Royal Institute of Art has talked to some of the BFA students who exhibited at Marabouparken in Stockholm in early summer 2024. This fall, the students have begun their first year of the MFA program. Read about their work, process and practice in this digital interview series. Exhibition images and program from the bachelor exhibition can be found here.
What is your background in art, and why did you choose to apply to the Royal Institute of Art?
In parallel with my work as a product designer, I have often created fairly time-consuming and extensive projects that have been in the intersection between art, design and architecture. Applying to the Royal Institute of Art was a natural step for me – an opportunity to deepen and develop my artistry through craft and theoretical guidance.
What has your study time looked like so far, and how has it been combined with other commitments?
It took me a while to find my place and get into my studies, but once I did, I particularly enjoyed the workshops at the school. I realised that themes that interest me – such as pop culture, nostalgia, and archival work – are great to work on artistically. I cherish democratic values in art and culture, so the freedom to create for the masses became and continues to be important for me and my work.
The education at Mejan is so free that I have been able to work with art projects both within and outside the framework of the studies. The outside projects, big and small, have been invaluable to my artistic development, even if they have extended the days in the studio and my (already long) to-do list.
Tell us a bit more about Tokyobuild.
In 2018, I made my first trip to Tokyo, which was also the starting point for Tokyobuild.
The trip was originally intended as an inspirational trip for a clothing brand I was working with, but my fascination for Tokyo’s architecture and structure soon took over. It was mainly the everyday, seemingly banal things that caught my attention. To process these impressions, I started creating portraits of Tokyo’s simplest, most common houses. I documented the work on social media, where followers could follow my process through problem solving and failures. Tokyobuild quickly gained a lot of attention and grew in popularity in a short time. You can see more here.
What’s next?
I have been invited to participate in an exhibition at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Godzilla movie. As one of seven artists, I will show what the movies have meant to me. It’s especially exciting because I love the movies, and been given free rein to use props and photographic material from the production sites. Apparently there is enough material to fill three large warehouses, so the potential to create something really good is huge.
Selection of articles about Christopher Robin Nordström and Tokyobuild:
Alice Fischer, Lovingly reconstructed miniatures of Tokyo houses, The Guardian, 2024.
After Five, Christopher hits social media with tiny Tokyo houses, TV4, 2024.
James Davies, Into the Miniature World of TokyoBuild, Tokyo Weekender, 2022.
