News from the library

2025-04-14

X-factor: 4 perspectives on the technology of weaving

EXHIBITION 14/4 - 25/4. X-factor (TC2) could signify some unknown quantity that could be of decisive importance to someone. A possible designation for something interacting with someting, an unknown, unpredictable factor.

TC is short for Thread Control. Digital weaving by hand. Digitally controlled hand and foot power. Instead of drawing the designs and making long series of punched cards to be read by the jacquard mechanism, the images and patterns are manipulated in a computer program, after which the whole thing is transfered to another piece of computer software that controls the specific heddles, each one with a thread threaded through its eye.

The markedly sped up process gives endless opportunities where the limitations mainly reside in the knowledge and vision of the programmer. The only limits are the width of the loom, the density of the thread and the materials in the individual systems of threads, warps and wefts. 

In digital imaging each separate thread is represented by a pixel. This should not be interpreted as the thread being a pixel in the weave itself. The weave is not made up of pixels in the physical world. It consists of threads, and every single thread can perform a movement up or down, be lifted or lowered. This can happen in a seemingly irregular fashion, but it can also happen in repeated patterns where a surface pattern is drawn. Knowledge about the architecture of the textile and the rhythm of weaving is a necessary condition for creating woven textiles that are more than image representation - and it can contribute to the the process of challenging and questioning the limits of the physical properties of the materials. How can the materials be strengthened, balanced and refined?

My thoughts on how we can use technologies in contemporary hand weaving have been passed on to four weavers - who have approached, researched and put in practice the (complex and sometimes complicated) possibilities that the TC2 loom offers.

Åsa Pärson, lecturer in woven construction

 

2025-03-28

Hidden sounds in Konstfack's Archive

EXHIBITION 28/3 - 11/4. The display cases in the library contain results from the course Hidden Sounds in Konstfack’s Archive, a course within KUNO, a collaboration platform för Nordic and Baltic institutions of higher learning within the arts. Teaching in the course is Ida Lundén, composer and performer, and Björn Larsson, artist and archivist at Konstfack. The course has also exhibited in Pölen. Lea Ingrid Eilers and Sara Melin are two students in the course who exhibit own works and materials found in the archive.

2025-03-21

WORLD POETRY DAY 2025

BOOK EXHIBITION. World Poetry Day has been celebrated on 21 March since 1999, when it was declared by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The aim is to inspire people to read, write, teach, and publish poetry. Among the books in our displayed selection are both current sudents (Hanna Rajs) and staff (Mara Lee, Gunnar Larsson) .

2025-03-19

HOMAGE OR LCEZIL

EXHIBITION. A group exhibition and a book collection of collages curated by Katja Aglert and Florence Wild. March 19-27 2025. 

The collages presented here were created by participants in the seminar Rhizome through Artistic Practice, held by Katja Aglert earlier this year as part of the DGS25 seminar series at Konstfack. The par-ticipants in the seminar explored through artistic practice Gilles Deleuze's and Félix Guattari's notion of the rhizome as an artistic method for thinking through practice, and doing collage as a transformative mode towards new imaginaries. As part of an idea to present the collages to an audience in an ex-hibition, Katja invited Florence Wild to curate a selection of books from the library collection on the theme of collage, to be presented simultaneously. To accompany the books Florence has selected for HOMAGE OR LCEZIL, she has also created unique artist multiple in the form of bookmarks inspired by the theme of the exhibition. People who borrow the books included are welcome to keep the art multiples if they wish. The people participating with the collages are students and teachers at Konstfack from different departments and programs from bachelor level to PhD. 

Participants: Meriç Algun, Thomas Elovsson, Ernesto Garcia, Lisa Johansson, Ricardo Lima, Freyja Rein, Franciska Forslund Toubro 

 

2025-03-06

Ukiyo-e : The transient world

EXHIBITION. 6-18 March. The library shows examples from their collection of woodblock prints from Japan. Ukiyo-e is the word used to describe the this art form, which had its most active phase between the 17th  and late 19th century. Ukiyo-e prints were made in a variety of genres: portraits of actors and warriors, landscapes, scenes from mythology and literature, erotica and historic events. Some of these genres are represented in ths small exhibition, which among other things contains four prints from Hokusai's famous suite 36 views of Mount Fuji.

 

2025-03-04

Students at work

EXHIBITION. 4 March-. We exhibit photographs from the library collection. This is the fourth and last selection shown of photographs from Konstfacks past. These images were gathered in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the school, in 1994. They were the subject of an exhibition in 1997, curated by Lars-Lennart Forsberg. All of the photographs in this selection were taken by students at Konstfack, depicting other students at work in classrooms, studios and exhibitions.

 

2025-02-18

First-year bachelor students in Textile show woven textiles

EXHIBITION. 18-28 February. First-year students from the bachelor programme Textile will be showing woven works, produced during a course in weaving during the autumn. The course included planning, sketching, process and practical work on the loom under the tutelage of Åsa Pärson. 

Exhibitors: Alma Ekholm, Selina Rüegger, Hannah Parman, Ellen Mårdsjö, Emma Petters, Elgin Kuhnert, Anna-Clara Leo, Noa Kandell, Lisa Skalare, Agnes Kern

 

2025-02-07

Ida Wallin - Det sagolika havet (The Wondrous Sea)

EXHIBITION. 7-14 February. A reality where we were never really allowed to be children, where responsibilities covered all our dreams and silenced them before they had even taken shape.

This is a place where we can be honest, playful, free, and return to what has always been ours.

Right here, right now, together, you & me - are finally allowed to be children.

2025-01-29

Kneading Cultures

EXHIBITION. 29 January - 10 February. The workshop Kneading Cultures was held in conjunction with Konstfack Research Week 2025. The organisers are Cheryl Akner-Koler, Loove Broms, Katja Pettersson and Carl-Johan Vesterlund, together with guest Sébastian Boudet, sourdogh baker and pastry chef, founder of the bakery Petite France.

 

2025-01-15

Weave Away

EXHIBITION. 15-24 January. Our project aims to develop a textile proposal for Konstfack's library consisting of three draperies and four wall-hung textile works. By working with reuse and preservation of older texttile techniques, such as dräll, we want to create a dialogue between tradition and sustainability.

The exhibitors are four second-year students from the bachelor programme Textile: Fanny Stengårds, Julia Schantz, Annie Lindblad, Molly Börjlind

 

2024-12-13

"Connected"

ANIMATION EXHIBITION. 13-20 December. For three weeks, students in the first year of the bachelor programme Graphic Design & Illustration, have explored the possibilities of hand drawn animation together with guest teacher Minna Floss. The course is concluded with an exhibition where the students have been given the assignment of  working with two monitors, each playing a separate film of equal duration, playing with the possibilities that arise when two synchronised flows of moving images are working together. 

2024-12-12

Book tasting: books from 2024

EVENT & BOOK EXHIBITION.

The library gathers books from the collections published in 2024. In conjunction with the inauguration of the exhibition we invite anyone interested to a "book tasting" of works published this year. The library has invited a number of teachers and other members of staff to talk about books they have been involved in or written themselves. To go with the book tasting, you are invited to try wide selection of  julmust and gingerbread cookies.

2024-12-09

Two perspectives on children's picture books

BOOK EXHIBITION.

In December 2024, The Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket) and the Swedish Arts Council (Kulturrådet) presented reading lists for the different educational stages containing suggestions for books to be used in schools. 

What is the relationship between the picture book and the person behind it? How does one go about creating someting in the form of of a picture book? With quotes from the artists themselves we highlight the relation between the creators and their work.

On display are a selection of their books, together with some that are found in the reading list "Läslista för förskolan", amd some that are not.

Illustration by Jon Klassen from the book I Want My Hat Back (2011).

 

2024-12-03

Ken Miki: New Year cards

EXHIBITION. 3-20 December. Graphic designer Ken Miki (b. 1955 in Kobe, Japan) designs and sends unique and ingenious New Year cards.  Miki's innovative approach to design education emphasises on "noticing awareness" and using everyday objects as a foundation for learning. In the exhibition this is exemplified with "the apple".

The items in the exhibition are from the private collection of Dipak Lahiri, who has worked as a visual arts teacher in Stockholm.

2024-11-15

The Letter Form - an lntroduction to Typeface Design

EXHIBITION. 15 - 29 November

Second-year students at the Bachelor programme Graphic Design & Illustration exhibit typeface designs. 

"This course introduces the students to the drawing of fetterforms andtype design. We outline the ways a typeface eon take shape, from a sketch to a digital translation in the software Glyphs. During the first week we study the construction of letters and their proportions and learn how to build an alphabet bit by bit, beginning with the lower-case letter 'n: The students construct thealphabet using geometric shapes and practise various methods of sketching, by hand and using digital tools. The end result is the project shown in this exhibition.The remainder of the course was spent finishing the typefaces as far as thetimeframe al/owed. " - Teacher: Jens Schildt

 

2024-11-08

Flyg lilla fågel flyg ... eller stanna kvar

(Fly little bird fly ... or stay)

EXHIBITION. 8 - 14 November

Year 3 students from the teacher education programme in Visual arts and Sloyd exhibit textile birds in the library window. 

 

2024-10-18

BRASA

EXHIBITION. 18-30 October

Brasa is a collection of 3D-printed lamps made from bioplastic that serves as a powerful reminder of our deep connection to nature and the origins of light from fire. Fire was humanity's first tool for harnessing the forces of nature, and light has played a crucial role in our development. By blending modern 3D-printing technology with ancient wisdom and sustainable practices, Brasa encourages us to reflect on how fire and light have shaped our history and continue to influence the way we live.

As contemporary design increasingly incorporates biodegradable and eco-friendly materials, Brasa invites us to reconsider our relationship with the environment and the resources we use. The lamp stands at the intersection of nature, technology, and culture, reflecting the borders that both separate and unite these realms. It challenges us to explore and transcend these boundaries, promoting a harmonious integration of sustainable innovation within industrial design.

 

2024-10-08

Diverseartiklar

BOOK RELEASE. 8 October kl. 15.30, in the library

Ulf Klarén (1944–2021) was an employee at Konstfack 1971–2014. He was an engaged and knowledgable teacher and came to play a significant role, both in the practical and theoretical development of the school subject "bild" within the department of teacher education at Konstfack. The book collects articles previously published in journals like Teckning, Forming i skolen, and Bild i skolan, as well as in anthologies and his own books. 

The book is presented by Siri Homlong and Oda Homlong Klarén.

2024-10-01

Space and Earth

BOOK EXHIBITION. 1 October-

An additional moon is circling the Earth this fall. The new moon is actually an asteroid named 2024 PT5. At the same time the theme of outer space is explored at Göteborg book fair. Outer space evokes questions and imagination in both science and art. In this exhibition Konstfack library are showing books and periodicals that in different ways connect to the theme of outer space and the earth.

 

2024-08-21

Party & protest

EXHIBITION. 21 augusti-

The library is showing a selection of photographs from Konstfack's history. The theme for this selection is "Party & Protest". The focus is on students outside of the education context, during recreation, party and political protest. Teachers and students from teacher education department were engaged in reforming the teacher education. The image above is a section of a 1973 photograph taken by Per L-B Nilsson during a demonstration in central Stockholm.

The photographs shown here were gathered in conjunction with Konstfack's 150 year celebrations in 1994, and were exhibited in 1997 in the exhibition Konstfack i bild. 

2024-08-21

Plant Ornaments

EXHIBITION. 21 augusti 2024-

The library is showing examples of collections of Art Nouveau colour plates showing plant ornaments. There are many collections of colour plates in the library's collections. They can be requested for study. Just ask the library staff if you are curious! 

 

2024-05-14

Pidgeon Digital

TRIAL PERIOD. 14 May - 12 July 2024.

Pidgeon Digital is a resource that gathers digital talks on architecture. It was created by Monica Pidgeon, who for many years was the editor of the journal Architectural Design (found in the library). The talks are by some of the world's most well known designers and architects. At the moment, Konstfack has a trial period of Pidgeon Digital lasting into July. Take the opportunity to sample the contents of this unique resource before the trial period ends, and don't forget to send any feedback to the library! Is this a valuable resource for the future?

Pidgeon Digital (lnk)

 

2024-05-07

Róisín O’Connor - A Nest Within

EXHIBITION. 7-12 May.

“Intelligence is no longer ours alone but is a property of the earth; we are in it, of it, immersed in its depths. And indeed each terrain, each ecology, seems to have its own particular intelligence, its unique vernacular of soil and leaf and sky”.      -    The Spell of the Sensuous, David Abrams

 With these works the binary of interiority and exteriority is presented. But what I am learning is how to represent the invisible subterranean action of the forms I once considered complete. I am interested in what can be seen with the naked eye when revealed yet obscured by a substrate or layer. It is a sadness that the force that created the ceramic hive or cocoon has become invisible. I was there, I promise - like a bird who made their precarious nest. The network of scratches and gouges are hidden, and I am not always comforted by this, yet does the working made visible destroy the wonder? Does physically seeing the thread-like hyphae of mycelium, diminish the awe of entangled life that I had once imagined to be like star constellations illuminated in the soil.  These works are a material metaphor, and yes, an abstraction of nature, but simultaneously they are vessels hosting the intangible embryonic forces of nature.

This is a “work-in-progress” display that presents emerging ideas during the residency funded by the Anglo-Swedish society in collaboration with the Royal College of Art, 2024.

 

2024-04-23

Text + musik

BOOK EXHIBITION. Music lyrics, musicians who write poetry, authors who collaborate with musicians, and some visual artists who work with music and text. A book exhibition with descriptive texts by the library staff.

 

2024-04-23

in the making: the crack that lets the light shine in

EXHIBITION. “in the making: the crack that lets the light shine” is an exhibition and a celebration of a publication with the same title. This publication marks discussion, investigation, and making, done individually as well as collectively by this year’s Research Lab students from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge. Encompassing a wide range of material and subjects, their practices dance in/around crafts as artistic practice-based research.

Participants: Anne-Marie Dehon, Bogil Lee, Daniel Ramos Obregón, Davide Ronco, Erik Lindeborg, Henny Linn Kjellberg

 

2024-04-04

Official Timeline - Martina Lundkvist

EXHIBITION. The phrase Official Timeline is borrowed from the video game world and means one canonical chronology in which to understand the storyline of a long going franchise consisting of many games, often released without chronological order in mind. Many times the official timeline is therefore a retroactive construction. This whish for a neatly organized system is found within almost every field of research, not least when it comes to human history writing. But there is something about the human nature that is not possible to fit in one official timeline.

2024-03-26

Images from the first Konstfack

EXHIBITION. The library displays another batch of images collected in conjunction with Konstfack's 150th birthday in 1994. The photographs were originally exhibited in 1997 in an exhibition called Konstfack i bild (Konstfack in images). This selection of photographs shows students at work in various studios. The majority of the photographs were taken during the 1950's.

 

 

2024-03-25

Untouchable Land - Liu Xing

EXHIBITION. "Untouchable Land" is an ongoing project that delves into a personal fascination with space and time, asking the question "where do I belong".  

The journey commences with the self-portrait "Meteorite," a symbolic representation of self-discovery. Inspired by the Chinese interpretation of my name, Liu Xing, meaning "shooting star" or "meteorite," Meteorite serie reflects a profound journey of self-identifying. This exploration is intertwined with my experiences of emigration, leading to a deep sense of double consciousness and identity complexities. 

As an extension of this exploration, the exhibition showcases a collection of ink paintings portraying imaginative interpretations of enigmatic and untouchable places. Through these paintings, I reflect on the mysteries of existence and the limitations of perception. Moreover, my experimentation with ceramic planets further expands upon these themes, encouraging deeper contemplation of existence. Together, "Untouchable Land" explains a multifaceted my exploration of identity, belonging, and the profound mysteries of space and time. - Liu Xing

 

2024-03-21

Inbetween Distance & Closeness 

EXHIBITION. Students from the Department of Fine Art exhibit in the library and in the gallery Pölen. Featured artists: Charlie Vince Jakobsson, Leo Jittaksa, Johanna Teodora Kim, Constance Michnik, Daiane Rafaela, Olle Witt.

 

2024-03-01

Artists' Writings

BOOK EXHIBITION. Florence Wild is an artist and also a staff member at the library. She has curated a collection of books showcasing artists who write. 

Artists write. They write poems, diaries, novels, reviews, criticism, lists, manifestos, work titles, notes, essays, journals, scripts, performances, scores, zines; they write for themselves and for others, about their own work, about other artists work, and as a part of their own practices. 

The books on artists’ writings exhibited here have been chosen from the Konstfack Library Artists’ Writings subject heading. If you search a subject heading in the Konstfack Library catalogue you will find all the books that have been indexed with that subject. 

An artist myself, many of the titles here are books I have borrowed from the library, that I have read and that have inspired and informed my own writing and artistic practice. All the books are available for loan. Be sure to search the subject heading Artists’ writings in the library catalogue to explore the full list of over 150 titles.

- Florence Wild

 

2024-02-28

Ceramic Vessels

EXHIBITION. Students from IBIS, Konstfack's teacher education programme, show the results from their first design course.

 

2023-01-16

Books from 2023

BOOK EXHIBITION. We have gathered all the books in the library that were published during 2023, at least the ones currently available, and now we are displaying them on a shelf in the library. You will find the exhibition on the wall by the staff room, right by Interior architecture. The books can be checked out even though they are on display. The library staff have also made book recommendations from the past year. You will find them by the library entrance. The books are available for loan!

2024-01-15

Images from the first Konstfack

EXHIBITION. The library displays images collected in conjunction with Konstfack's 150th birthday in 1994. The photographs were exhibited in 1997 in an exhibition called Konstfack i bild (Konstfack in images). The library now shows a small selection of these images. These are the oldest photographs in the collection, and are all taken at the time when the school was placed at Mäster Samuelsgatan, near Hötorget. The building was the first specifically built to house the school.

2024-01-11

"Kolla vad jag gjort i slöjden!" 

EXHIBITION. A selection of works from IBIS sloyd students, produced during their first semester. In the sloyd teacher education programme at Konstfack we work with both soft and hard materials: textiles, wood and metals - and often in combination! 

The exhibition is shown 11 - 26 January in the large library window.

2023-12-08

The Letter Form — An Introduction to Typeface Design

Graphic design & Illustration, K2

EXHIBITION. This course introduces the students to the drawing of letterforms and type design. We outline the ways a typeface can take shape, from a sketch to a digital translation in the software Glyphs. During the first week we study the construction of letters and their proportions and learn how to build an alphabet bit by bit, beginning with the lower-case letter ‘n’. The students construct the alphabet using geometric shapes and practise various methods of sketching, by hand and using digital tools. The end result is the project shown in this exhibition. The second week of the course began with a workshop in Variable Type with former Konstfack student Lars Høie who now lives and works in Oslo. The remainder of the course was spent finishing the typefaces as far as the timeframe allowed.

Featured students: Alice Göransson, Amanda Hoy, Cecilia Vårhed, Charlie Ljunggren, Elsa Sjökvist, Johanna Bergkvist, Julius Lindahl, Katja Reimers, Lina Alarabi, Lisa Samuelsson, Maja Godek, Mathilda Orczykowska, Mikaela Wei, Nora Barrios

Teacher: Jens Schildt

 

2023-10-27

Weaving

 

2023-10-17

Textile sculpture

 

2023-03-27

The library of reflecting artifacts

 

2023-03-02

Activism, artivism, craftivism and feminism

2023-02-20

SOILU / Annika Toijanen

Read more here (Annika Toijanen's website)

 

2023-03-15

Book release: Det konstnärliga språket by Gert Z Nordström

 

2023-01-30

Quiet Room: the Archive

Read more here (external website)

 

2023-01-23

Posters by PhD students

EXHIBITION. During Konstfack's Research Week, the library exhibits posters by some of of the PhD students at Konstfack.

2023-01-09

Stool [not really] by the book

EXHIBITION. A liberating creation of a stool that goes against most intuition for an industrial designer. Instead of aligning and compromising design decisions with scalable industrial production purposes, the story of creation of this stool is imprinted with each imperfection. Form desicions emerged during the process of creation. Starting point was an unstable stool made from 1mm steel sheet. With hammer beats and rough welds the stool got its function and unique form. Explorations like this provide valuable insights to identifiy criteria for decentralized and local production qualities that could eventually counter mass productions.

Do we really want to scale up as much and fast as possible?

Fabian Hardt, Master student, Design Ecologies, year 1

13 DECEMBER 2022

Slöjdens huvudverk

EXHIBITION. The year 2 Teacher Education students aimed at teaching at secondary school level, complete two courses during the autumn semester, Slöjdens material och redskap (= The Materials and Tools of Sloyd), and Slöjdens hantverk och formgivning (= The Craft and Design of Sloyd). The exhibition shows a selection of items priduced during these courses.

28 NOVEMBER 2022

Illustrations by Tania Goryushina

EXHIBITION. Children's books and illustrations by Ukrainian artist and illustrator Tania Goryushina. Four of the books have been recommended by the Swedish Arts Council (Kulturrådet). The books are available for purchase during the exhibition. Proceeds go to a charity supporting Ukrainian refugee children. The exhibition lasts between 28 November and 6 December 2022.

 

23 NOVEMBER 2022

Book presentations

 

14 - 27 NOVEMBER 2022

Uncomfortable

EXHIBITION. Maja Björk is showing uncomfortable textile sculptures and comic zines dealing with all the anxiety, jealousy, heartbreak and failures you can dream of. Indulge yourself in feelings you wish you didn’t have. Enjoy the less pleasant side of life!

26 OCTOBER - 14 NOVEMBER 2022

Åsa Pärson

EXHIBITION. Exhibition around three books by Åsa Pärson: Fabricate - Composition and Texture (2017), Konsten att väva - en handbok (with Amica Sundström, 2021), Yoroke (2021). The books are also available for loan in the library!

 

21 OCTOBER 2022

Textile sculpture

EXHIBITION. In the course Textila konstruktioner, year three students in Visual Arts and Sloyd work with clothes, form and identity, and different ways to create and shape woven fabric. The course starts off with instructions and exercises in shaping flat fabrics to tree dimensional shapes.

The exhibit in the library window contains examples from the following assignment:

An unfamiliar bird in textile costume

• A bird is shaped in clay
• The clay figure is clothed in paper and adhesive tape. The clothing is cut with a blade into flat shapes.
• The pieces are cut in fabric and sewn together in the shape of the bird.

The assignment is to convey a cultural expression in the bird. Where does it come from, and how can that be shown? This is a central goal in the sloyd curriculum in the compulsory school in Sweden.

 

12-16 SEPTEMBER 2022

Books given away

The Konstfack library occasionally rolls out carts full of books that we give away. These are often books received as donations – books that we already have in our collections and don't have the space to hold.
We want to offer books in good condition and of relevance to Konstfack. During the summer, we have therefore continued going through our library stacks and have selected numerous books that we are now giving away for free. These are often second or third copies of books that we find we no longer need to keep. Some of these may be old and worn, but some are brand new and without library markings.This year we are giving away a lot of books in art, design and architecture – as well as some other goodies!
Book carts with a mixed selection will be placed by the library's entrance, Monday-Friday throughout the week!

22 AUGUST 2022

Degree exhibitions 2002-2022

BOOK EXHIBITION. We display a sampling of all the material the library has collected in conjunction with the Konstfack degree show during the last twenty years. Exhibition catalogues, artists' books, fiction etc. Most of the books are not found in the collections of any other library.

 

20 MAJ 2022

Konstfack Collection

BOOK EXHIBITION. Exhibition of books published by Konstfack 2019-2022. Konstfack's publication committee was established in the autumn of 2018, with the stated mission of "promoting publications of high quality made by the researchers and teachers at Konstfack". Twelve books have been published since then, in four publication series:

• Konstfack Research Collection
• Konstfack Education Collection
• Konstfack Artists' Book Collection
• Konstfack Dissertation Collection

 

28 APRIL 2022

Prototypes

EXHIBITION. Students from the bachelor programme Industrial design exhibit prototypes from a project on materials, prototypes and production.

 

20 APRIL 2022

How is history made?

EXHIBITION. In the course History of art, design and craft (year 1) the students have worked with the theme How is history made? Works from two student groups are shown.

Amanda Leksell, Alma Jarnestad, Ambra Byrne, Johanna Söderberg and Jonathan Gard pose the question which objects, what kinds of knowledge become archived and are preserved? They are showing a glass receptacle that prompts the visitor to create an archive of the present time at Konstfack.

Alice Larsson, Hanna Ailaskar, Hannah Nittnaus and Ronja Joensuu have worked with the paraphrase as method where they translate and research historical works by Hannah Ryggen (1894–1970), Yayoi Kusama (1929), Anders Bruno Liljefors (1923–1970) and the three sculptors Athenodoros, Polydorus and Hagesander from around 170–50 BCE (the photograph shows Alice Larsson's work paraphrasing the sculpture Laocoön and His Sons)

 

8 APRIL 2022

Timeline 1844-2022 

BOOK EXHIBITION. A book exhibition highlighting a number of former Konstfack students. Hilma af Klint, for instance. She was trained in portrait painting at Tekniska skolan (later renamed Konstfack) in the 1880's. A couple of decades later she began to make abstract paintings inspired by spritism and theosophy. Now widely regarded as a world pioneer in abstract art, she is the first stop on the timeline.

1 APRIL 2022

Three simultaneous book exhibits!

EXHIBITIONS. We exhibit books by every recipient of the Hasselblad Award, from 1980 (Lennart Nilsson) to 2022 (Dayanita Singh). The second exhibit consists of books published during 2021, and lastly, a small exhibit honouring this year's laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) and former Konstfack student Eva Lindström.

28 MARCH 2022

Semiotic & 3-D gestalt

EXHIBITION. Second year students from the bachelor programme Industrial design show results from the course Semiotic & 3-D gestalt, led by Cheryl Akner Koler and Jonas Lundin. The frame of each of the robots is a dish brush, and it is set in motion by vibration created by a small battery powered motor attached to the brush. 

10 FEBRUARY 2022

Industrial production

EXHIBITION. A course in industrial production is held during the fall as a part of the bachelor programme Textile. The third year students participate in study visits at the major hubs of the Swedish textile industry. One of the tasks during the course is to work together with a manufacturing company and work out a proposal using the technology available at the company. A sampling of the resulting works is exhibited in the library window display. The students have worked with two companies, Ekelunds Linneväveri in Horred and Hitex in Svängsta. Participating students: Emma Lundberg, Micael de Leeuw, Carli Halvars, Lynn Stenvall, Tyra Mohager, Moa-Matilda Nilsson, Sanne Lovén Rolén

 

19 JANUARY 2022

Weaving

EXHIBITION. Students from year one students at the bachelor programme Textile exhibit woven works. The quotes in the exhibition come from the book On weaving (1965) by the German-American textile artist Anni Albers (1899-1994).

 

9 DECEMBER 2021

Media students' degree projects

EXHIBITION. Ten weeks of intensified media studies have resulted in three 3D-animations, four 2D-animations, two stop motion animations, one art film, six analogue photos, three digital photos, one logotype and two 3D-prints. It also resulted in six workshops in six different schools and a web page with teaching aids. Link to the exhibition web page.

 

24 NOVEMBER 2021

Textile sculpture

EXHIBITION. Students from the The Department of Visual Arts and Sloyd Education exhibit sculptures from a course in textile construction. One of the tasks in the course is to create An unfamiliar bird. 

1. A bird is formed in clay. 2. A paper pattern is constructed, and the textile bird is sown together.

Beside constructing the pattern, the task is to convey a cultural expression in the bird. Where does it come from?

26 OCTOBER 2021

Help us improve!

November 1 to 19 we will need your help to make the study environment in the library better.

Every Monday we will ask a new question on our whiteboard in the library and on social media. Please answer on the whiteboard, per e-mail or on social media.

There will be sweets available in the library as a reward.

31 AUGUST 2021

What is an Artists' book? Examples and explanations from the library

EXHIBITION. Artists' books and related items from the collections of the library at Konstfack. The display cases contain rare copies of books usually kept behind lock and key: exhibition catalogues and artists' publications that the library has collected through the years. On the shelves along the wall is an assortment of Artists' books and books about Artists' books, all available for loan.

 

29 MARS 2021

Covid Creatures 

EXHIBITION. 29 March - 20 April 2021. The second year students in the bachelor program Industrial Design exhibits works from a course. The assignment was to dramatize expressions and identity in a robot - to create a scenario that links associations to cultural attitbutes and rituals that give meaning and identity to the robot.

 

JANUARY 2021

OUR SPACES / VÅRA RUM

BOOK EXHIBITION. 18 January 2021. The exhibition is based around a reading list on discrimination, racism, feminism and colonialism, put together by the group Our Spaces / Våra rum. The library had some, but not all of the books. We now have most of them. The books do not have to remain on the shelf, all of them are possible to check out!

19 OKTOBER 2020

Access 

EXHIBITION. The second year master’s CRAFT! students put together a real webshop for an exhibition that never happened. We are 24 crafters from Konstfack who were given the task to create real gift shop items from fake exhibitions, each corresponding to a year in the history of the Stockholm House of Culture. Gallery 6 is an imaginary space floating above the House of Culture, since the opening in 1974. We hereby invite you to consider how culture is consumed. How to get access? Who has access and what is accessed? The products displayed here give an insight to each year and simultaneously ask you to question what you take away from an experience.

View the exhibited objects here

1 OKTOBER 2020

Svensk bokkonst 2019

EXHIBITION. The prize ceremony for Svensk bokkonst 2019 (Swedish Book Art 2019) was held at Konstfack on Thursday 1 October 2020. As usual many of the recipients have been Konstfack students or employees. Among the names you will recognise the former students Sandra Praun and Oscar Guermouche ("Noir"), Lena Sjöberg ("Min syster är ett spöke") and Nina Ulmaja ("Strindbergs lilla röda", "A Book Is A Book Is A Book", "N/L:s poesibibliotek").

The 25 awarded books are being exhibited in the library until 16 October. The exhibition will then travel around Sweden.

 

1 SEPTEMBER 2020

Exhibition about the Konstfack Degree Exhibition 2002-2019

EXHIBITION. Every year the library collects catalogues and student publications produced in conjunction with the Degree Exhibition. This year (2020) the exhibition could not be held in a traditional manner, and was instead turned into a web-based exhibition. This meant fewer publications for us to gather, but it also meant the return of the printed exhibition catalogue! For the first time since 2008 the Konstfack Degree Exhibition gets an official printed catalogue. The catalogue is published later in the fall, but the library wishes to celebrate the occasion by showing examples of student-initiated catalogues and other student publications from the 21^st century. Most of these were made during the years when no official printed catalogue was produced by Konstfack. 

The exhibition contiues until further notice. 

17 APRIL 2020

Spring 2020

Due to the global virus epidemic the library is currently closed to the public and most of Konstfack's students. You can find information about how to use the library's resources from home on the intranet.

Use the library from home (intranet)

 

2 MARCH 2020

Women designers and artists at Konstfack

BOOK EXHIBITION. The library exhibits books by and about designers and artists who at some time studied at Konstfack, from Hilma af Klint (who studied painting at Tekniska skolan for one year in 1880) through Elsa Beskow, Märta Måås-Fjetterström, Torun Bülow-Hübe, Rosa Taikon, Cecilia Edefalk, Tuija Lindström to Erika Lagerbielke and Lotta Kühlhorn.

 

20 FEBRUARY 2020

One book – a course for GF&I, Ceramics & Glass and Fine Art

EXHIBITION. The exhibition lasts until 24 February.

3 FEBRUARI 2020

The Life of an Itinerant through a Pinhole

EXHIBITION. Behzad Khosravi, PhD student at Konstfack, exhibits objects linked to his PhD project in the library window.

The exhibition lasts until 10 February.

Behzad's own description:“The Life of an Itinerant through a Pinhole” presents the relationship between class identity and the means of production in Tehran between the years 1956 and 1968 by undertaking a historical analysis of archival images produced by a working-class immigrant community. A local itinerant photographer, Gholamreza Amirbegi, documented the images in question. The collected images present the identity of a particular social group in the city of Tehran, following a period of immigration to the capital due to the effects of war and the subsequent economic devastation and the epidemic of bankruptcy among smaller cities. The images reveal diverse subjects in relation to the urban life in the southwest of Tehran. Gholamreza’s images underline the relationship between global and local subjectivity of image production within an isolated working-class neighborhood in the southwest of Tehran. By renarrating the archival materials, resignifying subaltern histories and evoking memories, this unknown archive tells stories of the social changes in contemporary Iran from below, as experienced through the images of global cinema, unconscious colonial memory, and means of production from the subalterns.[1] This chapter introduces and reinforces the necessity of itinerancy, not just as an activity on the part of Gholamreza, but to present the notions of global traveling images and colonial history, and their effects on social and political conditions. I also highlight the absence of representation of this political and social identity in the realm of contemporary arts in Iran, as well as in the modern Iranian nation-state’s desire to construct a domestic “primitive” people in order to build a Tehran-centric national culture.[2]
By applying a comparative historical material analysis, I develop a multi-sited practice and archaeology of contemporary history. I explore the possible resemblances constructed on the notion of unconscious colonial memory, proletarianism and the technology of image production behind it within societies sharing interconnected histories. I offer a reinterpretation of everyday historical observations of the image—one that is taken for granted—into an archaeological one: the prestigious and valuable object. We must dig into the history to discover the lost identity and then displace the image of the past from its historical location in order to address the question: What happens to the past from the perspective of the future?"

 

3 FEBRUARI 2020

PhD students exhibit in the library!

EXHIBITION. A few of the PhD students at Konstfack exhibit their projects in the library window during Konstfack's Research Week 2020.

18 DECEMBER 2019

Presentation of a process

EXHIBITION. 18 December 2019 - 12 January 2020. Third year students from the bachelor programme Textile is exhibiting results from the course Industrial production. The course is collaborating with different partners from the textile industry each year, and this year they have worked with Ludvig Svensson. 

 

28 NOVEMBER 2019

The Jubilee Exhibition

EXHIBITION. 28 November - 4 December 2019. In conjunction with the publication of the new book 175 år av kamp, glädje och misslyckanden (= 175 years of struggle, joy and failure) celebrating Konstfack's history, the library is exhibiting materials from our collection that relate to the themes in the book. The exhibition only lasts for one week, so hurry up!

The image above is an advertisement in the newspaper Aftonbladet from 10 October 1844, advertising the new school, the "Sunday Drawing School for Craftsmen".

 

6 NOVEMBER 2019

Book presentation and exhibition with Our Polite Society

6 November 2019. Jens Schildt, visiting teacher at Graphic form and illustration at Konstfack and part of the design firm Our Polite Society, presents the book project The FACIT Model. The subject of the book is the typewriter and office furnishing manufacturer Facit in Åtvidaberg, Sweden, which for a period in the 20th century was a world leading company in its field, but which did not survive the burgeoning globalization of the 1980's. The book presents materials from the company archive. The presentation is held in Swedish, with a reading of extracts from the book in English. 

An exhibition of background material for the book is shown in an exhibition in the library, beginning on 6 November.

 

14 OCTOBER 2019

Picture book artists who studied at Konstfack (again)

BOOK EXHIBITION. 14 October 2019. Once again we are showing childrens' picture books by artists who were once students at Konstfack - but it's not the same exhibition as the last time! Most Swedes (and some non-Swedes) will be familiar with at least some of these books.

 

5 SEPTEMBER 2019

Book presentation with Tomas Colbengtson

11 September 2019. Tomas Colbengtson will be showing images of his artwork and talking about his new book, Faamoe, meaning strenght, power or endurance in the southern Sami language. The book deals with loss of language, colonization and encorced migration of the Sami people. Swedish text by Jan-Erik Lundström, translation into the south Sami language by Per-Martin Israelsson.

Read more about the book here (in Swedish).

 

4 SEPTEMBER 2019

Zickermans studiesamling

EXHIBITION. September 2019. We have made some changes in the library stacks during the summer. Among them is a new exhibition about Lilli Zickerman and her study collection which is stored there. There is also a new folder about Lilli and the collection, unfortunately only in Swedish. The collection has been digitized:Hemslöjden

2 SEPTEMBER 2019

Poetic Form

EXHIBITION. 2 September 2019. The exhibition Poetic Form is shown outside the library during the introduction week for new students. The library has chosen among books by Swedish poets designed by former students at Konstfack.

30 AUGUST 2019

Artists' Books and comics

EXHIBITIONS. 2 September 2019. The library is proud to present two small exhibitions in the library during the introduction week for new students. Both exhibitions are situated along the same wall of the library, where we have mounted the new shelves for Artists' books. The first exhibition focuses on Artists' books by students and staff at Konstfack. The second exhibition is an updated rerun of an exhibition held earlier in the year, presenting comics by Konstfack students and staff.

29 MAY 2019

"Främmande fåglar i textil dräkt"

EXHIBITION. 28 Maj - 5 June 2019. Teacher education students in the second year exhibit textile sculptures of birds in the library window.

More information (in Swedish)

16 MAJ 2019

Konstfack degree exhibition 2019

EXHIBITIONS. Four students exhibit in the library during the Konstfack degree exhibition. 

AnnaLeena Prykäri, Fine Art (Master)
Carola Björk, Fine Art (Master)

Olle Helin, Fine Art (Bachelor)
Joel Arizona Widerberg, Fine Art (Bachelor)

16 APRIL

Människan - en berättelse 

EXHIBITION. 9-29 April 2019.  An exhibition in the library, by Beatrice Nydahl, Ibis, Ämneslärarprogrammet (Bild och media).

 

5 APRIL 2019

Comic creators at Konstfack

EXHIBITION. 6-7 April 2019. In conjunction with The Stockholm International Comics Festival (SIS19) the library, together with the bachelor program Graphic design & illustration and the master program Visual communication, presents an exhibition of comic creators with a background at Konstfack, either as students or as teachers. The exhibition takes us from Swedish comics pioneer Oskar Andersson who graduated in 1898 until the present day, and includes many well known artists from the medium of comics. Parts of the exhibition will continue to be shown in the library after the festival.

27 MARCH 2019

Digitisation of the Zickerman collection

The Swedish craft association Svenska Hemslöjdsföreningarnas Riksförbund has just finished digitising the study collection put together by Lilli Zickerman in the early parts of the last century. The collection consists of 12.000 partially colored photographic reproductions of Swedish vernacular textiles. The collection is the property of the association, but it has been housed at Konstfack since 1947. Below is a short video presenting the collection and the digitisation (in Swedish).

 Watch the video here.

 

22 MARCH 2019

Mapping the field of jewellery

EXHIBITION. 22 mars - 3 april 2019, in the library

What does the field of contemporary jewellery look like? In Sweden, Europe, the world? What is the arena we are entering into like, and what do the established names say? The second-year students at the bachelor program at Ädellab have interviewed four professionals in the field of jewellery, in Sweden and internationally.

21 JANUARY 2019

Picture book artists who studied at Konstfack

BOOK EXHIBITION. The library exhibits books by former Konstfack students, such as Tove Jansson, Ilon Wikland, Jan Lööf, Eva Eriksson, Pija Lindenbaum, Stina Wirsén and Siri Ahmed Backström.

10 JANUARY 2019

Action & failure

EXHIBITION. 10-21 January 2018 in the library. The third year students of the bachelor program Industrial design exhibit self initiated design explorations.

 

30 NOVEMBER 2018

Textile birds

EXHIBITION. 30 November - 21 December, in the library.
Fourth-year students from the teacher education program for Visual Arts and Sloyd exhibit textile birds in the library window. 

8 NOVEMBER 2018

The video lounge

What happened to the library’s video lounge? That poorly lit room with dark red walls in the corner of the library? Anyone? No? Well, the correct answer is that the room is back! But now it can even be used as a bookable group room, a room for one on one tutorials or reading, as well as a video lounge. The walls are white and the lighting in pretty intense. Perhaps a little too intense for watching films, so be sure to turn off the lights by the door. The video cases are no longer housed on shelves along the wall. Instead, you will find the covers in a number of binders, with the categories Contemporary, Historical, Students and Documentary (see the picture below). If you would like to watch a film, contact one of the library staff, who will get you the actual disc or video cassette. The library gleefully awaits the inevitable renaissance of the VHS.

3 SEPTEMBER 2018

New semester - new students - new books

The library has been closed for a large part of the summer, but we have continued to buy new books the whole time, and they are now on display here and there in the library. A selection of new books is shown in the image below. Please click on the image for a more readable version!

29 JUNE 2018

Study Support Unit - language support for students

From the autumn term of 2018, the library will be responsible for building a Study Support Unit at Konstfack. The purpose is to provide all students with good conditions for completing their studies.

8 JUNE 2018

Closed for summer

We are now closed for summer. Welcome back Monday 27 August. We would like to wish everybody a really nice summer!

18 MAY 2018

The Degree exhibition in the library

The Konstack degree exhibition is in full swing, and this year some of the works are exhibited in the library. Among those are the printed publications produced by students for the exhibition, and an installation piece by Maria Hilmersson Landgren.

16 APRIL 2018

Exhibition downstairs in the library

EXHIBITION. Don't miss this exhibition in the library stacks, in the room that houses the Martin collection (the volumes on shelves in the image below). The artist is Master student Qingqing Zhang, and the title of the work is "Amid Otherworldly Stages". Dates: 16-20 April.

3 APRIL 2018

Ice Snow Sápmi

EXHIBITION. Textile works by students from the Techer Education program are shown in the library on 11-27 April. The students have made an inspiring study trip to the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi and the Jokkmokk Winter Market.

28 FEBRUARY 2018

Speech Synthesis software TorTalk

TorTalk is a speech synthesis software that handles all types of text on your screen, including images of scanned text. The software is pre-installed on computers in the library and in some of the computer rooms. Konstfack students and staff can also install the software on their own private computers.

For more information on TorTalk, contact the library at biblioteket@konstfack.se

22 FEBRUARY 2018

Self service is back!

The library is once again equipped with a self-check machine for checking out and returning books. 

We are sorry for the inconveniance our users have suffered during the past few weeks. The members of staff, however, have appreciated some of the effects of the missing machine, namely that we have had more interactions with our users than we've had in a long time. Remember that you're always welcome to approach us with your questions, and we are also happy to help with book loans!

22 FEBRUARY 2018

Posted / Unposted

EXHIBITION. Artist book Posted / Unposted is exhibited in conjuction with the GFI course 'Boken'.

An artist book project with special emphasis on letterpress (boktryck) printing, consisting of 24 unique envelopes by 24 artists, that expose the variety of ways letterpress can be used as a creative process.

The envelopes are on display in the glass cases at the library.

The library has also selected a number of titles exploring ideas around letterpress, artist books, mail art, printing, collecting and more, all influenced by Nordic Letterpress Collaboration’s Posted / Unposted.

The material comes from the various corners of the library’s collections, and include journals and articles, monographs and other artist books.

15 FEBRUARY 2018

A book in the library! 

EXHIBITION. See the results of a three week interdisciplinary course in book making, involving students from Graphic Design & Illustration, Ceramics & Glass and Fine art. The exhibition is shown in the library 15-21 February. 

18 DECEMBER 2017

New artwork

The sight of our new artwork will not have eluded any visitor in the library during the past few days. This majestic animal is placed on one of the book shelves in the library. The artist is Mari Anari, who is currently a student in the Master program CRAFT - Ceramics & glass. 

7 DECEMBER 2017

World of Desire - Benedetta Crippa

EXHIBITION. This handpainted sign in the library window is to advertise the exhibition of the book work "World of Desire" by Benedetta Crippa. The book consists of 17 loose leaves and is placed on top of the Oversize books shelf by the information desk in the library 7-15 December 2017. 

1 DECEMBER 2017

Christmas exhibition 2017

EXHIBITION. Our christmas exhibition starts today! We're showing christmas-related ads from older magazines found in the library stacks. Most advertisements are focused on food and drink, mostly the latter, which is also reflected in the title of the exhibition (see below). The exhibition is curated by library assistant and artist Florence Wild, and will be shown for the whole month of December. 

22 SEPTEMBER 2017

Student work exhibited

EXHIBITION. Students' work from the first half of the 20th century are now shown in the library!

18 APRIL 2017

Japanese prints

EXHIBITION. Starting Tuesday 18 April 2017 we're showing Japanese prints from the library collections. The image shows one of many hand-coloured woodblock prints på Keika Hasegawa depicting chrysanthemums.

6 APRIL 2016

Aurél Schiller

EXHIBITION. The exhibition "Är du där - sover du" (Are you there - are you sleeping) is shown in the library 6 October - 4 November 2016.

Aurél Schiller, who is a former teacher at Konstfack, is exhibiting ink drawings. The exhibition is a cooperation between the library and the Ädellab department.