Bielke&Yang welcome the material tactility on show at Norwegian Presence for its 2023 exhibition

Following their long-running collaboration with Norwegian Presence – a yearly showcase of the country’s best in design and manufacturing – Oslo-based studio Bielke&Yang have crafted the identity for its 2023 exhibition, marking the ninth year working together. “This year’s exhibitors are a fascinating blend of product designers, architects and makers,” Partner & Designer Evan McGuinness tells us, describing the overarching conceptual approach to 2023’s show brand, “who incorporate various techniques, new and traditional, in their processes” – a materiality which caught Bielke&Yang’s eye.

“We highlighted their tactility by creating 3D scans of the objects themselves,” McGuiness explains, utilising them as defined yet abstract graphic elements. “Doing so can give visitors a teaser of what is to come in the physical space on digital surfaces,” he continues, noting, “the 3D scans also allow us to play with the juxtaposition and scale of the objects to reflect the variety on display at the exhibition.”

Again demonstrating the long-standing collaborative nature of the project, Bielke&Yang have again partnered with type designer Bobby Nannam to expand on Norwegian Presence’s custom type catalogue, introducing a striking low-contrast italic to the existing Norwegian Presence Serif family. “We wanted to create an italic that would add a very noticeable level of identity to this year’s exhibition,” McGuiness recalls, “following a traditional style but with a contemporary edge,” pushing its structure to more unconventional typographic spaces whilst propping up an aesthetic contrast to the identity’s 3D scans. “Bobby had the idea to make it a 24-degree slant, which is quite extreme,” he details, “but it works beautifully and will be a great addition to the identity in future years too!”

Bielke&Yang’s tactile inspiration, however, didn’t simply stop at the identity’s 3D and typographic output, bleeding directly into the exhibition’s immersive and satisfying use of soft hues and strong materials. “The colours in the exhibition space itself,” designed by Kråkvik&D’Orazio and Bjørn van den Berg, McGuiness explains, “uses primarily muted grey tones and some wonderful sculptural pieces created from repurposed aluminium components,” resulting in a primarily monochrome palette to match. “There are also some subtle greens and pinks used to add some variation,” he adds, “that will also be present in the exhibition space itself.”

“In previous years, we have worked with even more abstract interpretations of the objects to be displayed in the exhibition,” McGuiness recalls, contextualising 2023’s creative process with the project’s prior approaches, such as introducing simplified patterns, materials or silhouettes. “We have always wanted to use more 3D elements as part of the identity,” he continues, “however, this has always been highly costly and time-consuming to achieve,” until more recently when the techniques and technologies have become more accessible and affordable. “We also have a few people at the studio interested in learning more about 3D and working in that space,” McGuiness tells us, creating 3D scans of Bielke&Yang’s team via Polycam, “so it was a great opportunity for us to test and learn something new,” embracing the beauty and intrigue within the imperfections of the avant-garde process. “It was almost how the designer might have conceptualised the idea in their minds,” he remarks, “basic form and material, but not the finer details,” opting for material inconsistency throughout to further convey the idea of abstraction. 

“Here we reveal the basic form to intrigue the viewer enough that they come to the exhibition,” McGuiness suggests, praising the work of Kristine Bjaadal and Anne-Stine Bae at DOGA, who developed the project’s communications strategy. “In the build-up to the exhibition, they showcased more of the rough and ready side of the creation process,” he details, “highlighting that behind this beautifully finished object on display, there are many failed attempts and tests to make these concepts a reality,” McGuiness adds, concluding, “an aspect of this year’s build that we have enjoyed seeing more of!”

Bielke&Yang