Danish design is known all over the world for its simplicity, functionality and longevity, but most female designers from the so called 'Golden Age of Danish design', which spanned from the 1930's to the 1970's, were overlooked and forgotten. This is the story about one of the few pioneering women who insisted on creating designs that are still popular today; despite the enormous consequences it had for her. She managed as a single mother and under difficult financial conditions to work independently. Combining humanist thinking with an almost scientific methodology, she analyzed her way into all her designs; working, reworking, testing. Her name was Grethe Meyer.—Isabel Bernadette Brammer
Danish designer Grethe Meyer graduated as an architect in 1947 at Royal Academy of Fine Arts as the only woman in her year, which at the time was so notable that it was mentioned in the newspaper. Her career started in a modest 2-bedroom apartment in Copenhagen, where she lived alone with her young daughter and at the same time worked hard to get her designs recognized and pay the bills. And that had its price. Prioritizing her career became devastating to her relationship with her daughter, but she was so dedicated as a designer that there wasn't room for much else.Grethe combined humanist thinking with an almost scientific and systematic approach. She analyzed her way into her tableware and furniture designs; working, reworking, testing.Grethe was a fighter for her cause. She was used to resistance, partly because she was a woman and because she was groundbreaking. She opposed men's old way of thinking by confidently sticking to her own ideas, which unintentionally gave other female artists the courage to stick to theirs. Her mindset was: "I'm here because I'm great at what I do. Whether I'm a woman or a man doesn't matter. I'm good."This will be the first portrait film about the designer who, unlike many of her male colleagues, never has had her story told. We will through interviews and reconstructions get a unique insight into her thoughts and working methods. Her personal story as a woman, artist, pioneer, mother and lover is an interesting and vulnerable narrative that puts her career and legacy in perspective. As a designer, she has left us with functional designs that are still of great importance to people today. But few know that it's Grethe Meyer who's behind them and how much it has required of her.
