DDW would not be DDW without the many universities, academies, studios, and partners that present fantastic projects during the week every year. Spread over eight different areas throughout Eindhoven, you can see work by new and established designers. Not to be missed locations include the Graduation Show 2021 of the Design Academy Eindhoven and Objects for a New Kind of Society in Dutch Invertuals at Area Station, the many design studios at Sectie-C, locations downtown like Kazerne and Alissa + Nienke in NUL ZES, and of course Piet Hein Eek and their brand new hotel at Strijp T+R.
Klokgebouw & Ketelhuisplein
The Klokgebouw opens this edition with a voyage of discovery through the ideas of former Government Architect and DDW ambassador Floris Alkemade. The technical universities also present their work here, under the name Design United. You will see a cross-section of the work at the intersection of scientific research, technology, and design. On Ketelhuisplein, artist Arne Hendriks presents his project Hara Hachi Bu, a small village where people practice “design less, produce less and consume less”. The Exploded View can also be seen on the square. This house was designed by Lucas de Man's Nieuwe Helden (New Heroes) and built entirely from biobased materials.
It's in our nature @ Klokgebouw
It's in our nature explores the relationship between humans and nature. We zoom in on the solutions that can be found in nature, the greatest source of inspiration when it comes to adaptability. Many designers work together with nature on a microscopic scale. Emma van der Leest is developing a bio-coating of fungi, Living Color colours textiles with bacteria, and Fillip Studios x OMLAB converts waste material from the sewer into sculptures that recalibrate nature.
We also zoom out. We look critically at the 'nature of the beast', of ourselves as human beings. Can we attune our drive for progress to the nature around us? Because how ethical is it actually to design with living material? And is it tenable to always place humans as a species above nature instead of being part of it? The works of, among others, Lux Nautelis, Daniëlle Ooms, Loes Voermans, Baltan Laboratories x Mediamatic and Mies Loogman x Rathenau Instituut reflect on this.
One size won't fit all @ The Embassy of Inclusive Society at Ketelhuisplein
The Embassy of Inclusive Society advocates a more diverse and inclusive design field. At DDW, we offer space to projects and designers that match this. A selection from the exhibition: Angel-Rose Oedit Doebés' project with the catchy title I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE THE CONFIDENCE OF A MEDIOCRE WHITE GUY, the confrontational installation Feeling of Otherness by Lydienne Albertoe about the representation of people of colour in Dutch children's books, the interactive installation 3ncrypt Me by Janine Zielman on the algorithmic inconsistencies of facial recognition software and how to get around them, and Karim Aducchi's collaboration with The World Makers Foundation, Social Distancing Fabric, a joint embroidery project of 200 refugees during the corona pandemic.
Things that matter @ Microlab Hall
Things that matter focuses on the relationship between man and object. What is still valuable with so many products at your fingertips? And how do you, as a maker, design that value? DDW ambassador Christien Meindertsma, together with interactive designers Joel Gethin Lewis and Reza Ali, presents a spectacular interactive installation called Sharing Elements. In this, Meindertsma investigates how much we are physically connected to the world around us. A selection from the program: Waard from Studio Nienke Hoogvliet on the development of the emotional and financial value of products, DDA-nominated project Het Circulair Warenhuis by Stichting Kringloopbedrijf Het Warenhuis, Popma ter Steege Architecten, Buro Bordo and Raw Color, the injection moulded chair REX by Ineke Hans with new Dutch design label Circuform, which you take back to the store after use, and the Things that Matter-bag by Elisa van Joolen, made from recycled melted plastic from disposable bags; a bag that you can only borrow.
Cabinet of collaborations @ Fuutlaan Hall
Cabinet of collaborations is an exhibition that focuses on the power of collaborative projects between designers and industry, designed and co-curated by Envisions and Studio Rick Tegelaar. An XXL conversation table will be set up in the middle of the exhibited works, where designers and the industry will engage in various talks.
Participating collaborations include PiLab x Sioux Technologies, Stella Verdult x Kendix, Kranen/Gille x Best Wool, Simone Post x Cor Unum and Vincent Schwenk x Microsoft.
The above projects and exhibitions are just a small selection of the DDW programme. The complete programme overview can be found at www.ddw.nl.
Dutch Design Week (DDW) presents a wide range of challenging and current design projects from 16 to 24 October. The overarching theme is The Greater Number​​ - the search for the better number. Where are we headed after such a rough time? The programme's focus, explored in four sub-themes, is on the speculative idea and research as well as on the end product and concrete solutions to problems. This focus is reflected in exhibitions at Klokgebouw, Microlab Hall and Fuutlaan Hall locations. In addition, DDW pays a lot of attention to the young talent and studios, universities, and partners that show their designs throughout Eindhoven.
