Former allocation of Aurora Design fund 2011

23.03.11

Bóas Kristjánsson, HAF, The origin, history and development of the letter “ð” as well as other exciting projects will receive grants for over ISK 11 million from Aurora Design Fund.

The fund has as a main goal to sponsor exceptional designers who have a solid business concept and a clear view of the future. The fund received 80 applications of all kinds of design, which is the largest number of applications that the fund has received so far. In addition to the increased number of applications their quality has gone up considerably. Aurora Design Fund allocated ISK 11.580,000 to designers and architects for projects within graphic design, fashion design, food design, product design and architecture.

From a news report:    This time continued support was given to three parties to further develop their projects, and this is in line with the policy of the Design Fund to follow through selected projects in order to increase the probability of their success. The artists are Bóas Kristjánsson and his fashion brand 8045, Hafsteinn Júlíusson and his brand HAF and Charlie Strand and his book Icelandic Fashion Design which will be published this summer. All these projects have been continued after receiving support earlier.

The Design Fund now supports for the first time Anton Kaldal, Gunnar Vilhjálmsson and Steinar Farestveit with a research project that covers the origin, history and the development of the letter “ð” which is an important part of Icelandic heritage. The research will conclude in the publication of a book. The architects KRADS and their project PLAYTIME which is a travelling workshop for students of architecture, developed in cooperation with LEGO, the Danish toy producer. Sruli Recht fashion designer has a new men’s line and Auður Ösp Guðmundsdóttir, Embla Vigfúsdóttir, Katarina Lötzsch and Robert Peterssen anf the food design project “Order the impact” which recently received the innovation prize of the President of Iceland.

Furthermore Aurora Fund continues its participation in the development of DesignMarch of the Icelandic Design Centre and supports the production of promotional videos about the festival and thus makes it possible for the Design Centre to invite international media.

Aurora Design Fund has supported designers for internships in the last few years but this is the first time that the support is given for internship in another country. The recipients of this support are Birna Geirfinnsdóttir who will be doing her internship at Fraser Muggeridge Studio in London and Björgvin Friðgeirsson who will be working with “Soup” in California which is owned by John Bielenberg, a multiple award winning graphic designer.

This is the first allocation from the fund this year and the sixth since the Design Fund was established in the beginning of 2009. Another allocation will take place in the autumn of 2011.