Wikipedia

Draft:Research and Development (design studio)

Research and Development (R&D) is a Stockholm-based graphic design studio founded in 2002 by Daniel Olsson, Robert Olzon (until 2007) and Jonas Topooco.[1] The studio collaborates with artists, curators, and cultural institutions,[2] and is known for its conceptual and content-driven approach to graphic design.[3][4] The studio’s name is a readymade, serving as a self-referential description of the studio’s design method.[5]

History edit

Founded after graduation from Konstfack, University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, the studio's work was first exhibited at Edsviks konsthall in 2003.[6] The exhibition laid the foundation for their research project, Use and Misuse, on how to use things beyond their original purpose.[7]

Exhibitions and Curatorial Practices edit

R&D's involvement in promoting conceptual Swedish design became evident when they created the graphic identity for Swedish Style Tokyo, an annual design fair in Tokyo.[8] In 2005, they curated and produced the exhibition A Crash Course in Aesthetics, Ethics, Politics, Economy and History at the Embassy of Sweden, Tokyo,[9] exhibiting conceptual Swedish design including works from Ann-Sofie Back, Front, Lagombra, Patrik Söderstam and Uglycute for a Japanese audience.[10]

Subsequently, R&D participated in the exhibition Konceptdesign[11] at Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, curated by Cilla Robach and Itanomthub (2005) at Mains d'Oeuvres, Paris. These exhibitions spotlighted evolving values during the turn of the millennium, promoting a critical approach to design production[12] and the commodification of art and goods within the spectacle of consumer culture.[13]

Among the works resulting from the research project Use and Misuse were the pamphlet The Death of the Designer exhibited at Imoaraizaka Gallery, Tokyo.[14] Following exhibition projects were Moderna by Night at Moderna Museet, Stockholm,[15] Happy Campers at Skylight Studios, New York,[16] and An Alternative Guide to Palais de Tokyo—The Secret Life of an Art Institution. The latter project launched and exhibited at the opening of the directors of Palais de Tokyo, Nicolas Bourriaud and Jérôme Sans final exhibition Nôtre Histoire (2006). This exhibition project offered a guide book to everything but the art, including behind-the-scenes anecdotes, highlighting the less visible side of the institution, and exemplfied the design studio's application of curatorial practices and graphic authorship[17] in the realm of graphic design within the arts and culture.[18]

Following, R&D was appointed by Solfrid Söderlind, the former director of Nationalmuseum, to customize and implement the guide project for the museum. This resulted in in the guide book An Alternative Guide to Nationalmuseum (2010), where a curated group of cultural personalities was invited to visit the museum and share their impressions through text or images. Among the invited were Katarina Bonnevier, Miriam Bäckström, Peter Cornell, Karl Holmqvist, Lisa Langseth and Ylva Ogland.[19] According to art critic Milou Allerholm, “one of the revelatory narratives in the guidebook comes from Bonnevier’s queer reinterpretation of the timeless Leda and the Swan motif, transforming it into a tale of sisterhood and loss—not rape” and proposed it as mandatory reading among art historians.[20]

In parallel, R&D curated and hosted film screenings, introducing internationally emerging documentary filmmakers for a broader Swedish audience such as Gary Hustwit’s acclaimed Helvetica,[21] Objectified,[22] Stefan Römer’s Conceptual Paradise[23] and Bêka and Lemoine’s Barbicania.

During 2015, R&D gave a lecture at the Naver Green Factory[24] and exhibited the typographic installation Yesterday's News at the Typojanchi International Typography Biennale in Seoul, where it was included in the collection of the National Hangeul Museum. The exhibition was curated by Ahn Sang-soo, Neville Brody, Lars Müller, Paula Scher, and Kyungsun Kymn.[25]

In 2023, the Norwegian publisher Addition Edition released a monograph, Every work on our homepage June 3, 2023 in conjunction to the studio’s retrospective exhibition at the gallery Logic, Logistics, Architecture in Oslo. The monograph includes an essay by the Norwegian graphic designer Aslak Gurholt titled From M&Ö to R&D, exploring connections between R&D's contemporary design approach and the legacy of Melin Österlin, a 1960s Swedish graphic design studio, and their work particularly within the arts and culture.[1]

Bibliography edit

  • An Alternative Guide to Palais de Tokyo, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2006
  • En alternativ guide till Nationalmuseum, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 2010 (ISBN 9789171008190)
  • Diary for Year 13,810,000,000, Notebook II, Imprimerie du Marais, Paris, 2014
  • Yesterday’s News, Typojanchi 4th International Typography Biennale, Seoul, 2015 (ISBN 978-91-637-9714-9)
  • Every work on our homepage June 3, 2023, Addition Edition, Oslo, 2023 (ISBN 978-82-998127-9-5)

References edit

  1. ^ a b Research and Development (June 3, 2023). Gurholt, Aslak (ed.). Every work on our homepage June 3, 2023. Addition Edition. pp. 789–799. ISBN 978-82-998127-9-5.
  2. ^ "Research and Development". Process Journal, ed. 5. Published by Process, Melbourne. 2011. pp. 90–91. ISSN 1837-7807.
  3. ^ J. Namdev Hardisty (2011). Function, Restraint, and Subversion in Typography. Princeton Architectural Press, New York. pp. 166–175. ISBN 978-1-56898-966-2.
  4. ^ "Big Love in Stockholm". Print Magazine. PRINT. June 2009.
  5. ^ "Glitch Issue—Making the Perfect Accidents". IdN World. Systems Design Ltd. 2011. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  6. ^ Markus Degerman (2003). "Om: Formgivarens roll". RUM no. 2. RUM. p. 47. ISSN 1650-1330.
  7. ^ Anders Emilson (2004). "Pluralism – yes!". Swedish Design Magazine no. 1. FORM. pp. 48–49. ISSN 0015-766X.
  8. ^ Research and Development. "Swedish Style Tokyo". Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  9. ^ "A Crash Course in Aesthetics, Ethics, Politics, Economy and History". Artscape. November 8, 2005. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  10. ^ Tokyo Art Beat (2005). "Swedish Conceptual Design". Tokyo Art Beat. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  11. ^ Cilla Robach (2005). Konceptdesign. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. pp. 17, 82, 89, 128, 146. ISBN 9171007261.
  12. ^ Cornell, Peter (May 3, 2005). "Design: Ting som tänker". Expressen. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  13. ^ Nicolas Milhé (2005). "Itanomthub". Centre national des arts plastiques. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  14. ^ "The Death of The Designer". Research and Development. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  15. ^ "Moderna by Night". Research and Development. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  16. ^ Lenander, Johanna. "Happy Campers Design Exhibition". Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  17. ^ "The Designer as Producer". Ellen Lupton. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  18. ^ Poellinger, Clemens (January 20, 2006). "Konstinstitution på annorlunda sätt". Svenska Dagbladet. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  19. ^ Research and Development. "An Alternative Guide to Nationalmuseum". Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  20. ^ Allerholm, Milou (August 24, 2010). "En alternativ guide till Nationalmuseum". Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  21. ^ Kristoffersson, Sara (December 2, 2007). "Hatad och älskad av bokstavstroende". Svenska Dagbladet. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  22. ^ "Objectified, Stockholm". Please Copy Me. 21 September 2009. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  23. ^ "Conceptual Paradise". Conceptual Paradise. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  24. ^ "Typojanchi Open Talk". Typojanchi International Typography Biennale. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  25. ^ Research and Development. "Yesterday's News". Retrieved 2023-11-04.
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