The book What Can You Live Without? Wenche Selmer’s Cabins accompanies the exhibition on the work of the Norwegian architect Wenche Selmer (1920–1998), often designed and conceived in partnership with her husband Jens Selmer (1911–1995).
For Selmer, a cabin was more than a building project – it was an ideal for architecture in general and a metaphor for the good and simple life.
Wenche Selmer developed a distinctive architectural language that was poetic and generous at the same time as it was almost mercilessly plain. She often described her projects as insignificant. Behind the facade of what she called 'the little wooden house', the projects were unmistakably modern, with open and functional floor plans and a use of space reduced to the bare minimum.
The book What Can You Live Without? Wenche Selmer’s cabins consists of texts and photo essays about Selmer’s cabins. The main section explores the different parts of the cabins—such as roofs, windows, floors, and fireplaces—and is written by practicing architects. Author Amalie Lerstang writes about the longing for a cabin, while photographer Max Creasy has documented many of Selmer’s cabins as they appear today. In addition, the book includes several previously unpublished images from the family’s own photo archive, often photographed by Jens Selmer.
- Language: English
- Format: Softcover
- Pages: 127
- Size: 23,4 x 31,5 cm
- Author: Martin Braathen, Marte Nødtvedt Skjæggestad, Jan Olav Jensen, Joakim Skajaa, Beate Hølmebakk, Mira Hahn, Stina Molander Skavlan, Amalie Kasin Lerstang, Kristian Wikborg Wiese (eds.)
- Publication Year: 2026
- Publisher: The National Museum (Nasjonalmuseet)
- ISBN: 9788281541757
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