ENLIGHTEN ME 10.–29.06.2014

Location / event: One Design Week, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
’Enlighten Me’ was a collaborative design project organized by One Design Week, Bulgaria, that invited studios from Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden to the city of Plovdiv to work together for ten days.

Design and installation work: John Astbury, Marte Frøystad, Runa Klock, Johan Olin, Katja Pettersson, Brynhildur Palsdottir, Brynjar Sigurdarson and Aamu Song with the amazing help by Giorgi and Zanko. Everything was made possible under the superb coordinating by Boryana Zafirova.
Photos: COMPANY

Project description:
Enlighten me is not about light.
This project is about educating and enlightening ourselves. It encapsulates our discussions, interviews and research of a Bulgarian thesaurus through senses not objects. Recontextualising the common as new amongst layers of transition. Representing histories, the present and possible futures. Enlighten Me is a meeting place, a miscellany and our document.

First impression of Plovdiv, Bulgaria: strong scent of blossoming linden trees.



We filled the first floor with linden trees and the scent.



The exhibition had thousands of visitors when local bees arrived to enjoy the blossoming linden trees.



Besides linden trees, we displayed the tests for linden drinks and linden ink.









Linden trees were bought from the local tree market. View of the first floor.



Painting the project report on the walls of the exhibition space.



Ascending to second floor. We learned the red and white ribbon ritual from Bulgaria. The colours of the ‘martenitsa’ are symbols of purity and life, as well as the need for harmony in Nature and in people's lives.



Project documentation on the wall.



Project drawigns.



The secong floor of the exhibition space is all about Bulgarian roses.



Bulgaria is one of the biggest rose oil producers.



Process of rose oil making.



Health benefits of rose oil. Painted with ink made of rose petals.



Rose ink is very fragile but scent is so full and beautiful.



Happy Aamu sohowering rose garden.



Top floor is occupied by a cloud of balloons serving as a canvas where a documentary film of the making of Enlighten Me is projected.



Outside view of the exhibition in Kapana district, Plovdiv.



Shade creates perfect shadow for sunny bulgarian summer.



Under the shade, away from the sun.



Wind and sun changes the shape of the shade.



These stools, based on old Bulgarian work stools, were designed and made during the workshop.



Canopy comes out from the third floor balcony.



Aamu and One Design Week poster in Plovdiv city.



The stools were made in three days including design, prototype testing, modifications and finishing.



Windows of the gallery were painted with Bulgarian yogurt.



Bringing linden tree to the treeless area of Kapana.



Shopping for linden trees with Katja, Aamu and Zanko.



Brynhildur getting roses from local market.



Johan shop linden flowers at local street market.



After the exhibition roses were re-planted in the garden of Ethnographic Museum, Plovdiv. Linden trees also found real land to grow roots afterwards.



Amazing ‘Enlighten Me’ team (from left): John Astbury, Brynhildur Palsdottir, Katja Pettersson, Boryana Zafirova, Marte Frøystad, Runa Klock, Johan Olin, Aamu Song and Brynjar Sigurdarson.