We have reclaimed our content from social media platforms and now use them simply as noticeboards pointing to the free and open internet. All future updates will be published here. You can also follow us, and anyone else you choose, in N55 SOCIAL MEDIUM. (work in progress)
The PUBLIC SPACE ROVER has returned to our studio after being on display in Hamburg, Germany, for some time. It needed a little restoration, but now it is in good shape again. It was originally presented at Kunsthal Aarhus, among other venues.
It is one of the works for which we have not yet completed the manual. We are working on it.
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The PUBLIC SPACE ROVER is a robot that can walk on six legs. It is designed to carry out tasks in public space, such as planting trees or tending a garden. Equipped with music and a dance programme, it could also start a party.
The project pushes the https://www.n55.dk/MANUALS/XYZNODES/xyznodes.html building system, which we also used to develop XYZ CARGO, to the extreme. It demonstrates that the system can actually be used to produce a functional robot.
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N55July 23, 2026
A new book mentioning our work arrived during the summer holidays. I happened to come across this update from Greenland Sagalands in Qaqortoq, Greenland, where one of our greenhouses is located.
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N55June 29, 2026
Watch our SPACEPLATES film in Full HD. Enjoy!
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N55June 14, 2026
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to join us for the launch of our new book on SPACEPLATES and the screening of the SPACEPLATES short film.
A special thank you to KADK (The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation) for generously lending us the café, and to The National Film School of Denmark for making their cinema available for the event.
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N55June 13, 2026
A wonderful person who was an intern at N55 nineteen years ago visited us and attended the presentation of the SPACEPLATES book and the SPACEPLATES short film.
The last time she saw my son Frode was nineteen years ago, when he was only three years old.
About Kythzia Barrera:
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Founder of Innovando la Tradición y Cooperativa Somos Barro 1050º (2009), both, successful organizations that support the development of pottery communities in Oaxaca, México. Kythzia's work playfully enhances the bridges between art-craft-design to foster social changes with a focus on sustainability. Honesty and open disclosure from the conventional and privileged designers position, shapes the essential part of Kythzia’s creative leadership as Head of Innovating Tradition and board member of cooperative 1050º. Designer of the Year, Mexico, 2013, México. The Outstanding Young Persons, 2013, Osaka, Japan. 2nd place William James Foundation Biz Plan Competition, 2013, Washington, USA.
It was a great pleasure to see her again after all these years.
kythziaJune 14, 2026
I feel so grateful to be back and see all the loving community that surrounds you. We will continue to do great things together! thank you for pushing the boundaries of living spaces.
N55June 13, 2026
And now to something completely different...
Theo and Jules have now finished painting and outfitting their XYZ CARGO TRUCK that we built for them. They sell tacos in Marseille, France, and have just held their first event with great success.
It is wonderful to see art become part of everyday life in this way, supporting a small sustainable business far away from Denmark.
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N55June 2, 2026
Everyone is welcome!
After 15 years of artistic and research-based work, we are pleased to invite you to the launch of the SPACEPLATES book and the premiere of a new short film about the project.
Anne Romme · Ion Sørvin (N55) · Anne Bagger
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SPACEPLATES explores how inspiration from nature can be used to create extremely lightweight structures while minimizing material use.
Thursday, 11 June, 16:00
The Royal Danish Academy Café, Copenhagen
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N55April 1, 2026
I have been awarded the lifelong honorary grant (hædersydelsen) from the Danish Arts Foundation.
I am grateful for this recognition. It means a lot to me.
I have always worked in collaboration with others, and I would like to thank everyone who has been part of it.
"Recommendation of Ion Sørvin for the Danish Arts Foundation’s Lifelong Honorary Grant
The Danish Arts Foundation’s Committee for Visual Arts hereby recommends Ion Sørvin for the Danish Arts Foundation’s lifelong honorary grant.
Since the 1990s, Ion Sørvin has occupied a central position in Danish and international contemporary art, among other things as co-founder of the art and design collective N55. Over decades, he has developed a groundbreaking, cross-aesthetic practice in which art, architecture and technology merge into concrete and freely accessible solutions, driven by a consistent collectivist and democratic ideology.
Ion Sørvin’s work is defined by a radical culture of sharing. Through open manuals and modular systems, he challenges conventional notions of ownership and sustainability. By insisting on the relevance of art outside institutional frameworks, he has shown how artistic thinking can function as a practical tool for rethinking the structures of society and our shared everyday life.
With a pronounced ethical and ecological awareness, Ion Sørvin has created systems that are both self-sufficient and transparent. His persistence has been of decisive importance for the development of socially engaged art in Denmark. He has served as a significant source of inspiration for generations of artists, architects and activists worldwide, thereby placing Danish contemporary art within an experimental, socially critical tradition.
For this many years of consistent work, we recommend Ion Sørvin for the Danish Arts Foundation’s lifelong honorary grant."
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N55March 1, 2026
Spring has arrived!
Two special bicycles for a non-profit greengrocer in Copenhagen distributing products from small-scale regenerative farms in Zealand, and a family bicycle with a child seat for a local family. Art as part of everyday life.
XYZ CARGO started in 2010 as a contribution to a public artwork N55 had been invited to create in Belgium. Together with Till, we developed the first bicycles. Today they are part of countless situations in all sorts of corners of society. We are proud of that.
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N55February 1, 2026
Here is a winter greeting from the new SPACEPLATES GREENHOUSE at the staffed playground on Hulgårdsvej in Nørrebro, Copenhagen. Anne Romme visited and took the photos.
Thanks to our collaboration partner Njord, SPACEPLATES moves out into the world and becomes part of many different situations, finding a place in the everyday lives of people. This is when working with art makes sense.
The publisher is currently putting the final touches on the SPACEPLATES book, and we are looking forward to it going to print.
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N55November 2, 2025
We’re proud to finally present our new website for the XYZ CARGO project. Check it out here:
We’ve been selected, together with Anne Romme, to develop a proposal for an art project for a nursing home in Odense Municipality. The competition is commissioned by Odense Municipality in collaboration with the Danish Arts Foundation.
The SPACEPLATES book, supported by the New Carlsberg Foundation, the Dreyers Foundation, and the Politiken Foundation, is nearly complete. We look forward to publishing it soon.
“PLAZA MOBILE” was realized this summer by N55 / Ion Sørvin and Till Wolfer and collaborators as part of “Verborgene Potenziale” in Hamburg.
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N55June 1, 2025
After much consideration, we have decided to address the issues surrounding the use of social media by putting a lot of effort into improving our presence on the open internet — for example through N55 HOME
Acknowledging that, like most other people and organisations, we are caught in the trap set by the tech giants, who have claimed a large share of society’s communication channels, we have nevertheless chosen to continue announcing news posted at n55.dk on Facebook and Instagram..
In this way, we hope to reach the people we wish to communicate with, while at the same time directing traffic back out to the open web.
Summer is here and so are the strawberries and the mackerel. We recently bought an old fishing boat and fish as part of our daily activities.
We are still working on the SPACEPLATES book And we recently had a visit at the studio from the film crew who are making a short film about SPACEPLATES. Furthermore, there is intensive work underway in Hamburg to realise our contribution to the project Verborgene Potenziale, a public art initiative aimed at revitalising the inner part of Hamburg. More about that later!
ion, N55
Images below:
Home-caught and smoked mackerel, our fishing boat, strawberries from the N55 garden, and a visit from a film crew in the studio.
Till went to the Fakultät Gestaltung der Hochschule Wismar to present our work: Talking about XYZ CARGO and all the other projects of N55 ... Plus guest-teaching a session on mobile sauna spaces:
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N55April 1, 2025
We have received grants from the New Carlsberg Foundation, the Dreyers Foundation and the Politikens foundation to publish a book about SPACEPLATES. Furthermore we have received funding from the Carlsberg Foundation for the production of an educational film about SPACEPLATES. The work will start soon.
We've been behind on publishing new manuals for years due to busyness. Now we've decided it's time to catch up. Here are some of them: (Many more coming soon). We are still working on upgrading the N55 HOME. Still a few broken links and photos with bad resolution. Will be fixed soon!
Art as a part of everyday life: When we work in our studio in Føns, Denmark, we also fish. We don't have a lot of land to grow things, so this is a way to get some food. Like people in this area have been doing for 10000 years.. Føns, Denmark, 2025
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N55March 12, 2025
Like most others, we have long relied on social media controlled by large American and Chinese corporations. This dominance is unhealthy, unsustainable, and harmful to our democracies and societies. However, these platforms have the advantage of being where most people already are. This creates a dilemma: either we collectively push for a transition to decentralised, open-source services, or we risk isolation. The process is underway, and we are carefully considering our next steps. For now, we will remain present on the corporate-controlled platforms while we build up our presence on alternative networks. N55,
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N55March 1, 2025
Here are some of the SPACEPLATES GREENHOUSES, that was built in 2024 and 2025, Produced by NJORD ApS, designed by N55/Ion Sørvin, Anne Bagger and Anne Romme:
SPACEPLATES GREENHOUSE, Public installation, Middelfart harbor, Denmark
Den Bemandede Legeplads (a public playground) in Nørrebroparken, Denmark
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N55March 1, 2025
News from the XYZ CARGO project:
Spring is here!
We believe that it matters where and how the things we use in our daily lives are produced. There are many parallels between what we do and the production of organic food.
We are currently building a network of local producers of XYZ CARGO both in the EU and the US. This saves transportation, builds local knowledge and employment. At the same time, producers pay taxes locally and support schools, hospitals and so on.
It's our way of growing. Horizontal growth as an alternative to vertical growth, which is destroying our planet. Let us know if you're interested in joining us! Here is some footage from our homemade N55 STUDIO in Føns, Denmark.
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N55February 13, 2024
We are currently working together on new projects in Till Wolfers studio in Hamburg. Soon we will start the development of a mobile museum for the PERCEIVE project. PERCEIVE is a three years research project part of EU programme Horizon. N55/ ion and Till
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N55February 6, 2024
SHELTER VILLAGE/ SHELTERLANDSBYEN, permanet public artwork, Fyn, Denmark 2023. In spring 2022 we won a competition after being invited by the Danish Arts Foundation, to design a group of shelters for Tarup-Davinde, a former gravel pit area. Shelters are established in nature these years in Denmark, by both private people and public organisations, for anyone to use. Hikers or families that wants to sleep outdoor together etc. Traditionally shelters like this are built from wood. But we have chosen a different approach on sustainability. The sleeping platform is made from from locally sourced larch wood, but the shelter itself is made from aluminium and recycled Acrylic. They are covered inside with a layer of local wool felt.. Morphologically inspired by the many sea urchin fossils to be found in the area, but translated into long lasting, durable, thin aluminum shells. by N55 (www.n55.dk) and @anne_romme, in collaboration with Anne Bagger. Help from Till Wolfer, @conorkcoughlan, @per_schandorff, @njord.green and David Babba The Project is funded by @statenskunstfond and Tarup Davinde I/S
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N55February 6, 2024
Neil Gershenfeld from MIT just visited the studio in Hamburg Neil is initiator of the world-wide Fab Lab Movement, director of MIT's Center For Bits And Atoms and a visionary mind in general.
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