Solo exhibition at Gallery Kraft Bergen.
Space, the old bank vault.
Norwegian stone, found and collected with a few silver details.
Larvikite, rombeporfyr, fauske marble, quartz, slate, silver 925.
“In Berørt berg (Touched Rock), Kaja Solgaard Dahl invites the audience to an exhibition where traces of encounters between nature and humanity are central. By grinding and carving into stone and minerals, she explores the interplay between nature’s creations and humanity’s transformative abilities. Stone and minerals belong to forces and spans of time far beyond human understanding. For those who can read the lines, layers, and forms, they tell stories of shifting ecosystems, chemical reactions, cultural traditions, and architecture. How should humans relate to these meaningful, silent, and beautiful primal forms? What can we contribute and what kinds of meaningful traces can we leave? For Solgaard Dahl, process is central. With an eye for potential and the formal, colourful, and tactile qualities of stone, she finds subjects with which to engage in dialogue. Sometimes, it may involve making only slight geometric cuts or embedding a small trace of something else. Sometimes, it is about the joy of opening up and accessing a stone’s hidden inner life. Often, it is about contrasts—a play between the porous and the hard, the matte and the shiny. She often pairs two pieces of stone together, as if a kind of matchmaker between two pieces of nature that on their own have not realised what they can accomplish together and what new formal narratives can emerge in combination. In this way, she becomes an interpreter of and with nature, where her own physical limitations for what she can lift and handle set the framework for the interaction between herself and the material. In nature’s vast chaos, Solgaard Dahl creates tomorrow’s fossils as witnesses to existence.”
Text: Sara Heilevang
Photo: R. Halleraker / KRAFT.
Enquiries: https://kraftbergen.no
Unique sculptures in white marble and larvikite
Available at https://kraftbergen.no/nettbutikk
Photo: Thor Brødreskift
Handmade unique Collection sculpted in Norwegian Rose marble from Fauske in the north of Norway.
Table / Pair of candelabra / Wash basin / Mirrors / Vase with glass / Candle holder / Necklace
Available at Sorgenfri Store or contact Kaja Dahl directly
Handmade brick vases available at Vigeland Museum shop. Limited edition of 50.
“Kaja Dahl has made a series of sculptural and gilded vases for the Vigeland Museum shop. The vases are made from old bricks from a building project at Frogner in 1870 and have been named Frogner.
The vases are small sculptures that both tell a story about Oslo's architecture, and about craftsmanship and the value of the building bricks. Dahl has created a relief on the vases by sandblasting the stones. The relief is covered with gold leaf, and in this way the structure, colour and detail of the brick come into view.
Frogner is designed to hold dried plants, straw and twigs, or to simply stand on its own as a sculpture and storyteller. It’s a small tribute to the humble brick that has built so much and is still the cornerstone of Oslo's architecture. The vases are made of the same material as the Vigeland Museum's facade. “
Photo by Kevin Fauske
Arch & Krukke
Diffuser objects for Origin
Scent is an ancient art and smell is a universal language, looking at vessels and shapes from the beginning of times, shapes repeat them self in history and in all cultures. Krukke is a Norwegian word for a vessel in between a jar and a vase. It holds something precious like honey, homemade food or cosmetics. This Krukke holds your precious oils and a scented memory. The arch is something stabile, monumental and has strength. In home fragrance and aromatherapy you can use the fragrances to open up and disrupt patterns, just like the Arch is a doorway. Inspired by two fragrance rituals – dripping and pouring, the two fragrance sculptures are different in their way of diffusing, the Arch is instant with the drip of oils. The Krukke sets over time diffusing like a vase with flowers into the room.
Casted porcelain produced in Portugal
Photo OriginMade / Andy Liffner / Sandie Lykke
Order at the Origin Shop
Beauty of crafts and natural material
Designer and sculptor Kaja Dahl has created rugs for Volver Studios inspired by stone, one of her favorite materials to work with. The designs are based on the techniques of rug tufting and the use of only natural hues of uncolored wool. The irregular coloring of the yarn and directions of tufting becomes sculptural layers of patterns with three dimensional effects.
The «Blokk» carpet plays with the softness of wool in a high open pile creating a sculptural carpet that is super soft and tactile. Named «Relieff» this carpets pattern is tufted by hand in many different directions, various shapes, different heights and then sculpted by hand with scissors to create the relieff like patterns that reveals it self the more you study it.
Photo 1-6 “Blokk” / 7-10 “Relieff”
Sizes from 90x240cm - 350x450cm
Handtuftet
100% New Zeeland wool, uncolored
Order at: www.volverstudios.com
Photo no 1 Pernille Munster
Photo Kevin Fauske
Å lytte med øynene
Å virkelig se
Konsentrasjon og fokus settes ustanselig på prøve
Gi tid og høst tid til å vise indre farger
Se lyset gjennom glasset forandre og forandres
Se en gang til
Ved tredje øyekast, ser du mer når du lytter med øynene?
Unique sculpture in larvikite
Photo: Kevin Fauske
Production support by Sandefjord Stenhuggeri
Stone sponsored by Lundhs Real Stone
First installed at Sorgenfri
Catchall in Rainbow Sandstone and Teak Sandstone, design for Areaware
Order at www.areaware.com
Sculpted unique stone vases in green Masi from Finnmark, Norway.
Available, prices 820€ - 1150€
A material meeting of silver and stone, the meeting of a craftswoman and a designer, the exchange between generations, between mother and daughter.
This is a collection of unique jewelry pieces. Sculpted silver mirrors the raw and polished surface of the stones. Created for the 8 Avtrykk exhibition at Norway Designs in Oslo, 05.03.2020 - 05.04.2020.
Ring: 11 700 nok
Bracelet: 24 000 nok
Collier: 15 500 nok
Material: 925 silver / larvikitt
Silverwork: Anne-Karine Solgaard
Stonework and design: Kaja Solgaard Dahl
Unique numbered vases in larvikite. Made in Norway chosen from the marina quarry in Larvik.
To order a Larvik Vase please contact Fram Oslo
Photo on grey: Inger marie Grini. Stylist Kirsten Visdal.
Photo on white: Kevin Fauske. Styling Kaja Dahl.
Oak sculpture
Steam bending, flaming and carving.
Woodwork in collaboration with Hjerleid
“In this exhibition for Galleri Format, Kaja Dahl continues her exploration of sculptures combining ceramic and stone. Carved, polished and raw stone contrasts and balance with terracotta and porcelain. The silhouettes of larvikite and marble is interrupted by different forms of the circle that balances, rests and is held by the stones. In her work Dahl has the intention of enhancing the sensorial relationship humans have to the natural materials around them. From this her idea about exploring new typologies of objects that enables sensory activities in interior and our spaces emerged. In the process of making, the focus on functionality has been eliminated and the sculpture remains, with the indication of touch and ritual gestures.”
“Garden” is inspired by the idea of a poetic function guiding the shape of the sculpture. Being sensitive to the chosen subject/block of stone it communicates. This non figurative sculpture can be explored by rounded steps and a high gloss polished mirror on top, like a zen garden.
The mirror reflecting the sky and the light also becomes a window, allowing you to look inside the stone, to discover the crystals and colors hidden within.
Material: Stone sculpture in marina larvikite, weight about 10 tonns.
Created during the 2019 Symposium Norway in Larvik. A sculpting symposium started by Makoto Fujiwara and Lundhs Real Stone.
Craft and Fragrance. In their second collaboration, Sprekenhus launches new fragrances and invites Kaja Dahl to explore scent through her art. In sculptures, photos and a new handmade diffuser, Dahl interprets the contrasting notes of «Dark Amber».
Resin from trees has during 40 million years been transformed into precious amber stones by the sea. Its nickname «The Tears Of The Sun» is what inspired Dahl to create this crafted olfactory landscape of tactile objects. Sculptures reminiscing of perfume bottles composed in wood, gold leafs and stone speaks of contrasting and balancing scents.
ØY diffuser designed especially for the Norwegian cosmetic brand Alexander Sprekenhus. Larvikite and porcelain.
Launch and exhibition of sculptures at the Sprekenhus shop in Oslo for the holiday season 2020/2021.
Photo: Katerina Dima
Production of ØY Sandefjord Stenhuggeri and Atelier Kaja Dahl
Lean-In is a wall furniture designed for the moments in between and for a dynamic use of the interior space. Wall hanged, the furniture saves floor space and gives new possibilities for interaction. A short coffee break, as an alternative to static sitting or a place to feel comfortable while you wait. The shapes are based on the contours that occur when bodies lean against a wall. Colors and textiles are free to be played with and the modular system including a corner piece allows it to be adapted to many different contexts and spaces.
Producer Materia Sweden, Lean-In earned the Newcomer 2016 prize, showed for the first time at Stockholm furniture fair February 2016.
To order Lean In for your space visit one of Kinnarps showrooms around the world or Materias web page
MATERIA AB , Sweden
Photo, DayFotografi
ARV FAT is a continuation of the ARV project with my mother.
Silver work by Anne-Karine Solgaard meets the stonework and design of Kaja Solgaard Dahl in these serving trays and platters in larvikite and 925 silver work.
Krans means wreath in english. A low vase perfect for the table. Handmade vase in porcelain for all kinds of flowers and greenery. Mix precious roses with leafs from the forest. Or place those small bouquets with short stems that your child picked on their way home.
190 € / 2200 NOK
Photo
1. Antideco
2-6. Styling by BukettOslo
7-8. Ingrid Bredholt
Solid perfumes
“Tapputi and the Sea” is a tale of natural sea sponge, heat, skin, texture, fragrance and rituals. It is a future take on the luxury of cosmetics and natural materials role in such objects. The colored and natural sea sponges visually speak about the scent and is the holder and applier of the solid perfume casted onto it. One applies gently onto the skin, the heat melts it just enough so fragrance transfers.
Toile Fashion Magazine no.1 words by Adrian M
"A far cry from duty-free fragrances sold in airports shops, Tapputi and the Sea ditches the standard formula. Rather than just designing another bottle filled with a mysteriously liquid, Ecal graduate Kaja Dahl turns the porous and adaptive qualities of natural sea sponge into a new type of applicator.
Colored and cast into different forms, her solid perfume- which melts when it touches the skin - comes in attractive glass containers. Sea fragrance allows for combinations based on mood, climate or special circumstances. The ability to mix and match scents could change how major brands and fashion houses determine seasonal marketing trends.
Like ingredients selected for a meal, Dahl ́s prototype holds the promise of a wider spectrum of bespoke perfumes. The Norwegian designer suggests a shift towards greater customization in today ́s luxury cosmetics sector, while propos- ing a new approach to the ancient ritual of applying the essence of nature to human hair and skin. "
Model, Nadine
Photo, Margret Gyda Johannsdottir
AD: Atelier Kaja Dahl
Two fragrance stories told with material, shape, pictures, sound and natural oil blends.
Installed on the two floors of Gallery Sorgenfrigaten in Oslo.
Upstairs sculptures and an energetic fragrance inspired by the Norwegian Rose marble. Pictures 1-6. Marble, terracotta, silk, wood, incense
Downstairs sculptures and an instrumental object inspired by the darker earthier fragrance story “Where the meadow meet the woods”. Pictures 7-8. Larvikite, porcelain, brass.
Photo: Kevin Fauske
Diffusing porcelain piece held by Norwegian Larvikitt stone.
Handcrafted in Norway.
Stone: Emerald Larvikitt from Lundhs
2018
DUFT is a series of aromatic sculptures made using polished larvikite, cast and sculpted porcelain infused with naturally scented oils. The objects explore the possibilities of introducing scent into our surroundings in various ways.
«Where the Meadow meet the Woods» A fragrance inspired by the space of an open sunny field changing into a dense forest of pine trees on damp earth. Inspired by a few Norwegian ingredients, spruce and oakmoss meets the bitter sweetness of the caraway flower in this very first independent fragrance prototype.
“This personal image and experience of the place I grew up becomes universal by sharing it through the sense of smell”
Larvikite stone from Lundhs
Photo by Trine Hisdal and Inger Marie Grini
Styled by Kråkvik & D´Orazio
Christofle asked for a modern interpretation of their heritage and traditional silver table wear. With a slim and elegant shape, the fork, knife and spoon, has individual gilded lakes building small convex landscapes. The very placements of the “etange d´or” gives you the choice of revealing them all at once in an American table setting or letting your guests discover more as the meal begins when they are set in a French tradition.
Still life photography by Cedric Widmer
Photos from the exhibition at the Christofle showroom by Ecal/Manon Wertenbroek
TAPPUTI AND THE SEA . CAPE TOWN EDITION
Limited edition of perfume vessels and a specially developed scent in collaboration with natural perfumer House of Gozdawa. The speakers gift for the 22nd Design Indaba conference 2017.
"A scent experience and story written in fragrance and object. The mouth blown holder gives a direction of ritual, protecting and enhancing the composition of the fragrances. Dyed natural sea sponges holds the handmade solid perfume made of only natural oils sourced from the African continent and around the Cape.
All natural ingredients blend and adapt to your skin giving a unique experience for each individual. By natures laws this is a limited edition as each oils crop change following the soil, season and year. This body of scent was created with Cape Town as it's muse, moving between wet and dry landscapes, from the sea to the land. The air passes over the dark depths of the ocean, washing over the shore and beaches into the fynbos covered mountains. Notes of kelp emerge from its depths and move into the heat of burnt wood, followed by the warm sweetness of silver-bush everlasting flower, Namibian myrrh, jasmine and fennel. This scent takes you through the harmony of land and sea, the very harmony that connects the land and its ever surrounding ocean in Cape Town."
Scent and perfume developed in collaboration with perfumer Agata Karolina founder of House of Gozdawa.
Photo Frances Marais
Glass developed with Vidar Koksvik from Klart Glass
Graphics in collaboration with Johan Hammarström
Packaging and printing in collaboration with Konsis as
Models Sarah and Godfrey
AD: Atelier Kaja Dahl
Scented objects holding a deconstructed "perfume" composition of Norwegian natural oils
Aiming to create a language and rituals for scent experiences in our lives, Atelier Kaja Dahl explore the function and aesthetics of scent objects in the sculptural collection Norwegian Notes. With the functional aspect of displaying scents in the context of home and retail.
First displayed as part of the exhibition "Everything is Connected"
In the exhibition the visitors could smell four different ingredients
The hanging piece Gren contained Norwegian pine
The blue wax and wood shape Rot was infused with Fjellkvann root.
The two table pieces Stilk held a juniper berry mix and a tomato leaf scent
Together the pieces composed a perfume based on Norwegian memories and natural landscape.
Larvikite stone from Lundhs
Photo Atelier Kaja Dahl
Photo Lasse Fløde / Pudder
"Dialogues in Design and Craftsmanship"
Stained glass
The composition has been created using a subtle balance between handmade pieces of glass and metal rods, through which a light source passes. Offering a double reading, between the sculptural aspect of the structure, whose glass pieces are “liberated” from metal frames and the lights composition results. The latter recalls the very poetic play of light and colors found in churches when the sun hits the stained-glass windows.
Project in collaboration with Vacheron Coonstantin. Realized by Roland Beguin, Swiss artisan and craftsman in stained glass window. Design and concept by Kaja Solgaard Dahl.
Photography, Ecal/Jonas Marguet / Axel Crettenand
A sporty and contemporary take on the traditional production methods and heritage of the Norwegian wool fashion house Lillunn established in 1953. Collection consists of unisex jackets, a cap and bag crafted in Nowegian wool combined with canvas in different colors. Produced in Norway. The ribbons designed for the collection is weaved by the small traditional factory Mørebåndveveri specializing in national costume ribbons.
Buy the collection online at Lillunn.no and Norwaydesigns.no
Matter of contact
"The Matter of Things" , Beckmans College of design at Stockholm Furniture fair 2011
The starting point for this casted handrail has been an interest in the significance of physical touch. Touching is not only a way of expressing care for someone or something. It is also through touching, holding and feeling, we learn about things: their texture, weight, material and temperature. A handrail is a piece of furniture that will be touched. Hands will grab and slide, bodies will lean. Kaja Solgaard’s choice of design is therefore congenial. The piece is a module that can be put together in various ways. The shapes have been created with respect to the hand – what it can do and what it wants to grip, i.e. Shapes that feel good to touch. The outcome is an appealing visual appearance with the benefit of sculptural and tactile moulding. To support, both in the case of a handrail supporting somebody leaning on it and a friend supporting a friend, at the bottom of it, is a matter of physicality.
Photo Erik Whålström
Collages of small visual dishes makes up the patterns in this take on traditional silk accessory for the breast pocket.
The Gourmet collection of silk pocket squares is for gentlewomen and dandies. A collection of illustrations and patterns inspired by gourmet food. How a chef can transform poisonous ingredients or surprising combinations into tasteful dishes.
100% natural silk, handrolled edges, produced in England
Still life photo by Marte H. S. Dahl
Editor of revolution Magazine, Sophie Furley asked;
"What will luxury timepieces look like in 2050?"
In the article "Made in the future" we answered with two concepts and our philosophy on the future direction of mechanical watches and reading time as individual languages customized for each piece.
Collaboration with Thomas Missé.
We wanted to give the audience a small olfactory experience of the natural perfume presented at the conference. Confetti shaped like two of the main ingredients and designed to swirl in the air was dropped over the audience in Artscape in the end of the speech. Holding an eau de parfum version of Tapputi & the Sea. Cape Town edition.
Confetti production in collaboration with Design Indaba 2017
Exhibition design for DOGA -The Norwegian Center for Design and Architecture in Oslo
22. June - 17. August 2016
19 different projects spanning from all fields of design, architecture, furniture, clothing, industrial design and service design are connected by a 200 meter canvas with all pictures and text printed onto it. The canvas is draped and folded, covering the space from the floor to the ceiling held by metal weights.
Collaboration with architect Matthew Griffith-Alwood. Graphic design by Gaute Terjesson and Christoffer Aadalen. Light design by Gard Gitlestad.
