating moving from theFinnish market into the EU market. Ig-natius has a shop in Helsinki andBEIBAMBOO® children’s wear is sold atStockmann department stores in bothFinland and Latvia. The online storewauwaa.com will soon be selling theproducts in the UK, and South Korea,Denmark, Sweden and Russia are open-ing their markets soon, too. It seems theworld is the limit.

The biggest lesson the mother and de-signer has learnt so far is to protect one’sdesign. She has already discovered themost serious form of flattery for her de-sign – copy cats.

For more information, please visit:beibamboo.com

SPECIAL OFFERfor Scan Magazine readers!€10 off – introductory offer for the 60first Scan Magazine readers.

Use discount code SCAN at checkout.

Valid until end of May 2014 or untilcoupons run out. One coupon percustomer.


58 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Friends of Finnish Handicraft has a longline of famous artists and designers whohave worked with them, among thempainter Akseli Gallen-Kallela and architectEliel Saarinen. The Liekki-ryijy rug, de-signed by Gallen-Kallela, became thesymbol of Finnish romanticism, whichwas on show for the first time at the ParisWorld Fair in 1900. “Still today, the com-pany works closely with renowned artistssuch as Paola Suhonen and Klaus Haa-paniemi,” explains Sirpa Linnanmäki, thenew managing director of Friends ofFinnish Handicraft.

Besides being visually pleasing, ryijy rugsoffer a number of practical functions;businesses often use them in their lobbies

as acoustic textiles. Regular customersof Friends of Finnish Handicraft also in-clude the Finnish police, who get theirsleeve badges custom-made, as well asthe Finnish defence forces who order anumber of pennants and flags from them.“At the moment we are working on a tex-tile piece for the Finnish Parliament, andeven the Finnish President has some ofour pieces at his official residential villa inHelsinki,” Linnanmäki adds excitedly.

“I feel like we have succeeded in our mis-sion of preserving this art form: Finnishryijy rugs are becoming increasingly pop-ular and we have seen a boom in the saleof ryijy rug making kits.” A reason for thisis the fact that ryijy rugs are fairly easy to

make, in addition to the popularity of sus-tainable high-endmaterials. “Maybe thereis an element of the rejection of a throw-away culture whereby the younger gener-ation is trying to reach out for somethingwith a little more value and meaning,”Linnanmäki ponders.

Linnanmäki’s aim is to put Finnish textileart on the world map. The company is in-vesting in marketing the ryijy rug abroad,with opportunities arising in the USA andJapan.

It seems clear that the days when handi-craft was reserved for grannies in rockingchairs are long gone, and what Friends ofFinnish Handicraft is aiming for is to createan experience product – something thatwill appeal to people’s different senses. “Atthe moment we are working on a 3D ryijyrug: it is soft and fuzzy, and although it isindeed art, it is verymuchmade to be usedand touched,” says Linnanmäki.

Friends of Finnish Handicraft (Suomen Käsityön Ystävät), founded in 1879, is one ofthe leading Scandinavian promoters of textiles and hand-made ryijy rugs, which arehung on walls as pieces of art.

By Ndéla Faye | Photos: Friends of Finnish Handicraft

High-end interior décortextiles from Finland

For more information, please visit:www.kasityonystavat.fi/en/frontpage

Also visit the webshop:www.kasityonystavat.fi/fi/verkkokauppa




The brain behind this innovative solution is Ai-dine’s founder and owner, Henna-Mari Nyblom,who has over ten years of international busi-ness design experience, several of them withNokia. She came up with the idea for the iPadholder while working in her kitchen. “I neededa practical solution for keeping my iPad awayfrom the children while freeing my workspace.When I could not find a durable and smart so-lution, I decided to create onemyself,” explainsNyblom.

The beautifully-crafted iPad holder is made ofanodised aluminium and can be attached tothe bottom of any horizontal surface, such asan overhead cupboard or shelf. A clip foldsdown to hold an iPad at a convenient height andviewing-angle while you cook. The clip can thenbe folded up with the iPad still attached to pro-tect it from any potential mess in the kitchen.

The device is produced in Finland and is com-patible with iPad 2, 3, and Air with an adapter.

Aidine is looking to produce more innovativekitchen solutions in the future, and is alreadyexploring several new opportunities. The iPadholder is available for €179 from Stockmanndepartment stores in Finland, and can also bepurchased from Aidine’s online shop.

Innovative Finnish design for your kitchen

ORDER YOUR OWN Aidine iPad holderfor €179 at shop.aidine.fi, using thecode SCAN to get free delivery.

There is finally a solution for dough-covered iPads cluttering your cooking space.Finnish company Aidine has designed a stylish iPad holder that allows you to easilyview internet recipes and cooking videos, and Skype with friends, while freeing yourhands to bake some Nordic delights.

By Sanna Halmekoski | Photos: Tor Ivar Boine

For more information, please visit:www.aidine.fi

Email: [email protected]: +358 (0)10 5810680

Scan Events specialises in the design, planning and management ofcorporate entertainments, exhibitions, conferences and meetings.

Our services include:

• Creativity and content• Locating venue and vendors• Budget planning and development• Negotiating rates• Invitations• Entertainment• VIP assistance• Arranging speakers• Design and production of printed material• AV and technical support• On-line delegate registration

Our approach to successful conference planning is simple:we always put our clients in the front seat.

CONTACT US TODAY!Phone +44 (0)870 933 0423Email [email protected] or visit www.scanevents.co.uk

2


60 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Ever tasted Norwegian mutton? Availablein two qualities, traditional and aged, theNorwegian speciality of cured leg of mut-ton comes enhanced by herbs and spices,berries and honey, and the knowledge andexpertise behind the delicacy has beenpassed down through generations, mostlikely from as far back as the Viking Age.Now considered a real gem of Norwegianculinary heritage, mutton leg curing isparticularly well-suited to the Norwegianclimate and topography, so much so thatthe term ‘cured leg of mutton’ (‘fenalår’ inNorwegian) now puts demands on the rawmaterials used as well as the formulation,processing and inspection undertaken.

Another delicacy that is Norwegianthrough and through is stockfish, or ‘tørr-fisk’, recently very much in demand atgourmet restaurants and the like. Histor-ically, the fish was particularly important

during Lent, when the Catholic Churchprohibited the consumption of meat, buttoday it has become somewhat of a sym-bol for the Lofoten area, an important ex-port product sent in particular to Italy.Produced by hanging cod out to dry in theopen air, stockfish gets its characteristicqualities from a combination of the righthanging time, drying time, temperature,humidity and wind – conditions known tobe ideal in Lofoten between February andJune.

Fenalår and tørrfisk alike are crucial cor-nerstones of Norwegian food culture. Pre-serving the traditions behind the produc-tion of such delicacies is key tomaintaining the unique tastes of Norway,and through a number of quality assur-ance labels and systems, Matmerk hasmade this its mission.

Matmerk is the Norwegian food labelling and agriculture assurance foundation thatworks with quality management and communication of the origin and quality offood products towards one clear goal: to enhance the competitiveness of Norwegianfood production.

By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Matmerk

The unique taste of Norway

For more information, please visit:www.matmerk.no

Among Matmerk’s most important labelsand quality assurance systems are:

KSLMatmerk’s own purpose-developed qualityassurance system for the monitoring ofagricultural production, documentingindustry compliance with laws andregulations, and monitoring food safety andanimal welfare standards.

NYT NORGELabel that helps consumers identifyNorwegian produce in the supermarket,currently endorsing some 2,000 products.

SpesialitetAnother of Matmerk’s recognised labels,with 200 products getting the stamp ofapproval that promises consumers a tasteexperience beyond the ordinary.

Beskyttet BetegnelseThe Protected Designation Scheme is apublic scheme that provides legal protectionfor food items with close links to a particulargeographical area or traditional heritage.

SPECIAL

THEME:

A TASTEOFNORW

AY


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 61

The food scene of Norway in the 21st cen-tury is under strong influence by otherEuropean cuisines, most of all that of theMediterranean, but also very much theAsian kitchen. However, traditional Nor-wegian dishes based on local ingredientsstill make the foundation in Norwegianhouseholds and restaurants.

Compared to other European cuisines, thetraditional Norwegian one is among thehealthiest of them all, with high con-sumption of wholegrain, limited use ofsugar and saturated fats, and lots of fishand seafood products. Meat consumptionhas increased in the last decade, butmainly of poultry, and the import of new,exotic fruits and vegetables helps Norwe-gians meet their vitamin C need.

But most of all, Norwegian cuisine ishealthy because it is based on a culturewhere food is served as meals and eatentogether with friends and family. Shiftingdemographics and sociographics have notyet altered this tradition, and the Norwe-gian ‘matpakke’ (packed lunch) withhomemade sandwiches and milk is stillconsumed daily in togetherness at school

and in workplaces by more than 40 percent of the Norwegian population.

Did you know…

… that Norwegian eggs are salmonella-free, and that you can safely eat them raw?… that Norwegian mutton is tenderer andtastessweeter thanmostmuttonelsewhere?… that Norwegian salmon is preferred bysushi chefs worldwide?… that the Norwegian cloudberry is an ex-otic product highly appreciated by gour-met chefs?

Norwegian cuisine is largely driven by local ingredients and the seasonal variationsthe changing Norwegian climate brings. Cold and fresh seas provide a great varietyof high-quality fish and seafood, and short but warm and sunny summers bring for-est berries and provide food for grazing livestock, while freezing winters open up fora world of game that feeds on whatever nature did not cover in snow.

Text & photos: Matprat

A taste of Norway:Fresh, honest and healthy

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway

For more information, please visit:www.matprat.no


62 | Issue 62 | March 2014


While Brazil and Spain are known for theirbacalao, few might be aware that Norwayhas its own equivalent, ‘klippfisk’, evenconsidered to be of the best in the world.Klippfisk might be what you are offered ifyou ask for something typically Norwe-gian.

Cured and dried

Never heard of it? The Norwegian bacalaois usually made from cod, but sometimesalso from pollock and tusk. Worth notingis how it is prepared: unlike stockfish, aperhaps more well-known Scandinaviandish, klippfisk gets is flavours from aprocess of curing as well as drying.

For the three brothers who currently runthe family business, quality is prioritised

over quantity, a business strategy thathas secured them appraisal from the foodindustry, awarding them Best Bacalaotwice.

From delicacy to daily use

Through the years, klippfisk has gonefrom being part of an everyday diet tosomething served at rare occasions. Butthat seems to be about to change: modernNorwegian cuisine is all about embracingthe past and the traditional, putting thetraditional fish dish back on the menu.

The Dybvik family has been perfecting itsrecipes for 90 years and is adamant in re-introducing the traditional dish to becomepart of modern Norwegian cuisine. Thecompany has for the past year been work-

ing with a chef to further develop its foodline, resulting in a prestigious award forBest Food Product of the Year.

It is said that a woman needs to compose 365 bacalao dishes before she is ready tomarry. For those who feel ready to get hitched, Ålesund, the bacalao capital of Nor-way, might be a good place to go. Here, Jakob & Johan Dybvik AS has perfectedrecipes for three generations.

By Anette Berve | Photos: Jakob & Johan Dybvik AS

For the love of bacalao

For more information, please visit:www.dybvik.no

‘Klippfisk’ is:

… a traditional Norwegian dish… usually made from cod… cured and dried for 4-5 weeks… very versatile and can be pan-fried,stewed, boiled, oven-baked or usedin soup.

Dybvik’s sashimi bacalao– a starter with wow factor!

Cut fine slices of bacalao loins andsoak for 30 minutes to remove excesssalt. When serving, all it needs is adrizzle of good extra virgin olive oil or aherb dressing. Finish with a sprinkle offreshly-ground pepper and a squeezeof lime juice.

According to tradition, a woman needs to compose 365 bacalao dishes before she is ready to marry. Norwegian klippfisk producer Jakob & Johan Dybvik AS has thesolution for those keen to tie the knot.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 63


Reisa is known as the world’s northern-most syrup factory, and even though thecompany started out by producing allkinds of local foods back in 1997, it todayswears by simplicity. With its range ofsyrups and jams, Reisa focuses on creat-ing the distinguished, pure flavours of thenorthern environment – which is exactlywhy it tastes so good after a day outside,Fjellheim explains. “The real taste of Nor-way for me is pure and clean,” says Fjell-heim. “Theminute you put the food in yourmouth, you know what you are getting.”

Fjellheim, who has previously worked withherbal cosmetics, took over as manager

of Reisa two years ago. Going from herbsto syrups and jams was not as big a leapas you might think, she explains, addingthat working with nature’s own ingredi-ents has always been a passion of hers.“Northern Norway is truly beautiful, andwe want to mirror that in the productsthat we create and sell,” she says.

As a reflection of the high mountains andgreen, open landscapes of a proud mu-nicipality on the northernmost tip of acountry known for its astonishing nature,the products from Reisa are based en-tirely on local berries harvested in a re-markable atmosphere.

Fjellheim says that it fascinates her tosee cloudberries, a distinctive berry onlyfound in the northern hemisphere, beingpraised by tourists as exotic and oriental.Reisa sells more cloudberry products toNorthern Norway’s visitors than any otherflavour. “Then again,” she says, “theymight actually be the best. Cloudberriesare unusual in other parts of the worldand visitors find it very interesting – not tomention how good it tastes.”

Whether you do it the American way bypouring syrup over a stack of pancakes oruse it to spice up your everyday sauces,Fjellheim promises a food experience thatis pure, exotic if you like, and a true re-flection of Norway. “And, if you don’t likecooking – the syrup tastes fantastic on icecream,” she smiles.

Home cooking, or ‘husmannskost’ as the Norwegians would call it, is the best wayto describe Norwegian cuisine and the country’s long-standing food traditions. LindaFjellheim, whose last name translates as ‘mountain wilds’, loves the curvy andever-changing northern nature and reveals that if you want to impress her, all youneed is a meal prepared from fresh Norwegian commodities – preferably with anadded dash of her company’s very own syrup – ready on the table when she comeshome after a day out in the wild.

By Camilla Huuse | Photos: Sverre Jarild / Reisa AS

Experience the taste of Norway in a bottleof locally-produced syrup

For more information, please visit:www.reisa.no


64 | Issue 62 | March 2014

The story of Eldhus starts with the famousTiriltunga sausage in 1932. As Eldhus’sfirst ever product, it became the begin-ning of a successful company in the smallvillage of Evanger in Western Norway. 80years later, Tiriltunga is still a popularproduct within a growing product range.“We produce traditional, Norwegian meatproducts you won’t find outside of Nor-way,” says factory manager Bente Hes-jedal Sundheim. Today, Eldhus produces arange of sausages, one of the most popu-lar being the Vossakorv. In 2013, it receivedpositive recognition from Matmerk, theNorwegian Food Branding Foundation, forits charismatic taste and excellent quality.Along with various sausages, Eldhus alsoproduces and sells ‘Pinnekjøtt’ (ribs oflamb or mutton, salted and dried) and‘Smalahåve’ (roasted sheep’s head).

The tradition of salt-cured meat is deeplyrooted in the community of Evanger, andEldhus is set on keeping these traditionsalive for years to come. In true Norwegianfashion, the meat is smoked in old-fashioned smokehouses from the 1930s.Eldhus has a total of five smokehousessplit into twelve different rooms. Themethod itself is fairly straightforward: themeat is hung from the ceiling over anopen fire, and seasoned with salt and pep-per. However, it takes years of experienceto get the process right and ensure the fullflavor and quality that Eldhus is so fa-mous for. A number of things have to betaken into consideration, such as the timeof year, temperature, wind and humidity.“One thing is for sure, you can’t go toschool to learn how to smoke meat theold-fashioned way. This is definitely a case

of learning by doing. Our employees haveyears of experience and are experts intheir field,” says Sundheim.

Despite building their company on old tra-ditions, Sundheim and her employeesmake sure to stay on top of the latest de-velopments within the cured-meat indus-try. They believe that in order for traditionsto survive they have to be developed andrenewed with time. “We hope to be asource of inspiration for other countries,just like their traditions have inspired us,”finishes Sundheim.

Selling a range of traditional Norwegian meat products, Eldhus is built on long-standing traditions and great craftsmanship. The art of smoking meat is not some-thing anyone can master, but with the experienced employees at Eldhus in charge,you are always guaranteed excellent quality.

By Kjersti Westeng | Photos: Eldhus

Keeping the traditions alive

For more information, please visit:www.eldhus.no


Left and right: The employees at Eldhus have years of experience and are experts in their field. Top middle: Old smokehouses from the 1930s. Bottom middle: Thetradition of salt-cured meat is deeply rooted in the local community of Evanger.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 65

Around by Waltercio Caldas. Photo: Erlend Haarberg Untitled by Tony Cragg. Photo: Terje Rakke/Nordic Life

Reinrot, or leuzea in English, is also agenus of flowering plants in the daisy fam-ily. “For over a thousand years, leuzea hasbeen a source of energy for physical andmental strength,” Haraldstad elaborates.“Mongolian warriors took leuzea before

going to war and reputedly they did quitea good job of it,” he continues.

“For that extra energy boost, you can takeone or two teaspoons of Reinrot withbreakfast or lunch and mix it with warm,but not boiling, water or juice,” he ex-plains. “It really works for professionals,students or anyone going through stress-ful periods at work, school or in life ingeneral.”

‘Always knew I had a farmer in me’

One may wonder how a former airline in-dustry executive ended up producing andselling an energy drink based on an Arc-tic root originally enjoyed by reindeer inwintry Siberia. “After 18 years in the airlinebusiness, based in Oslo, I decided to go for

a career change, and I always knew I hada farmer in me,” says Haraldstad.

After spending a couple of years at an agri-culture college, he bought some land withan abandoned barn, built a house and in-stalled water and electricity. “I looked forsomething extraordinary. I first heard ofReinrot from a herbs association and de-cided to give it a go,” he explains – and hehas not looked back since. In order to earnmoney while setting up the business andproduction facilities, he worked as a sec-ondary school teacher for a couple of years.“Selling online and to businesses, I can nowmake a comfortable living, and I receive nogovernment subsidies,” says Haraldstad.

His future plans are to expand produc-tion, which will allow the energy-boostingentrepreneur to sell across Norway andabroad.

Reinrot is the name of an organic energy drinkmade of root and leaf powder producedin the relatively cold climate at Bosheimsmarken farm, some 550 metres above sealevel in Valdres, half-way between Oslo and Aalesund, in Norway. “It can be taken asa tasty supplement alternative to green tea or energy supplements,” explains gen-eral manager Steinar Haraldstad.

By Stian Sangvig | Photos: Bosheimsmarken

Feel happy and cheerful with Reinrot

For more information on the productand how to order it, please visit:www.bosheimsmarken.no


According to legend, Mongolian warriors took leuzea, now used in the Norwegian Reinrot energy drink, before going to war.


66 | Issue 62 | March 2014

“My wife was really against it at first,”Evan Lewis, who was born and raised inAmerica, recalls. “I was the one most in-sistent on going, but I also knew that youdon’t pick a fight with a girl from Sogn.”

When moving across the seas, Lewis notonly brought his cowboy hat along – healso brought with him the attitude in-grained in the US population by the Amer-ican dream. “We can do it,” Lewis keptrepeating to himself – and today, the cou-ple runs one of the most successful brew-eries in Norway. Ægir Brewery, which in-cludes a large pub and restaurant and ahotel, offers drinks, food and activities totourists and locals alike.

Lewis, who knew very little Norwegianwhen he fist moved across the shores,now speaks the language fluently. He de-scribes beer brewing as having been ahobby of his since the age of 17, when hestarted home brewing with a friend intheir hometown of Rochester, New York.

“When I moved here, my mission was toteach Norway to understand beer,” hesays. “Norwegian people would go into apub and order a pint, without specifyingwhat they wanted a pint of, and I wouldthink ‘pint, that’s not a type of beer’.”

Coming from a country where there are2,500 independent breweries, Lewis was

shocked to find the local alcohol outlet’sbeer shelves lacking variety. There wasonly one bottle that caught his attention –a handcrafted Pale Ale that turned out tobe excellent. It dawned on him that whileNorway seemed to have little beer cul-ture, it was possible to start a small brew-ery making exciting beers. In a moment ofinspiration, he decided to start Ægir Brew-ery, and in 2012 the local business wonthe Best Norwegian Beer prize.

The cowboy hat has been put aside, butLewis still lives the American dream.When the couple moved to Norway in2004, they decided to give it five years. To-day, ten years later, they are still here.Lewis smiles when asked if he can hearCalifornia calling. “You know what, Ican’t,” he says. “I think we are here tostay.”

The road from sunny seaside life in California to cold Norway is one most peoplewould probably prefer to picture in reverse – but Evan Lewis and his wife cannot pic-ture the journey the other way around. When the couple had the chance to take overa local business in Flåm, Sogn og Fjordane in 2004, they packed their bags and lefttheir American paradise for a whole new adventure.

By Camilla Huuse | Photos: Ægir Brewery

From California to Norway – the Americandream that came true in a local brewery

For more information, please visit:www.flamsbrygga.no/en/aegir-brewery


When Evan Lewis first came to Norway, he was shocked to realise what the beer culture was like. Inspired by one hopeful bottle of Pale Ale in the off licence, he set upthe brewery that went on to win the Best Norwegian Beer award in 2012.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 67

“Our business idea is all about authenticNorwegian food tradition combined withlocal meat production and a truly distinc-tive mountain taste,” Jan Arve Mork ofBjorli Fjellmat says. He adds: “The Nor-wegian tradition of curingmeats has beenaround for centuries, and it’s a traditionwe want to keep alive.”

Mork says that the characteristic moun-tainous terrains of Northern Gudbrands-dalen, where curing and production takeplace, directly affect the quality of themeat used. Bjorli animals grow up in anenvironment free from pollution, wherethey can move freely in their natural, un-touched habitats. “The conditions up herecouldn’t be better for the animals. When

they are allowed a life in their natural ter-rain, you can definitely tell by how themeat tastes,” Mork says.

Bjorli Fjellmat adds as little preservativesas possible to its products, enhancing itsreputable name of quality. Fenalår, tradi-tionally-cured mutton leg, and morrsausage, also traditionally-made frommutton, are two of the most cherishedproducts of the Bjorli clientele. The latterhas been awarded a gold medal in fourdifferent championships prizingmeat pro-duction.

“We are of course very happy to have wonthese awards. The morr sausage is verygood, and the fenalår is equally delicious.

It is vital to all of our products that they aregiven the right time to cure andmature, tobring out the multitude of flavours thebest way we know how,” Mork says.

Bjorli Fjellmat is available in a number ofspecialty shops and grocery chainsthroughout Norway.

Tastes from the mountainIn a small Norwegianmountain village, Bjorli Fjellmat produces high-quality, award-winning meat products from free-roaming farmyard animals. Organic and low in ad-ditives, Bjorli is a well-versed choice of delightfully-tasting deli meat.

By Julie Lindén | Photos: Bjorli Fjellmat

For more information, please visit:www.bjorlifjellmat.no

Matjes herring is a seafood del-icacy produced on the west coastof Norway. This lightly saltedthree-year-old herring has notdeveloped roe or milt but isfrozen within 24 hours in salt tostop the fermentation process.Only the best herring is used inMatjes herring.

An important factor for successin the production of Matjes her-ring is that the fish has eatencalanus, making it full of en-zymes and contributing to the in-

creased tenderising process. Thedelicacy is extremely healthy asit contains small amounts ofsalt, plenty of vitamins and min-erals as well as healthy fatty oilssuch as omega 3. It is so tenderit melts in the mouth, and it is aversatile product: serve it as ahot dog in a potato wrap withbeetroots, onion and crèmefraiche, or as sushi or tapas.

Proper Matjes herring is onlyavailable frozen and keeps for 48hours after being defrosted.

Nearly 140 million Matjes herring is pro-duced in Norway every year. Matjes her-ring sold in Norway is produced byEgersund Seafood AS and available in anumber of shops throughout the country.

The exquisite virginal herring’sreturn to the Norwegian marketNorwegian scholars thought for a long time that lightly salted fish could make aver-age Joe become a leper, thus banning the poor virginal herring for a number of yearsandmaking the Norwegian people oblivious to it. This is why this Norwegian-produceddelicacy is more famous in the Netherlands and Germany than in its homeland.

By Anette Fondevik | Photos: Matjes

For more information, please visit:www.matjes.no



68 | Issue 62 | March 2014


“The competitive advantage lies in thefreshness and purity of the water, herbsand other natural ingredients,” explainsGunnlaugsson. “The water, which formsbetween 93 and 97 per cent of the beer,comes from the local, famously-fresh andclean Vestre Noekkvann Lake some 500metres above sea level. We are also intalks with local farmers with the aim ofproducing cereal grains of malted barleyand wheat. Today, we have to import bar-ley from Germany and yeast from France.All production equipment is new and wehave the capacity to produce two million

litres of beer per annum for cans, bottlesand larger plastic kegs.”

The brewer continues: “Lofotakevitt is atthe testing stage and will be our secondproduct line. Water comes from the samesource, and we are in talks with local farm-ers to produce potatoes locally fromwhichthe akvavit can be distilled. Traditional andessential herbs like caraway and dill are al-ready produced in Lofoten.”

No other beverage is currently producedutilising this extraordinary resource, de-

spite the fact that many of the best ingre-dients for traditional Norwegian cuisineoriginate from Lofoten. But what drinkwould be better suited to traditional ‘Lo-fot dishes’ than beer and spirits from thepure water in the area, spiced with herbsfrom the district and manufactured by alocal producer?

“From amarketing perspective, our focuswill always be on the experience of enjoy-ing the local flavours and the freshness ofa high-quality drink rather than on tryingto become a largemass producer,” Gunn-laugsson insists. “A significant amount ofcuriosity has emerged from publicity, andwe will first of all target large supermar-ket chains in our pursuit of growth.”

Lofotpils is the name of a new company – and its new beer – based in Svolvaer in theisles of Lofoten in Northern Norway. “The islands have all the ingredients to offer thefood in the so-called ‘Lofot meal’. At Lofotpils we would like to offer the drinks tomake that meal complete,” says Icelander and general manager of Lofotpils, Thor-vardur Gunnlaugsson.

By Stian Sangvig | Main photo: Knut Johansen

New beer and akvavit from Lofoten’s pure,natural ingredients

For more information, please visit:www.lofotpils.no

Taking the pure water of Lofoten and the fresh herbs growing alongside it, Lofotpils makes beer and spirits to enjoy alongside a traditional ‘Lofot meal’.

Photo: Chris Craggs

Photo: Terje Rakke Photo: Eirik Ohna


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 69

Aronia Jæren AS specialises inmaking tasty, exclusive jam andcordial, made among greenfields and bottled at Jæren, lo-cated in Western Norway.Thanks to these berries, theproducts become delicioussources of antioxidants, whichmay prevent or delay certaintypes of cell damage. It was theberries’ positive health effectsthat the entrepreneurs of AroniaJæren AS first found intriguing,says co-owner Sven Dysjaland:“It was the number of antioxi-dants that first made us see thepotential of the berries.”

While the flavour of the aroniaberry is certainly enticing, itshistory is curious, too. NativeAmericans and people near theBlack Sea were using the ex-traordinary berries in food andasmedicine for ages, their pop-ularity being not only due to thedelicious flavour, but also be-cause of their impact on healthand well-being. The aroniabush came to Norway in the1980s and was originally mostlyused as decoration. But now,Aronia Jæren AS has startedutilising the potential of theberries for cordial and jams aswell.

The aronia flavour is similar to that ofblueberries, and the berry contains up totwice as many antioxidants as blueber-ries and blackcurrants. So if you feel liketopping yourself up with antioxidants,while still enjoying tasty, natural products,then find yourself an Aronia Jæren ASproduct and dig in!

For centuries, aronia berries have been used in food and as medicine. Today, AroniaJæren AS uses nature’s own miracle berry in tasty jams and cordial.

By Anja Elen Eikenes | Photos: Aronia Jæren AS

For more information, please visit:www.aronia-saft.no

The bakery of Holmen Crisp not only usesold family recipes from Gudbrandsdalen,the valley of Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt; italso specialises in different combinationsof gluten-free flour. Its handmade trade-mark food includes The Crisp’s Pea Flat-bread, Potato Flatbread and Sour Cream

bread. The flatbread plays an importantrole in the history of Norwegian food cul-ture, and the family company HolmenCrisp keeps that tradition alive.

The Pea Flatbread and the Potato Flat-bread are typical foods from the areaaround Lake Mjøsa, Norway’s biggest

lake. The semi-industri-alised production of flat-bread was introduced inthe 1920s and took overfrom the old-fashionedway of doing everything byhand. Holmen Brænderi,a brewery where the Ros-tad family was majorityshareholder, played animportant role in keepingthe traditions alive. They

kept the old machinery and baked PeaFlatbread and Potato Flatbread that weredistributed around Norway. Today’s ownerand general manager, Camilla Rostad, isthe third generation to run the family busi-ness and takes great pride in working withthe local food treasures.

The flatbread, which is made from lo-cal ingredients, is produced exactly thesame way it was made in the 1920s. ThePea Flatbread is made from the flour ofyellow peas from Toten, described bymany as the Tuscany of Norway, whichprovides a distinctive, much-loved flavour.

A traditional taste of NorwayThe award-winning food producer Holmen Crisp invites you to revel in traditionalNorwegian handmade delicacies.

By Ingvild Vetrhus | Photos: Arild Kristiansen

For more information, please visit:holmen-crisp.no/en


A delicious bunch of antioxidants


70 | Issue 62 | March 2014

With the 62-mile long Oslofjord, the re-markable Opera building and the very citycentre at your feet, a visit to Ekeber-grestauranten is a visit to the rooftop ofNorway’s largest and most vibrant city.Add spectacular Norwegian and interna-tional cuisine, and your stay is guaran-teed to be a lasting memory.

“I think the urban feel mixed with thespectacular view is what sets us apartfrom other eateries,” says KonstantinZimmermann, general manager at Eke-bergrestauranten. “We also represent tra-dition, incorporating traditional Norwe-gian food in our menu, while keeping a

firm eye on the future. We care tremen-dously about sustainable developmentand the environment, which is somethingI believe our guests notice and appreci-ate.”

A long history

The restaurant’s appreciation of traditionis rooted in an almost 100-year-old his-tory. The original eatery was constructedas early as 1916, but after local architectLars Backer won a competition to replacethe building in 1927, a new restaurant wasput up. After great renovation effortsaround the millennium, the building is to-day protected by law.

“The architecture of the restaurant invitesa lively atmosphere, and that’s highly no-ticeable in both staff and guests,” Zim-mermann says, adding: “We havemultiplerooms that can be used for different oc-casions, such as weddings or confer-ences, and a great outdoor area that al-lows us to make the most of our locationhigh above the fjord.”

“The summers in particular are absolutelywonderful, as we get to show the mostbeautiful side of Norway with its longnights and stunning sunsets. It’s a greatprivilege being able to represent the city inthat way,” Zimmermann says proudly.

A savoury slice of Norway

Guests are of course also able to sample aslice of Norway in what they choose to or-der from the varied and appetising menu.Ekebergrestauranten serves everything

There are few places better suited to taking in the beauty of Oslo than the nearby hillsand mountains. In the hillside of Bjørvika, you will find an eatery with an astoundingview and an even more wonderful atmosphere. Welcome to Ekebergrestauranten.

By Julie Lindén | Photos: Ekebergrestauranten

Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Norway

With a protected building, the architecture of which invites a lively atmosphere, Ekebergrestauranten is an eatery with enthusiastic staff, a menu full of organic treats,and a view across the Norwegian capital that is hard to beat.

Restaurant of the Month, Norway

Ekebergrestauranten– on the rooftop of Oslo


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 71

from traditional bluemussels to duck fromNorwegian farms, and all is prepared withan eye to the restaurant’s organic andenvironmentally-friendly profile.

Zimmermann explains that active and en-thusiastic waiting staff is crucial for therunning of the restaurant, as guestsshould always be readily informed aboutdishes and their provenance. “We like tochange our menus often, and we encour-age our staff to engage as much as pos-sible with our guests in order to leavethem with the best possible experience,and especially to let them know that wevalue local produce. I would say about 80per cent of visitors who ask for recom-mendations go with their waiter’s sug-gestion, and most of them leave veryhappy,” Zimmermann laughs.

Stunning conferences, minutes fromthe city

Whether you would like to visit for a mid-week lunch, a Saturday night dinner orperhaps even a conference, Ekeberg-

restauranten boasts everything you needfor a relaxing break. A stimulating daywith your business in stunning surround-ings just minutes from the city centre is anoffer tough to beat.

“We have seen that Ekebergrestaurantenis a very fruitful place to develop ideasand receive fresh impulses. Yet we areclose enough to the heart of Oslo to beconveniently located, and we have theequipment to accommodate large andsmall groups just as it suits them best,”says Zimmermann.

Karlsborg Spiseforretning

In September last year, Ekeberg extendedits gastronomic repertoirewith a brand newaddition. Located in the Ekeberg sculptureand national heritage park is KarlsborgSpiseforretning, an eatery offering localproduce, freshly-baked pastries and amouth-watering menu of specialty dishesin an authentically rustic environment.Whosaid healthy and tasty eating could not be awalk in the park?

“The idea of Karlsborg Spiseforretning isto give guests a different and more flexi-ble option. In the park you can buy foodand have a picnic, grab a coffee to go or sitdown and enjoy an afternoon break withsome local, freshly-prepared and organicmeals,” Zimmermann says.

Situated only minutes from Ekeber-grestauranten, Karlsborg also opens upthe opportunity for an afternoon coffeebreak and a stroll around the sculpturepark before you make your way to therestaurant for a dinner to remember.

“Ours is a unique location for both arestaurant and a grocery, and I am hugelyhonoured to be able to show off Oslo toboth visitors and locals from the pearlthat is Ekeberg,” Zimmermann says.

For more information, please visit:www.ekebergrestauranten.comwww.karlsborgspiseforretning.no

Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Norway

Karlsborg Spiseforretning is an eatery offering a menu of speciality dishes in an authentically rustic environment.


72 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Ever since its opening in the Royal Li-brary’s eye-catching new extension 15years ago, Søren K has drawn much at-tention. Alongside its location and highculinary level, the restaurant’s finely tunedservice awareness has helped make it afavourite location for business leaders,government officers and other profes-sionals to host lunch meetings. Owner,director and founder Jens Heding ex-plains: “At Søren K, good service meanstaking into account the conditions that ourspecific type of guest requires; we don’ttry to overdo the food presentation be-cause we understand that it is the inter-action between the guests at the table,and not just the food, which is important

to our guests – that is their main reasonfor being here.”

Despite the fact that the food is not alwayscentre-stage, Søren K has in the last threeconsecutive years been awarded theMichelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand. The rec-ommendation represents the editor’sfavourite high-quality value-for-moneyrestaurants. Heding reckons that SørenK’s innovative kitchen, as well as its pleas-ant atmosphere, was what prompted therestaurant’s inclusion in the prestigiousguide. “We represent a modern Europeankitchen in continuous development, and Ibelieve we were given the Bib Gourmandbecause we deliver a good product, good

food and good service, without beingoverly ostentatious about it. We don’tdress our food with clichés and emptywords,” he says and rounds off: “Thissummer, we will have been a part of theBlack Diamond for 15 years, and ourrestaurant is more attractive and invitingthan ever before; a lot of things have hap-pened and today the restaurant has morewarmth and character... and the food hasnever been better.”

Søren K also runs the royal library’s twocantinas, an extensive catering service,and Øjeblikket, the Royal Library’s café,which includes a hugely popular outdoorwaterfront lounge area.

Situated in Copenhagen’s iconic Black Diamond, Søren K has, thanks to its subtleservice and stunning waterfront location, become a hub for the area’s many busi-nesses and ministries. Since 2011, the restaurant has continuously been recog-nised in the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand value-for-money category.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Søren K

For opening hours, menus and moreinformation, please visit:www.soerenk.dk

Scan Magazine | Restaurant of the Month | Denmark

Restaurant of the Month, Denmark

Business lunch in Copenhagen’sBlack Diamond

Søren K’s innovative European kitchen and pronounced quality awareness have earned the restaurant the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand award for three consecutive years.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 73

Scan Magazine | Attraction of the Month | Norway

It is fair to say that when silver was discov-ered at Kongsberg in 1623, it was the be-ginning of an industrial fairytale. Therewas,however,muchmore yet to come. This year,NorskBergverksmuseum is celebrating in-dustrialist Paul Steenstrup. 200 years agothis spring, he not only established Kongs-berg Våpenfabrikk (The KongsbergWeaponFactory) but also contributed to the writingof Norway’s constitution.

This dual 200th anniversary will be the fo-cus of an exhibition opening on 25 March.Telling the story of industrialism and tech-nology in Kongsberg, the exhibition fea-tures, among other things, Steenstrup’sown beautiful drawings. According toHalvor Sælebakke, consultant for salesand communication, Norsk Bergverksmu-

seum’s chosen keywords for 2014 – com-munity, equality and democracy – arebased on principles cemented in the Nor-wegian constitution. As Sælebakke ex-plains, “these values are central to NorskBergverksmuseum in 2014.”

From 1814 to 2014

Though the main attraction of the mu-seum is almost 400 years old, the 2014programme in no way eschewsmodernity.Alongside lecture topics such as ‘PaulSteenstrup - visionary technologist andpre-industrialism industrial entrepeneur’(25 March), talks and exhibitions alsocover topics like present day democra-cies, and a discussion of sports idols asrole models in modern society.

The museum also plays a role in contem-porary geological research, while remain-ing a popular tourist destination since thelate 1800s. While visitors in May can at-tend Kongsberg Mineral Symposium,those arriving in July may attend jazz con-certs deep in the ancient mines as part ofthe Kongsberg Jazz Festival. It certainly isno exaggeration to say that NorskBergverksmuseum maintains and com-municates a multi-faceted cultural her-itage.

The 2014 programme at Norsk Berg-verksmuseum, Sælebakke explains, ismeant to “fuel debates, and show how thestories the museum manages can put aspotlight on the values represented in ourconstitution.” Providing unusual entrypoints into Norway’s history, the museumat Kongsberg truly represents Norwegiancommunity, equality and democracy from1814 to 2014, and beyond.

Norsk Bergverksmuseum (The Norwegian Mining Museum) is perhaps primarilyknown for the Kongsberg silver mines. Throughout 2014, however, the focus will bewidened. With a series of lectures, exhibitions and other events built around the val-ues of community, equality and democracy, Norsk Bergverksmuseum will com-memorate the 200th jubilee of Norway’s constitution alongside the rest of the nation.

By Hannah Gillow Kloster | Photos: Norsk Bergverksmuseum

For more information, please visit:norsk-bergverksmuseum.no

Attraction of the Month, Norway

Industrialism and democracy

Throughout 2014, Norsk Bergverksmuseum will be celebrating industrialist Paul Steenstrup (left), who not only established Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk 200 years ago thisspring, but also contributed to the writing of the Norwegian constitution.


74 | Issue 62 | March 2014

There is an intimate feel about AalborgZoo. “We are a very cosy little zoo, veryclose to the city of Aalborg. And we care agreat deal about animal welfare and pre-serving nature, which is what we want vis-itors to experience,” says Susanne Sol-skov, the park’s head of marketing.

Meat for predators

Especially the carnivores among the packprovide something of an experience. Haveyou ever prepared a tiger’s meal? Well,here is your chance. “We occasionally in-

vite guests to help cut the meat for thepredators. It is like an open kitchen,” ex-plains Solskov. Even outside dinner time,there are nutritional lessons to learn. “Themeat hangs for everyone interested to see.We make no secret about how things aredone. We inform people of the processand why this food is good for the animals.”

Dinosaurs and domestic animals

Storytelling is at the heart of Aalborg Zoo,and this spring’s new attractions under-line this. First off, April sees the return of

one of the zoo’s most popular specials:the dinosaurs. Life-size models of dino-saurs will be placed on an experience pathin the woods in the park. “Obviously, theseare huge models, so they stand out. Wecompare them to birds and other descen-dants to show the evolution of thesespecies,” says Solskov.

In May, animal tricks and skills are top ofthe bill. Beginning with domestic animalslike dogs, pigs, goats and birds, the zoo’sstaff showcase the trained animals’ tal-ents. Later on, more exotic animals likelemurs, macaw parrots and owls take thestage. Keeping with the zoo’s values, it isnot all entertainment. “The reason wetrain wild animals like tapirs, polar bearsand orangutans is to stimulate theirsenses and improve their living stan-dards,” Solskov explains. “We teachorangutans to open their mouths so wecan check their teeth, and they learn toreach their arms out so we can measureblood pressure and much more.”

Fancy cooking for a lion or tiger? Or discovering what ostriches share with dinosaurs?Aalborg Zoo lets you learn about animals and get close to their everyday lives.

By Thomas Bech Hansen | Photos: Aalborg Zoo

Attraction of the Month, Denmark

Get up close with elephants,predators – and dinosaurs!

Fancy preparing a tiger’s meal? Aalborg Zoo is not just fun, but educational too.

For more information, please visit:aalborgzoo.dk

See more with an annual pass

Aalborg Zoo’s annual pass costs 390 DKK

for adults and includes entry to other

Jutland attractions, such as more animal

parks and Aarhus’ Den Gamle By Open-Air

Museum. One-off adult admission is 150

DKK (170 DKK June-August).


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 75

Queen Kristina of Sweden celebrated Mid-summer here in the 1600s, marking thebeginning of the inn’s tradition of provid-ing outstanding cuisine, wine and its veryown snaps. What may not be as well-known is that Stallmästaregården is alsoa member of Design Hotels, offering acontemporary take on countryside ac-commodation with rustic charm.

Fredrik Malmstedt is new managing di-rector since October last year, and previ-ously a member of the Swedish CulinaryTeam. He is looking forward to an excitingspring with some new developments inmind. “We want to stay true to the culinaryheritage and continue to provide our pop-ular Swedish classics with seasonal fo-cus, while also updating our wider offer-

ing to ensure that our customers can ex-perience the best combination of fine foodand relaxation,” says Malmstedt.

Enjoy the heritage of prominent chefs

Renowned chef Tore Wretman took overthe restaurant in 1950. He was one of thefounders of the Gastronomic Academy,and famous for promoting traditionalcooking with a modern twist. Also an in-ternational culinary expert as well as aroyal chef, Werner Vögeli was overseeingthe kitchen and wine cellar in the early2000s. Both left their unmistakable marknot only on Swedish cooking but also onStallmästaregården itself.

The menu still includes classics such asBiff Rydberg, a popular dish with diced

fillet of beef and potatoes, onions andmustard cream. The restaurant serves itsown smoked salmon as well as other de-lights made of locally-sourced, seasonalingredients. Guests can also enjoy activi-ties such as wine tasting and cookingclasses.

Relax and unwind, or experience thecity buzz

Stallmästaregården is beautifully locatedby lake Brunnsviken in the Haga Park, apopular recreational area and part of theRoyal National City Park in Stockholm.Visitors can revel in the peaceful environ-ment and closeness to nature, or if they sowish join in the hustle and bustle of the bigcity a few minutes away.

There are currently 49 rooms available,all blending contemporary design and thehistory of the inn. A new addition, cur-rently at the planning stage, is a spa withrelaxing treatments for the guests. Withits combination of exquisite food andcountryside style accommodation, it is nosurprise that Stallmästaregården is apopular venue for weddings and other cel-ebrations.

An air of history and heritage surrounds Stallmästaregården. Sweden’s oldest inn isfamous for its long tradition of serving classic courses under the surveillance of someof the nation’s best chefs.

By Malin Norman | Photos: Stallmästaregården

Hotel of the Month, Sweden

Culinary delights with a moderntwist at Sweden’s oldest inn

For more information, please visit:www.stallmastaregarden.se

Stallmästaregården is peacefully located by lake Brunnsviken, only a few minutes from the Stockholm city buzz.


76 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Haaheim Gaard is a small, beautiful hotellocated in Tysnes in Western Norway. For-mer musician Torstein Hatlevik boughtHaaheim farm in 2000 – without electric-ity or water, but full of potential. He ren-ovated it and opened up a small hotel in2009, mainly because he wanted to sharethe wonderful experience of living there.Word of Hatlevik’s little paradise spreadquickly, and just a few years later he re-alised that he had to expand in order tomeet the demand. “Haaheim Gaard hasbecome a very popular hotel and our vis-itors really enjoy themselves here. Thesurroundings are beautiful and I think

more andmore people seek these out-of-the-ordinary experiences,” Hatlevik says.

Despite doubling in size this summer,Haaheim will remain a small and exclu-sive hotel with a total of nine rooms. How-ever, with four restaurants, a large library,a beautiful summer garden house andplenty of new activities on offer, Haaheimis certainly well-equipped to face the busyholiday season.

Unique experiences

So what exactly makes Haaheim so spe-cial? For starters, it is the location. Tysnes

consists of a number of small islands andhas long been a popular tourist destina-tion for hikers and cyclists. The gardensurrounding the hotel has more than1,500 roses and has seen a number ofhappy couples say their ‘I dos’ over the lastfive years. But more importantly, the keyto Haaheim’s success lies in the way theestablishment sees and treats each visi-tor. “There is no such thing as a standardpackage at Haaheim. Instead we tailor theexperience to each individual guest, mak-ing sure that their stay is exactly how theywant it,” says Hatlevik. Each of the ninerooms has been individually decoratedand has its own outside area, completewith a stunning sunset view.

Located 75 minutes from Bergen andFlesland Airport, Haaheim has become apopular place to host conferences. Thenew and improved conference centre lo-cated under ground is also opening thissummer. Because it takes over an hour toget to the airport, people tend to spend thenight at Haaheim, getting to know eachother and making it into a complete expe-rience.

Often described as an oasis of the good life, Haaheim Gaard believes in creatingmag-ical moments their guests are sure to remember forever. In idyllic and romantic sur-roundings, visitors at Haaheim enjoy life to the very fullest, which is why they keepcoming back.

By Kjersti Westeng | Photos: Haaheim Gaard

Hotel of the Month, Norway

Unforgettable holiday bliss

Scan Magazine | Hotel of the Month | Norway


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 77

Culinary havenKnown for their creativity and passion, thechefs at Haaheim take a great deal ofpride in the food they serve. With the ho-tel expansion comes a brand new bakeryas well as a large garden café sellingcakes and pastries. A new kitchen andwine cellar will also be introduced, perfectfor the various cooking and baking classesheld at Haaheim throughout the year.Every Wednesday during the summermonths, visitors can take part in cookingclasses led by famous chefs. This is a fan-tastic opportunity to learn from the bestand pick up top tips on seasonal cooking.Haaheim has its own gardener harvestingvegetables, fruits and herbs to be used inthe hotel restaurants. One of the restau-rants is famous for its three- and five-course meals, which often feature deli-cious soupsmade from the garden treats.Because the chefs mainly use local pro-duce, themenu changes with the seasons.

Things to do

Despite the romantic surroundings, Haa-heim hotel is by no means a retreat solelyfor couples. Haaheim is a place for every-

one, whether you come on your own, witha partner or as a group of friends. Whatcould be better than gathering yourfriends in the garden house for Cham-pagne and a foot bath, or relaxing in the li-brary with that book you have wanted toread for so long but never found the timefor? Maybe you want to try wine tasting orget a massage from Haaheim’s own aro-matherapist?

For outdoor enthusiasts the opportunitiesare endless. Visitors can hire bicycles orkayaks from Haaheim, play golf at Dalengolf course, or go fishing in the river. Forthose wanting to explore the area by footthere are a number of well-marked pathsto choose from. This summer, Haaheim isinviting famous musicians to perform intheir concert hall every Thursday night.“With cooking classes onWednesdays andconcerts on Thursdays, we are facing avery exciting summer holiday,” endsHatlevik.

For more information, please visit:www.haaheimgaard.no The chefs at Haaheim are known for being both creative and

passionate.

Above left: Owner Torstein Hatlevik is a former musician and sometimes performs at Haaheim himself. Right: Delicious meals made with ingredients from Haaheim’s own garden.


78 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Scan Magazine | Hotel of the Month | Denmark

Hotel Vildbjerg was established 130 yearsago and is a hotel steeped in tradition withan uncompromising focus on personalservice and comfort, offering its guestsan array of accommodation options in-cluding romantic weekend stays, short-stay family vacations, one-night businessstays, and private events of varying size.Situated just ten minutes from one of thearea’s most popular golf courses, HotelVildbjerg is also a favourite among golfenthusiasts.

With 33 rooms, the capacity to accommo-date up to 220 people at private functions,and a versatile kitchen specialising in tra-ditional Danish cuisine, Hotel Vildbjerg isan ideal choice of venue for small- andlarge-scale events. The staff is highly ex-

perienced and always aims to create anunforgettable experience. “We want ourevents to be remembered for years tocome and to be the foundation of happymemories for the guests as well as thehosts,” says general manager Heintje Si-monsen.

A home away from home

Hotel Vildbjerg is located only 25 minutesfrom MCH, one of Scandinavia’s largestand busiest exhibition centres, as well asBoxen in Herning, a multifunctional in-door arena that has hosted a number ofinternational music and sporting events.“We have a lot of returning business cus-tomers who really value the familiarityand tranquillity of our hotel. They oftendescribe it as ‘coming home’, and as a

place away from the stress and noise ofHerning, where they can relax andrecharge,” Simonsen explains.

When Simonsen took over as generalmanager in 2011 the hotel was facing se-vere financial problems, and although ithas been three difficult years, Simonsenand the team havemanaged to turn thingsaround, an accomplishment they arerightfully proud of. With sold-out events inthe pipeline and an ever-expanding localarea with an increasingly international fo-cus and appeal, Hotel Vildbjerg has anexciting future ahead. Simonsen and theteam have managed to establish a foun-dation for future success, which, to put itin local terms, is firmly planted in the soilof Jutland.

Centrally located on the heath of Jutland, in close proximity to several of Denmark’sprime business and cultural venues, Hotel Vildbjerg welcomes guests from all overthe world to enjoy a relaxing and undisturbed stay in serene surroundings.

By Stine Gjevnoe | Photos: Hotel Vildbjerg

Hotel of the Month, Denmark

An oasis of tranquility in the heart of Jutland

For more information, please visit:www.hotel-vildbjerg.dk

Business customers often say that returning to Hotel Vildbjerg is like coming home.


The bunch of 20-something men started meet-ing in a pub once a week, the monthly mem-bership fee set at 1 shilling. The club had be-tween 20 and 50 members in its first decades.In 1924, the club moved into Norway House offTrafalgar Square – significantly, it turned out,as the building played a key role during WorldWar II and King Haakon VII andmembers of thegovernment-in-exile became regulars at theclub. Subsequently, King Haakon VII becamethe club’s first ever patron, and his son, KingOlav V, was honorary president from 1957 un-til his death in 1991. Third in line is honorarymember King Harald V, followed by the fourthgeneration: H.H. Princess Märtha Louise andMr. Ari Behn.

A lot has changed since the early days.Women, who were initially admitted only asguests at club dinners and dances, were givenfull access as members in 1982, and some 15years ago, as Norway House was turned intoluxury flats, the club briefly shared premiseswith its Danish equivalent beforemoving into itscurrent headquarters at the Naval & MilitaryClub, also known as The In & Out, in St James’sSquare.

The membership fee has increased since the 1shilling days, and so has the number of mem-bers, up to around 380 proud expats who enjoyfree access to The In & Out restaurant, court-yard, swimming pool and gym during week-ends in addition to other perks and discounts.Most importantly, the club opens the door to ahuge family of fellow London-Norwegians withvaluable networking opportunities, life-longfriendships and unyielding support.

Last month’s annual Gourmet Dinnerserves as an apt example. Combining a three-course gourmet meal with musical perform-ances and speeches, as well as the presence ofH.H. Princess Märtha Louise and Mr. Ari Behn,the evening at the ambassador’s residence setthe bar high ahead of the annual celebrationdinner that will take place on 17 May in theKing Harald V Room at The In & Out, where the200th anniversary of the constitution is sure tobe celebrated with more than a bang. No self-respecting Norwegian expat will want to beseen anywhere else on the big day.

Proudly London-Norwegian since 1887Itwas 17 May 1887. A dozen expat Norwegians were in a London pub, celebrating theanniversary of their national constitution. But suddenly it was closing time, and thegroup was told that they could only stay if they represented a private club. “Well, werepresent the Norwegian Club in London,” said one of them, and a few ideas for found-ing principles jotted down on a piece of paper later, Den Norske Klub was founded.And, need we say, the friends carried on drinking.

By Linnea Dunne

For more information, pleae visit:dennorskeklub.co.uk

Ari Behn, Morten Astrup, H.H. Princess MärthaLouise, Chair Catharina M. Patjas and DHM OlavMyklebust. Photo Ole Angell.

King Harald V Room. Photo John QuinteroThe Coffee Room. Photo John Quintero

Issue 62 | March 2014 | 79

Scan BusinessBusiness Features 79 | Conferences of the Month 93 | Business Calendar 96

91 9480

Scan Magazine | Business | Den Norske Klub


80 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Scan Magazine | Business | Garuda A/S

Avoid hiring the wrong person– or thinking that you are the right person for the wrong job

The Garuda Focus Model defines four different types of personality and work focus which, among other things, can help you to define the characteristics needed to become successful in a certainposition.

How do you know if someone is actually creative and innovative? Are Swedes really better team-players than Danes? And, shouldwomen bemore self-assertive, offensive and aggressive to become better leaders? Dr. Finn Havaleschka, founder of Garuda A/S,a leading Danish firm offering HRM tools and consultancy services, shares the lessons of his 30 years of research within humancompetencies, team-building and organisational development.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Garuda A/S


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 81


You are sitting in your office waiting forsomeone, someone who could possibly,

but only possibly, be your next sales man-ager. You know their background, experi-ence and interests, but the one unknownfactor is: who is she going to be – in otherwords, will she be the person, with thepersonality, you need for the job?

In most cases, it only takes two minutesbefore you know if the candidate in front ofyou is the right person. But even if your in-tuition says no, you still perform the fullinterview as planned, hoping that the can-didate will be able to change your firstimpression, partly because you are a po-lite person and partly because you need tofill that position now. But in the end thecandidate does not change your first im-pression, and you feel that you havewasted your time. Or, even worse, you findsomething in the person to give you hopeand decide to give her a chance only tofind three months later that your first im-pression was right. People do not changepersonality, and you have wasted time,money, and hours of worry, and now youhave to start all over again.

It might always have been that way, but itis not the way it will always be or, accord-ing to Havaleschka, indeed, has to be to-day. “I concluded that what we neededwas to change the approach so as to avoidinterviews with candidates who wouldnever make it and ensure that, when wegot a promising candidate in front of us,we had an interview tool that would helpus sidestep our intuition and instead askscientifically-proven, relevant questionsensuring that we would always choosethe best of the best,” Havaleschka ex-plains.

The Head-Heart-Leg model

Before founding Garuda in 1982,Havaleschka worked for one of Scandi-navia’s largest recruiting consultancies.There he was introduced to psychometrictesting but was not impressed by the old-fashioned approach. “The tests weren’tdeveloped for exploring the difference inpersonality between a successful leaderor a salesman or accountant or any othercorrelation between the requirements ofthe job and the successful candidate’s

personality. They were solely developedfor research purposes,” he explains. Thetests’ inadequacymade Havaleschka thinkand he soon realised that, while the exist-ing tests provided a good platform for dis-cussing candidates’ personalities and am-bitions, what was lacking was theevaluation of whether they had thepersonality-based competencies neededto fulfil their ambitions. “I decided to turnit all around – face down, asking: what dowe need to know about work conditions indifferent positions, and what are the keypersonality requirements to becomingsuccessful? But remember: we are nottalking about level and line of education,professional skills or experience – onlyabout what I call personality-based com-petencies,” stresses Havaleschka.

One late night in the early 1980s,Havaleschka came up with a model thatwould become the foundation of Garuda’ssuccess in years to come: the Head-Heart-Leg model. The method takes intoaccount that a candidate needs to fit anorganisation three-dimensionally: with re-gards to intellectual work (head), socialskills (heart) and execution (legs). Todaythemodel is used by leading Scandinaviancompanies, organisations and leaders in-

Founder of Garuda A/S, Dr. Finn Havaleschka, has workedwith research and development of human competencies,team-building and communication for more than 30 years.


82 | Issue 62 | March 2014


cluding IKEA and BoConcept as well asUlrik Wilbek, the coach of the Danish na-tional handball team, twice Europeanchampions.

Maleor female –good leadershavealwaysbeen the same

The Head-Heart-Leg method revealedfour significant personality archetypeswhose characteristics can be weighedagainst the competencies required in aspecific role, team or organisation. Theevaluation of these archetypes led to,among other things, Garuda’s FocusModel, a model for successful leadership.“Thirty years of research tell us about thedifference between leaders and non-leaders, and the difference between thepeople who are future leaders and willbecome successful as such, and peoplewho won’t. And you know, the picture, thestructure of the successful leader’s pro-file, hasn’t change or developed duringthese 30 years of research and experi-ence. Professional competencies, yes;level of education as well as the topic ofstudy, yes; but not the structure of thepersonality profile,” says Havaleschka.

The extensive data gathered through themodel also reveals some interesting factsabout the differences between male andfemale leaders. It shows that the furtherup the organisational ladder, the moresimilar the structure of the personalityprofile is no matter the gender. “If youcannot cope with a high degree of com-plexity, if you cannot communicate in anunderstandable and sympathetic way, andif you do not have the stamina, theachievement motivation and robustnessto complete the task or pursue the strat-egy, then it doesn’t matter whether youare a man or a woman,” stressesHavaleschka. There is, however, one areain which top-level female managers differ– generally speaking – from their malecolleagues. And that is, perhaps not sur-prisingly, when it comes to the Heart di-mension, in which women tend to be alittle more observant and considerate. Thesubject of female versus male leadershipreceived much attention recently, as CEOof Facebook Sheryl Sandberg in a news-

paper interview claimed that womenneeded to become more self-assertive,offensive and aggressive. Havaleschkadoes not agree: “I understand her point toa certain degree, but at the same timeshe is promoting some of the traits thatare scientifically proven by empirical datato first and foremost promote bad leader-ship. Instead of telling us that womenshould internalise some of the worstcharacteristics that a manager can pos-sess, she should start by telling us whatqualities she would like women to con-tribute to the board of directors.”

Yes, Swedes are better team-workers

Used all over the world, the model alsoshows some interesting cultural differ-ences, even between countries as alikeas Sweden and Denmark. In a comparisonof Focus Profiles taken by Swedish andDanish professionals, the Swedes scoredhigher in the blue and gray corners of themodel (representing the self-controlledand detail-oriented baser and the under-standing and considerate integrator – seemodel) while the Danes had a compara-tively higher score in the green and redcorners (representing the intuitive and in-novative developer and the energetic andimpatient result maker – see model).“This comes as absolutely no surprise forthose who have worked in both cultures.Our prejudices are not just prejudices:they are also perceptions of realities – areal difference,” says Havaleschka,adding: “In Swedish companies peopleare more disciplined, seek consensusmore often and have an easier time ac-cepting authoritatively given rules than inDanish companies. Consequently, a Dan-ish leader in Sweden has to meet the em-ployees where they are, and a Swedishleader in Denmark has to meet the Dan-ish employees where they are.”

The right person for the right job

Garuda’s newest tool, the online recruitingsystem JobMatchProfile, is the result of 30years of experience with recruitment andcandidate profiling. Applying the Head-Heart-Leg model to the recruitmentprocess, along with a new intelligent rank-ing of professional skills and experience,

it is probably the company’s most revolu-tionary tool to date in terms of cuttingcosts and time associated with recruitingand not least handling unsolicited andspeculative applications. This is the pre-selection tool helping managers and re-cruiters to avoid pointless reading of CVsand doing interviews with candidates whowill never make it. It is, says Havaleschka,“science with a human touch and yourguarantee that the candidate fits the job,the team and your organisation.” Used bysome of Scandinavia’s leading interna-tional companies, the tool has saved re-cruiters up to 85 per cent of the time andcost normally associated with the recruit-ment process. “The best thing is that wehave positive responses from thousandsof applicants thanking the JobMatchprocess for a smooth and easy process,”Havaleschka says adding. “That’s greatemployer branding, in my opinion.”

For more information, please visit:www.jobmatchprofile.comwww.garuda.dk

Havaleschka made his first model of personality traits andthe correlations between them in the early 1980s. The modellater became the Head-Heart-Leg model, which is todayused by numerous international Scandinavian companies.

JobMatch model


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 83

Scan Magazine | Business | Secure-NOK AS

Secure-NOK AS is the leading securitysystems and solutions provider for theNorwegian petroleum industry. Specialis-ing in detecting and removing security at-tacks and hazards such as espionage,sabotage, malware and other harmful se-curity threats, both on-shore and off-shore, the company recently graduatedfrom the prestigious SURGE Acceleratorproject in Houston, Texas. Now Secure-NOK aims to conquer the internationalmarket, having signed a four-year dealwith one of the petroleum industry’slargest equipment and components sup-pliers worldwide. “This is the most im-portant deal we have ever made. We areready to go live with our new security so-lutions, which are tailored to the oil andgas industry,” says founder and CEO, SivHilde Houmb.

Ever-expandingEstablishing the company in February2010, Houmb handpicked a team of com-puter security experts from across theglobe and currently employs specialistsfrom the UK, Norway, Brazil, Germany,the US, Denmark, France and Spain. “Oursenior consultants have between 10 and40 years of experience within our field,”says the CEO.

The company runs its operations from itsheadquarters in Innovation Park Sta-vanger (iPark), at the very centre of theNorwegian petroleum industry. In addi-tion the company has offices at SURGEAccelerator’s ‘Surge Shack’ in Houston,as well as a development office in Hamarin Eastern Norway. Next, Houmb aims toestablish an office in Brazil, a rapidly

growing market within the petroleum in-dustry.

Solving cyber security issuesSecure-NOK is also a member of thenewly established Center for Cyber andInformation Security (CCIS), located inGjøvik, only 50 kilometres from its officesin Hamar. Working out of the NorwegianInternet Security laboratory at Gjøvik Uni-versity College, the project is a collabora-tion between the Norwegian ArmedForces, several branches within the policeand the Norwegian National Security Au-thority, as well as a number of prominentcompanies such as Statkraft, Telenor, IBMand PwC to name a few. “This is a collab-oration between some of the most pow-erful actors on the Norwegian marketjoining forces in order to solve current andfuture cyber security issues,” saysHoumb.

The specialists at Norwegian security systems provider Secure-NOK AS are readyfor their new solutions to go live, having signed a lucrative deal that will see theirsecurity systems installed on the majority of the world’s oil rigs.

By Magnus Nygren Syversen | Photos: Secure-NOK AS

Taking cyber security to the next level

Secure-NOK AS specialises in detecting and removing security attacks and hazards such as espionage, sabotage, malware and other harmful security threats, and hasjust signed a lucrative deal with one of the petroleum industry’s largest equipment and components suppliers.

For more information, please visit:www.securenok.com


84 | Issue 62 | March 2014

When Jelling Naturkød was founded in2010, the company’s products weresourced from a small stock of ScottishHighland cattle reared in Jutland. Today,thanks to new investors, the companyalso provides luxury cuts from DanishGalloway as well as Black Angus andJohn Stone (formerly Donald Russell)cattle from Ireland. But the main ambi-tion is still the same: to deliver a high-quality product produced according tothe highest standards within animal wel-fare in the most straightforward and con-venient way. Marketing coordinator Mar-

ianne Hoff Søndergaard explains: “Whatit is all about is animal welfare; all themeat that we sell is sourced from ani-mals that have lived a good life – most ofit outside. Animals are living beings andthey deserve a good life.”

Today, quality-conscious meat lovers canrejoice in a wide range of high-qualityproducts from Jelling Naturkød’s fourbreeds, from sausages and minced meatto steaks and roasts. Besides beef theyalso have a small selection of luxurylamb from John Stone. Moreover, the

company has recently extended its rangewith a small selection of veal.

Worth paying for

Animal welfare is something very muchon the minds of many Danes. When itcomes to it, however, many still settlefor cheap supermarket products. ButJelling Naturkød has, says Søndergaard,since its beginning four years ago, expe-rienced an increased interest in betterquality and better welfare standards.“The truth is that people want good-quality meat, but they are not keen on

Feeding (literally) a growing Danish interest in animal welfare and high-quality meat, Jelling Naturkød sources its meat ex-clusively from free-range cattle reared and slaughtered with care. That means not only leaner and tenderer meat but, just asimportantly, a cleaner conscience for the buyer.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Jelling Naturkød

Happy cattle from stable to table

Despite its name, Jelling Naturkød’s Scottish Highland cattle live in Denmark where they enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle all year round.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 85

Scan Magazine | Business | Jelling Naturkød

paying the higher price for it. But latelywe have had really good feedback from alot of our clients who say: yes, it is moreexpensive than in the supermarket, butwe can also see and taste that the qual-ity is much better.”

One of the reasons why it is more expen-sive to produce ethically-reared, high-quality meat is that most cattle need tobe free-range to thrive and produce thebest meat. The sturdy, long-haired Scot-tish Highland cattle sold by JellingNaturkød are outside all year round, asare the Danish Galloway. As the cattlefeed on natural fodder, such as grassand weeds, their growth is less controlledthan breeds fed and kept inside. Thismakes the slaughtering and rearing lessefficient and thus more costly, but it alsomakes the cows’ life better and the meatleaner, firmer and lower in cholesterol.

From stable to table

Another factor adding to the quality ofthe animals’ lives and their meat is theslaughtering process. All animals pro-duced for Jelling Naturkød are slaugh-tered as close to where they are rearedas possible to avoid long transports andunnecessary stress. Besides, the slaugh-tering process takes into considerationthe animals’ welfare as well as the qual-ity of the meat that is produced. “All ofour stock is slaughtered by traditionalDanish methods. We don’t do any halalmeat – that just doesn’t add up with ourvalues,” says Søndergaard and adds:“Another thing is that the meat you nor-mally find in the supermarket is usuallyvacuum-packed straight after slaughter-ing; our meat is dry-aged in a cold store

for 14 or 21 days tofully develop itsflavour and tender-ness. Along with thematuring process,the welfare of the an-imals has a majorimpact on the tender-ness of the meat.”

Easy and accessible

At the heart of JellingNaturkød is not justthe wish to producehigh-quality meat butalso to make it easilyavailable. As such,the company deliversits products to all ofDenmark’s mainland(and islands con-nected by bridges) forfree. The insulatedmeat boxes are deliv-ered by refrigeratedtrucks during thenight so that cus-tomers can unpackand refrigerate prod-ucts before going towork. To simplify theprocess, customers can choose betweena range of tailor-made mixed boxes orcombine their own selection from all ofthe products. And, though JellingNaturkød is in no rush to expand, the se-lection keeps growing. “A lot of ourclients have been so happy with ourproducts that they’ve come back withmore requests. Pork is something peoplehave been asking about for a long time,but which we have been very reluctant to

get into because of the many bad associ-ations – pork can be Danish food at itsworst – but now we have found an or-ganic producer who we feel meets ourvalues, so from today on we will also beselling pork,” says Søndergaard.

For more information, please visit:www.jellingnaturkod.dk

Like the Highland cattle, the Danish Galloway cattle thrive best and produce the highest-quality meat when free-range.


86 | Issue 62 | March 2014

“I think I was a brilliant colleague, but anot-so-brilliant accountant,” laughs co-owner and CEO Thomas Winther as herecalls one of his early-career jobs at oneof the major accounting firms in the city.“Jokes aside, I’ve always loved workingwith people, and I had this urge to make

things happen – and fast.” Having helpedset up a London-Danish football club,which, he is quick to interpolate, is stillvery much alive and kicking, he met nowbusiness partner Mads E. Petersen andpresented his elevator pitch about a Scan-dinavian community magazine.

Born out of a love of all things Scandina-vian and a strong entrepreneurial drive,Scan Magazine quickly became muchmore than just a community periodical,and today it shares an office and parentcompany with two other successful mag-azines, Discover Germany and DiscoverBenelux, as well as a handful of relatedevents and, finally, multilingual telemar-keting, market research and lead gene-ration company Scan The Market.

Sensitivity to cultural nuances

Winther’s love of a fast-paced environ-ment is as present as ever, and the newventure was as much about natural pro-

With a knack for lead generation and market research, a team of experienced salesprofessionals from across Europe, and a sought-after office location in the buzzingcity, the brains behind Scan Group could not help but think that a multilingual tele-marketing and appointmentmaking business was the natural next step. Behold ScanThe Market, the new go-to service provider for all your sales and lead generationneeds.

By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Monica Takvam

Scanning your market, endlessly

Scan Magazine | Business | Scan The Market


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 87

Scan Magazine | Business | Scan The Market

gression as it was about starting some-thing new, as he explains: “We’ve alreadygot a competent group of bilingual salesand account managers working for ourportfolio of magazines, and they are highlyskilled when it comes to being sensitive tothe nuances and seasonality of their mar-kets, not to mention their language skillsand cultural understanding and aware-ness of different time zones. Our in-housespeciality is to sell and perform back-office functions in all the European lan-guages, so it made sense to expand ourservice offering to something we love do-ing and know that we’re very good at.”

With more than 15,000 advertising cus-tomers throughout Europe to date, ScanGroup has in its different capacitiesworked with some of the biggest brandsas well as countless small, local and re-

gional businesses. According to Winther,it is this sensitivity to the differences be-tween the markets and brands that giveshis team its strength.

Taking this expertise and applying it to thetelemarketing and lead generation fieldmakes for an impressive offering. Clientsof Scan The Market can expect supportnot only with campaign planning, end-of-day reporting and verified sales appoint-ments, but also with sales and lead gen-eration – all in their customers’ nativelanguages.

Track-record with clients and employees

“Our track-record works as a promise toour clients,” says Winther. “For every newproject, our dedicated account directorand management team will sit down withthe client and get into the nitty-gritty

details: we’ll make sure that we thor-oughly understand the customer’sproduct or service, and then we’ll use ourexperience and expertise to tailor themost effective campaign for them. Whatthe team working on their campaign willlook like depends entirely on their needs;we’ll make sure to have the right numbersand the right languages in place.”

The benefits are plentiful: clients can stopworrying about recruitment and trainingcosts, day-to-day management of staff,increased phone bills and additional costssuch as holiday pay, national insurancecontributions, sick pay and pension con-tributions. Too good to be true? Not if youlook at the existing Scan Group salesteams, made up of well-educated, hard-working young professionals who takepride in what they do.

“Our central London office locationmakesus an attractive employer for multilingualjob hunters arriving in the city,” saysWinther. “On top of that, the existing busi-ness connections andmarketing channelsthat we’ve built up thanks to our portfolio ofmagazines are valued not only by new cus-tomers – but also by potential members ofstaff.” Sounds like everyone’s a winner.

Scan Group is a publishing and eventscompany trading as the following divisions:

Scan Magazine

Scandinavia Show

Scandinavian Christmas Market

Discover Germany

Discover Benelux

Scan The Market

Scan The Market was founded in 2013 andoffers the following multilingual services:

Telemarketing

Sales

Lead generation

Appointment making

Market research

Campaign planning

Reporting services

For more information, please visit:scangroup.co.uk

Founders and Directors Thomas Winther and Mads E. Petersen (2nd and 3rd from the left) together with theScan Group team.


88 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Founded in 2005, Future Solutions is lo-cated in Bømlo in Western Norway. Withthe initial aim of developing and facilitat-ing integrated solutions for companieswithin the oil and gas industry, Future So-lutions became an immediate success.The idea behind the integrated operationswas fairly simple: by streamlining thecommunication, work processes and in-formation technology within the company,each process would run more smoothlyand more efficiently.

Within a few years, Future Solutions hadmore than tripled in size and expandedinto three operative departments: Inte-grated Operations, Project Services andProject Solutions. Project Services servesas a consultant agency for companies inthe oil, gas and manufacturing industry,while Project Solutions specialises in proj-ect management within the construction

industry. “We started out as a provider ofintegrated operations, which is still ourarea of expertise. However, we have sinceexpanded into other areas of the industry,”says assistant CEO Bjørn Håvard Bjørk-lund.

Research and development

Despite primarily working within theconstruction industry, the Project Solu-tions department carries out methodsand practices well suited for all indus-tries. “The Projects Solutions team con-sists of engineers with long-standing ex-perience within the industry. They areextremely competent within their field,”says Bjørklund.

Within the last few years, Future Solutionshas devoted a lot of time and attention toresearch and development in order to per-form even better. Within the department of

Integrated Operations, time has beenspent on developing newmethods to eval-uate and control the implementation ofsolutions, with the aim of improving thelevel of efficiency even further. The ProjectSolutions department has also taken partin this research and has developed a newand improvedmethod to better plan, followup and support its clients through a build-ing project. The newmethod builds on theprinciples behind Lean Construction andLast Planner System, involving all opera-tors in the project planning to ensure abetter flow of information, cost-control andinteraction throughout the project.

With long-standing experience within the oil and gas industry, Future Solutions hasmade a name for itself as the go-to company for integrated solutions of the future.With companies like Statoil and Aker Solutions on its client list, Future Solutions isstreamlining experts to ensure a safer and more efficient future for your business.

By Kjersti Westeng | Photos: Future Solutions

Scan Magazine | Business | Future Solutions AS

A safer, more efficient future

For more information, please visit:www.futuresolutions.no


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To apply, please email your CV and anEnglish writing sample to Linnea Dunne [email protected]

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90 | Issue 62 | March 2014

While most pet owners talk to their dogson a daily basis, the pooch’s reply is in-variably ambiguous and often misunder-stood. In an effort to bring us closer to ourcanine family members, researchers atthe Nordic Society for Invention and Dis-covery (NSID) have recently unveiled a pro-totype dog translator designed to analyseanimal thought patterns and spell themout in human language via a loud speaker.

Aptly named No More Woof, the device,like the concept of the talking dog, is rem-

iniscent of the talking collar worn by Dugthe dog in the Pixar film Up. NoMoreWoofis a canine-friendly headset with EEG sen-sors and a Raspberry Pi micro-computerto detect the dog’s brainwave patterns andtranslate thoughts into English.

Unlike Dug’s talking collar, NSID empha-sises that No More Woof is still work inprogress. The project’s website states thatthe device is currently only able to translateeasily detected neural patterns such as “I’mtired”, “I’mcuriouswho that is?” and “I’mex-

cited”. Future goals of the project include therecognition of advanced thought patterns.

A crowdfunding viral

No More Woof gained worldwide atten-tion through an unlikely source: in De-cember 2013, NSID launched a campaignon the crowdfunding site Indiegogo toraise funds to finance the project. Thefunding goal was set at $10,000. Support-ers who contribute to the project are ableto order their chosen version and beamong the first to own a No More Woof.$65 buys the most basic model, with onesensor that detects 2–3 thought patterns;$300 buys a two-sensor standard model,and for $1,200 you will receive a fully cus-tomisable superior model.

The press got a hold of the story of the“first device to translate animal thoughtsinto human language” and it went viral.The unexpected publicity has seen thefunding status on Indiegogo skyrocket to$20,748, more than double the initial goal– an impressive amount for extraordinaryclaims without extraordinary proof.

The No More Woof demonstration videoon Indiegogo may touch the hearts of doglovers, but leaves neuroscientists withmore questions than answers. For exam-ple, EEG can detect some feelings, butnot hunger, as NSID claims. And besides,if dog is a man’s best friend, why risk therelationship by attempting to discoverevery thought on its mind? Unless, ofcourse, the dog happens to be one of theQueen’s corgis, with lots of juicy gossip.

Scan Magazine | Business | Talking woof

A small research lab in Malmö has developed a prototype dog translator that convertsanimal thoughts into human language. ScanMagazine looks at whether the Nordic So-ciety for Invention and Discovery is barking, or whether its invention has any bite.

By Ian Morales | Photos: NSID

Talking woof


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 91

Scan Magazine | Business | Innovation through collaboration

Co-working brings together young entre-preneurs, freelancers, investors, and peoplewho want to make things happen in a col-laborative environment.While co-working isoften seen as an environment for trendyweb andmobile start-ups, the newNorwe-gian breed takes a different approach.

A platform to share ideas

500 kilometres north of Oslo, DIGS isTrondheim’s attempt to retain some of the3,000 science and technology graduatesthat the city’s NTNU University spits outevery year, most of whom head straightinto oil companies, down to Oslo orabroad. It is a great loss for Trondheim’seconomy that ideas that are often born inthe city are developed elsewhere. “It’sabout bringing people together,” says co-founder Mats Mathisen. “There are manygreat projects and ideas amongst Trond-heim’s graduates, but they sit alone, won-dering about the same questions and thesame challenges. We provide a platformfor people to meet, share knowledge andbe social, all of which are really importantaspects for both entrepreneurs and free-lancers to succeed. It’s the perfect placeto network, build new relationships and

create value, for each other and ultimatelyfor Trondheim as a city.”

One member, Eirik Gjelsvik Medbø, hasalready noticed the benefits for his start-up, Assistep. “Working in a collaborativeenvironment allows us to instantly verifyideas, receive input on design and mar-keting, and even accountancy questions. Itspeeds up the development of our busi-ness,” says Medbø. Since moving intoDIGS, Assistep has received significant fi-nance, which has taken the business tothe next level.

Co-working becoming mainstream

The flagship for Norwegian co-working isundoubtedly MESH in Oslo. Barely twoyears old, the offices, event space, café,nightclub and entrepreneurial spirit ofMESH attract innovators from far andwide. Elsewhere in the capital, co-workingventure 657 focuses on media, bringingtogether start-ups and independent com-munication professionals under one roofto collaborate on projects.

With co-working breaking out of the cap-itals and becoming mainstream, all the

signs are there that it is going to grow,perhaps even to become the norm for allindependent workers and those looking toinnovate outside of industry. Championingthe movement is Carsten Foertsch, editorof co-working magazine DESKMAG.

“In 2006, a year after the first official co-working space opened, there were fewerthan 30 such spaces worldwide. Today,we count more than 2,500 of them, serv-ing more than 110,000 members, and thatnumber is still doubling each year,” saysFoertsch.

Innovation through collaborationThe global co-working trend is fast becoming mainstream in Northern Europe, withnew spaces opening up all over the region. In Norway, it has becomemuchmore thanjust a new-media fad.

By David Nikel | Photos: MESH

Photo: Assistep


92 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Scan Magazine | Business | TotallySwedish

Fast-forward to today, eight and a halfyears later, and TotallySwedish, underNathan'smanagement, is blossoming. Popby on a Tuesday afternoon, when Swedishparents meet just around the corner, andyou will be greeted by a pram jam as bagsare packed full of Kalles Kaviar fish roespread and the indispensible fresh yeast. AtChristmas, the Swedes make a pilgrim-age to Crawford Street for Swedishmulledwine (glögg), and in preparation for Easter,it is all about the Swedish brands of flour,pearl sugar and other bakingmust-haves.“It’s the things we take for granted whenwe’re in Sweden,” says Nathan about bigsellers like sourmilk (filmjölk) and saltliquorice. Not to mention coffee. “Swedesdrink a lot of coffee, and it has to be strong,proper stuff!”

Now with two shops, in Crawford Street aswell as in Barnes in South-West London,TotallySwedish has noticed an increasinginterest in Swedish culinary traditions.“We love that our British customers arecurious about our foods,” says Nathan.

As people become more conscious ofwhat they eat, Nordic cuisine is showingthe way, insists the shop owner. This is ev-ident on the shelves, with a good selectionof organic produce, wholemeal bread, anda whole range of products by inspiringraw food pioneer Renée Voltaire, such asdetox juices and granola.

“It’s a holistic thing for us,” says Nathan.“We want to spread the word aboutSwedish food culture.” As such, bumping

into Gunnar Lieungh, the Swede behindthe new salmon smoking venture, Houseof Sverre, at London event Nordicana, itseemed like a no-brainer to invite him tothe shops for some taster and demon-stration sessions. What better way to kick-start Easter than with some top-quality,organic salmon from the Faroe Islands?

With a dream of opening a café and a bun in the oven, Annethe Nathan knew she hadsome big decisions to make. The combination of motherhood and early mornings atwork instinctively felt ill-advised, and the former IT consultant decided that the webwas the way to go. That was until she called the old Swedish boutique in Marylebone,Swedish Affair, and found out that they were looking to sell.

By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Monika Agorelius

For the love of Swedish food culture

TotallySwedish, 32 Crawford StreetW1 and 66 Barnes High Street SW13.

Webshop: www.totallyswedish.com

Taste the House of Sverre salmon inBarnes on 22 March and in CrawfordStreet on 12 April.

When Annethe Nathan fell pregnant and coincidentally foundout that the old Swedish shop, Swedish Affair, was looking tosell, she shelved the idea of opening a café in favour of thebricks-and-mortar and webshop TotallySwedish.

TotallySwedish stocks a range of healthy, organic products as well as expat favourites such as salt liquorice, fresh yeast andKalles Kaviar fish roe spread.

Gunnar Lieungh of House of Sverre.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 93

Built in 2000 in the naturally beautifulcoastal area of Ishøj Strand, DanhostelIshøj Strand was taken over by Inge UlrichErnst and Michael Ernst in 2006. Guidedby their many years of experience at es-tablishments such as Hotel D’angleterreand Søllerød Kro, the couple brought indecorators and professional chefs to re-vamp the place. “We turned the whole es-tablishment upside-down and chose tofocus intensively on conference facilities,which was something that was reallylacking in the area,” explains Ernst andadds: “We’ve had the specific require-ments of seminar and conference guestsin mind when tailoring both the interiorsand the service level – we make sureeverything is done in a relaxed but top-professional atmosphere.”

Today, all of the hostel’s 40 rooms, withen-suite bathroom, television and wirelessinternet, are designed tomeet the needs ofmodern conference guests. The kitchen,the produce of which is 75 per cent or-ganic, masters everything from Foie Grasto traditional open sandwiches and cooksall dishes from scratch. But while the serv-ice level has been steeply elevated, priceshave not seen a similar development.“Through our service approach and our fo-cus on ’value for money’, we have createdan incredibly economic product that givesthe guests a lot more than they expect.That’s our main goal: to always focus onthe needs of the guests and give themvalue for their money,” stresses Ernst,adding: “Sometimes we experience thatwe are so low-cost that the guests are

afraid to book us because they can’t believethat they will actually get proper service,but our very high turn-over has made itpossible to keep prices down.”

With a spacious setting guests are, how-ever, unlikely to notice the fact that al-most 50,000 guests visit Danhostel IshøjStrand annually. Besides, with an arrayof sports facilities, and the coastline aswell as ARKEN Museum of Modern Artjust around the corner, there are plenty ofopportunities to enjoy the outdoors as wellas the indoors.

Conference of the Month, Denmark

Conferences with low costs and highservice levels in Ishøj StrandWith a relaxed yet professional atmosphere and beautiful natural surroundings, Dan-hostel Ishøj Strand proves that low prices need not entail poor service. Located just15 kilometres from the centre of Copenhagen, the conference centre welcomes almost50,000 guests every year, including a string of public bodies as well as some majorcost-conscious corporations.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Danhostel Ishøj Strand

For more information, pleae visit:www.ishojhostel.dk

Scan Magazine | Conference of the Month | Denmark

The atrium at Danhostel Ishøj Strand offers a bright and spacious room for receptions of up to 400 people. The hall has beenused for everything from fashion shows to professional workshops.

Danhostel Ishøj Strand’s professional chefs prepare all foodfrom scratch, using 75 per cent organic produce.

All rooms at Danhostel Ishøj Strand have recently been refur-bished to meet the requirements of modern conference guests.


94 | Issue 62 | March 2014

With a long and eventful history thatstretches back to the 12th century, thesite that is now home to Thorbjørnrud Ho-tel has seen a fair few changes in its time.The building is situated on an old farmthat was one of the area’s largest back inthe day. Past owners of Thorbjørnrud in-clude aristocracy, the famous glass man-ufacturers Hadeland, and The NorwegianUnion of Iron and Metalworkers, the latterhaving utilised the building as a school.The changing times and differenttakeovers are reflected in the periodic ar-chitecture and relics of the main buildingand in those that were added on as timewent by.

In with the old, and the newNot exactly what you would expect from ahotel mainly concerned with hostingcourses and conferences, Thorbjørnrudis the kind of place that rejects neat cat-egorisation. The hotel boasts 82 modernrooms, a wide range of technologicalequipment and an environment that isspecifically tailored for learning. In addi-tion, the hotel also hosts and helps planother types of private functions includingweddings and celebrations.

The combination of cultivating culturalheritage and providing top-quality serviceis the domain of Olav Lie-Nilsen, the ho-

tel’s manager since 2000. “I think it’s anexciting combination,” Lie-Nilsen says.“Our goal is to be the best workplace, for

Conference of the Month, Norway

A hotel with heritageAstone's throw away from Oslo Gardemoen airport, in Jevnaker, you will find Thor-bjørnrud Hotel – just as much a historical gem as it is a modern and stylish lodging.

By Maya Acharya | Photos: Thorbjørnrud Hotel

The goal for hotel manager Olav Lie-Nilsen, is for Thorbjørnrud hotel to be the very best workplace – for his employees as well as their guests.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 95

both our guests and our employees. Apartfrom providing good service, for us thisalso means maintaining the hotel’s richcultural heritage and providing peoplewith an aesthetic experience too.”

A particularly stunning part of this aes-thetic experience is the garden surround-ing the hotel, the result of finding old pho-tos documenting the green oasis full ofblooming flowers, nourishing vegetationand exotic trees that once adorned thearea encompassing Thorbjørnrud. BeforeLie-Nilsen decided to go ahead with aproject to restore the garden’s formerglory, there was very little on offer interms of scenic greenery. “Since westarted in 2010 we have come a long way,”Lie-Nilsen explains. “Now guests can re-ally enjoy our garden and many take anactive interest in the project. It has beenand continues to be a very interestingprocess that I don’t think will be finishedin my lifetime!”

A cultural feast

Choosing to stay indoors, guests canalso wander the halls to discover themany artistic treasures that the hotelsystematically collects, from historicaloil paintings to contemporary pieces.However, if your senses crave more thanmodern art and historical ambience,Thorbjørnrud Hotel’s gastronomical ex-perts are always ready to cook up a feast.Lie-Nilsen himself has extensive experi-ence of culinary arts and is passionate

about food and food culture. “I’m inter-ested in the social framework of food,”he asserts. “A framework in which peo-ple meet to share a meal. It’s about foodcreating a joyful experience that you canshare with others.”

The food served at Thorbjørnrud doesn’ttravel far before ending up on guests’plates. Locally-sourced, fresh ingredientscome from farms and other enterprisesclose by, with which the hotel has a per-sonal relationship. In addition, the hotel’slamb and pork is from their own farm,and even their juice comes from freshly-pressed apples picked in the hotel’s owngarden. Lie-Nilsen is certain that Thorb-jørnrud offers a completely unmatchedconcept when it comes to food.

“Our chefs are very good at experimentingand creating totally original dishes here atThorbjørnrud. We use quality ingredientsto make food that is rooted in Norwegiantradition but often with modern twists in-spired by other food cultures.”

Here to stay

It is plain to see that Thorbjørnrud is notyour everyday hotel for a mundane con-ference or event. It is a place that givesguests the opportunity to involve them-selves in the site’s history and culturalheritage on many different levels. A placethat is attentive to detail, to the impor-tance of local historical values and howbest to preserve the past all the while fo-

cusing on innovation. This is a task thatLie-Nilsen is excited to be part of.

“The challenge of creating a balance be-tween the past and present is one of thethings that I find most exciting aboutworking in the hotel industry,” he says.“Thorbjørnrud has functioned as a centralpart of the local community and an im-portant participant in Norwegian cultureand society for a long time, and this issomething we want to continue to do.”

Scan Magazine | Conference of the Month | Norway

For more information, please visit:thorbjornrudhotell.no


96 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Scan Magazine | Business | Scandinavian Business Calendar

Nordic Business Forum: ‘Rule Breaking Strategies’Is breaking rules really a good thing? A collaborativeeffort between the Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian andDanish Chambers of Commerce in London, theannual Nordic Business Forum this year aims toempower and inspire professionals with stories ofcompanies that broke the mould, did somethingremarkable, and changed the way business isconducted. Among the speakers are representativesfrom the LEGO Group, Electrolux, and Nokia. Venuesponsored by Pinsent Masons LLP.Date: 11 March

International Networking in LondonIf you cannot get enough of networking, do not settlefor the monthly Nordic Networking Drinks. Thisexclusive international networking reception for theCouncil of Foreign Chambers of Commerce membershas the potential to bring together representatives ofmore than 10,000 companies. Make it to the HyattRegency – Churchill early for canapés and one of the200 free drinks, followed by a cash bar and plenty of,you guessed it, networking.Date: 17 March

Nordic Networking in BirminghamThis month, the Nordic Chambers of Commerce forthe first time put on a Nordic Networking Drinks eventin Birmingham at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Takenibbles and a free welcome drink and add freeadmission and an informal atmosphere, and theresult should be promising at the very least.Date: 20 March

Welcome to the UK in StockholmSwedish business professionals eyeing up the UK,listen up. Bringing together established UKbusinesses and individuals with those wishing todevelop relationships within the UK, this event atBerns Salonger in Stockholm combines perfectnetworking opportunities with guest speakers,exhibitors, and, of course, afternoon tea. To seal dealsand shed business cards, stay for the drinksreception.Date: 25 March

Nordic Networking in LondonThis month, the Nordic Networking Drinks eventcourtesy of the Nordic Chambers of Commerce willtake place at the Hyatt Regency – Churchill. Asalways, expect a free welcome drink and canapés for

the first 50 arriving with their name on the list, all inaddition to a fantastic networking atmosphere.Date: 27 March

Outotec presentation on sustainabilityEarly next month, the Finnish Chamber of Commerceinvites Pertti Korhonen, CEO of Outotec, to speak onsustainability and share his experience ofincorporating a sustainable mindset into all aspectsof the organisation’s operations. Outotec was recentlyranked the world’s 3rd most sustainable company onthe Global 100 list, so this truly is an opportunity notto be missed. The presentation will be followed by aQ&A session and networking drinks.Date: 3 April

Scandinavian Business Calendar– Highlights of Scandinavian business events

DUCC

We’re always on the lookout for the newest miraclesuper food – something that will rev up our health tothe next level and ping us into shape, often nicely-packaged and eye-wateringly expensive from far faraway. But chances are you already have a whole host ofamazing super foods lurking in your kitchen cupboards.

TurmericI’m sure you’ve got this beautiful mustard-coloured‘golden goddess’ in your spice rack. Dust if off and use itas often as you can. Turmeric contains a yellow pigmentcalled curcumin, and this is where the magic lives: it isone of themost powerful antioxidants, particularly goodfor the liver, and it also has very good anti-inflammatoryqualities. I use turmeric as often as I can in soups andcasseroles, on chicken and in hot chocolate.

GingerTurmeric’s paler cousin, ginger, offers antioxidantsand anti-inflammatory qualities. It is all warming and

comforting, and a nice cup of ginger tea before a mealgets the important gastric juices flowing inpreparation for nutrient absorption. Ginger tea mightalso help to reduce travel sickness and morningsickness if you are pregnant.

GarlicLoved and feared. Loved for its taste and feared forcreating that dreaded garlic breath. But worry nomore: if you chop it up and swallow quickly withoutchewing, you won’t smell but will get all its amazinghealth benefits. According to research, garlic hasanti-bacterial, anti-blood clotting and cholesterol-lowering properties – in other words, a super bulb. Ifcolds and flus are lurking, finely-chopped garlic is theticket in my house.

CinnamonHello weight loss herb extraordinaire! Researchindicates that cinnamon can help improve insulin

sensitivity and reduce blood pressure. Cinnamon alsosomehow fools us into believing we are eatingsomething sweet just by adding a dash of it. I use itevery day as a tea, in stews and dusted over my coffee.

Raw Coconut OilIf a jar of this super oil has not yet taken primeposition in your kitchen, it’s about time you makeroom for it. This is a true beauty product for bothinside and outside. Fry in it, bake with it, put it on yourskin as a moisturiser – and glow. Coconut oil is madeup of medium chained triglycerides, metaboliseddifferently to other fats. Instead of depositing the fat inthe body’s fat cells, coconut oil is burned likecarbohydrates for energy.

A happy, healthy spring to you all!

Oh sweet super foods!Bloggers’ Corner: The very best of the Anglo-Scandinavianblogosphere: from films to fitness

By Lisa Gustafsson

Lisa Gustafsson came toLondon in the ’90s as anewsreader for TV3 and com-pletely fell in love with Lon-don, as well as a Londoner.She is studying holistic nutri-tion, blogging about health atlisagusto.com, is the continu-ity voice for Viasat Film and aproud mum of two boys.


See you in Kalmar Enjoy a holiday with sun and swimming, shopping and entertain-ment, art and culture. Kalmar in Sweden offers the opportunities of a large city but also the charm of a smaller place.

Experience KalmarArt, culture, design, entertainment and shopping, Kalmar has much to offer the visitor. Explore the city with the Experience Kalmar-Package! The package consists of hotel accommodation includingbreakfast and a destination pass providing reduced entrance (50 %) to many of the city’s attractions.

From: SEK 495 per person in double room.

The children’s castleA package for the whole family with accomodation in a comfortable Kalmar hotel with breakfast buffet. Includes family admission to Kalmar Castle, where children take part in the Castle Battle. The castle also offers fascinating exhibitions and guided tours.

From: SEK 1470 per family (two adults and two children).

Book kalmar.com

+46 (0) 480-41 77 00

For leisure and pleasure · kalmar.com

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98 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Scan Magazine | Humour | Columns

Mette Lisby is Denmark’s leading femalecomedian. She invites you to laugh alongwith her monthly humour columns. Sinceher stand-up debut in 1992, Mette hashosted the Danish versions of “Have I GotNews For You” and “Room 101”.

It is not the fear of being watched by BigBrother that bugs us. Au contraire, as theFrench would say, it is the anguish of NOTbeing seen, which is the biggest fear thathaunts homo sapiens in 2014.

In today’s society, we all face the bigemptiness, the horror of not really exist-ing unless someone is watching us. Weneed witnesses and spectators to docu-ment our own existence. Instagram, Face-book, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Flickr(just go ahead and complete the list) aresimply unstoppable. We all need our place– and one is not enough – in cyberspace.Reality is not in any way sufficient. Shake-speare might have wanted to rephrase hisfamous line: “To be – on Facebook – or notto be.”

Yes, there is the social element. Thecosiness of catching up with old friendsand re-acquaint with old classmates. ButFacebook was not created to be cosy. In

the business plan of Facebook, I doubtthat ‘cosy’ is part of the vision, followedby ‘should a quid or two accidentallycome in that might be nice.’ Facebook is– I know you firstmovers on shares mightnot feel it yet, but still – worth billions.Only the seriously vain among us canthink that this net worth is because ofTHEM uploading precious photos ofthemselves.

As we all have come to know, Face-book is valueable because we share in-formation, blatantly and without hesita-tion. About what we read, what we watchon TV, at the cinema, what we listen to,where we go on vacation, and every otheraspect of who we are. Facebook is spyingon us when we click on adverts and shar-ing all this information to make moneyoff it. NSA are amateurs next to this ma-chine of monitoring and collection ofknowlegde of everything about us.

If a government programme did this,the outcry and protests would be mas-sive. But honestly, which of the two ismost sympathetic: to spy on us with theambition of protecting us, or to spy on ussimply to make a profit?

PS. By the way, please like me on Face-book.

IS IT JUST ME... By Mette Lisby

… who can’t help but wondering how painfully wrong George Orwell was?

My first few years in England involved asteep and often trying learning curve. Imissed Sweden terribly and the school Ijoined was a harsh, foreign place. I triedhard to fit in, and my English was goodenough to helpme through the lessons, butit was outside the classroom that I strug-gled. There were so many words that we’d

never learnt in English class in Sweden:words like ‘skive’, ‘cushty’, ‘tuck shop’, ‘fit’,and ‘trainers’. Then there was the accent.

In Sweden we’d been taught a lofty RP,which, combined with my Swedish lilt andlack of trendy words, didn’t go down astorm. I had to adjust. By the end of mytime at a Kentish comprehensive I wasproud to have achieved a way of speakingthat sounded similar to my classmates.

Then I moved to an A-level college.This was frequented by a group of girlswho had rebelled against their parents byjoining the college instead of staying on attheir grammar schools. They were a con-fident, effortlessly cool bunch. They drankpints of cider and black, swore and talkedfrankly, yet nonchalantly about things likethrush and politics, and I desperatelywanted to be a part of their gang. I beganhanging around with them, drinking pintsof cider (minus the black), but I felt likesomething was still missing.

And so I changed the way I spoke.Again. I discovered that in the UK, your ac-cent isn’t just a regional thing; it’s farmore varied and complex. For me, it be-came a tool in forging a desired new iden-tity.

My other half sometimes complainsthat I don’t have more of a Swedish ac-cent, but these days I’m done changing.My northern Swedish and southern Eng-lish are spot on who I am.

Maria Smedstad moved to the UK fromSweden in 1994. She received a degree inIllustration in 2001, before settling in thecapital as a freelancecartoonist, creatingthe autobiographicalcartoon Em.Maria writes a col-umn on the trials andtribulations of life asa Swede in the UK.

Accents By Maria Smedstad


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Nordfyns MuseumThe history of the town of Bogense

and North Funen, in words, artifacts,paintings and pictures.

Nordfyns MuseumVestergade 16, DK-5400 Bogense, DenmarkPhone: +45 6481 1884E-mail: [email protected]


100 | Issue 62 | March 2014

With loud music, vomit, alcohol, the occa-sional joint and raw sexual ventures, Youand Me Forever cuts no corners when itcomes to presenting the big questionsfacing today’s teenage girls. The film is di-rector Kaspar Munk’s second youth-themed film. Like his first, it draws itsstrength from the 42-year-old’s genuinefascination with the big questions of ado-lescence rather than an ambition to cre-

ate another ‘teenage drama’. “I never sawmyself as a director who focused specifi-cally on children or youth, but then, someyears ago, I did a short film that treatedsome of these teenage dilemmas. Thatsort of brought me back to my own youth,and I felt that this was a time when manyessential themes and questions arose –really, it is something that follows us forthe rest of our lives, and in that, I saw the

possibility of telling some very universalstories; stories that are relevant to every-body, not just a specific group or age,”explains Munk.

Less money, more freedom

When Scan Magazine meets Munk, it isthe last day of the Nordic Film festival, andthe director is visiting London to take partin an exclusive pre-premiere of You andMe Forever at South Kensington’s grandCine Lumiere. With a budget of just half amillion pounds, the film is low-cost evenin Danish terms. But Munk, who is sittingneatly on his bed, the only other space tosit in his small Gloucester Road hotelroom, is not worried that this will nega-

The winner of the Nordisk Film Award 2013, Kaspar Munk, is set to release hisaward-winning youth drama You and Me Forever in the UK, 25 April. Scan Magazinemet up with the unconventional director who, after an impressive success with his de-but film, chose to explore the freedom within a low-budget film.

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Day for Night

Danish director frames thehazy ups and downs of adolescence

Winner of the Nordisk Film Award, Kaspar Munk, has won much acclaim for his raw portrayals of adolescence; his latest film You and Me Forever premiers in the UK on 25 April.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 101

Scan Magazine | Culture | Kaspar Munk

tively affect the experience of the interna-tional audience that awaits him. “Havingless money and fewer investors involved inthe project also allowedme a greater riskof failing, and that actually gave me morefreedom. It was a very conscious decisionfor me to sort of take the opposite routeafter my debut film, which did quite well.Instead of saying: now I want to make aneven more expensive film and go for thestars that way, I went another way; I choseto say that I wanted less money and morefreedom,” he explains with a short laughand adds: “I think the film succeeds onmany levels… We started out with a free-dom and desire to experiment but actuallyended up with a film that works really wellalso in filmic and artistic expression. Inthose areas we had an ambition to trysomething completely different, and I ofcourse hope that is something that an in-ternational audience, such as that tonight,will feel because filmic art really is an in-ternational language.”

Experimenting

Most of the scenes of You and Me Foreverwere created without scripts, and in theQ&A after the screening, one of the film’sthree young actresses reveals thatmethod acting and ‘playing around’ werea big part of the process. Munk, who in2006 graduated from the directing courseat the alternative Danish film school, Su-per 16, worked with two of the girls star-ring in You and Me Forever for his debutfilm. The film, Hold Me Tight, won severalawards for its dark portrayal of peer pres-sure, guilt, and loneliness. You and MeForever conveys a slightly more optimisticif still just as rawmood. “The first film wasvery melancholic. It was about a girl wholost the will to live, and after that I felt likedoing the opposite, like doing somethingabout the will to live and the drive that thatentails. There is a lot of darkness andplenty of destructive powers in that too,and also a lot of drama, but the tone andthe ending of this film aremoremarked bythe drive to live life,” stresses Munk.

At the Cine Lumiere You and Me Foreverreceived loud applause as well as a stringof questions and praise from the film-loving crowd. No one, however, ques-

tioned the authenticity of Munk’s portrayalof teenage life, which is sure to sweepmost viewers right back into to the hazyups and downs of teenage life.

For more information please visit:www.day-for-night.org20-year-old Julie Andersen delivers an intense, raw per-

formance as the adventure-seeking teenager, Laura, in Youand Me Forever.

You and Me Forever premiers in the UKon 25 April 2014.


102 | Issue 62 | March 2014

The weekend’s venue, a somewhat bleakformer brewery in London’s East End,lends itself superbly to capture theessence of the Nordic Noir convention:high ceilings, white-washed walls and thesmell of coffee permeating the spaciousrooms.

Even before the doors officially open, hun-dreds of eager Scandi noir fans are queu-ing outside. It is the beginning of February,so naturally they are all bundled up, shiv-ering with excitement and chills. The two-day schedule is jam-packed with discus-

sions, signings, exclusive previews andspecial screenings. Present at the event is

a veritable who’s who of the Nordic literary,TV and film world, including the skilledword weavers Hakan Nesser and ArneDahl, the ever-expressive Kim Bodnia, aswell as everyone’s favourite faux DanishPrime Minister Sidse Babett Knudsen.Kicking off the weekend was a discussionpanel entitled Building Borgen, comprisingsix people who shaped the show. Whilethe ins and outs of Danish politics cameunder scrutiny, gratifying for Knudsen isthe opportunity to “see the country’s na-tional identity from a distance.”

In honourable attendance at the weekendwas the Danish Ambassador to the UnitedKingdom, Claus Grube, the amiable for-mer Permanent Secretary of State, whosesurprise at the crowds is genuine andheartfelt. “Until you come somewhere like

A typical, geeky fan convention this is not. While the Nordicana event certainly revolvesaround the fans, the organisers have pulled it off with panache, despite initial tech-nical troubles and an overwhelming popularity for ticket sales.

By Emmie Collinge | Photos: Phil Gale

A feast for Nordic Noir fans

The weekend kicked off with a discussion entitled Building Borgen.


Issue 62 | March 2014 | 103

Scan Magazine | Culture | Nordicana

this, you have no idea how popular theshows are. It’s fantastic for Denmark.We’ve seen a really significant rise in vis-itor figures – and not just to Copenhagen!”

Bodnia: ‘I love the BBC!’

That the event falls on the same weekendas the BBC4 airing of the finale of TheBridge II (Bron II) surely cannot be pure co-incidence, and the organisers have cleverlymilked this turn of fate. After screening thepenultimate and final episodes, the audi-ences erupted. Amid shouts of apprecia-tion and exuberance, the weekend’s spe-cial guests, the show’s two lead stars,Sofia Helin and Kim Bodnia, took part in aQ&A in a packed room. Helin left audi-ences speechless with her soft-spoken,stilted English, while Bodnia’s passion foracting (“I love the BBC!”) could not beabated. Both seemed somewhat bemusedby the sheer enthusiasm with which theywere greeted as they took to the stage,perhaps not quite believing that their Dan-ish-Swedish co-production has been sucha hit in the UK. With both The Killing andBorgen topping one million viewers, TheBridge was a sure-fit hit on the small is-land even before it had begun, and its en-trancing story has kept well over a millionBrits hooked for its five-week stint. Whatcame out of the weekend was an admis-sion of “yes, there will be a third season!”The weekend’s edible treats came in the

form of food from the hip London eateryScandinavian Kitchen, the potent IcelandicReyka vodka, and beautifully-presented,sustainably-sourced salmon from theFaroe Islands, courtesy of London’s Houseof Sverre, whose unerring dedication tosalmon is commendable. “It’s amazing tobe here – everyone is loving our salmon.We’ve spent a long time sourcing the best,ensuring the traditional Norwegian recipeis faultless, and locating the Scandina-vian beech wood, juniper and alder woodfor smoking.”

The Scandi food talk centred on eating to-gether as a family (rare for us Brits), thefavoured use of cardamom and cinnamon– at one point the event ran out of kanel-bullar (cinnamon buns), nearly resultingin a riot – alongside envy-inducing tales offoraging for berries and homemade jams.

Germans go crazy for Arne Dahl

In abundance at the event were best-selling authors who, unlike their TV char-acters, could walk around unaccompa-nied and, to a certain extent, undisturbed.Sneaking outside with Jan Arnald, akaArne Dahl, we asked whether conventionslike this are common. “Not at all. Admit-tedly German fans go crazy for Arne Dahl,but it’s far more modest in Scandinavia.Finally being translated into English is ab-solutely brilliant – although a bit unusual

as the TV series came first for you,” Ar-nald smiles broadly. “Season II filming be-gins in May, but you’ll have to wait. Pa-tience is key with me.” Best-selling authorNesser expresses similar sentimentsabout the English-language market: “Youare 15 years behind Scandinavia with mybooks!” he chuckles, admitting to flickingthrough the books to remind himself ofthe plot twists.

As with many of the attendees, CaroleRoss from Canterbury loves “all theshows” and is heading to Copenhagen inJune. The BBC should take note, as Rossexplains just what the UK is lacking: “De-spite Saga’s foibles, she brings a lot tothe show as a positive representation of aworking disabled person – rarely seen inthe UK.” With fans travelling from as faraway as Scotland, tourism on the in-crease, and books rapidly being trans-lated, Scandinavians should certainly beproud of their territorial takeover of Britishpopular culture.

For more information please visit:nordicnoir.tv

Arrow Film’s Nordic Noir label hasreleased all the major Scandinaviandramas on DVD & Blu-ray box set.

Sidse Babett Knudsen, aka Denmark’s Prime Minister in Bor-gen, said that the hit series had allowed her to see the coun-try’s national identity from a distance.

There will be a third season of The Bridge, revealed the show’s two lead stars, Sofia Helin and Kim Bodnia.


104 | Issue 62 | March 2014

‘Vikings: life and legend’ focuses on thecore period of the Viking Age from the late8th to the early 11th century. The Vikingexpansion from Scandinavia during thisperiod was extraordinary, extending fromthe Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean.The exhibition will make the most of newresearch and a multitude of recent dis-coveries by archaeologists and metal de-tectors.

“The reach and cultural connections of theViking Age make it a remarkable story,”says Neil MacGregor, director of theBritish Museum. “New discoveries and re-search have led to a wealth of informationabout the Vikings, so it is a perfect mo-ment to look again at this critical era.”

Perhaps what one should most admireabout the Vikings is their exceptional

maritime skills and extraordinary ship-building abilities. A highlight of the BritishMuseum exhibition will be the survivingtimbers of a 37-metre long Viking war-ship, the longest ever discovered. The 11thcentury Longship, built in southern Nor-way and known as Roskilde 6, is lent bythe National Museum of Denmark andhas been painstakingly reassembled in astainless steel frame that reconstructsthe full size and shape of the original ship.

Other highlights of the exhibition includethe entirety of the York Hoard, discoveredin 2007, and an impressive silver hoardfrom Gnezdova in Russia, never previouslyseen in the UK. The Viking exhibition hascountless treats in store for the visitor,promising to give a far deeper under-standing of Scandinavia’s fascinating an-cient ancestors.

Most Scandinavians are strongly aware of Viking roots, but while some may recallsnippets of information about Harald Bluetooth from school, conjuring images ofstrong, burly men in helmets raiding ships on the Baltic Sea, our real knowledge ofViking history is probably rather shadowy. The British Museum promises to educateus all on our exciting medieval past with a major exhibition on Vikings opening thismonth.

By Christina Cadogan

Vikings: life and legend

Top: The Lewis Chessmen, berserkers. Late 12th century,Uig, Lewis, Scotland. Walrus ivory. © The Trustees of theBritish Museum. Below: Odin or volva figure, 800-1050. Lejre,Zealand, Denmark. Silver with niello. Photo Ole Malling. ©The Roskilde Museum

Sword, late 8th to early 9th century. Kalundborg or Holbæk,Zealand, Denmark. Photo: Arnold Mikkelsen. © The NationalMuseum of Denmark. Background: Kim Westerskov/GettyImages

The Longship (Roskilde 6).© The National Museum of Denmark

WIN a pair of tickets toThe BP exhibitionVikings: life and legend6 March – 22 June 2014Sainsbury Exhibitions GalleryBritish Museum

Discover the Viking world in this majorexhibition – the first at the BritishMuseum for over 30 years. Swords andaxes, coins and jewellery, hoards,amulets and religious images show howVikings created an international network,connecting cultures over four continents.

Enter a world of warriors, seafarersand conquerors to discover the manyfascinating aspects of a history that is atonce strangely alien and remarkablyfamiliar.

To enter the competition simplye-mail [email protected] with‘Scan Vikings’ in the subject line.

The competition closes 31 March andthe winner will be notified 1 April.

Supported by BP.Organised with the National Museumof Denmark and the Museum für Vor-und Frühgeschichte Staatliche Museenzu Berlin.


Scan Magazine | Culture | Scandinavian Music

Neneh Cherry and Robyn have collabo-rated on a song. This is not a drill. Thetrack is called Out Of The Black and fea-tures on Cherry’s new Blank Project al-bum, which came out at the end of Feb-ruary. The album version isn’t asincredible as you would have hoped, butthankfully the whole thing is saved by asuperior remix: the Bouvet mix of thesong, which is featured on the bonus discof the physical release. Don’t worrythough – it’s not one of those remixes thatcan’t really be enjoyed in its own right asa pop song. Instead, Norwegian producer

Bouvet has created a playful 80s synthpop number that’s a lot camper andmorecommercial than the original version. Thecatchy melody is delivered with a cheekybout of sprightliness from the pair ofthem. And they sound like they’re enjoyingit – which means the listener can enjoy itthat much more.

Onto an exciting debut now, the firstsingle from Swedish singer John Martin.You will know him as the featured vocal-ist on two Swedish House Mafia songs,Save The World and Don’t You WorryChild, and he’s paired up with the writer ofDon’t You Worry Child for his debut solosingle, Anywhere For You. It draws instantcomparisons with the Swedish HouseMafia songs, not just because of the fa-miliar voice, but also because AnywhereFor You is an epic dance track that’s big oneverything. It practically explodes. Com-mercial dance music at its most massive.Made in Sweden.

Anyone in the market for a newSwedish boyband? JTR are three brothers– John Andreasson, Tom Lundbäck, andRobin Lundbäck – who last year movedfrom Sweden to Australia with theirmother. And what did they do when theygot there? They auditioned successfullyfor Australian X Factor, eventually making

the live shows and then progressinghalfway through the competition beforebeing eliminated in week 6. Amazing. Lastmonth saw the chaps release their firstsingle and video, Ride – a summery (it’ssummer in Oz, see) guitarpop song thatsounds more like One Direction than OneDirection do these days. Ride is the ar-chetypal boyband offering, so if you enjoyan offering from a boyband, then this willmost likely be up your street. There’s nogame-changing going on here, simplygame-playing.

Finally, if you’re of the age when youcrave the unmistakable sound of all ofthat late 90s American pop music writtenand produced by Scandinavia’s famousCheiron team, you’ll be pleased to knowthat it’s coming back into fashion. Yes WeCan is the new single from Sweden’s Os-car Zia. Totally reminiscent of the big hitsfrom the early albums of Backstreet Boys,*NSync and Britney Spears, it’ll take youback to an era of highlighted hair, doubledenim, and exposed midriffs – all show-cased in ridiculously expensive pop videos.

[email protected]

Scandinavian Music By Karl Batterbee

Andreas Eriksson in Stockholm(Until 23 March)Many connect Swedish artist AndreasEriksson’s work to a Northern EuropeanRomantic painting tradition – his motifsare often derived from the nature sur-rounding Kinnekulle, where he has hisstudio. The exhibition at Bonniers Kon-sthall presents works from the last tenyears, but also new works related to thegallery’s architecture and surrounding ur-ban environment. Mon-Tue closed, Wed12noon-8pm, Thu-Sun 12noon-5pm. Bon-

niers Konsthall, Torsgatan 19, Stockholm.www.bonnierskonsthall.se

Tord Gustavsen Ensemble on UK tour(March)Renowned Norwegian jazz pianist andcomposer Tord Gustavsen is touring theUK together with his ensemble thismonth.www.tordgustavsen.com

Scandinavian Culture Calendar– Where to go, what to see? It’s all happening here! By Sara Schedin

Andreas Eriksson, Ted Kaczynkis Cabin 2004. Photo andsource: Richard Svensson

Issue 62 | March 2014 | 105


106 | Issue 62 | March 2014

Scan Magazine | Culture | Culture Calendar

On Landscape #1 (7-30 March)This first in a series of exhibitions basedon conversations between artists MinnaKantonen, Dafna Talmor and EmmaWies-lander aims to challenge pictorial repre-sentations of landscape. The exhibitionwill feature photographic work by thethree artists and a site-specific installa-tion by invited artist Minna Pöllänen.Wed-Sun 12noon-6pm. Guest Projects,Sunbury House, London, E8.

www.guestprojects.com

Visions: Magnus Öström + Troyka(14 March)The concert will be opened by the Britishexplosive jazz-rock trio, Troyka, and thesecond half will feature Swedish drummerMagnus Öström, formerly of e.s.t. – thelegendary Swedish trio of the noughties –

fame, and his quartet playing music fromtheir new album Searching for Jupiter.King’s Place, London, N1.www.kingsplace.co.uk

Robert Wells and Alice Power (20 March)As part of the Steinway Festival, SwedishRobert Wells and Alice Power will per-form together in a two-piano show. Wellsmoves between jazz and boogie woogieand into classical routes. Power is only 13

years old and has won several major in-ternational piano competitions. Jazz ClubSoho, London, W1D.pizzaexpresslive.co.uk

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the BBCSymphony Orchestra (26 March)An evening of music featuring Sibelius’sPohjola’s Daughter, Shostakovich’s Sym-phony No 5 in D minor, and the UK pre-miere of Salonen’s Violin Concerto Out ofnowhere. Barbican Centre, London, EC2Y.www.barbican.org.uk

Erlend Øye in London (3 April)Norwegian singer Erlend Øye – known forhis work with Kings Of Convenience, TheWhitest Boy Alive, and Röyksopp – is play-ing a solo show in London. His latest sin-gle, La Prima Estate, is inspired by hismove to Sicily in 2012 and has some clearMediterranean influences.www.islington.gov.uk/assemblyhall

CircusFest at the Roundhouse(26 March - 27 April)This year’s CircusFest will feature majorworld and UK premieres, including per-formances by Finnish Capilotractées anda site-specific installation of new work bySwedish visual artist Bertil Nilsson, fea-

Tord Gustavsen Ensemble. Photo: Hans Fredrik Asbjørnsen

Burnt by Emma Wieslander

Alice Power


Scan Magazine | Culture | Culture Calendar

turing collaborations with circus artistsusing artificial light sources to explorenew ways of seeing circus. Roundhouse,London, NW1.www.roundhouse.org.uk

Mø on tour (March-May)Danish electropop singer Mø will tour Eu-rope with her 2014 album, Nomythologiesto follow, this spring.www.momomoyouth.com

Maija Blåfield in Helsinki (Until 4 May)Finnish photographer Maija Blåfield’sThe Golden Age is a series of videoworks, based on documentary footagewhich she filmed in a fifteen-year pe-riod and then left unwatched for years.Forgetfulness and distance, as a resultof time passed, function as tools, en-abling a new perspective on the contenthiding in the recordings. Through thework, Blåfield has taken a personal per-spective on thinking about the meaningof visually recording one’s own sur-roundings, and on what, in the end, is

meaningful in the footage.Tue–Sun 11am–6pm, Wed 11am–8pm.The Finnish Museum of Photography,

Cable Factory, Tallberginkatu 1 G,Helsinki.www.valokuvataiteenmuseo.fi

Maija Blafield - Golden Age 6, 2012-2014

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Scan Magazine | Issue 62 | March 2014