The Historia Supellexalis: "N" for Netherlands

Netherlands

A Gulf; A Commonwealth; A Context

Modular lighting is a seldom encountered genre, and when it is encountered, then invariably in a very technical form, a form that implies the computer software has taken a greater role in the creative process than the designers understanding of form-giving,

There are however exceptions…..

304 by Nick Beens, as seen at Dutch Design Week Eindhoven 2017

Although as an event Dutch Design Week has always had a focus on presenting design in context, design in practice, our feeling is that of late that focus has intensified, something we thoroughly approve of as it helps make tangible that design is, can be, more than pretty objects; does however mean that you increasingly need to take more time with you to Eindhoven. Or accept that you are going to miss a lot of, potentially, interesting and thought provoking presentations.

Necessity meant that this year we followed option two.

But that still left us more than enough time to discover projects to get cross about, be confused by or simply quietly admire.

Or indeed vocally admire: our Dutch Design Week 2017 High Five!!

Dutch Design Week Eindhoven 2017: High Five!!

“Marcel Breuer seeing a pair of bicycle handle-bars decided to make chairs using the same industrial process”, notes Jasper Morrison in his text, The Poet will not Polish, “the new world constructor seeing a pair of bicycle handle-bars decides to use them as they are and save himself the trouble and expense of bending the tube.”*

On seeing an aluminium tube, Eindhoven based studio OS ∆ OOS followed, in many respects, a similar logic. The result is the Tunnel collection.

OS ∆ OOS @ Dutch Design Week Eindhoven 2017

As we believe we’ve noted before, the joy in that exhibition format in which designers present objects which are important and/or relevant to them, is that no matter how often it is repeated it is always new.

Same, same, but different.

For their 2017 show Dutch Invertuals are presenting collections of objects from 45 alumni which have an importance to/relevance for them, or which simply represent an object of wonder and inspiration to the relevant designer. And because it’s Dutch Invertuals they have taken things a step further and each collection is also the starting point for the development a personal container.

Exposing yourself and then using that as the basis for visibly enclosing yourself. A double encapsulation, If you will.

Dutch Invertuals - Fundamentals, Dutch Design Week Eindhoven 2017

“October is the month of painted leaves. Their rich glow now flashes round the world. As fruits and leaves and the day itself acquire a bright tint just before they fall, so the year near its setting. October is its sunset sky; November the later twilight”

Before Henry David Thoreau’s twilight comes, our five painted leaves, flashing their rich glow round the world from Nürnberg, Lausanne, Hamburg, Eindhoven and Barcelona.

5 New Design Exhibitions for October 2017

Miller Lounge Chair by Serener for Functionals, as seen Kazerne Eindhoven, Dutch Design Week 2016

Although one primarily goes to Kazerne Eindhoven to experience experimental, challenging, yet invariably accessible and pertinent design, during Dutch Design

Low Chair Tom Frencken, as seen at Dutch Design Week 2016. Here at the NRE Arena

It goes without saying that picking a “best of” from an event such as Dutch Design Week is impossible. Too

Stuttgart reißt sich ab Architekturgalerie am Weissenhof, Stuttgart

Our five recommendations for new design and architecture exhibitions opening in June 2016 feature four in Germany and one in

Studio Daphna Laurens present Prototipi @ Salone Satellite Milan 2016

Unbelievably, Eindhoven based design studio Daphna Laurens have never, ever, participated at Salone Satellite, that section of the Milan furniture

May is traditionally the month in which the furniture design industry starts winding down towards summer…. fortunately, because after Milan

February 2015 saw us break new ground and make our first visits to Munich Creative Business Week, the magnificently monikered

Unfold by Uli Budde for A.E. Koechert, Vienna

We were first introduced to the work of Berlin based designer Uli Budde when we saw his “Reading Table” project

BLOW vases by Ruben der Kinderen, as seen at Contemporary Creation Processes in Design at DAD Galerie Berlin

As we believe we’ve said before, and assume we will repeat in the future, contemporary Dutch design is largely, though

Kazerne Eindhoven bar dirk

As we noted in our post on the exhibition Open World at Kazerne Eindhoven, for a city that is often

Globe Project by Floris Wubben, as seen at DAD Berlin by Floris Wubben, as seen at DAD Berlin

Floris Wubben is a rare and precious being. Floris Wubben is a contemporary Dutch designer who didn’t study at Design

101.86 black Thomas Vailly & Laura Lynn Jansen, as seen at Dutch Invertuals - Body Language, Milan Design Week 2015

As a general rule, what you don’t say is more important than what you do say: your body language famously

Open World at Kazerne Eindhoven

As we’ve often noted/complained/mocked in these pages, for a town widely lauded as being the most creative in the universe,

Responsive Furniture Izabela Bołoz

Name: Izabela Bołoz Born: Wałbrzych, Poland Alma mater: University of Wrocław, Poland, University of Zurich, Switzerland & Design Academy Eindhoven,

Design from the Country of The Potato Eaters Designers meet van Gogh Noordbrabants Museum

Throughout 2015 some thirty European museums and cultural institutions will mark the 125th anniversary of Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh’s

Matter of Life Growing new Bio Art Design at MU Gallery Eindhoven

For a town which, we would assume, boasts the highest density of designers in Europe, and which hosts one of

Such was the quality of the new products we saw during our autumn tour they kept us going well into

……and continued over Budapest and on to Berlin – where amongst other delights we partook of the exhibitions Sensing the

August being holiday month our principle focus was board sports: Woody Skateboards for the summer and silbærg snowboards for the

Dutch Design Week 2014 Living Soil by Raya Stefanova Design Academy Eindhoven graduation

As older readers will be aware, one of our all time favourite projects is, was and probably always will be