Peter Opsvik Explained

Peter Opsvik
Birth Name:Peter Opsvik
Birth Date:1939 3, df=yes
Birth Place:Stranda, Norway
Nationality:Norwegian
Known For:Tripp Trapp, Nomi high chair, Capisco the saddle chair, Credo, H05, different Balans chairs
Years Active:1965–present
Website:Opsvik.no

Peter Opsvik[1] [2] is a Norwegian industrial designer best known for his innovative and ergonomic chairs, and the father of Jazz bass player Eivind Opsvik. Opsvik's furniture can be found under the brand names: Rybo (Garden), Nomi High Chair, Håg (Capisco, H04, H05, Conventio Wing), Varier (Balans), Stokke (Tripp Trapp) Naturellement (Reflex), Cylindra (Furniture objects) and Moment (Globe).His book Rethinking Sitting[3] came out in 2009 giving insight into his thinking about sitting and explaining the philosophy behind his chairs. Peter Opsvik is also a jazz musician.[4] He has been a member of Christiania Jazz band from 1972 and the band Christiania 12 from 1993.

Essential concepts

His probably best known work is the adjustable Tripp Trapp (1972)[5] chair for children, the first chair that "grows" with the child[6] from toddler to teenager. It is manufactured by the company Stokke and has sold in more than seven million copies. In 2013, together with Evomove.com, he launched the Nomi high chair concept. His first chair was the Inka Star (also known as Oasis) by Stokke, launched in the late 1960s.

The saddle chair Håg Capisco was launched in the 1980s and inspired by the horseback rider's dynamic posture. The goal, however, was to create a sitting device or work chair that would invite the user to assume the greatest number of sitting postures possible. In 2010 this design classic was made accessible for a wider audience when the Capisco Puls was launched.[7]

A balancing tilt is highly advantageous since the user automatically controls the tilting movements of the chair without having to think about it. The user can concentrate on his/her activities and does not have to bother with mechanical regulation of the chair. The chair follows the natural inclinations of the body and automatically stabilises at the body's selected sitting angles or at the angles that are required by the work task being done. The simplest way of verifying this is to try out one of his chairs in front of a work table during a normal working day. The chair tilts forward when the user want to be active at the table and tilts backwards if the user wants to relax or talk on the telephone. Often such variations occur many times per minute.[8]

Hans Chr. Mengshoel initiated the concept of kneeling chair posture in Norway, and Peter Opsvik was one of three designers who developed chairs based on this principle that all had Balans in their names. The others were Oddvin Rykken, and prof. Svein Gusrud. Peter Opsvik's kneeling chairs were originally manufactured by Stokke (now Varier), Håg and Rybo. This chair has been voted one of 50 designs that changed the world.[9]

As the name Variable indicates, it was of primary importance for Opsvik that the kneeling posture should be one of many different sitting postures.[10]

Product examples are Variable Balans, Gravity Balans, Thatsit Balans, and Wing Balans.[11]

Awards

Peter Opsvik has been awarded a number of prizes for his work, most recently the European Commissions "Product Safety Award 2019"[12] for Nomi Highchair. Red Dot Award 2013 "Best of Best" for Nomi High chair, Red Dot award 2011 (for Capisco Puls),[13] the IF Product Design gold award 2011 (for Capisco Puls)[14] and the Norwegian Design of Excellence award 2011.[15] Opsvik was awarded The classic award for design excellence in Norway for the chairs Tripp Trapp in 1996 and Håg Capisco.[16] In 2008 he was awarded Anders Jahre's cultural award and the Nordic Design Award (Nordiska Designpriset).[17] Opsvik has also received Torsten & Wanjas Söderbergs design award[18] in Sweden for his pioneering, movable and variable furniture.In 2013 Norsk Form (The Foundation for Design and Architecture in Norway) awarded Opsvik Jacob-prisen for 2012.[19]

Exhibitions

Peter Opsvik's furniture-objects have been exhibited around the world. Movement Peter Opsvik, a travelling exhibition initiated by the Norwegian Foreign Affairs, was exhibited at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (Gent) in 1999,[20] Deutsches Museum (Munich),[21] The Lighthouse (Glasgow) as well as others such as the Design Museum in London, and the Museum of Decorative Art and Design (Gothenburg). His Tripp Trapp Chair is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.[22]

Some of his other exhibitions have been shown at:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Norwegian Design: The Work of Furniture Designer Peter Opsvik. Niel Ryan. n.d.. National College of Art and Design. 18 April 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070124133712/http://www.ncad.ie/faculties/visualculture/research/thoughtlines/nryan.shtml. 24 January 2007. dmy-all.
  2. Web site: Profile article: Peter Opsvik. James McLachlan. 18 July 2008. Onofficemagazine. 18 April 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111006064332/http://www.onofficemagazine.com/profiles/item/436-peter-opsvik. 6 October 2011. dmy-all.
  3. Web site: Book review: Rethinking Sitting, by Peter Opsvik. Robert Blinn . 2 June 2009. Core77. 18 April 2011.
  4. Web site: Concert announcement. Herrnilsen.no. 18 April 2011.
  5. Web site: Why I love.... Paul May. 12 November 2003. Guardian.co.uk. 18 April 2011.
  6. Book: Opsvik, Peter. Rethinkin Sitting. 2009. W. W. Norton & Company. New York. 978-0-393-73288-7. 158. 14 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20171021164323/http://www.wwnorto.com/#. 21 October 2017. dead. dmy-all.
  7. Book: Opsvik, Peter. Rethinking Sitting. 2009. W. W. Norton & Company. New York. 978-0-393-73288-7. 26, 49, 128.
  8. Book: Opsvik, Peter. Rethinking Sitting. 2009. W. W. Norton & Company. New York. 978-0-393-73288-7. 77–94.
  9. Web site: Review. September 2010. H.O.M.E.. 18 April 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120322213821/http://www.newdesignsforcomfort.com/downloads/homesept2010.pdf. 22 March 2012. dmy-all.
  10. Web site: Ergonomics review: Balans seating. Rani Lueder . November 2010. Humanics Ergonomics. 18 April 2011.
  11. Book: Opsvik, Peter. Rethinking Sitting. 2009. W. W. Norton & Company. New York. 978-0-393-73288-7. 49–51, 64–76.
  12. Web site: Safety Gate: The EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products.
  13. Web site: Norwegian chair wins prizes. Wenche Gerhardsen. 2011. Aftenposten.no. 2 September 2011.
  14. Web site: Award announcement. 2011. IFdesign.de. 18 April 2011.
  15. Web site: Award announcement. 2011. Norskdesign.no. 18 April 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111001165333/http://www.norskdesign.no/furniture-design/haag-capisco-puls-article18231-408.html#. 1 October 2011. dead. dmy-all.
  16. Web site: Award announcement. 2001. Norskdesign.no. 18 April 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111001165353/http://www.norskdesign.no/textile-and-clothing-design/haag-capisco-article3353-425.html#. 1 October 2011. dead. dmy-all.
  17. Web site: Designpris til Tripp-trapp-mannen. Stine Barstad . 2 March 2008. Aftenposten.no. 18 April 2011.
  18. Web site: Web page announcing prize.. 1998. Designmuseum.se. 18 April 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110515090603/http://www.designmuseum.se/opsvik.htm. 15 May 2011. dmy-all.
  19. Web site: Web page at Foundation for Design and Architecture in Norway announcing the prize.
  20. Web site: Movie from Gent exhibition. 1999. 18 April 2011.
  21. Web site: Movie from Deutsches Museum. 2002. 19 April 2011.
  22. Web site: Peter Opsvik. Tripp Trapp Chair. 1972–1973 MoMA . 2022-12-08 . The Museum of Modern Art . en.