Dancing with Danger

Comics were everywhere when Danger was growing up at home in Copenhagen, Denmark because his father worked as an illustrator. Danger followed the comic strips avidly rather than read books though he did make an exception for books about science, especially if they featured retro robots from the 1950s.

Years later, those two influences continue to loom large in his work with illustrations forming a fundamental part of his creative process and robots an unmistakeable presence. 

Last year, visitors to the Goldsmiths Fair were introduced to his unique gold and gemstone beekeeping collection, which demonstrated his talent for precision and a lovely sense of humour. 

It earned him a Best New Design Award and a Goldsmiths Graduate Bursary of £1500 which he promptly went out and spent - on gold. As a result, visitors to the 2017 Fair have been able to see his latest collection, featuring the stunning ”Weight Of The World On Our Shoulders" ring, a modern interpretation of greek god Atlas holding the world. 

It is made from 18 carat yellow, rose and white gold with a big Ethiopian opal and when it was first launched in June, made such an impression it was selected to feature in Ujin Lin’s acclaimed film Precious Mysteries to promote Goldsmiths Fair worldwide. It is one of the star exhibits in the Precious Mysteries exhibition at the entrance to this year’s Fair and will sell for around £15,000.

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Bee drawings form basis of dramatic design

His creative bent combines easily with a quick eye for an opportunity. His name is not really Danger - he was born Niels Sigsgaard Ranheimsaeter but was an accident prone kid who soon became known in local clinics and outpatients departments as ‘Danger’. The name stuck and became official when he came to London and started making and selling jewellery. As a brand, Max Danger is persuasive and he could see that such a simple shift would give his business a better chance in a highly competitive market.

A graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, Danger has a workshop in Camberwell, south London, which he shares with Korean ceramist Mimi Joung. Inevitably, he has again seized on this opportunity and is now experimenting with ceramics which has allowed him to expand his range and develop new ideas. 

Adding strings to his bow is part of the plan to turn head-turning potential into a fully fledged business, starting with a space where he can show and sell his collections. 

“Ideally I’d like to set up a shop or gallery at some stage because it helps if people can see these pieces - this robot ring has 108 separate pieces and you don’t appreciate that unless you see it up close.  When I first sketched it, the robots were standing holding the opal above their heads but I realised that the ring would either be too big or the robots would too small which is why they are now all sitting down on the rim but I really like it like this,” said Danger, who works part-time as a jewellery technician at London College of Fashion. 

“I love to target collectors because the idea of making production pieces doesn’t interest me too much. In this new collection, there are some remakes from last year and a number of new pieces.

"My main thing last year was bees but I didn’t just want to be known as the bee man so now I have done robots and am experimenting with ceramics and gold dust. This may be a hot new career.”