My name is Ragnheiður Ösp.

I was born in Iceland in 1981. I grew up in a small town by the ocean in the southwest of Iceland. I come from a family of musicians so at age five I started my music career playing the recorder and later the piano and violin. I loved music and still do but my love for unique objects was stronger. I started collecting everything I could get my hands on from napkins to erasers. If I got a piece of candy in nice packaging, I would keep it for years just because it looked nice. All these little things I collected were my jewels and I still have most of them today.

I always knew I wanted to create something but product design first came to mind at a show in Reykjavik ‘99 featuring Mark Newson, Jasper Morisson and Michael Young. I figured I could be creating my own precious objects that would hopefully affect other people in the same way my collections of things affected me.

Studies

2001 Graduated from Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurnesja with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.
2002-2005 BA degree in Product design from Iceland Academy of Arts.
2006-2008 MA degree in 3D design from Cranbrook Academy of Arts.

Work

2005 Started Friday Fans with Ragnar Freyr Pálsson.
2005 Member of Front design studio (Reykjavík).
2008 Freelance product designer.
2008-2009 Cofounder and designer for Icelandic toy company fafu.
2008 Writer on art and design for Pressan.

Exhibitions

Group
2003 Garden furniture show at Húsasmiðjan, Reykjavík.
2003 Design/Marketing show, Hafnarhúsið, Reykjavík.
2004 Democratic Design, Gallery Hlemmur, Reykjavík
2004 Past/Present, Klink og Bank, Reykjavík.
2005 Graduation show, Kjarvalsstaðir, Reykjavík
2005 Brum, Iceland Design Week, Laugardalshöll, Reykjavík.
2006 Drawing on the Environment, Forum Gallery, Cranbrook Academy of Arts.
2006 Light show, Forum Gallery, Cranbrook Adacemy of Arts.
2006 Chair show, Forum Gallery, Cranbrook Academy of Arts.
2006 Chair show, Bob’s classic kicks, Detroit.
2007 Light show, Forum Gallery, Cranbrook Academy of Arts.
2007 100% Design Tokyo (Love Your Earth Exhibit)
2007 Seoul Design Week (Love Your Earth Exhibit)
2008 Design Democracy '08, ICFF.
2008 Cranbrook Graduation Exhibit, Cranbrook Art Museum.
2008 100% Design Tokyo (Iceland Booth).
2009 Birkiland exhibition, Heilsuverndarstöðin, Iceland DesignMars.
2009 Aarhus culture night, Aarhus, Denmark.
2010 Í Barnastærðum, Hafnarborg, Iceland.
2010 Náttúran í hönnun, Ljósfossavirkjun, Iceland.
2011 Warehouse/Vöruhús, DesignMarch, Iceland.
2011 Icelandic Design in Epal, Epal design store, DesignMarch, Iceland.
2011 European Design Exhibition "Sit Down Please", Teilmöbliert, Düsseldorf.

Solo
2005 Handmade plush, Aurum jewelry shop, Reykjavík.
2010 Careless, Reykjavík Culture Night, Kron, Reykjavík.

Awards and grants

2003 Finalist in Garden furniture contest for Húsasmiðjan, Iceland.
2006 Spring Spruce up winner, DesignSponge.
2007 Finalist in cooperation with Ragnar Freyr, Love your Earth Competition, DesignBoom.
2008 Finalist, Design Democracy '08, Context Furniture.
2009 Finalist, Japan Embassy essay contest.
2010 Project with Hönnunarsjóður Auroru for Í Barnastærðum, Hafnarborg.

Lectures

2009 About my work and studies, a lecture held for the graduating class in Product design, Iceland Art Academy.
2009 Pecha Kucha on Reykjavík culture night, Reykjavík Art Museum.
2009 Sætleiki/Cuteness, Málþing um Manga, Meðvitund og Markaðsfræði. A congress held in the honor of Yoshitomo Nara’s exhibition, Reykjavík Art Museum.

Featured

Books
Celebrating what's different
Hönnun, Auðlind til Framtíðar

Magazines and Newspapers
The Big Issue (Taiwan), Húsasmiðjan Magazine (Iceland), Morgunblaðið (Iceland), Atlantica (Iceland), Fréttablaðið (Iceland), Hús og Híbýli (Iceland), Creative Review (USA), Icon (UK), ReadyMade (USA), Iceland Review (Iceland), Tímarit Morgunblaðsins (Iceland), Plugged (Germany), вещь (Russia), власть денег (Russia), Coroflot Magazine (USA), Lantliv (Sweden), Hemslödjen (Sweden), Glamour Sweden (Sweden), Vikan (Iceland), Sumar (Iceland), Elle Interiör (Sweden)

Web
Core77, CoolHunting, Mocoloco, Treehugger, Design*Sponge, Designboom, IDFuel, we make money not art, Coudal Partners, inhabitat, dwell, Apartment Therapy.