OFFF Inspirations: Wang & Söderström Exchanged New Ideas at OFFF 2017

Anny Wang and Tim Söderström work together as the creative duo Wang & Söderström in Copenhagen. Both were invited to OFFF in Barcelona this year to share their impressions with this blog’s readers.

“We got the chance to exchange new ideas and discuss them with incredible people and listen to inspiring talks. Since this was our first time at OFFF we didn’t know what to expect. We definitely enjoyed how everything felt thought-through, from the architectural elements of the venue to the presentation of the speakers and the stage,” says Tim Söderström.

“What we liked the most was the overall vibe and atmosphere, something that probably comes as an extension from Barcelona. After lunch and a beer in the sun it was a bit harsh to venture back into the impressive mainstage and we often found ourselves watching a presentation at the “Open Room” stage instead. We like the spectrum of presentations we saw here, from visual artist Santiago Carrasquilla to the unconventional studio O,” says Anny Wang.

Wasted Rita was the favourite speaker

“However our favourite speaker spoke on the mainstage and it was graphic designer and illustrator ‘Wasted Rita’. It was both hilarious and powerful. She really made a great impact on us as she turned her insecurity, humour and vulnerability to a weapon. To provoke and make a statement. We will definitely visit OFFF festival again,” says Tim Söderström.

Digital work into more physical elements

Wang & Söderström are currently exploring ways of expressing their ideas in new mediums and cross-interacting their usual tools with new ones. Anny and Tim are really looking forward to interpreting their digital work into more physical elements and at the same time utilising and pushing the duo’s digital universe. The OFFF experience has kickstarted this further:

“Right now we get inspired by artists that are able to create a whole universe around them. Either by starting to work in multidisciplinary ways to push their work further or possessing the power to create the big perspective,” says Anny Wang.

“Emerging from the DIY-era and the longing for nature and its chaotic honesty, we see that more people explore the beauty within the imperfections. A reaction to when the design community’s work becomes too perfect that it ends up being hollow and uninteresting. We also experience that more and more people start to work in multidisciplinary ways to push their work further. An artist’s signum isn’t found in a single format anymore, but rather the artist’s full universe. Our work draws inspiration from all and every corner of the creative field,” says Anny Wang.

5 that inspires Wang & Söderström right now

The below five artists inspire Anny and Tim at the moment and they are all specialised in different areas whilst creating a whole universe for themselves.”

Ella Boucht, STOCKHOLM / HELSINKI

Website: https://www.instagram.com/ellabct/

Her mega puffy jacket blew the world’s mind when she graduated from The Swedish School of Textiles last year. Today she’s continuously feeding us with great content on her Instagram. The fashion world has a way of pushing movements constantly and it doesn’t stagnate, which becomes inspiring to follow.

Inès Longevial, PARIS

Website: http://www.ineslongevial.com/

A genius within colour combinations and abstraction. We admire how she manages to create such a depth with so minimal techniques. Working with colours is such an essential part of our workflow and painters like Inès shows us the importance in fine tuning and the unexpected touch.

Carlota Guerrero, BARCELONA

Website: http://carlotaguerrero.com/

We love her way of creating a unique world that is sensitive yet powerful, washed out yet rich in colour. Her photos radiate calm but still massive energy. We really respect the photo format. The camera captures so much so in order to tell an elegant story through this medium, you have to be a master of distillation.

Maiko Gubler, BERLIN

Website: http://maikogubler.com/

Since we started with 3D illustration, Maiko has been on our radar all along. She has a creative and forward pushing approach to the 3D art world, that is very refreshing and necessary. She is far away from being stuck in old patterns and her way of taking her digital work into a physical space with 3D printing is something we want to explore as well.

Matylda Krzykowski, BASEL / LONDON

Website:[ http://matyldakrzykowski.com/](http://matyldakrzykowski.com/)

“We recently had the pleasure to work with the curator Matylda Krzykowski for one of her latest curations of objects for Chamber Gallery in New York. She’s got a fantastic eye for finding artworks that break the traditional perception of objects and furniture. We get inspired by her way of collecting and paring singular entities to create a stronger whole.”

About Wang & Söderström
Wang & Söderström is a Copenhagen based creative studio with a focus on digital/physical explorations, design and production. The studio strives to create mind tickling and unexpected experiences through materiality and technology. With a background in architecture and spatial design Wang & Söderström combines, collects and explores physical elements in a digital environment. Utilising new technologies to shape tomorrow’s visual and spatial experiences. Founders: Anny Wang (Sweden) and Tim Söderström (Sweden).

Website: http://wangsoderstrom.com/