Scandinavian Culture In NYC

This past week Scandinavians and Scandophiles across the world helped bring in the season with local Summer Solstice Celebrations.

According to the GoScandinavia Website :

The celebration of the Summer solstice is a very ancient practice, dating back to pre-Christian times. Midsummer was originally a fertility festival with many customs and rituals associated with nature and with the hope for a good harvest the coming fall/autumn.

However, over the years the celebration has also come to be a perfect time to showcase cutting edge Nordic Art, Design, and Music. In NYC at the Scandinavia House last Monday,  The Triangle Project ,an art collective who “create relationships, collaborations, interaction, exchange and new perspectives between people in Istanbul, New York and Copenhagen”, were present to usher in warm summer nights with a digital bonfire, while being accompanied by Scandinavian artists Mille Kalsmose, Tristan Perich , Anton Perich, Jacob Fuglsang Mikkelsen , Mouritz/Hørslev Projektet , and Claus Ankersen performing music, art, and poetry. Scandinavia House, one of the North East’s best sources for resources on Scandinavian design, is also currently showcasing an interesting exhibit of Norwegian and Contemporary Art entitled: Northern (L)attitudes,  whose neon colors and appealing visuals prove there’s more to Nordic art than Marimekko prints and Svenskt Tenn textiles. If you are in the NYC area be sure to check out the exhibit, it runs from May 29- September 12 2009.