Then I became more interested in how people in the countryside, far from manor houses and homes in the cities, had taken the design one step further in their own way. It was this new aspect that drew my attention to the folk art and it still attracts me as a true source of inspiration although – or perhaps I should say since – my role as a professor in furniture culture is to help my students to find new paths in the field of furniture design for the needs of today.

Another example in this style is the Vang Stone located in Vang, which is part of the Valdes region in Norway. It is a large rune stone with red patterns covering most of the surface. Again, we notice the familiar tendril-like, sinuous, patterns with almost hook-like ends intertwining, reminiscent of the Norse knotwork so characteristic of the Viking culture. The top section of the stone’s composition includes the lion-like animal in its heraldic stance with its mouth wide open as if it is roaring.

Where can you see modern Scandinavian folk art? 

Dadaism was a fairly short-lived cultural movement that started in Switzerland shortly after World War I. But Dadaist methods and views were adopted by many and live on. Focused on ridiculing the meaninglessness of the modern world, their work encompassed literature, visual arts and theater.

But there are distinct features that typify the folk art of each of the Scandinavian countries. Swedish folk art Highly influential, even today, the school’s three directors, Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, spread their ideas when they left Germany before and during the Second World War. Ending up in various countries, they and many of the people who taught and studied at Bauhaus left behind a body of knowledge that many of today’s designers refer to in their work, often unknowingly. Aleklippa (Swedish): Aleklippa is a Swedish term for the decorative paper cuttings often found in Scandinavian and Swedish folk art. These intricate designs are made by cutting patterns into paper or thin materials.Scandinavian folk art is often referred to by different names, depending on the specific country or region. Here are a few terms commonly used for Scandinavian folk art: Mass machine production did not dominate Scandinavia as much in the years between the two World Wars as it did in the US. The scale of the industry was much smaller, and after World War II more Scandinavian countries established institutions and schools to preserve the craft traditions. Processes derived from the crafts were integrated into commercial production, creating what became known as the industrial arts. Viking art tends to be categorised into six distinct styles, which are each named after the geographical location where the objects in this style were found: