SPACON & X UPENDS TYPICAL SCANDINAVIAN FASHION SPACES WITH A DYNAMIC STINE GOYA RUNWAY
Photo Hedda Rysstad
16 sep 2022, for frame
Location
Raffinaderivej 10, 2300 København, Denmark
Design
Brand
Stine Goya’s SS23 set took on a performative approach to reshape the fashion show’s landscape, embodying uncontrolled natural movement.
Key features
Entitled ‘Whisper Loud’, the Stine Goya SS23 show took inspiration from the 1990s Riot Grrl movement. It took place in a spacious venue with an undecorated industrial interior close to the center of Copenhagen. The set was rather minimalistic, with six sand sculptures crafted from leftovers from a Danish sand-sculpture festival that took place last year. They stood in the middle of the space, with two lines of wooden benches calling to mind high-school gyms. Spacon & X worked with 20 tonnes of sand to create the set: the sculptures were built on-site by stomping the sand into wooden boxes, like ones used for concrete moulding. The mouldings were removed just before the show. During the event, the sculptures – hiding vibrating engines inside – abruptly broke down, uncovering bright pink cores.
After the show, this fashionable sand was donated to the venue and used to level the TAP1 terrain outdoors; 100 per cent biodegradable food colouring made of corn starch was used for the pink part, reducing potential environmental impact.
Frame's take
If the set referred to soothing Scandinavian nature in the beginning, it became a blown-up, mighty mess by the end. The visuals broadcasted the ethos of Stine Goya, one of the most carefree, colourful contemporary Danish fashion brands. Traditionally, Scandinavian fashion weeks like CFW offer urban locations focused on ‘Scandi-cool’ street fashion rather than conceptually exciting runway spaces. The only exception until now has been Henrik Vibskov, whose shows are memorable art performances, not runways. But with an explicit aim to push conventional Scandinavian functionalistic design boundaries – looking for alternative materials and practices – Stine Goya and Spacon & X have boldly made a statement to change the Scandinavian status quo.