TræToy (toy created of wood) – New book presenting small sculptures of toy, created through the years by Ole Søndergaard. Ole has designed ships, aeroplanes and cars that are a boyhood dream come true. He can create an illusion – richer than real life, fairytale exuberance. His latest invention is the alphabet animals. Man’s capacity for artistic depictions of animals dates far back in time, and everyone knows the cave paintings with their magical and lifelike depictions of aurochs, reindeer, bison, horses and deer. Ole combines his fascination with the animal world with his long-standing experience with lettering. In a bold and amusing symbiosis between letters and fairytale animals he covers the entire alphabet and creates his own, highly personal Noah’s Ark.
The refined and simplified expression that characterises Ole’s graphic design is also evident in the woodworks, which show a kinship with Kay Bojesen’s design idiom. The Danish silversmith Kay Bojesen sought to introduce good design into the everyday lives of ordinary people by means of mass production. It has rightly been said of Kay Bojesen that he ‘turned toys into art’ and that ‘despite his lively imagination he pursued the art of restraint and moderation.