The making of hanging mobiles has long been a traditional craft in Scandinavia, but the story of the modern mobile began 60 years ago in Denmark when Christian Flensted made his first homemade mobile to celebrate the birth of his baby daughter. He cut out three storks from paper, mounted them on two straws and hung them over her cot.
The following year Christian and his wife Grethe founded their company, Flensted Mobiles, and before long Christian became known as the “Uromager” which, although almost impossible to translate into English, roughly means “maker of mischievous things that are always on the move.”
The success of their venture meant that in 1956 Christian Flensted gave up his job to devote his entire effort to the fledgling mobiles business and founded “The Stork’s Nest” in Tommerup where they stayed for about 15 years. By 1971, however, production had grown so much that new premises were needed, and they moved to the old school “Frederiksminde” near Brenderup, Funen, which is still the Flensted Mobile Centre today.
Back to the present day, and many thousands of mobiles later, Christian and Grethe’s son, Ole, along with his wife Aase, continue the family tradition, with ideas for new and original mobiles issuing regularly from their “Department of Space Research”. The mobiles continue to be made by hand by locals and each one is carefully assembled, expertly balanced, and skillfully packaged so they are ready to hang, right out of the box.
The collection of Flensted Mobiles ranges from colourful, playful designs for babies and children, including several based on the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, seasonal themes such as Christmas and Easter, to sleek, sophisticated pieces of kinetic art.
Flensted Mobiles have also collaborated with museums and galleries all over the world, making specially commissioned pieces inspired by art and sculpture for institutions such as Tate Modern, the Guggenheim Museum and Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Bauhaus Museum and Museum Jorn in Denmark.
Black Sheep mobile made for MOMA, NY
The company describe themselves as “bringing balance to the world through movement”, and their mobiles are designed so that the elements are in constant motion while the entire mobile maintains a harmonic balance. They say:
“A Flensted Mobile is made from a perfect combination of love, dedication and quality, bringing a unique design into your home – and helping you to unwind at the same time! Creating mobiles is not just our job, it is our life”.
You can find out more about the makers of these wonderful mobiles, see their entire range and find international retailers at www.flensted-mobiles.com, and in the UK online retailer www.driftliving.co.uk offers a very good selection.
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