Trendforecast with Lidewij Edelkoort

For many years I´ve been wanting to attend a trendseminar with our worlds most influential trend forecaster, Lidewij Edelkoort.
This week it finally happened.

Image of Lidewij Edelkoort from Formex press

Lidewij Edelkoort attended the Scandinavian interior fair, Formex, this week and has created an exclusive tailored exhibition for the fair.
She named the exhibition Animism.
Animism is a theological , holistic belief, that even the smallest of things have a soul of its own and that it creates energies and a value in itself.
Lidewij points out the primitive rituals before religion and talks about the forest, the wild and the river.
The delicate form and feeling of a feather, it´s fluffiness and lightness. The Moon and its imperable power on our lives with its full moon, tide etc
She lists eight items from nature, that she has built the exhibition around.
The pebble, seedpod, twig, shell, animal, feather, wave and the moon.

Pictured below are images from her presentation representing the pebble, animal and wave 

She worked hard NOT to style the items in the exhibition ( which she thought was very hard. It comes naturally to place each item in an exhibition so it co-relates with other items) Instead they wanted each item to have its own light.

Image of Animism exhibition  from Formex press

I must say it was a very calming experience to walk around the exhibitionspace and watch the carefully chosen items.

A powerful moment was to witness Gongbath master Mateusz Krawiec perform a GONG BATH in the midst of the exhibition.
Visitors were encouraged to lay down on the floor, shoeless, and let the vibrations from the gong penetrate their mind and bodies.

Image of Gong Bath Master Mateusz Krawiec  from Formex press 

This exhibition does not only connect with the now, it also connects with the overall theme at Formex this year being, Material.
Lidewij emphasized the importance of slowing down and really paying attention to detail.
Cherishing and choosing our everyday items carefully.
To re-discover the beauty and energy in each item.

She talked about our Climate crisis.
That we will have to change the way we live in order to make a change.
That we in Sweden are lucky to have Greta do such a brave grand job for us.
She says our consumption will play a different role in the future.
We will have to control our consumption, not the other way around, that the consumption is controlling us.
That we will take up real-life chores again like gardening, cooking and sewing.
She is encouraging us to pick up a hobby again. And the joy it creates of being an amateur at something.

She underlined that we will have to edit our life, in order for us to make the necessary changes the world needs.

Image of Lidewij Edelkoort from Formex press

I walked away from the trendtalk, enlightened and inspired and convinced that we all are the change.

xx
marina