Nordic design history symposium for the first time in Sápmi

The event brings together researchers, designers and craftspeople, museum curators and students from the Nordic countries and neighbouring regions to explore how design history can be written, presented and understood in a time of rapid transformation. The focus is on narratives grounded in diverse geographies, materials, experiences and interdisciplinary perspectives, with particular attention to northern Scandinavia, Ostrobothnia and Northern Norway.

Place as a point of departure

The fact that the symposium is held in Umeå and within Sápmi shapes this year’s theme. Design-historical narratives have often been formulated from the vantage point of large cities, museums and other established institutions, influencing which practices and perspectives become visible.

“Being in Sápmi makes it impossible to ignore colonial histories that have rarely been visible in Nordic design-historical contexts. It gives us a unique opportunity to extend the field and challenge what ‘Nordic design history’ can be,” says Maria Göransdotter, Senior Lecturer at the Umeå Institute of Design and a member of the Nordic Forum’s board.

Together with Elin Manker at Umeå University and Christina Zetterlund at Linnaeus University, the organising committee aims to widen the scope and foreground places, contexts and perspectives that challenge conventional ideas of Nordic design.

A programme that redraws the map

This year’s programme includes 20 peer‑reviewed contributions, two keynotes, and a panel discussion featuring crafts practitioners and regional craft consultants from Norrbotten. Several interactive works will be exhibited, and curators from Bauhaus Dessau will lead a workshop where participants contribute to the online digital atlas Schools of Departure.

The contributions range from studies of design and craft practices far beyond traditional centres, to new methods for exhibition‑making and digital mediation. Sámi duodji is highlighted alongside local museums and craft traditions from northern Sweden, Ostrobothnia and Northern Norway.

“Design shapes futures, and in doing so we also write history. This is why more voices, more geographies and more practices need to be included,” says Christina Zetterlund, Professor of Design History at Linnaeus University.

Keynotes with perspectives from the polar regions

• Professor Gunvor Guttorm (Sámi University of Applied Sciences, Kautokeino) sheds light on Indigenous knowledge traditions and contemporary Sámi material practices.
• Dr Bart Pushaw (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) analyses colonial narratives and visual cultures in the Arctic.

Together, the keynote speakers make visible design histories that have long been marginalised in the Nordic field and open conversations about knowledge, craft and place.

Why this matters for the North

The symposium strengthens collaboration between academia, cultural heritage and practice in northern Scandinavia. It creates new opportunities for research and regional partnerships, not least for early-career researchers and practitioners. By locating the gathering in Umeå, the event highlights the rich design and craft expertise in Västerbotten and Norrbotten, and invites participants from Ostrobothnia and Northern Norway.