ARKFOMA EXHIBITION AT NIVÅ GAARD

CRAFT & TOOL                                                                                  2024

THE EXHIBITION

Ark Forma presents ‘An Exploration: Craft and Tool’, an exhibition showcasing 19 works from emerging designers, artists and architects – at the historical site Nivaagaard Teglværks Ringovn, north of Copenhagen in Nivå. Curated and developed by the creative practice Ark Forma, this exhibition honors and celebrates craftsmanship of today.

The exhibition focuses on a diverse selection of textiles, ceramics, furniture and crafted objects, all unified by a strong reference to the handmade and the uniquely expressive. Each piece offers insight into personal and creative practices where the craftsmanship and the artist’s individual touch are central. The exhibition emphasizes the continued relevance of traditional craft in the world of today – shaping works that are both functional and artistically distinctive.

THE PLACE

The story of the kiln in Nivå begins with its invention by German engineer Friedrich Eduard Hoffmann (1818–1900), whose revolutionary design introduced a continuous firing process that transformed brick production. Recognized for its historical and industrial importance, Nivaagaard Teglværks Ringovn is now a protected heritage site – Denmark’s only surviving circular Hoffmann kiln and one of the few remaining examples worldwide.

Set within the atmospheric and historically charged space of the kiln, the exhibition invites visitors to engage with craftsmanship across time. In dialogue with the building itself, the exhibited works deepen the narrative of material traditions and the enduring presence of the maker’s hand. Through the perspective of today’s creators, age-old techniques are reinterpreted, blending historical knowledge with contemporary innovation.

The works encourage visitors to explore the processes behind and material explorations that bridges the past and the present.

Photos by // arkforma

THE PIECE

Photo by // Fintan Damgaard

ÅNDENS SPOR

The piece “Åndens spor” is a ceramic vessel with multiple handles, made from a groggy stoneware clay with crushed tile. The process of shaping the vessel required one single tool: my hands.

With this piece I wanted to emphasize and honour ceramic craftsmanship by using my hands only as the tool for building as well as a tool for decoration. The vessel is inspired by medieval archeological findings excavated at Aalborg Domkirke and discarded as needless.

Photo by // Karl Tranberg

Photo by // arkforma