Press launch 6.30 Wednesday, 24th September 2003 Dates & opening times 25 September - 4 October 2003 Monday - Friday 11.00 - 18.00 Saturday 12.00 - 17.00

In Norway today, an exciting new generation of designers are pioneering a fresh vision of contemporary style. Their designs will be showcased in Britain this autumn, with Sir Terrence Conran officially opening the exhibition on Wednesday, 24th September 2003 at 6.30pm.


Curated by Bradley Quinn, the exhibition showcases the most dynamic areas of Norwegian design today. Furniture designers such as norway says, Hans Brattrud, Marius Sveen and Bjørn Bye express the optimism of youth culture and yet capture the classical elegance of the Scandinavian tradition, while the soft, sensual forms designed by Johan Verde and Jens Olav Hetland pioneer a fresh concept of what ceramics can be. Norwegian glass is also undergoing a renaissance as Cathrine Maske and Tanja Sæter banish the banality of functional glassware to produce highly exclusive, individual pieces that blur the boundaries between art and design. Gunnhild Tjåland and Catherina Lande craft sleek forms in burnished silver or anodised aluminium, using the unique lustre of metal to add an element of beauty to their stark silhouettes. And as the sculptural and textural effects of Sari Syväluoma’s textiles appeal to the eye as well as to the hand, Pia Myrvold’s unique range of urban fabrics give her interior designs a distinctively metropolitan expression.

100% Norway also features an architectural installation by Snøhetta, cutting-edge graphics by Bleed and Ekhorn Forss, and award-winning digital designs from orgdot.com and cybercouture.com. As the designers rethink the meaning of conventional forms and traditional motifs, they demonstrate an unrivalled ability to take inspiration from existing objects and transform them into something visionary and unique. As Norway shrugs off the reputation of lagging behind its Nordic neighbours, 100% Norway outlines an exciting new direction for Scandinavian design.

100% Norway is a national presentation that joins 100% Guaranteed, The World Creative Forum and 100% DESIGN in making London Design Festival 2003 a statement of international style.

To request transparencies, book interviews or arrange photo opportunities with Sir Terrence Conran or the designers. Please contact Merge Media, Telephone 020 7494 4550, Email: merge_press@yahoo.com