Georg Jensen Reimagines Heritage with Playful New Collection

Georg Jensen, the esteemed Danish silversmithy, has launched a new collection that embraces a lighter, more playful side of its rich heritage. Titled “Georg Jensen at Play,” the collection was unveiled during the recent 3 Days of Design event in Copenhagen, transforming a city space into a “Secret Garden” to showcase the innovative designs.

At the heart of this initiative is Creative Director Paula Gerbase, who since her appointment in 2024, has been delving into the brand’s history to find new avenues for expression. “Georg Jensen at Play” is a direct result of Gerbase’s exploration into the founder’s own life and the brand’s foundational approach to silver.

A Playful Exploration of Heritage

The collection features a range of games and objects, including silver and stone dice, a woodland-inspired Mikado set, a spinning top, a snail whistle, a yo-yo, and a reimagined Scandinavian ‘Kubb’ game, renamed ‘Toad’. This selection marks a significant departure from the more traditional perceptions of Georg Jensen, highlighting a deliberate effort to tap into the company’s inherent playfulness and fluidity.

Gerbase’s vision was inspired by the early life of Georg Jensen himself. Emerging from humble beginnings in a woodland area outside Copenhagen, Jensen was characterized by a profound curiosity and an adventurous spirit from a young age. Stories of his childhood, such as forgetting a chore to follow a field mouse, reveal an innate connection to nature and a willingness to explore the unexpected. His subsequent artistic education and travels further infused his work with influences from the natural world, evident in his early pieces which often featured animalistic motifs.

“My perception of Georg Jensen before I started was quite different to what I found when I joined,” Gerbase shared in an interview with Wallpaper*. “It was about quality and silversmithing, but in my view it had a seriousness to it. But actually, as I started to uncover the history of the man himself, the way that he set up his original atelier, where his roots were from, my perception changed.”

This understanding of Georg Jensen’s origins and his early artistic endeavors led Gerbase to recognize a more fluid and free-spirited aspect of the brand’s legacy. The founder’s initial atelier also fostered a spirit of collaboration, inviting other artists to reinterpret his work, a model that Gerbase aims to rekindle.

Embracing Materiality and Imperfection

The “Georg Jensen at Play” collection also encourages a new way of interacting with silver. Gerbase emphasizes the material’s living quality – its ability to develop patina, acquire dents, and evolve over time. The collection aims to present silver not just as a symbol of absolute quality, but as a beautiful, responsive material that can absorb and bear witness to the moments of life.

“If you inherit something, you’re inheriting it with the traces of those moments well lived,” Gerbase explained. This philosophy extends to the design process, where an openness to chance encounters and a sense of generosity in allowing people to interact with the objects is paramount. The collection invites a less rarefied experience with Georg Jensen pieces, allowing them to be touched, felt, and used in everyday life.

This approach challenges the conventional experience of viewing Georg Jensen objects as precious items to be kept behind glass. The “Secret Garden” event provided an environment where visitors, including children, could freely engage with the silver objects, underscoring Gerbase’s desire to open up the brand and foster dialogue.

“There’s, I hope, a humility [that reflects] the spirit of our founder as someone who invited so many different kinds of people into the atelier,” Gerbase stated. “This is also my experience of working in this house, alongside artisans; this is a community, and these relationships, these conversations are actually imperfect, just like a family is.”

Key facts

The “Georg Jensen at Play” collection signifies an exciting evolution for the brand, demonstrating a commitment to honoring its esteemed heritage while embracing contemporary values of playfulness, accessibility, and a deeper connection with its materials and audience. It suggests that even the most established luxury brands can find new relevance by exploring their foundational narratives with a fresh, imaginative perspective.

Source: Georg Jensen silver is all fun and games with Paula Gerbase at a secret Copenhagen garden – Wallpaper (https://www.wallpaper.com/design-interiors/georg-jensen-play-3-days-of-design-interview)