Posts filed under ‘Media’
The Cooper Union Promotes Russian Architecture. Why?
The School of Architecture at Cooper Union promotes Russian architecture in the midst of the Ukrainian Village in Manhattan. I argue that they should stop doing so, and instead support the war-torn nation. My opinions in bold.
Statements by Ukrainians on Cooper Union’s Facebook page here (1/18/23).
Read my first op-ed here (1/21/23) and the version edited by Archinect here (1/25/23).
Read Cooper Union’s statements here (1/12/23), here (1/25/23), here (2/6/23) here (2/6/23), and here (2/7/23).
The reaction from Architect’s Newspaper here (1/26/23) and here (2/2/23).
The reaction from Archinect here (1/26/23) and here (2/7/23)
The reaction from ARTnews here (1/30/23) and here (2/7/23).
The reaction from Hyperallergic here (1/31/23).
The reaction from Dezeen here (2/2/23) and here (2/7/23).
Open letter in support of the Vkhutemas exhibition in Art and Education here (2/1/23).
Statement from PEN America here (2/2/23).
The reaction from Curbed here (2/6/23).
The reaction from Artforum here (2/6/23)
The reaction from The Art Newspaper here (2/6/23).
The reaction from New York Times here (2/7/23).
The reaction from Voice of America (in Russian) here (2/8/23).
The reaction from The Eastern Herald (India) here (2/8/23).
Read my answer to criticisms in an op-ed in Kyiv Post (Ukraine) here (2/8/23).
The reaction from Klassekampen (Norway) here or [PDF] (2/10/23) here (2/14/23), here (2/18/23), with my reply here (2/24/23).
The reaction from Document (Norway) here (2/13/23).
Livet er best ute

Livet er best ute: Friluftslivets historie og filosofi, (Oslo: Kagge Forlag, 2022)
Livet er best ute. Eller er det egentlig det, spør Peder Anker i denne boken om friluftslivets historie og filosofi. Med friluftslivet som et utgangspunkt forteller Anker om våre uartikulerte verdier og tradisjoner, slik de ser ut fra fjellet, skogen og svaberget. For lengselen etter friluftslivet er det vi har felles, mener han.
Denne boken har han skrevet for alle de som synes livet er best ute. Leseren trenger ikke noen andre egenskaper for å bli med på å utforske hva friluftslivet er for noe. Anker tar leseren med på en personlig vandring igjennom friluftslivets historie, kultur og filosofi. Det er en tur i et mykt lettgått terreng, med en og annen utfordrende skrent. For det må til for å nå fjellets topp. Der får leseren hvile sine tanker ved varme kilder. Selv om turen er rimelig enkel, så er den på ingen måte ufarlig. Det er mektige motkrefter som undergraver friluftslivet, påpeker Anker, både i oss selv og i samfunnet rundt oss. Friluftslivet er truet. Denne boken søker derfor å fornye og utfordre, med vekt på naturvern.
Kjøp boken i din lokale bokhandel, på Norli, Haugen Bok, eller rett fra Kagge Forlag.
Bla i boka
Les de første 30 sidene gratis her.
Omtale
Emil L. Mohr, “Tilbake til naturen,” Dagens Næringsliv, 22 oktober 2022. [PDF side 1-2, PDF side 3]
Vemund Sveen Finstad, “Et spørsmål om vern”, Aftenposten: Historie, 8 sept. 2022.
Maria Birkeland Olerud, “Drømmen om Kristi gjenoppstandelse ble hetende bærekraftig utvikling,” Vårt land, 28 juli, 2022. [PDF]
Runar Larsen, “Jul med din leseglede,” VG: Magainset Reiselyst, 9 desember, 2022.
Anmeldelser
Anders Horntvedt, “Selfies, fjellyoga og profittjagende hyener,” Finansavisen, 3 februar, 2023. [PDF]
Rolf Kjøde, “Friluftsromantikk mot fritidskapitalisme,” For Bibel og Bekjennelse, 6 september, 2022.
Tom Hetland, “Norsk friluftsglede sett frå New York,” Stavanger Aftenblad, 21 august, 2022. [PDF]
Espen Søbye, “Er nå livet egentlig best ute?” Morgenbladet, 5 august, 2022. [PDF]
Podkast
“Den norske miljødebatten” Historier som endred Norge, 20 mars, 2023.
“Livet er best ute” Ideer, Tankesmien Agenda, 17 februar, 2023, med Hilde Nagel.
“Friluftslivets filosofi og motstraums reiselyst” Litteraturhuset i Bergen, 23 august, 2022, med Gunnar Garfors og moderert av Margunn Vikingstad.
Utdrag
“Hold kjeft stedet,” Vagabond reiselyst, 10 (2022), 51. [PDF].
“Jeg har revet varder. Mange av dem,” Harvest magazin, 16 juli 2022. [PDF]
Bokbad og presentasjoner
Bokbad, Norsk Sjømannskirke, New York, Dec. 7 2022.
Bokbad, Norsk skogmuseum, Elverum, Nov. 24 2022.
Bokbad, Akademika bokhandel, Bø i Telemark, Nov. 23 2022.
Institutt for friluftsliv, idrett og kroppsøving, Universitetet i sørøst Norge, Bø i Telemark, Nov. 23 2022.
Østfoldmuseene, Halden, Nov. 7. 2022.
Boklansering, Oslo, 17 august, 2022.
TV
NRK Kveldsnytt, 15 august, 2022.
NRK Nyhetsmorgen, 8 august, 2022.
Radio
NRK Hordaland, 23 august, 2022.
NRK P2-Pulsen, 21 juli, 2022.
Greenhouse Book Talk: The Power of the Periphery
Environmental Humanities Book Talk: The Power of the Periphery, The Greenhouse, University of Stavanger, Nov. 2, 2020.
Book Talk: The Power of the Periphery
Book Talk: The Power of the Periphery: How Norway became an Environmental Pioneer for the World. Institute for Public Knowledge, New York University, Oct. 6 2020.
In conversation with Eric Klinenberg. Recording on YouTube
Ecology in Design: In Conversation
Ecology in Design: In Conversation with Nina Edwards Anker and Peder Anker.

The American Scandinavian Society with Garette Johnson. June 24 2020.
Design with Life Discussion
Collapse: Climate, Cities & Culture Berlin
The COLLAPSE: CLIMATE, CITIES and CULTURE exhibition focuses on the design/artist community’s response to environmental urgency, using architectural models, design prototypes, drawings, and art to frame and advance this vitally important conversation. We will contrast and compare examples of design from central Europe to show efforts to find solutions for our current state of planetary peril. The practices and projects selected for this exhibition come from different disciplines and operate at multiple scales, in a range of forms—constructed works, materials and systems research, community development, and speculation. These diverse projects are joined by their shared focus on improving the health and well-being of our fragile planet and all of its occupants. Design will help to determine how we face our current and future collapse.
Berlin NYU at St. Agnes, Alexandrinenstraße 118
June 6-July 11, 2019.
Bauhaus Centenary Interview
Bauhaus Centenary interview for Deutsche Welle (DW News), Jan 2nd 2019.
Collapse: Climate, Cities & Culture
COLLAPSE: CLIMATE, CITIES & CULTURE focuses on the design community’s response to environmental urgency, using architectural models, design prototypes, drawings, and videos to frame and advance this vitally important conversation. COLLAPSE is not a dystopian future-scape, but is in fact our “right now.” The Directors of Global Design NYU believe that designers must join or initiate interdisciplinary efforts to find solutions for our current state of planetary peril.
COLLAPSE estimates that one species goes extinct every seven minutes and this rate may be up to 1000 times faster than evolutionary norms. In our exhibit design, the empty cages represent loss, or voids, in our natural world. They are like coffins for species whose graves we will never know, whose lives we will never learn about. The exhibit design also features over a ton and a half of e-waste, lent to us by environmental waste management company. E-waste (products with batteries or cords) contain poisonous heavy metals, chemical flame retardants, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). As our world becomes more interconnected, our production of e-waste is skyrocketing. Interconnectivity may save the planet in some ways, but its harm is already evident.
The practices and projects selected for this exhibition come from a myriad of disciplines and operate at multiple scales, in a range of forms—constructed works, materials and systems research, community development, speculation, and philosophy. These diverse projects are joined by their shared focus on improving the health and well-being of our fragile planet and all of its occupants. Design will help to determine how we face our current and future collapse.
The show featured contributions from more than thirty designers, including AGENCY, Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Alexander Felson, Anna Bokov, Anna Dyson, Archi-Tectonics, Architecture and Urban Design Lab, Axel Kilian, BiotA Lab, Carl Skelton, DESIGN EARTH, Experimental Architecture Group, Fernanda Canales, Forrest Meggers, Ghiora Aharoni Design Studio, Harrison Atelier, Jenny Sabin Studio, Julia Watson Studio REDE, Karen Holmberg, Maider Llaguno-Munitxa, Mark Foster Gage Architects, Mark Shepard and Moritz Stefaner, MASS Design Group, Mathur/Da Cunha, Mitch McEwen, NADAAA, nea studio, Nurhan Gokturk, Patrick Nash, pneumastudio/Cathryn Dwyre + Chris Perry, Rhett Russo, School of the Earth, SITE @ Princeton University, SO-IL, Terreform ONE, WXY, and Young & Ayata
Global Design NYU, Collapse: Climate, Cities & Culture, directed and curated by Peder Anker, Louise Harpman, Mitchell Joachim, The Gallatin Galleries NYC, June 12-29, 2018.
Seminar, Center for Architecture, 6-8pm, Oct. 3, 2018,
The London Bauhaus Designed a Socialist Utopia for Penguins
The 20th-century German design movement is often associated with tubular chairs and streamlined workspaces, but the Bauhaus was invested in the natural kingdom from the start.
“The London Bauhaus Designed a Socialist Utopia for Penguins,” interviewed by Erin Schwartz for the Garage Magazine, Feb. 5th, 2018.