Finding Ourselves in the Objects Around Us: A Reflection on 3daysofdesign 2025

Copenhagen’s most significant design festival – 3daysofdesign – returned this June with a theme that felt particularly resonant: Keep It Real. The festival’s call for authenticity, humanity, and originality provided the perfect backdrop for our dual exploration of identity through collectible design. Over three days, June 18-20, ADORNO presented two interconnected exhibitions that challenged visitors to see themselves reflected in the objects around them. Persona and 15 Minutes of Fame offered complementary perspectives on what it means to be human, to be seen, and to be authentic.

Persona: The Multitudes We Contain

“No one is defined by a single trait; we are constellations of moods, contradictions, and inner worlds.”

Persona emerged from a simple yet profound premise: that furniture and objects can serve as mirrors for the self. Rather than reducing people to their most visible traits, this exhibition offered permission to be multifaceted. The exhibition unfolded across distinct yet interconnected spaces, each reflecting a different facet of human personality – The Perfectionist, The Eccentric, and The Romantic. Visitors encountered the precision of discipline in one room, the spark of joyful rebellion in another, and the warmth of sensual introspection in a third. But these weren’t rigid categories—they were fluid states that acknowledged how identity shifts with time, context, and emotional landscape.

What made Persona particularly powerful was its embrace of maximalism—not as excess, but as richness. The exhibition celebrated the contradictions, textures, and desires that make us human. Even the most exacting perfectionist might harbor tender fantasies or flashes of whimsy, layers that surface only through curiosity, vulnerability, or the comfort of good company.

The Perfectionist

The Eccentric

The Romantic

15 Minutes of Fame: The Ritual of Recognition

“What does it mean to be seen?”

While Persona explored the enduring nature of identity, 15 Minutes of Fame offered a counterpoint through the lens of performance and ephemerality, drawing inspiration from both Andy Warhol’s prescient observation about fame and the animated worlds of childhood. Every fifteen minutes, a single lamp was ceremoniously plugged in and illuminated. For those fleeting moments, it became the star of the room – radiant, singular, fully seen. The installation captured the rhythms of recognition: the thrill of anticipation, the intensity of the spotlight, and the return to stillness.

But this wasn’t pointedly about fame. It was about potential. Each lamp, even when switched off, possessed its own sculptural presence and personality. They didn’t need to perform to be beautiful and valued. The installation invited visitors to slow down, to observe, and to find meaning in each interval. Visitors found themselves contemplating deeper questions about visibility, recognition, and the desire to be witnessed.

Beyond the Festival

Both exhibitions aligned perfectly with 3daysofdesign’s Keep It Real theme, but they approached authenticity from different angles. Persona celebrated the authentic self in all its complexity, while 15 Minutes of Fame examined how we perform authenticity in our quest for recognition. Together, they created a dialogue about what it means to be human when artifice dominates. They suggested that collectible design can be more than aesthetic – it can be psychological, emotional, and deeply personal.

As Copenhagen’s design week concluded, we reflected on what it means to present work that asks viewers to see themselves. Rather than focusing solely on function and form, Persona and 15 Minutes of Fame prioritized feeling and recognition. They reminded us that the most powerful design doesn’t just solve problems—it reveals truths about the human experience.

The conversations extend far beyond Copenhagen. Visitors left asking different questions: not just “What does this do?” but “What does this say about me?” The exhibitions gave people permission to be complex, to be seen, and to be authentically human—a gift that feels both necessary and powerful.

Participating Designers