Denmark Design Members Late Night

At this Members Late Night, journalist and design-enthusiast Jeremy Hansen will talk with design curator Justine Olsen, interior designer Rufus Knight and architect Jon Rennie about how Scandinavian design aesthetics and principles continue to influence Aotearoa New Zealand today.

Visit the exhibition Denmark Design, enjoy pop-up talks by design experts, food, drinks, music and a one-night-only discount of 20% in the Gallery shop.

About the speakers

Jeremy Hansen —  design enthusiast and panel moderator

Jeremy Hansen is a journalist and cultural project manager with a strong interest in architecture, urban life, arts and culture. Hansen published the architecture and interiors book Modern: New Zealand Homes from 1939 to 1977, was HOME magazine’s editor for 11 years and edited free Auckland weekly Paperboy before he was hired to activate shared spaces in and around Britomart. His Danish heritage could very well have sparked his love for Scandinavian design!

Rufus Knight — Interior designer at Knight Associates

After stints at Auckland’s award-winning practice Fearon Hay Architects and Vincent van Duysen Architects in Antwerp, Rufus Knight quickly made a name for himself with his own interior architecture and design studio Knight Associates. His pared-back but warm and inviting interiors for recognised brands like Lonely, Aesop and Les Mills share many values with the stylish Scandinavian simplicity movement. In September this year, Knight delivered the interior design for ethical clothing brand Kowtow’s first Auckland boutique.

Justine Olsen — Curator Decorative Art & Design, Te Papa

Justine Olsen’s expertise lies in decorative arts and design, with particular reference to New Zealand, both historical and contemporary. Current research includes New Zealand’s contribution to modernism and to the arts and crafts movement. As one of four design thinkers invited to create a ‘living space’ in Objectspace’s conceptual exhibition The Room (2019), Olsen, together with Karl Fritsch, showcased hue or gourds and contemporary cultural signifiers that speak to New Zealand’s cultural history.

Jon Rennie — Principal at Athfield Architects

For over 50 years, Athfield Architects has helped shape Aotearoa’s urban landscape and design vernacular. Based in Auckland, the firm’s Principal Jon Rennie strives to create sustainable environments that respond to societal challenges and serve the community. A 2014 research trip on contemporary library practice included visits to libraries of the Danish Agency for Culture Model Library Programme. Rennie has worked on the award-winning Devonport Library ‘pavilion’, the Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero/ Auckland City Library Adaptation and the New Zealand Memorial in London.

Image credits:

Image 1: (left to right) Jeremy Hansen, Jon Rennie, Justine Olsen (photo by Alex Olsen Smith), Rufus Knight (photo by Meek Zuiderwyk). 
Image 2: Rufus Knight, Aesop Interior, courtesy of Aesop.
Image 3: Rufus Knight, Les Mills interior. Photo by Simon Wilson.
Image 4: Rufus Knight, Kowtow Interior. Photo by Simon Wilson.
Image 5: Justine Olsen, 'The Poet’s Room, Te Whare Toikupu', (detail) for The Room, Objectspace, 2019. 
Image 6: Athfield Architects, Devonport Libary (detail). Photo by J Mann.
Image 7: Athfield Architects, Devonport Libary (detail). Photo by J Mann.
Image 8: Athfield Architects, NZ Memorial London. Photo by Simon Devitt.