Guide to New Nordic: Cuisine, Aesthetics, and Place

Landscape
Film: Hacienda, 2 min, 26 sec

Tableau from the restaurant Koks, Faroe Islands
The tableaus convey historical moments from three restaurants. They show different materials and aesthetic expressions across time and geography. 

Jens L. Thomsen (b. 1980)
Composition and sound design for a permanent music & sound installation for the restaurant Koks (2012)
Sound design, ink pen on paper. Private collection 

Claes Bech Poulsen (b. 1962)
Photographs, restaurant Koks (2010s)
Digital print. Private collection 

Work uniform (2010s)
Design: Guðrun & Guðrun
Wool, cotton. The restaurant Koks, Faroe Islands 

Placemat (2010s)
Placemat made of tanned fish skin. The restaurant Koks, Faroe Islands 

Guðrið Poulsen (b. 1961)
Various pieces of tableware (2010s)
Thrown and glazed ceramics, wood and glass. The restaurant Koks, Faroe Islands 

Traditional Faroese knife (2010s)
The restaurant Koks, Faroe Islands 

Common limpet (2010s)
The restaurant Koks, Faroe Islands 

Oblong wooden dish
The restaurant Koks, Faroe Island

Display case: Manifesto

The Manifesto for a New Nordic Cuisine (2004) was a rebellion against the global food industry, massive imports of food ingredients and a food culture that neglected local values. The manifesto encouraged people to use local seasonal produce, develop food traditions, emphasize animal welfare and strive for aesthetic simplicity. 
   The movement was inspired by nouvelle cuisine and New Basque Cuisine. Nouvelle cuisine arose in the 1960s in France as a protest against hidebound French restaurant cuisine. The ideals included improvisation and interpretations based on the finest produce of local food markets. The New Basque Cuisine emphasised that chefs had to learn regional culinary traditions and explore local ingredients such as wild plants, seaweed and sea urchins. In Norway, Arne Brimi was a pioneer. In the 1980s, he developed “nature’s cuisine” based on gathering, hunting, fishing, local agriculture and cultural history.
   Claus Meyer and Jan Krag Jacobsen wrote the first draft of the Manifesto, which was signed by twelve male chefs from the Nordic countries. Over the years, it has generated heated debate, not just on account of the gender imbalance, but also because many people have considered it elitist, protectionist and homogeneous. Nevertheless, the manifesto was highly influential and served as an inspiration for many regional cuisines all over the world.

Noma
Claus Meyer, René Redzepi. Politikens Forlag, 2006

Frå naturens kjøken
Arne Brimi. Universitetsforlaget 1991

Le Nouveau Guide Gault-Millau
The New Gault-Millau Guide (1975)
Published by Connaissance des Voyages

25 años de la Nueva Cocina Vasca
25 Years of the New Basque Cuisine (2002)
Mikel Corcuera. Published by Aizkorri Argitaletxea

“Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance”
Kenneth Frampton. Published in The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture. Bay Press, 1983

The theory of place Critical regionalism achieved a breakthrough with the architect Kenneth Frampton’s essay “Towards a Critical Regionalism” in 1983. The core of Frampton’s criticism was that global capitalism represented a threat to local cultures. He believed that the construction industry was making all places alike by introducing the same production systems everywhere, and that architecture could counteract this by drawing on local material cultures, light conditions, topographies and landscapes. There are clear parallels with the New Nordic Cuisine movement, which rebelled against the global food industry by basing itself on local produce, growing conditions and cultural traditions.

Mikael Olsson (b. 1969)
Oaxen (1997–1998)
Pigment prints on acid free cotton paper
From the book Oaxen Skärgårdskrog, Raster 1999
Galerie Nordenhake

Kristine Fornes (b. 1971)
Pine, pine, spruce and spruce (2011)
Cotton and silk embroidery on linen. Nasjonalmuseet

Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967)
The Fault Series (2001)
C-print. Nasjonalmuseet

Hans Gude (1825–1903)
Study of Boulder (Mid-19th century)
Pencil, pen and wash on paper. Nasjonalmuseet
Storm in the Highlands (1847)
Oil on canvas. Nasjonalmuseet

Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk arkitektkontor
Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk (b. 1958)
Anders Holmer (b. 1977)

Vøringsfossen waterfall tourist route, Eidfjord (2010)

Stair bridge seen from the south

Stair bridge and viewpoints seen from the north
Digital collage. Nasjonalmuseet

Nettside for Maaemo
Maaemo’s website (2015)
Design: Bielke&Yang. Development: Værsågod
Photo and video: Tuukka Koski
Private collection

Johannes Flintoe (1787–1870)
From Hjølmo farm (1822)
Pencil, pen and wash on paper

Summer Farm by Maurset (1822)
Pencil, pen and wash on paper

Lodging, Monsbu (1822)
Pencil, charcoal and wash on paper

View of Hjelmodalen in Eldfjord, Hardanger (1833)
Gouache on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

In the early 19th century, Johannes Flintoe headed into the mountains on a journey of discovery, accompanied by geologists and botanists. Their aim was to illustrate and catalogue the mountain flora and fauna as an expression of a shared Nordic culture. His paintings attracted tourists to the mountains.Nature surveys are part of the New Nordic Cuisine movement. The chef Magnus Nilsson, who also ran the restaurant Fäviken Magasinet, travelled around the Nordic region for several years, cataloguing traditional foods across national boundaries. His photos and recipes were published in the book Nordic Cookbook (2015).

Hans Gude (1825–1903)
Spruce Tree (Mid-19th century)
Pen over pencil on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

Thomas Fearnley (1802–1842)
From Vestfjorddalen Valley Towards Gausta (1828)
Pencil and gouache on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

Piet Oudolf (b. 1944)
Noma 2.0 Garden Plan
2018
Water color and ink pen on paper, digital print
Private collection

Ola Steen Arkitektkontor
The Nordic House, elevation (1979)
Ink pen on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

Jensen & Skodvin Arkitekter
Juvet Landscape Hotel (2007–2011)
Model (2025)
Produced in collaboration with Studio Braak. Various materials

Display case
Sketches and thoughts. 2007–2024. Digital print
Juvet Landscape Hotel captures the variation in the lush landscape above the River Valldøla close to the Gudbrandsjuvet gorge in Sunnmøre. After careful measurements and planning, each hotel room has been placed individually in the landscape, so each one has a unique view. The dark interior prevents reflections, and floor-to-ceiling windows allow the landscape to become a part of the room. Experi encing the scenery is the main attraction, and guests can follow the changes in the light and weather over the course of the day.

A1 

Transborder studio and Soyong Lee
Edible Oslo – 100 edible organisms found in Oslo
20 drawings of species
Print on paper, hand drawing on paper
Map of locations
Poster. Contribution to the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2017. Private collection

A2 

Tim Koch
Exterior, Restaurant Under (2022)
Digital print. Private collection 

Iselinn Andersen
Interior, Restaurant Under (2022)
Digital print. Private collection

A3 

Snøhetta AS 
Restaurant Under
Model. 2017–2018. Private collection

A5 

Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine
Spread: Roderick Sloan. René Redzepi. Phaidon Press, 201

The Nordic Baking Book
Magnus Nilsson. Phaidon Press, 2015

B2 

Atelier Oslo
Common Ground (2009)
Documentation of exhibition in Gallery Rom, Oslo, 2009. Digital photo. Private collection

The architecture studio Atelier Oslo fills a gallery space with trees and vegetation from the forest floor in Nordmarka. They recreate a location in the forest and let visitors walk barefoot on the moss. Moss has been a popular motif and material in the so-called New Materialism’s exploration of the relationship between people and nature. Moss grows in barren environments, and it has the ability to grow on, and give life to, dead materials. In New Nordic Cuisine, moss is used both as decor and as an ingredient in broths.

B4 

From the botanical encyclopedia
Flora Danica, Copenhagen 1761
After drawings by Georg Christian Oeder (1728–1791)

Morel, Morchella esculenta
Oyster Leaf, Mertensia maritima
Marsh Violet, Viola palustris

1755-1759. Hand-colored line etching on paper.
Nasjonalmuseet

In the spirit of the Enlightenment, King Frederik V set about surveying all of the wild and domesticated plants in the dual monarchy of Denmark-Norway. The botanical reference work “Flora Danica” was first published in 1761; it contained over 3,000 illustrations when it was finally completed in the 1880s. The botanist Georg Christian Oeder was the first person to document the plants. The porcelain service of the same name was produced at the Royal Porcelain Factory during the period 1789–1802, and production resumed in 1863 and still continues.

B5 

Nordic by Nature. Nordic Cuisine and Culinary Excursions
Borderless Co. (red). Gestalten, 2018

C2 

Roar Øhlander (b. 1948)
The Nordic House, Faroe Islands (1983–1990)
Photograph. Nasjonalmuseet 

The Nordic House, Faroe Islands (Mid-1980s)
Unidentified photographer. Nasjonalmuseet

C3 

Ola Steen Arkitektkontor
The Nordic House, model (1979)
Plywood. Nasjonalmuseet

The Nordic House in Tórshavn on the Faroe Islands represents a concept of Nordic identity embodied in construction techniques. The building is integrated into the landscape using materials and techniques from across the Nordic region: floor tiles from Norway, internal cladding made of Swedish timber and local turf on the roof, which is held up by steel struts featuring a traditional dragon-like design. Ola Steen from Norway and Kolbrún Ragnarsdóttir from Iceland won the architectural design competition, and the project was then developed by Ola Steen Arkitektkontor. The project is an example of critical regionalism, where regional elements are used to create architecture grounded in local context, while maintaining a critical stance toward a global, placeless building industry.

C4 

Platter
Forget-me-not, Myfatis scorpiodies
Design: 1789. Produced: 1789–1802
Thrown, modeled and glazed porcelain with hand-painted decor and gold rim. Nasjonalmuseet

Fruit basket
Fucus corneus
Design: 1789. Produced: 1906. 
Thrown, modeled and glazed porcelain with hand-painted decor and gold rim. Nasjonalmuseet 

Deep plate
Crisp-leaved pondweed,
Potamogeton crispus, Flora Danica
Design: 1789. Produced: between 1863 and 1892. Thrown and glazed porcelain with hand-painted decor and gold rim. NasjonalmuseetC5 Malling & SchmidtEhrhorn Hummerston, 2012 Fäviken Magnus Nilsson Phaidon Press, 2012

C5
Malling & Schmidt
Ehrhorn Hummerston, 2012 

Fäviken
Magnus Nilsson
Phaidon Press, 2012

D3

Pot with wooden side handle
German madwort, Asperugo procumbens,
From: Flora Danica
Design: 1789. Produced: after 1905. Cast, thrown, modelled and glazed porcelain with hand-painted decor and gold rim. Wood turned mahogany handle. Producer: Den Kongelige Porcelainsfabrik.Nasjonalmuseet

Dish
Water-purslane, Peplis portula, Flora Danica (1789)
Produced: after 1905. Cast and glazed porcelain with hand-painted decor and gold rim. Nasjonalmuseet

D4 

Oaxen Adieu
Magnus Ek, Agneta Green. Modernista, 2011 

Koks: Faroe Islands Flavor
Poul Andrias Ziska. Sprotin, 2022 

Minnesjord
Christian Norberg-SchulzGyldendal, 1991

The Latin term genius loci (spirit of the place) was revitalized by the Norwegian architectural theorist Christian Norberg-Schulz (1926–2000). In order to understand how to build in a place, you first had to understand the place, he believed. An objective assessment was not enough; you also had to sense and perceive the place’s qualities with your body – from its smells, lights and sounds, through its plants and minerals in the soil, to the landscape. The thinking behind the New Nordic Cuisine movement is closely related to Norberg-Schulz’s theory of place. How the chef experiences nature and their surroundings here and now should be captured and communicated through the meal. Maaemo’s dish “The forest right now” or Jens L. Thomsen’s sound track for Koks, which recreates the sounds where the produce is harvested, are examples of how places are evoked.

E2 

Hannah Warren (b. 1983)
A Map of the Nordic Region
2010
Digital collage
Made for the book Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine, Phaidon Press 2010. Private collection 

E3 

Knud Leem (1697–1774)
An Account of the Laplanders of Finmark, their Language, Manners, and Religion
Royal Mission College, Copenhagen 1767
Nasjonalmuseet

Several artists have contributed to the design of the sources and slides. The slides were produced in the first half of the 1750s. At the time this work was created, “Laplanders” was the historical term used to refer to the Sámi people. Today, this term is recognized as outdated and offensive. The work serves as an important historical record of Sámi life, including practices such as foraging, hunting, and food traditions. Created during the Enlightenment era’s pursuit of encyclopedic knowledge and mapping, it was produced by royal decree within a colonial framework. Despite this context, it remains a valuable source on Sámi culture of the period.

Gigging
Facsimilie of line etching and engraving on paper Salmon Fishing with Net Facsimilie of line etching and engraving on paper

Deer Butchering
Facsimilie of line etching and engraving on paper

Rose Fish
Facsimilie of line etching and engraving on paper

Norway Lobster
Facsimilie of line etching and engraving on paper

Male and female reindeer
Line etching and copperplate engravings on paperNasjonalmuseet

E4 

Nordic: A Photographic Essay of Landscapes, Food and People
Magnus Nilsson. Phaidon Press, 2016 

Maaemo
Spread: Roderick Sloan. Esben Holmboe-Bang. Cappelen Damm, 2017

F2 

Map of the northern seas Carte des mers du Nord, indiquant les températures de la surface de la mer pendant les trois voyages de la corvette la Recherche (1840s)
Facsimile of etching on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

Northern Lights north of Bossekop, 11 January 1838, 8:20 pm
Facsimile of lithograph on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

Ancient tracks in the sea off the coast of FinnmarkTraces anciennes de la mer, en Finmark (Norvège) (1840s)
Facsimile of aquatint on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

Ancient tracks in the sea (the east coast of Sweden)
Traces anciennes de la mer (côte orientale de Suède) (1840s)
Facsimile of aquatint on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

Rock ptarmigan (1840s)
Facsimile of hand-coloured lithograph on paper 

Pasiphæa tarda; Pandalus borealis (1840s)
Facsimile of lithograph on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

F3 

From the plate book La Recherche
Paul Gaimard, Voyage de la Commision Sentifique du Nord en Scandinavie, en Laponie, au Spitzberg et aux Feröe, 1838–1840
Published in Paris between 1848 and 1856 

Vue de Thorshavn – départ de La Recherche
La Recherche departing Torshavn
Lithograph on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

F4 

Slippurinn: Recipes and Stories from Iceland
Gísli Matt. Phaidon Press, 2021 

The Nordic Cookbook
Magnus Nilsson. Phaidon Press, 2015 

The Nordic Baking Book
Magnus Nilsson. Phaidon Press, 2015

Toril Redalen (b. 1973)
Lettuce Legacy – Salatstudie ((2023-2025))
Clay dug by the artist in Trondheim, Sandnes, Grenland, Cornwall and Bohemia. Found vegetation, wood, metal and porcelain
Various techniques. Private collection

Pentti Kaskipuro (1930–2010)
Beetroot in window (1980)
Drypoint on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

Photo from Kadeau, Bornholm
Photographer: Søren Reed
2024. Digital print. Private collection

Photographer: Marie Louise Munkegaard
2014–2023. Digital print. Private collection

Photographer: Gilles Draps
2023. Digital print. Private collection

Pentti Kaskipuro (1930–2010)
Carrot II (1986)
Drypoint and aquatint on paper

Leek and piece of swede I (1994)
Drypoint and aquatint on paper. Nasjonalmuseet

Film: The Ingredient
Film: Hacienda, 8 min, 56 sek/ sec

Jim-André Stene calls himself a villbonde – a “wild farmer”. He owns and runs Trøndelag Sankeri, which supplies fresh produce to the restaurant Credo. In the countryside around Trondheim, he gathers juniper berries and mushrooms. We also meet him down by the coast at Byneset, southeast of Trondheim.
   Farmer and historian Jon Fredrik Skauge invites us into the storehouse at Fannremsgården in Orkdal in the county of Trøndelag, where he has a large collection of cultural artefacts. Jon Fredrik also produces flax, which he sows, harvests and processes, and then weaves into linen napkins for the guests at Credo. 
   Skjølberg Søndre is a biodynamic closed loop farm at Svorkmo in Trøndelag. When we meet Elin Skjølberg and Carl Erik Skjølberg, they are delivering butter to Credo. They keep cattle and grow vegetables for the restaurant. Food waste from Credo goes back into the compost used on the farm. Their collaboration began in 2013.
   For Espen Eek, fishing is a side job. He has a fishing boat at Grilstad in Trondheim, and he supplies products like langoustines to Domstein, who in turn supply Credo.
   Lars Åge Brandsfjell is a Sámi reindeer herder and a landowner in Trøndelag. Now he is retired, and he has passed the baton to the next generation. Reindeer from his flock are sent to Stensaas Reinsdyrslakteri for slaughter and then prepared in Credo’s kitchen.
   Sissel Wathne used to run the ceramics workshop Wathne Studio in Røros. In the film, she gathers iron oxide as a pigment for the ceramics she will supply to Credo. Wathne Studio moved to Lillehammer in 2024.

Futurefarmers
Land Declaration
Pencil on paper, birch, glass, soil. Private collection

Sanke
App (2020–2025)
Producer: Sanke Ideelt, with Fragment, Iterate, Bielke&Yang, Norwegian Association for Mycology and Foraging, Gaute Vindegg, Kristin H.R. Nielsen and Mari Kanstad Johnsen
Developed with the support of European Green Capital 2019 and the Sparebankstiftelsen DNB foundation. Private collection

Benjamin Alexander Huseby (b. 1976)
Weeds & Aliens – An Unnatural History of Plants (2014)
Torpedo Press
Photos from Weeds & Aliens – An Unnatural History of Plants:
1. Pleurotus ostreatus / Oyster Mushroom, 2011
2. Anthriscus caucalis / Bur Chervil, 2013
3. Humulus lupulus / Hop, 2014
4. Urtica dioica / Stinging Nettle, 2013
Digital C-type print. Private collection

Display case
Weeds & Aliens – An Unnatural History of Plants (2014)
Torpedo Press
Photos from Weeds & Aliens – An Unnatural History of Plants:
1. Quercus robur / Oak (Pendunculate), 2013
2. Capsella bursa-pastoris / Shepherd’s Purse, 2013
3. Trifolium repens / White Clover, 2013
Digital print. Private collection

Weeds and Aliens is at once a field guide, a political pamphlet, and an art book. It contains descriptions  and photographs of edible plants the artist has picked on his way to the studio and served as food. The work links sensory pleasure and protecting vulnerable ecosystems with the politically charged question of what and who belongs in a place. What separates useful plants from weeds, and natives from so-called invasive and alien species?

Kvae & Bark
The Wind that Overturned the Leaves (2025)
Steel, willow and various organic materials. Private collection

A1 

Diving and gathering equipment from
Roderick Sloan (b. 1970) (2000s)
Dive gear with disabled tank. Snail / Limpet catcher.
Net
Private collection

Roderick Sloan, who is based at Steigen in Nordland, showed that not only chefs, but also suppliers of produce – such as hunters, foragers and farmers – could become superstars through New Nordic Cuisine. As a result of him supplying Noma and other restaurants, as well as international lectures and media coverage, Sloan’s hand-picked sea urchins and 300-year-old mahogany clams gained mythical status. This equipment bears witness to how much hard work in extreme conditions went into collecting them.

A2

Genomic Gastronomy
Edimental Eating (Malvik Mix) (2025)
Digital film. Private collection

At his permaculture forest garden in Malvik, Stephen Barstow has tested 4,000 different cultivars. 1,500 of them have survived and can be harvested at different times of year. The film, which follows Barstow through several seasons, is a portrait of a leading campaigner for old and new domesticated plants in Norway. It is also the story of a unique project that challenges the definition of what belongs naturally in a particular place. Local growing conditions and mild winters mean that plants from all over the world can thrive here.

A3

Arne Brimi (b. 1957)
Brimi’s spices (ca. 1990)
Poster. Private collection

A4

Maaemo
Spread: Roderick Sloan. Esben Holmboe-Bang
Cappelen Damm, 2017

Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine 
Spread: Roderick Sloan. René Redzepi. Phaidon Press, 2010

B2

Myx lamp (2013)
Designer: Jonas Edvard (b. 1982). Produced: 2025
Mycelium and plant fibres. Private collection

Gesso lamp (2014)
Designer: Jonas Edvard (b. 1982). Produced: 2023
Limestone and bio-resin. Private collection

Noma algae paper lamp (2015)
Designer: Jonas Edvard (b. 1982) Produced: 2023
Algae and recycled paper. Private collection

B4

North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland
Gunnar Karl Gislason

On Eating Insects: Essays, Stories and Recipes
Nordic Food Lab. Phaidon Press, 2017

C1 

Tools from Korsvold farm, Skjærhalden (2000s)
Pointed spade. Shovel. Dock digger. Plant stakes.
Weeder. Harvest knife. Catalogue from Runåbergs fröer
Private collection

C3 

Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine
Spread: Roderick Sloan. René Redzepi. Phaidon Press, 2010

A Work in Progress
René Redzepi. Phaidon Press, 2013

Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine
Spread: Roderick Sloan. René Redzepi. Phaidon Press, 2010

D1 

Geir Mogen
Portrait of Credo’s cattle: Cutsji, Lucy 2, Bergrosa, Høgti (2010s–2020s)
Photo paper, oak, brass. Restaurant Credo

D2 

Futurefarmers
Flatbread Society / Losætra
2015

Soil Procession
2015

Digital film

Poster for Soil Procession
Digital print on paper 

Flatbread Society / Losætra
Digital print on paper, framed

Flatbread Society Open Source Farm – diagram
Digital print on paper, framed

Flatbread Society Open Source Farm – two concept drawings
Digital print on paper, framed
Private collection

When Bjørvika in Oslo was developed, a small pocket of land was cleared for the cultural commons Losæter – a project which combines urban farming, placemaking and community-based art, created in collaboration with the artist collective Futurefarmers. Since the first allotments were made from raised beds, the project has added a bakehouse and an urban farmer. In Soil Procession (2015), 300 people walked across Oslo to this location with soil from 50 organic farms. This symbolic mix forms the basis for the soil where vegetables and heritage grains now grow.

D4
Slippurinn: Recipes and Stories from Iceland
Gísli Matt. Phaidon Press, 2021

Fäviken
Magnus Nilsson. Phaidon Press, 2012

E4 

Ny norsk mat
Even Ramsvik. Forlaget Press, 2017

Koks
Bent Christensen, Leif Sorensen, Claes Bech-Poulsen
Bent C. Forlag, 2012

Film: Presentation
Film: Hacienda, 2 min, 55 sek/ sec

Elin Skjølberg washes and packages butter for delivery to the restaurant Credo. Skjølberg Søndre is run as a closed loop farm by Elin and Carl Erik Skjølberg.
   Jim-André Stene, who calls himself a “wild farmer”, owns and runs Trøndelag Sankeri. He gathers, prepares and packages wild plants for delivery to Credo.
   Ceramicist Sissel Wathne receives reindeer bones from Credo’s kitchen. The bones are burnt and crushed into a fine powder, which is mixed into the glaze of the ableware she supplies to the restaurant.
   Heidi Bjerkan runs Credo. In the film, we meet her at the restaurant’s premises in an old machine hall in Trondheim. In the kitchen, reindeer tongue supplied by Lars Åge Brandsfjell is seasoned with juniper berries from Trøndelag Sankeri before the dish is served up and presented on Wathne’s ceramics. The langoustines come from the fisherman Espen Eek. In 2025, Credo will open a new restaurant at the National Library of Norway in Oslo.
   Jon Fredrik Skauge is a farmer and historian who also produces flax. He processes and cards the flax before it is woven into napkins for use at Credo.

Matthew Dalziel (b. 1982)
Multispecies Neighbourhoods (2023)
1:20 scale model. Model: Cabbage palm fibres. Plinth: Lime/cork plaster, spruce. Model made in collaboration with Raphaelle Jones.
Plinth made by the artist. Private collection

House for a forest (2024)
1:50-scale model. Model: Hydraulic lime, Hemp wood chip. Plinth: Lime/cork plaster, spruce. Plinth made by the artist.
Private collection

Display case:
1. Hempcrete
2. Lime Binder
3. Hemp Shiv
4. Clay Board
5. Jute Textile
6. Clay Plaster
7. Clay
8. Chopped Straw
9. Cork / Lime Plaster
10. Lime Binder
11. Cork Aggregate
12. 3-Layer Norwegian Oak Board
13. Norwegian Southern Oak
14. Cork oak waste from wine industry
15. Hemp Fiber Batt
16. Hemp Fiber Mat
17. Hemp Fiber
18. Text: House for a forest text
19. Text: Multispecies Neighbourhoods text

Lars Petter Pettersen (b. 1977)
Photographs (2017–2025)
Digital print. Private collection

A1 

Sous-vide-circulator
Restaurant Maaemo, Oslo

A2 

Thermomix TM31
Kitchen appliance
Producer: Vorwerck. Restaurant Maaemo, Oslo

New Nordic Cuisine arose at a time when international restaurant cuisine was focusing on technology and science, which included drawing inspiration from molecular gastronomy. Several appliances were introduced to create emulsions (fats mixed with other liquids) and to control the interaction between temperature and time to achieve the desired outcomes. The Thermomix, which was first introduced in 1971, could heat its contents to an exact temperature, and it was ideal for making the colorful herb oils which became so popular. This particular model, borrowed from the restaurant Maaemo, has been heavily used, and its mixing bowl was thrown away after it broke.

A3 

Yakitori konro grill
Restaurant Credo

A4 

Grill
Big Green Egg Large (2025)
Producer: Big Green Egg Nordic. Ceramic kamado grill.
Donated by Sutter Home & Hearth

B4 

Fermentation equipment
B.Culture, Oslo.
Brand identity: John Njoki.
Dried grey peas.
Pea miso (Peaso).
Bottles 100 ml.
Bottles 500 ml
Dried barley.
Finished koji.
Cheap thermometer.
Lab grade thermometer.
pH meter.
Inkbird temperature controller.
Koji spores in jar.
Shaker to dispense spores.
Koji spores in original bag.
Scale for spores.
Flake salt used in all ferments.
Salt in original packaging Jars.
Salt meter
Private collection

B5 

The Nordic Baking Book
Magnus Nilsson. Phaidon Press, 2015

On Eating Insects: Essays, Stories and Recipes
Nordic Food Lab. Phaidon Press, 2017

Fäviken
Magnus Nilsson. Phaidon Press, 2012

C3  

Elisa Helland-Hansen (b. 1950)
Two kimchi jars (2024)
Thrown and glazed stoneware. Nasjonalmuseet

C2 

Storage containers
Restaurant Maaemo, Oslo

C3 

Magnus Ek (b. 1966)
Langoustine press for squeezing out protein and
juice from langoustine heads (2017)
Oak, beech, stainless steel. Private collection

The langoustine press, made for the restaurant Oaxen Krog by its head chef, consists of two kinds of wood impregnated with vegetable oil and wax. Like a Nordic take on a French duck press, it squeezes liquid out of the head of the langoustine so that it can be used as a sauce. The press has been repaired several times and its appearance has changed over the course of the years.

D1 

Sissel Wathne (b. 1981)
Glaze samples (2021–2023)
Glaze samples showing tests of langoustine, reindeer and cattle bone glaze, as well as glazes made of iron ore from the slag heaps at abandoned mines at Røros. Glazed stoneware. Private collection

Ceramicist Sissel Wathne experiments with how natural materials affect the glaze on ceramics. For many years, she lived and worked in Røros. From the slag heaps outside the abandoned mines, she would collect minerals to give color to her glazes. Together with the Head Chef Heidi Bjerkan at Credo, Wathne has designed tableware for the restaurant. To make her ceramics, she has used waste materials from the restaurant, such as langoustine shells and the bones of reindeer and cows. These are burnt at high temperature to make calcium, which is ground into a powder and used as the flux in the glaze.

D2 

Glass jars with raw materials
Raw materials from the iron mines at Røros. Bone and
shell at various stages from dried, charred, coarsely
crushed and pulverised. Raw materials from the
restaurant Credo
Private collection

D3 

Storwartz-/Røros-glaze
Seven sizes of dishes, jar with minerals and glaze tests
Produced by: Sissel Wathne
Thrown and glazed stoneware with Storwartz-/Røros-glaze
Private collection

The reindeer (process) (2016–2024)
Sketch of service piece with reindeer glaze for blood
pudding. Reindeer top with reindeer glaze. Reindeer
bones, pulverised and ground. Producer: Sissel Wathne
For: Restaurant Credo
Private collection

D4 The langoustine project
Sketch for langoustine dish. Testing various way of presenting a langoustine dish, as well as testing glazes containing langoustine shell. Producer: Sissel Wathne For: Restaurant Credo
Private collection

D5 

Maaemo
Spread: Roderick Sloan. Esben Holmboe-Bang.
Cappelen Damm, 2017

Relæ: A Book of Ideas
Christian Puglisi. Ten Speed Press, 2014

A1 

Lamps
Producer: København Møbelsnedkeri. Brass.
Restaurant Lysverket – Christopher Haatuft, Bergen

Chair (2016)
Producer: København Møbelsnedkeri. Oak
Restaurant Lysverket – Christopher Haatuft, Bergen

The aesthetic of the furniture in the New Nordic restaurants travelled across national borders. Københavns møbelsnedkeri supplied the furniture for the restaurant Relæ, including special tables. The chef Christian Puglisi had seen a table with a drawer for flatbread in Gudbrandsdalen, and he wanted a table with an equivalent drawer for cutlery and menus which guests could access themselves. Relæ’s interior design inspired several other restaurants, and the chef Christopher Haatuft ordered furniture for the restaurant Lysverket in Bergen from Københavns møbelsnedkeri.

A2 

Tableware for the restaurant
Kontrast, Oslo (2016–2022)
Design and producer: Odd Standard
Ceramics, concrete and stone. Private collection

Tableware for various restaurants (2016–2022)
Designer and producer: Odd Standard
Ceramics and glass. Private collection

Individual styles
At New Nordic restaurants, both the ingredients and the tableware are locally sourced. Chefs often collaborate with local ceramicists or designers to come up with individual serving pieces to present their numerous dishes. Local natural materials, like stone, branches and moss, are often used to present the dishes. These local designs create a sense of harmony, but they can also be challenging and surprising.

A3 

KBH Deluxe Table (2016)
Producer: København Møbelsnedkeri
Restaurant Lysverket – Christopher Haatuft, Bergen
Oak

B1 

Y Chair (1950)
Design: Hans J. Wegner, Denmark. Producer: Carl J. Hansen. Recent. With sheepskin pelt
Oak and woven seat. Nasjonalmuseet

B2 

Tableware for the restaurant Re-naa, Stavanger (2016–2022)
Design and producer: Odd Standard
Ceramics, glass and wood. Private collection

Tableware for the restaurant Rest, Oslo (2019)
Designer and producer: Odd Standard
Various types of clay and waste materials such as oyster shells, chicken feet and recycled glass. Private collection

B3 

KBH Deluxe Table – with specially made drawer for menu and cutlery (2016)
Oak
Producer: København Møbelsnedkeri
The restaurant Relæ, Copenhagen

Ceramics
What happened to the white porcelain plates in restaurants? The interior designs of New Nordic restaurants often feature natural and rustic elements. This is also true of the tableware, both in terms of choice of materials and design. The many dishes that make up the meal are presented on specially designed serving pieces, which is a tradition taken from Japan. There is great deal of variety, from rustic pieces made of coarse clay, via sculptural stands to soft, hand-thrown designs with silky glazes. The colors are often subdued and earthy. This aesthetic has influenced the ceramics industry, mimicking the individuality of craft pieces in its current mass production.

C1 

Anette Krogstad (b. 1984)
Plates for the restaurant Noma, Copenhagen (2017–2018)
Thrown glazed stoneware. Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum. National Museum of Decorative Arts and Design

C2 

Gurli Elbækgård
Tableware for the restaurant Geranium, Copenhagen (2016)
Cast, thrown and glazed porcelain. Private collection
Tableware for the restaurant Arakataka, Oslo (2015)
Thrown and glazed stoneware. Private collection
Tableware for the restaurant Nye Bagatelle, Oslo (2012–2013)
Cast or thrown and glazed stoneware or porcelain. Private collection

C3 

Magnus Ek (b. 1966)
Various appliances and pieces of tableware, Ozxenauce
Sauce pot for hot and cold broth and sauce
Ash
Small plate for snacks to be eaten with your hand
Oak
Serving dish with lid for a hot and spicy blood brioche
Ash, cowskin
Holder for a paper filter to make cold and hot herbal
infusions
Ash
Stand for crispy cone shaped snacks
Ash, brass
Bowl with straw, for a pre-dessert dish
Oak
Plate used for serving individual snacks
Ash
2017–2021. Various materials. Private collection

Anette Krogstad (b. 1984)
Plates for the restaurant Ylajali, Oslo (2013)
Thrown glazed stoneware. Private collection

Anne Udnes (b. 1958)
Stones and egg for the restaurant Ylajali, Oslo
2010s. Stoneware, thrown with porcelainslip. Private collection

Spoon (1943)
Skaugum cutlery, restaurant Ylajali, Oslo
Producer: Skaugum bestikkfabrikk. This cutlery set: new production.
Steel and plastic. Private collection

Stone placemat (2010s)
Stone placemat, restaurant Ylajali, Oslo
Granite. Private collection

Deep plate
Bogstad straw pattern (1887), restaurant Ylajali, Oslo
Producer: Porsgrunds Porselænsfabrik
This plate: new production. Underglaze on porcelain.
Private collection

Menu from the restaurant Ylajali, Oslo (2012)
Design: Even Ramsvik, Ane Thon Knutsen,
Elin Myrekrok Skrede
Bound book. Private collection

C4 

Malling & Schmidt
Ehrhorn Hummerston, 2012

D1 

U01 Chair for the restaurant Under (2018)
Design: Snøhetta. Producer: Hamran
Oak and paracord. Private collection

Decorative textile for the restaurant Under, Lindesnes (2018)
Design: Snøhetta AS. Producer: Kvadrat
Paracord. Private collection

Several New Nordic restaurants commissioned specially-designed furniture. Snøhetta did not just design a building with an artificial reef for the restaurant Under in Lindesnes – it also did the interior design. This textile sample is from the acoustic, fire-resistant ceiling, which was developed in collaboration with Kvadrat and incorporates color tones from the local sunset. The chair, which was developed in collaboration with Hamran, has a shape that echoes the movement from land, down below water and back up again.

D2 

Serving ware and tableware for the restaurant Under, Lindesnes (2019–2025)
Design and production of ceramics: Ment. Production of wooden products: Erlend Søderlund. Dinnerware: cast and glazed porcelain, pigmented with magnetite from Rana Gruber. Sand bowl and sand plate: modeled stoneware with sand from Lindesnes
Private collection

D3 

Serving utensils and graphic identity
for the restaurant Barr (2017–2018)
Design: Snøhetta. Producer: Table Noir AS
Stainless steel. Private collection

E1 

Anette Krogstad (b. 1984)
Tableware for the restaurant Schlagergården, Oslo (2021)
Thrown and glazed stoneware. Private collection

Tableware for the restaurant Hotshop, Oslo (2020–2023)
Thrown and glazed stoneware.Private collection

E2 

Anette Krogstad (b. 1984)
Tableware for the restaurant Pjoltergeist, Oslo (2014–2015)
Thrown and glazed stoneware. Private collection

Tableware for the restaurant Varemottaket, Oslo (2023)
Thrown and glazed stoneware. Private collection

E2 

Sara Skotte (b. 1978)
Tableware for the restaurant Maaemo, Oslo (2013)
Cast and glazed porcelain. Private collection

E3 

Visual identity for Food Studio (2012)
Design: Bielke&Yang, Food Studio
Private collection

UWBM 12505, Reindeer antler, Rangifer tarandus
On loan from the Burke Museum Mammalogy Department

The oyster shells are courtesy of Sea Creatures, The Walrus & The Carpenter.

D4 

Maaemo
Esben Holmboe-Bang. Cappelen Damm, 2017

Koks: Faroe Islands Flavor
Poul Andrias Ziska. Sprotin, 2022

D3 

Lena Willhammar
Tableware for the restaurant Daniel Berlin /Daniel Berlin Krog, Skåne (2009–2025)
Cast and glazed porcelain. Private collection

30 

Film: Presentation
Film: Hacienda, 2 min, 55 sec

I3 

Jon Fredrik Skauge (b. 1978)
Linen placemat for the restaurant Credo (2010s–2020s)
Processed and woven linen. Restaurant Credo

Old serving stand and plate
Wood. Restaurant Credo

Sissel Wathne (b. 1981)
Serving plates for the restaurant Credo (2023)
Stoneware, glazed with cattle bone, reindeer and langoustine glaze. Private collection

I5 

Fäviken, 4015 days – Beginning to End
Magnus Nilsson. Phaidon Press, 2020

Rune Rake (b. 1962)
Photo from Maaemo (2010–2024)
Digital photo and video. Private collection

Photo of the dish Oyster ‘Tradition 2010’ (Maaemo) 
In order, from left to right: December 2010, June 2011, March 2012, July 2015, April 2017, February 2018, May 2018, April 2019, December 2019, May 2020, February 2022, September 2022
Digital photo, digital print. Private collection

Photos taken by customers on their mobile phones and published on blogs, Instagram or Tripadvisor have become integral to how restaurant visits are experienced and communicated. The engineer Rune Rake has racked up well over 100 visits to Maaemo in Oslo – and 5,000 photos. The photo reel on the screen shows how the aesthetics of the meal have evolved over the course of 14 years from the perspective of a regular diner. The series of photos on the wall documents the changes in the techniques and tableware for Maaemo’s signature dish, Oyster ‘Tradition 2010’.

Tableau Kadeau

Marie-Louise Munkegaard (b. 1980)
Photographs for Kadeau (2014–2022)
Digital print. Private collection

Gilles Drapes
Photographs for Kadeau (2023)
Digital print. Private collection

Søren Reed
Photographs for Kadeau (2024)
Digital print. Private collection

Tableware for the restaurant Kadeau (2023)
Designer and producer: Lov i Listed
Thrown and glazed stoneware, metal and wood. Restaurant Kadeau, Bornholm

Herringbone-glass (2020s)
The Kadeau glassware collection
Producer: Baltic Sea Glass
Mould-blown glassware. Restaurant Kadeau, Bornholm

Various items for the restaurant Kadeau
Woven basket. Cutlery. Ocean quahog and Iceland scallop for serving food. Napkin
Restaurant Kadeau, Bornholm

Tablå Maaemo / Tableau maaemo
Burke Museum (UWBM Malacology). These shells are Northern quahog Mercenaria mercenaria, False jingle Pododesmus macrochisma, and Calico scallop Argopecten gibbus.

Stamp NK 1930–1931: Nordic Food Culture
Langoustine on spruce branches, Maaemo (2016)
Designer: Kristin Granli. Photo: Mette Randem
Posten Bring A/S. Private collection.

Anders Husa (b. 1984)
Photographs, Maaemo (2015)
Digital print. Private collection

Lars Petter Pettersen (b. 1977)
Photographs, Maaemo (2017)
Digital print. Private collection

Danny Larsen (b. 1981)
Thor and the Jötnar (2015)
Drawing. Maaemo, Oslo

Armchair
CH 20 (1956)
Design: Hans J. Wegner. Producer: Carl Hansen & Søn
This chair: New production. Oak with leather seat. Maaemo, Oslo

Cutlery
Kristin cutlery (1994)
Design: Odd Leikvoll. Producer: Hardanger Bestikk.
Recent
Stainless steel 18/10. Maaemo, Oslo

Table top from Chef’s Table (2015)
Marble. Maaemo, Oslo

Kettle
Copper. Maaemo, Oslo

Wooden dish
Turned wood. Maaemo, Oslo

Knife
Maaemo, Oslo

Wooden spoons and knives (2010s)
Designer and producer: Brynjulf Hammer Krogstrand
Wooden cutlery, knives with reindeer antler handles. Maaemo, Oslo

Glass dish
Smiley
Producer: Eva Solo. Recent
Glass. Maaemo, Oslo

Anne Udnes (b. 1958)
Plate (2015)
Thrown and glazed stoneware with texture, different glazes.
Maaemo, Oslo

Deep plate (2015)
Thrown and glazed stoneware. Maaemo, Oslo

Large vase (2010s)
Handbuildt stoneware and porcelain. Maaemo, Oslo

Egg, small vase (2010s)
Modeled stoneware. Maaemo, Oslo