Thursday, September 1, 2011

Knew it was Nobel--when I saw the photo!

Wikipedia: Student table at the Nobel Prize Banquet 2005 with menu and the special Nobel service; name tags are anonymized. 10 Dec 2005 Author: Hansbaer

Link for the photo...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nobel-banquet-table.jpg

You will find a similar place setting & in particular this bowl with a star like lid for sure at the exhibit of Fabulous Flatware at UL's Art Museum...

But it wasn't the place setting that made me know it was Nobel's Award Dinner - it was the photo they had in the case with the flatware & china & glassware...

Later I would be told by the curator, I believe she was, that it was not a complete set but random pieces put together to resemble the original place settings - at what is the famous Nobel Prize Banquet following the Award of the Nobel Prize every year since 1991 at their City Hall in Stockholm, Sweden...

credit: Live Design photo of Stockholm's City Hall set up for the Nobel Prize Banquet

Link for the Blue Hall photo from 2009 Nobel Prize Banquet...
http://blog.livedesignonline.com/briefingroom/2010/01/11/wysiwyg-at-the-nobel-prize-banquet/#more-4167

(note: I'm not sure what year the photo is from that's in the exhibit's display case, it doesn't state a date in the catalog that I can see...)

Take note the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway - while the rest of the Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden...you may remember our US President receiving the Peace Prize back in 2008 - that was in Oslo & not in Stockholm (I know many of you will get your Scandinavian countries mixed up, so thought I'd best add this note.)

Norway, Finland, Denmark are also represented at the Fabulous Flatware exhibit here in Lafayette...

Of course my attraction goes mainly to Norway as I lived in Stavanger, Norway for about 2 years & just back home to the US of A as of the end of last year...when I lived there I would visit at least one porcelain factory south of town, bringing home with me a child's place setting that included a little white mug for hot chocolate that has an almost 50's style green forest scene with at least one mushroom on it (this factory in particular had a museum inside of all the place settings since they had started manufacturing...)

Link to Figgjo in Norway - at the bottom under Kindergarden you can click Table Settings & see there's only 3 selections & none of them are mine, still you can see their favorite Trollish styled one (these are not your cute loveable red/green pointed hat wearing Gnomeo & Juliet type gnomes that we're use to seeing more of I think)

http://figgjo.no/en/






Figgjo Children's Set called Magi - decorated with fairytale characters & landscapes...
note: this isn't the one I brought home, but it's close...so precious (tho I've given it away as a gift, not even a photo of the set for myself?!)

But what I did bring home to keep was my 'Instant Karma!' coffee/latte mug from Food Story in Stavanger, Norway - talked them into letting me buy one to leave the country with as a momento, as you cannot buy company made designs at the factory & I'd drank a lot of coffees there...but now I've gotten off of Flatware & on into Porcelain/Tableware or Coffee, so nevermind...

Back to the subject of Fabulous Flatware then...

Gense’s own Nobel Gold and Silver flatware...
Designed by: Gunnar Cyrén for the 90th Anniv of the Nobel Prize...

Link for photo credit...
(note: a 5 pc setting goes for about a $100.00 from what I can find for sale online)


I'll repeat this from the Star Trek Futuristic Flatware post...
The Fabulous Flatware exhibits description from their webpage...

Link...
http://museum.louisiana.edu/

\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \

Fabulous Flatware: Non-traditional Tools of the Table, The William P. Hood, Jr. Collection

Since the nineteenth century designers have been breaking with tradition and dreaming up contemporary dining tools. At times the change has just been new decoration; at others it’s been a new form or type, sometimes challenging our preconceived notion of how flatware should look and sometimes blurring the distinction between eating and serving implements. Advances in production technology have resulted in new composition, texture, colors and wear-resistance.

An exhibition at the Paul and Lulu Hilliard Art Museum, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, will showcase contemporary flatware from 1898 to 2011. Drawn primarily from the collection of Dr. William P. Hood Jr., 330 examples from 110 patterns from around the world will illustrate the changes in decorative style, size, function, materials and techniques.

Flatware designs and place setting are grouped thematically into 8 sections: Espresso, anyone?—small coffee spoons and in many cases matching cups and saucers; Eating can be fun—children’s flatware, combining novelty and functionality; A salad of servers—tools for tossing salad in myriad designs; Mamma mia!—implements for eating and serving pasta and pizza; These take the cake—servers for pastry; Traveling flatware—flatware to go; Flatware that’s not flat—new ideas or new takes on old ideas; and Lovingly handmade—artful creations crafted by artisans.

Organized by the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The exhibition is available for travel to other institutions. For more information contact Dr. Lee Gray at curator@louisiana.edu.

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