Oda cuts happiness

Article from the Danish newspaper Børsen from January, 26 th 2007.
By journalist John Lindskog.

Among her customers the Danish designer Oda Wiedbrecht has the Japanese empress. Oda makes export of her quite special Danish art mobiles to the whole world.

Almost all know the situation: you are going to make a longer journey to foreign countries. You wish to give your host a memory, which also tells about Denmark. And you do not have room in your luggage for the model of the Danish sculpture “The little Mermaid” or the Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen’s total works. A brilliant idea might be a beautiful mobile.

I have used this good tip for years and have had the pleasure of seeing the mobiles hanging in the windows when I visited the families years later.

People in foreign countries do not know much about paper mobiles. Therefore they are really admired – as a very Danish speciality.

Making mobiles is only for the few. It is a hard process because the creative and mechanical work is only for a specialist.

Oda Wiedbrecht in Randers, Denmark, is one of the greatest and most well-known. Oda has export to the whole world. Her mobiles and cards are an absolute MUST, when American cruise tourists visit Illum’s Bolighus or Royal Copenhagen in Copenhagen. The mobiles are Danish, beautiful and bring happiness.

Handmade art mobiles
Every mobile is a little piece of art. The most difficult mobile is put together from 128 small parts. When Oda has made a new mobile, punching tools are made for every little part.

Oda is the owner of 2 original Heidelberg-punching machines. These machines punch the parts for the mobiles. Every mobile and card are put together by hand.

“A great inspiration comes from my own childhood. My grandfather was a tailor and I started cutting with his scissors as a child. In my grandparents home I always found warmth and security. Even today I still find inspiration from their home and great garden, as I remember it from my childhood. The house was yellow with green painted windows. This house and garden are often represented in my mobiles.”

Inspiration
Inspiration from nature Oda finds in front of her windows. Privately Oda lives in a small village with a swan lake.

“A friend once said to me: When you have made your mobile no. 100, your fantasy is empty. You have no more ideas. At the moment I have 650 numbers and more to come. I have designed my mobiles for nearly 30 years and I am happy that my fantasy still works”.

In 2004 the Danish mail services asked Oda to make their spring mobile with snowdrops – a special Danish tradition. The mobile was sold to the number of 25.000 pieces.