Swedish furniture meets German opera

“The secret of IKEA’s success” (Economist, February 26, 2011)


Ikea is known for its collection of affordable contemporary design home furnishings. When it comes to larger items, one key component to its cost (and profitability) structure is efficient packaging which also makes the company environmentally friendly. This appeals to many markets, but Germany in particular.

 According to this article, Germany accounts for 15% of all sales. Ikea “has become part of German culture: in 2009 a Hamburg theatre staged an opera about it, “Wunder von Schweden” (“Miracle from Sweden”), a biography of the ‘furniture messiah’ set to Swedish folk tunes.”

Does anyone else have an example of a global commercial success which has resulted in the creation of a work of performance art?