Outside Scandinavia we treat Nordic and Scandinavia interchangeably.
So, the first thing to keep in mind is the difference between Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark united by a root language) and Nordic ones (Scandinavians plus Finland and Iceland). When I learned that Finland was not Scandinavian I was shocked at my ignorance).
So this exhibit asked questions Nordics to describe what the Nordic model is about. What has it meant so far?WHat will it mean in the future?
One key element that is emphasize its the social dimension of the model: the focus fair prosperity with ambitious and unapologetic social investments. The exhibition used nordic architecture as one of the visual channels for conveying the nordic identity. Simple, functional, with a social mission. So it showed many examples of beautiful public spaces and buildings such as public libraries, concert halls, public schools where the point is to attract people who don't have to pay to be there. There is of course the broader topic of cities: how do we invest in liveable cities where the public and private interact.
One feature example was of course the Opera House in Oslo (see past entry) and the focus on a open architecture where the public is invited to come, where the building communicates an openess as opposed to "exclusivity" that you see in ultra-luxurious hotels that you see in many other countries where only certain customers (and wallets) are welcome.
