research
research
IKEA, cornerstone of society
Looking to the world from an IKEA point of view. That is exactly what Bjorn Andreassen does. Andreassen is interested in cultural contexts, local as well as global, and tries to map our changing relationship with the city and its landscape. The home store giant actually plays a bigger role in this than you would think at first.
Urban change is not only visible in planning, city re-structuring or in new developments. Andreassen simply follows the movements of inhabitants.
These tell him that historic centers are no longer the city centers. Congestion on the periphery is now more common than in city centers. On Sunday we don’t go to church, but drive to the edge of the city to let our kids play in the playground of IKEA. Our assumptions to what in fact a city is, are transforming.
And in the same manner the way in which we relate to city monuments, landmarks and to its identity. Did you first taka a picture with the Eiffel tower in the background, now you do so with IKEA. And the fair on the main city square? It got relocated to the parking lot of our yellow and blue friend. IKEA is currently located on the edge of the city, but what happens when the city starts to grow around it?
As a new city center, tourist attraction or new way to map the world, to Bjorn Andreassen IKEA is not at all just a home interior mall. It is a reflection of our modern cultural identity.
See his work on www.bjornandreassen.nl
