OUR MOVEMENTS ARE AN ANTITHESIS OF MODERN, COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE….

After the oil industry that has made Norway rich since the 1970s, fishing, production and export is Norway’s second economic base. 70% of this is filled by “aquafarming” of salmon.

Monique Mulder (Mattmo Creative) often makes culture scans abroad where she wants to meet the creators of the country. Besides her lecture and workshop at the University of Bergen about ‘Ecological Design & Aquafarming’ for the new generation of designers, she visited a number of New Nordic Cuisine chefs in Bergen to see how the vision and creativity of New Nordic Cuisine has been integrated after all these years.

Lysverket is a distinctly modern, minimalist and refined restaurant and bar in the high-end segment. It is located in the art-center KODE4, with a focus on fresh fish dishes from the best local sources. Christopher Haatuft, chef and founder but above all a punk, worked at Dan Barber’s Blue Hill in New York and returned to his home ground in Bergen six years ago.

Christopher knows all about his country’s history and culture and is always looking for new products from small-scale producers; it’s the identity he is proud of and can’t live without. A ‘locavore’, socially conscious and collaborative. His specific philosophies and cooking are a story about Norwegian coastal geography, organic mountain farmers and sustainable aquaculture. He experiments with products such as seaweed, makes different types of jelly from it and searches for the old indigenous bread-making techniques of flatbread.

Curious, that’s what he is, and that’s what he wants to convey to the new generation. Christopher Haatuft is ‘A rebel with a cause’. He skillfully explains his motivation: “Norway has the largest coastline in the world and we are in a small, rugged area of ​​that world – with a specific landscape. I want to do something specific to this place.” He continuously connects culture, landscape and the history of his soil with the creative disciplines of today to be inspired and feel free. That also makes our restaurant culturally relevant for all creative industries in Bergen. “Musicians, fashion designers and artists inspire me and designers are a connecting factor that can connect all these disciplines.”

“I can be a hardcore anarchist, but I am a pragmatist; I can cook and I don’t always want to say that I am against something like large-scale agriculture and commercial aquafarming. They are standardizing our food and polluting our fjords. It is better to stand for something to convert the opposition, so my restaurant Lysverket is what I want to be, my stage and I now cook the way I cook. I really hope to influence and to prove it on the plate. That way I bring the story closer to people, I tell the breathtakingly beautiful story of our nature of sparkling lakes and lush green mountains and of our small organic farmers. They are my friends.”

His specific position in global gastronomy can be summed up in the rise of the New Nordic Cuisine. And he plans to create a more progressive and sustainable economic ecosystem between the suppliers he values. He calls it a “closed circuit economy” where trade takes place between “people who love us and who we love.

He speaks with great respect about our Dutch food culture; “You don’t get stuck in the clichés of the windmills, it is an internationally influenced cuisine from both the colonial past and the present. Adoptive and innovative. A ‘sci-fi kitchen’, as he calls it, with vertical farming and large-scale food production in greenhouses, creative innovations and products and many bottom-up initiatives.”b

In his opinion, Dutch Cuisine cannot be explained in 10 minutes due to the enormous mix of diversity. “I endorse the principles of Dutch Cuisine. They are close to the principles of New Nordic Cuisine and are self-evident to me, but I also promote them to educate my students, who often come from abroad, with my ethical values ​​of New Nordic Cuisine. We must create inquisitive minds and tell them about our food culture, cooking techniques and product knowledge. The schools here do not create the right investigative and entrepreneurial attitude in the students and I do not think the level of knowledge is good.”

But Dutch Cuisine is a blend, a “Juxtapose” for me, just like your progressive politics. In the Netherlands, the mix is ​​interesting. I have an Iranian neighbor here, a Chinese one further down the road. I find that diversity of their ‘pure cooking’ interesting. And creativity is the innovation that they put into it themselves. I organize meetings with international chefs about everything and put a stamp on all my interns, for 15 years now, because they have to have a curious attitude – something that is not taught in schools.

He can also see that Dutch Cuisine and New Nordic Cuisine can share their considerations and knowledge, because many subjects, attitudes and ethics are similar. The relationship with the Netherlands dates back to the fourteenth century. We are Hanseatic cities and trade in food was paramount. Stockfish was one of those products that was brought from Bergen. At that time, the cities were concerned with economic cooperation; now let us seek cultural cooperation.

He also initiates the search and the direct lines with the producers himself. In addition to his organic farmers, he works with his own divers and searches for interesting seafood. Projects such as Matchmaking and the Routes of Dutch Cuisine are interesting developments for him that are still missing in the New Nordic Cuisine, where producers are not yet part of that movement.

What Christopher is very enthusiastic about is creativity. From his own creativity he always wants to experiment with influences from other cultures. That takes him further. When he lived in New York and encountered the entire world food culture at the highest level in one city, he saw that unique mix as a great source of inspiration and wealth to discover the world. “This is also possible from Bergen, there is still a whole world to discover here.”

Restaurant Cornelius was founded by a seafood diver and a chef. Monique spoke with chef Haakon Pansuna in the restaurant that is located on an island – Holmen, just beyond the bay of Bergen. Every day they work with the yield of the diver and let their creativity run wild. There is no menu to choose from.

They have set up a special company to be allowed to keep their harvest of the day in a basin and because of that they can practice their philosophy of getting fresh seafood on the plate, it doesn’t get any fresher. Haakon tells that they not only cook organic and fresh, but he explains that they cook with the climate. Meteorological Menus are served here. The seafood products give off different energy, depending on the climate.

Inspired by the weather, they adapt their menu to the weather conditions. When it rains, you need different energy from the product as a human being, says Haakon, than when it freezes. They are therefore as close to nature as possible, that is their motivation. “The preservation of our own nature starts with ourselves. We fish with policy from our own local waters and we pick our berries and mushrooms from the islands. The sea has always been the source of our food. We are concerned with the natural balance and we also tell our students that.”

On the other side of the islet, where the restaurant Cornelius is located, is the cooking school. We are also welcomed by students of the cooking school who explain the philosophy, the diving experience or the history of the dish with every course. Very involved and driven they tell a fascinating story and are proud of Cornelius.

We are taken outside by the chef, there are the basins with various shells, seaweed and crabs from the bay and the seawater has exactly the same temperature as in the fjord. A little later we walk into the kitchen with Haakon, with passion and love for seafood and they use their innovative culinary techniques for the preparation of the meteorological menu. Beautiful to see. After 4 hours we are picked up again by the boat, pouring rain and a cold wind. In Bergen you experience all seasons in one day.

Het bericht Contrast in Norway: aquafarming versus the new Nordic cuisine verscheen eerst op Mattmo Creative - Amsterdam.

Het bericht Ivoorkust Culture scan verscheen eerst op Mattmo Creative - Amsterdam.

Exploring

When we arrive we do a “culturescan” by talking to all sorts of people such as photographers, fashion- product- graphic designers, we do lectures and workshops for professionals or/and students. With the aim of sharing knowledge and experiencing the current status of that particular culture. 

Het bericht Culture scan Barcelona verscheen eerst op Mattmo Creative - Amsterdam.

Exploring

When we go there we do a “culturescan” by talking to all sorts of culture makers like photographers, fashion- product- graphic designers, we do lectures and workshops for professionals or/and students. With the aim of sharing knowledge and experiencing the current status of that particular culture.

We had meetings with Mehmet Kütükçüoğlu from Teget architects, he is the architect of the new Maritime Museum in Istanbul. And our meetings with the lovely people of Demirden Design was a big inspiration for us. And of course ICOGRADA’s Vice President Yesim Demir at her graphic design studio. Next to that we gave a lecture at the Istanbul design week and at the Yildiz University.

Ahmet Polat, Photographer Istanbul

Ahmet is a socially engaged photographer and his work is thus often associated with social projects and issues.

We met Ahmet 10 years ago. Ahmet is 37 years old and has the prestigious Infinity Award of the International Centre for Photography to his name. The Infinity Award is regarded as a symbolic prize of encouragement for young and promising photographers. Ahmet is a socially engaged photographer and his work is thus often associated with social projects and issues. His great admiration for Henri Cartier-Bresson is expressed in the following quote: ‘It’s not about photography, it’s about life’. Ahmet sees photography as abstraction, as something that makes time stand still creating a personal framework of reality. He does not look for sensation but for serenity, and in the same way he allows himself to be guided by what Cartier-Bresson calls ‘the decisive moment’, that single moment in which light and composition are optimal and the situation yields to the photographer’s ultimate wishes. He is someone who does the slightly unexpected, so achieving immortality in his photographs; he goes about armed with photographic instinct, so to speak.

Interview

Ahmet, you were born and brought up in the south of the Netherlands. Four years ago, you went by car on a journey that your Turkish father had made in the opposite direction in the 1970s. One of his trips as a lorry driver took him to the Netherlands, and once he had arrived, he stayed. You also stayed on in Turkey after arriving there. Does Istanbul provide the home base you failed to find in the Netherlands?

You could put it that way. I had been to Istanbul as a small child but I don’t remember anything about it. When I came here as an adult ten years ago, I made friends very quickly. In that respect, I felt at home immediately, but now that I have lived here for four consecutive years I also know that Istanbul is a gentle monster – you have to be careful that it doesn’t crush you. I have settled down now, and I came here with the intention of staying anyway, not of just passing through.

You teach in both the Netherlands and Istanbul. What differences have you noticed? 

There is an informal atmosphere at the AKI art academy in Enschede and the students have a very open manner. I get them to share the responsibility so that they have to shape their own development. That is possible because Dutch students are used to engaging in self-reflection. It is completely different in Istanbul; they have a hierarchy of teachers and students there, with teachers in a position of absolute authority. I found that extremely frustrating initially, although I have now managed to find a happy medium. I give guidance in the lessons, of course, but at the same time I encourage the students to think for themselves, and they are making that use of that opportunity, albeit slowly but surely.

And how do you pursue your own development as a photographer?

The way I work stems from my interest in the ‘theatre of life’. I have a documental approach, which means I go looking for extremes among people, not that I stage-manage things exactly, but I certainly make my presence known. I ask questions and I am critical in my interaction with others. I used to be more of a mirror for those in front of my camera whereas here in Turkey I am still regarded as the emigrant’s son and not a real Turk. That position sometimes makes me an outsider, but I have also made that double identity my trademark; I feel just as much at home with Dutch migrants as I do with Istanbul’s high society.

Does that also provide you with the jobs you want?

Well, of course I would prefer to be making lucrative photograph collections but I’m doing okay at the moment. I recently did a photo shoot for the French Vogue about the cultural scene in Istanbul and I’m also making a photo book about Turkish youngsters for a Turkish brand of jeans.

And what about exhibiting? Is that possible in Istanbul? Does the city have photo galleries or museums of photography?

Cultural development is moving very quickly here. There are wealthy families who invest in exhibitions and galleries, but as yet we do not have a photo gallery. I do have good contacts with enterprising art galleries such as Karsi Sanat and X-ist, but even they are lagging a couple of decades behind. But like I said, Istanbul is catching up at a rate of knots and I consider myself lucky to be here at the dawn of that development. That pioneering feeling is something I have never experienced in the Netherlands. 

Het bericht Culture scan Istanbul verscheen eerst op Mattmo Creative - Amsterdam.

10 jaar lang hadden we een kantoor in Shanghai, China. Het begon met een culture scan uit nieuwsgierigheid. Nu kunnen we terugkijken op een lange periode business doen in China. Het heeft ons veel gebracht.

“Na elf dagen hectiek in Shanghai, waar adrenaline en enthousiasme zich constant afwisselden, weten we nu dat we hier de mogelijkheid hebben om iets te realiseren.

Shanghai is een achtbaan. We zijn onder de indruk van deze fantastische, bizarre, ondernemende, armoedige, decadente en bruisende stad. Het is een caleidoscoop waarin verschillende tijden door elkaar lopen, de culturele invloeden gelaagd in elkaar overgaan, godsdiensten, tradities en sociale systemen met elkaar verbonden zijn, en rijkdom tot extremen reikt, terwijl armoede in de vergetelheid raakt. Een mensenleven kan hier alles bereiken maar het kan ook niets betekenen. We kunnen nog niet omschakelen. Het enige medicijn tegen deze culture shock is tijd. We hebben de tijd nodig om in ons hoofd weer te landen in Nederland. Een groter contrast met dit barre en desolate landschap vanuit vogelvlucht is niet mogelijk.” 

 Lees de gehele publicatie hier

We wrote this publication more then 10 years ago, we still are fascinated by China and it’s people, we’ve learned so much and even today we are inspired by having been part of a changing country who has reinvented itself in no time.

Nieuwsgierigheid

Het begon allemaal met nieuwsgierigheid naar dit gigantische land waar één vijfde van de wereldbevolking zich bevindt. We wilden er naartoe om de mensen die de huidige cultuur vormgeven te ontmoeten en erachter te komen wat hun achterliggende ideeën zijn. 

Sowieso; de Eur-Aziatische combinatie bracht altijd al een vervreemdend romantisch beeld naar boven. Het komt door de vreemde combinatie van de culturen, de eigen stijl die er uit naar voren komt, de kracht van het onuitgesprokene en het expliciete van hun werk.  

Films zoals Indochine van Régis Wargnier, In the Mood for Love, 2046, Chungking Express en Happy Together van Kar Wai Wong stonden al langere tijd hoog op onze lijst. Maar ook modeontwerpsters Vivienne Tam en Anna Sui en het merk Shanghai Tang zijn inspirerend en weten traditionele technieken binnen hedendaagse westerse stijlen te implementeren. 

Starting a business

Everything mingles; you walk through one big film stage where high and low culture are intertwined, where the European identities are visible in the Art Deco buildings and the plane-trees provide the city with a French character.

Moving neon signs and video walls on the buildings cover the whole riverbank and the zeppelins floating over complete the scene. Here too a fashiobable city youth are found and one can see the metropolitan Disneyfication of the Guccis, Pradas and Armanis driving the local people out of their buildings. Prosperity forces itself on. 

It’s no use to just want to skim the market. It’s more interesting to find a connection by finding out more about this market, this culture, the people and their way of thinking. We want to see whether we, the Dutch designers, are able to apply our knowledge and start projects. And so we did. 

Het bericht Created in china verscheen eerst op Mattmo Creative - Amsterdam.

Exploring

When we go there we do a “culturescan” by talking to all sorts of culture makers like photographers, fashion- product- graphic designers, we do lectures and workshops for professionals or/and students. With the aim of sharing knowledge and experiencing the current status of that particular culture. We met Veikko Kunnas, cultural director of the city of Helsinki to talk about the possibilities to brand the city of Helsinki abroad. Next to that we had an interview with Katja Ojala of design magazine Grafia. And our main activity was a lecture for the 750 visitors of the Helsinki design week. 

Kari Korkman, Founder / Director Helsinki Design Week, Finland

Kari is a real ‘we-person’, an inspired networker who captures the attention of the world from the heart of Helsinki. He is the founder of the highly successful Helsinki Design Week, which was held for the fourth time in 2008 and in which we presented a lecture on the economic value of design. The rationale behind the Helsinki Design Week is to spend a week celebrating the beauty of Finnish Design and enhance our daily lives with the help of design. According to Kari, design is primarily about the quality of life. Design serves, essentially, as an interface between products and people. Good design is therefore able to ‘talk’ to the user, and can even touch that same user emotionally so that a lasting relationship is created that can withstand both good times and bad.

The Helsinki Design Week is now a permanent feature on the international design exhibition calendar. Kari, however, now has another dream to fulfil: to forge a link between all Design Weeks worldwide, from Tokyo to London. And in the meantime he is initiating projects linking IKEA to fashion designers. He not only thinks cross-culturally, but also across disciplines. Kari is also founder of the highly regarded Luovi label. The collection comprises products ranging from laptop bags to photo frames, each item a one-off and hand made. Kari does not have them made in China, but in the far north of Finland. Kari chooses places where the economy is weak, giving local craftswomen the opportunity to work and helping these artisan women to maintain their skills so that they can once again do justice to their work. Every bag bears a personal bio of the craftswoman who made it. Wherever you take your bag, you carry, as it were, her soul with you…

Interview

Kari, what was your ‘big idea’ about starting the Helsinki Design Week?

The big idea, back in 2005, was to create a meeting place for professionals – from designers to producers – in the international field of design; a place where a transaction of ideas could take place. Helsinki is a superb city for that because it has a well-developed creative industry, one that is comparable with Amsterdam, for example. What is more, we have excellent design education in Helsinki, and an industry that distinguishes itself internationally when it comes to experience and service design. It was for this reason that service design was chosen as the theme for the Helsinki Design Week in its debut year. Everyone knows the brilliant iPhone interface as an ultimate example of service design, and we wanted to show that service design plays an important role every minute of every day, and not just where mobile telephones are concerned. We are going to see an increasing number of service design applications used in the home to operate lighting, heating and household equipment, and to provide cross-medial news coverage.

We hear you have plans connecting design weeks worldwide, including your Helsinki Design Week. Could you tell us your motives? 

To start with, I believe in what I call the ‘internationalisation of things’. This originates from the fact that Helsinki is situated in a remote corner of Europe. So we Fins must venture into the big wide world in order to do business, and networking is therefore vitally important to us. At the same time, I think that this century calls for a different mindset to that of the 20th century; engaging in fierce competition with each other is a thing of the past. Given that there are currently dozens of Design Weeks worldwide and that they are still sprouting like mushrooms, it seems to me that the best thing for everyone would be to regard each other as partners rather than competitors. Remember too that the speed of change, both economically and socially, is enormous, and the best way to respond to those rapid changes is by working together. In October 2008, during the Istanbul Design Week, we announced the first step in what is to be a collaboration between thirty Design Weeks worldwide. The advantage for the organisers is that they can synchronise their agendas, and for designers that they can be guided in choosing the right exhibitions to participate in during the various Design Weeks.

Could you explain the fast growing number of Design Weeks?

Firstly, we are now seeing that many traditional furniture exhibitions are trying to reposition themselves through design events. In addition to that, many cities are trying to present themselves as design cities. But I am convinced that the only the cities that stand a chance are those where there has always been a good design climate and where good design education is offered. It is only in these places that creative economies can evolve.

Het bericht Culturescan Helsinki verscheen eerst op Mattmo Creative - Amsterdam.