Jørn Aagaard is an independent graphic designer, photographer and developer based in Oslo, Norway. He holds an MA in visual communication from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts and is a co-founder of the artist-run exhibition space Hulias and the skateboard magazine Dank (2011—2014). He treats graphic design as a interdisciplinary method as well as a particular way of thinking, seeing and approaching problems. Advancing design as a conversation, he aims to work with his collaborators in an interactive process that often leads to continued relationships that follow the evolvement of the endeavour.
Collaborators include Node Berlin Oslo, Yokoland, Hulias, The National Museum, Grafill (Norwegian Organisation for Visual Communication), Astrup Fearnley Museum, Dank, Transcultural Arts Production (TrAP), Gyldendal, Ljå Forlag, Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Cappelen Damm, Dugurd, OlssønBarbieri, Flamme Forlag, Arts and Culture Norway, Morgenbladet, Affix, 10/10, Kolon Forlag, Ultima Music Festival, Bokvennen Litterær Avis (BLA) and Vinduet Literary Journal.
The House on the Hill
Jørn Aagaard
The House on the Hill features 40 photographs from the Ennis House in the hills of Los Feliz in Los Angeles and an essay by the architect and Editor-in-Chief of Real Review, Jack Self. "The original meaning of the word “speculate” is, “to observe from a vantage point”. In this sense, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House is the subject of speculation; designed in the Mayan revivalist style, the home is perched high on a hill overlooking Los Angeles. You could stretch the definition to say that Jørn Aagaard’s unexpected, accidental photographic access to the house in April 2019 was also an act of speculation. Over the centuries, “speculation” has slowly had its connection to sight blurred, coming to refer instead to imprecise conjecture. Yet in the world of finance, it has a highly specific meaning connected to risk management and profit. Basically, to speculate is to buy low and sell high – and the Ennis House has also been a remarkable example of this type of speculation." From essay by Jack Self on page 57.
2019