Profile:
Torbjørn Anderssen and Espen
Voll were born respectively in Elverum,
1976 and in Trondheim, 1965. They
both come from creative backgrounds:
Torbjørn is the son of a musician and a
teacher, and Espen the son of a ceramist
and an architect. After graduating from
the “Bergen Academy of Art and De-
sign” and the “Oslo National Academy of
Art”, they went on to cofound the design
group Norway Says in 2000. Norway
Says were forerunners in a growing inter-
national orientation amongst Norwegian
designers – at the same time drawing
international interest to Norway’s emerg-
ing young design scene. Norway Says
had two particular crowning moments,
with the “Söderbergs Award” in 2007,
and a 10-year retrospective exhibition
at the “National Museum of Art, Archi-
tecture and Design” in Oslo in 2009.
Anderssen & Voll was set up in 2009.
Their work spans from textile design
through tableware, lighting and furniture
to electronics for some of Europe’s most
renowned international brands. They
have been absolute key in proposing
what is known as “New Nordic”, through
their contributions for companies in-
cluding Muuto, Kvadrat, Erik Jørgensen,
Wrong for Hay, Jøtul, Røros Tweed and
LK Hjelle. Their work also resonates
well with Italian brands such as Magis,
Foscarini and Lapalma. Working with the
strongly contrasting industrial cultures to
be found in the the mountains of Norway
and in the Venetian plains is a continous
source of inspiration, as are the liberating
possibilities of large-scale industrial think-
ing. Torbjørn Anderssen teaches at the
“Bergen Academy of Art and Design”.
Anderssen
& Voll
