Design weeks are part of the daily grind of our profession.

For those outwith the industry it all just looks like jaunting off to another exotic sounding location and going to a lot of cocktail parties with unfeasibly gorgeous and entertaining people.

For others it may be.

For us it’s early mornings, heavy rucksacks, lots of polite small talk, little food, lots of walking, lots of avoiding polite small talk, late nights. And we generally have to buy our own beer. Which we typically drink while typing up interviews and checking photographs. Except of course during our annual visit to Gasthaus Gruber in Vienna.

Design weeks are also about forging and maintaining contact with designers, professors, producers, galleries and all those other industry people we rely on to work. No contacts. No stories.

So busy. But fun.

Its fair to say that there isn’t a design week we don’t enjoy, and each has not only its own charms but also its own good years and bad years.

And for us 2011 was a good year in Eindhoven.

Eindhoven as a city isn’t that interesting, attractive or inspiring.

We’ve gotta be honest.

It just look like a boring industrial town that has lost its industry but whose citizens have managed to find work elsewhere.

Which is what it is.

Eindhoven has however been remarkably successful in holding onto the Eindhoven Design Academy graduates. Largely because it offers them affordable space in which to work. Largely because of the aforementioned industrial collapse.

The result is the most remarkable network of highly talented, motivated and innovative designers who all learn from and feed off one another.

And this year that we really felt that.

But it wasn’t just the local talent who were on good form this year, there was also an awful lot of interesting and thought provoking projects from international designers on display.

And while we saw good and interesting projects in Vienna, Berlin, Stockholm, Milan etc…  in our opinion Eindhoven 2011 just had a higher concentration of such.

If we did have one criticism it would be the insistence of many venues of only publishing information material in Dutch.

Yes, its called Dutch Design Week.

Is however an international festival. And there is nothing more pointless than standing in front of something and not having the faintest idea if its good or not because you can’t read the information material.

And so for 2012 – a little more English would be a thoughtful aid to all us non-Dutch speakers.

Our Design Week Year 2012 begins in a couple of days, and promises a couple of new festivals.

It’ll be interesting to see who tops the poll come December.

It's about creating a caring society.... just don't ask us how. The Stadhuis exhibition was one of the worst cases of mono-lingualism in Eindhoven

Dutch Design Week Eindhoven 2011

Every year at Dutch Design Week we always take time out to escape the design circus and visit Area 51 Skate Park.

Because even if it does make us feel really old; Area 51 probably has more to do with design than a lot of what we see at most designer furniture trade fairs throughout the year.

Established in 2002 – so one year after Dutch Design Week – Area 51 is 3000 sqm metres of landscaped wood inside an old industrial building on the former Philips estate where youngsters can skate and blade in safety.

Not safety as in “not hurting themselves”. But as in “not getting hassled by a society that thinks it knows better”.

For just as graffiti isn’t if its on an official wall and off-piste skiing isn’t if you get there by helicopter; skateboarding belongs on the street.
We don’t think anyone could disagree with that.

Bizarrely many do.

Inside Area 51, however,the kids can test their skills without having to worry about getting told off. A bit like a designer in their atelier can experiment without having to worry about getting told off.

Area 51 Skate Park Eindhoven

It’s fair to say that most of the skaters in Area 51 are never likely to challenge the supremacy of Tony Hawkes, or whoever the modern skate stars are.

But that’s not the point.

It’s about having fun in doing something, it’s about community feeling and being part of a group.

A popular prejudice amongst the more conservative sections of society is that skate kids just hang about making noise.

Look deeper and you’ll see individuals trying to achieve something. Failing. Trying again. Failing. Trying again. Failing. Trying again.
And then suddenly it sits.
And it all seems so easy and you wonder where the problem was.

Now if that ain’t a metaphor for the design process. Or indeed the writing process.

Area 51 Skate Park Eindhoven: Even Australians are alllowed in.....

And then after half an hour dreaming with the kids, Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life came over the stereo.

While the youth rocked out to the subversive promise of endless freedom being prophesied by a youthful Iggy; we had the nightmare vision that is a bare chested, 60-something Mr Pop selling car insurance in a British TV advert.

And realised  that it was time to return to the curated and structured world we now call home.

All around Area 51 Strijp S is turning into the sort of area one expects from former industrial premises on the edge of major cities. The lofts are there. And the architects offices and pricey coffee shops.

In the midst of all this exclusive and expensive development Area 51 reminds us that responsible city planning, responsible urban design, needs space for all groups. All members of society. Even teenagers in woolly hats and lumberjack shirts.

Obviously in his old age our colleague with the camera is getting a little slower.

He’d only just recovered from the shock of getting photographed by Christoffer Martins at the Nils Holger Moormann “Hölle von Aschau” race day: when in drops another snap of him pushing the limits of design photography. And his own physical capabilities.

Snapped with an iPhone by Eindhoven photographer Kasper van‘t Hoff while documenting the “Great Taste for Waste” exhibition in Kasper’s Klokgebouw atelier, the photo is delightful study of the effort involved in creating the (smow)blog.

And why our laundry bills are so high.

Many thanks to Kaspar for the shot!

Photographing "Great Taste for Waste" at Dutch Design Week 2011. Bet you wish you'd kept your hat on son....

One of our highlights at Dutch Design Week 2010 was Made Out Portugal #1, and so logically we were keen to see how the project had developed over the past 12 months.

At the most obvious level, in comparison to their first show the project has expanded and now includes Portuguese designers who aren’t based in Holland.

Which was of course one of the aims of the project, to create a network of exiled Portuguese designers. And so in that sense the project certainly appears to be moving in the correct direction.

In addition one could also see their stand inside the Klokgebouw, one of the major Dutch Design Week exhibition spaces, as a move up from last years show in the more informal space at Smalle Haven.

Although if we’re honest we would have preferred if they had continued with their “Exhibition in a Van” concept from DMY Berlin. But sometimes one must think about how one best reaches the target audience.

Amongst the works on display, what really impressed us was seeing the first cork products.

As a country Portugal might have no money. But is does have cork.

And if the Portuguese farmers are more sensible than the Portuguese bankers, it will always have cork.
And so if the country’s young designers can help the cork producers discover new markets, then they can do their bit to help correcting the country’s economy.

Which is of course one of the jobs of product designers.

Among the works on display Corkmatters Lamp by Tiago Sá da Costa was the one that we think has the best chance to establish itself on the market.

Elsewhere it was good to see a new development of the Dock Lamp by Manuel Amaral Netto. The Desk Dock Lamp is based on the same principle as the floor version, but for us makes a little more sense in the desk version.

Turning off the lamp at the end of the day becoming a truly satisfying process. Much more definitive than simply pushing a switch. Which is the sort of interaction that appeals to us.

Bruno Carvalho sadly hadn’t extended his site specific furniture collection to include the Klokgebouw, but his Tempelhof Lamp remains a monumental piece of work, and his Magic Carpet Lamp, although somewhat older is still a truly fresh piece of work which it was a real joy to see.

It is conceivable that in the future life will be become even harder for young designers than it currently is.

As such we are all in favour of designers joining together to form loose platforms from which to both promote their work and build networks from which all can benefit.

Especially those designers from countries that are not necessarily on most people’s radars.

Which is of course also a reason why we were so glad to see Look to Norway at Designers’ Open.

And why we will continue to follow the development of Made Out Portugal.

More details can be found at www.madeoutportugal.com

Inspiration for a design exhibition can come from the most unlikely of places.

Even the rubbish your dog picks up and brings home.

Kasper van ‘t Hoff’s black lab Gus likes to pick up rubbish and bring it home.

Rather than throw it away, Kaspar keeps the rubbish and photographs it.

Kasper van ‘t Hoff is a photographer. So it’s not weird.

If he wasn’t it would be.

One day Kasper told ceramic artist Marina Relou about Gus and both agreed that he should be honoured for his contribution to helping keep Eindhoven litter free.

Rather than a monument the project “Great Taste for Waste” was born in which Kasper van ‘t Hoff, Marina Relou and a couple of colleagues approached the subject of making the worthless valuable. Creating value from waste.

Gus obviously finds a value in rubbish. Why can’t we ?

For us the stand out object was Marina Relou’s ceramic “plastic bottles” – wonderfully delicate and realistic pieces of work based on squashed plastic bottle.

In addition Marina also turned left over porcelain into crockery – on which chef  Bruno van Vaerenbergh presented light snacks crafted from those bits of food that would normally otherwise be thrown away.

Elsewhere in the Klokgebouw, Bovil DDB presented ceramic balls of paper, fashion designer Ellen Willink created a range of accessories and Kasper van ‘t Hoff himself presented an exhibition of his photos.

There was also a sustainable doghouse on display. But we sadly couldn’t find it.

As an exhibition Great Taste for Waste appealed to us immensely, and it was certainly one of the more instantly accessible and distracting exhibitions we saw in Eindhoven.

Full details can be found at www.greattasteforwaste.com

Pretty much half-way between Piet Hein Eek’s design wonderland and Sectie C, with among other tenants Nacho Carbonell, is Atelierdorp.

Based in an old office block near the middle of town, Atelierdorp is both a workspace for designers and platform for contemporary design and research.

With a wonderful view over, but sadly not into, the PSV Eindhoven stadium

Under the title “In Between” Atelierdorp’s exhibition during Dutch Design Week 2011 explored the relationship between the fluid state of the world around us  and our static view of the same.

And as is now becoming traditional featured a product involving a staircase.

What we particularly like about Atelierdorp exhibitions is the easy mix of market ready products, and experimental conceptual pieces.

Which is how it should be. Without one the other wouldn’t be possible. In both directions.

Vertico Lamp by Jelmer Moorman started with the observation that in nature organisms adjust to optimally react with their environment. And ended with a lamp that can be very simply adjusted to alter the amount of light emitted.
If we’re honest we find the idea behind Vertico Lamp better than the lamp itself; but assume that Jelmer will develop the concept further. We hope so, because we can see a lot of potential in the system.

I contrast Applaus by Cindy Strobach did appeal to us directly as a product.

Exploring the relation between balance/imbalance and change in systems Applaus is – in theory, a shelving system that tips see-saw style as you place books, papers other objects on it.

We say “in theory”, because in the version on display in Eindhoven the shelves were fixed.

If Cindy can develop it further it may cause us to cry.

One of our hits of Atelierdorp 2010 was Le Chat Perche by Chloe Pouzoulet a raised alcove/bookcase/seat.

The 2011 “Staircase Design” concept was Ascending Retreat by Thiemo Hildebrandt: a concept for underneath and next to a staircase that offers a range of usage possibilities. There is a particularly foolish member of the (smow)blog team who once broke their leg after losing their grip while hanging below such an open staircase. They, instinctively, backed away from Ascending Retreat.

The rest of the crew however were really taken with the work, and again hope that Thiemo develops it further. Steel bars can’t be the best solution…..

In addition to the above three “In Between” features works from over 20 other international designers.

And if your in Eindhoven on Thursday October 27th – there’s cocktails between 1800-2200 hrs.

Full details can be found at  www.atelierdorp.nl/

During Dutch Design Week the Eindhoven based design platform Onomatopee is hosting an exhibition looking at ways of adding cultural value to raw materials.

In a time when raw materials are becoming rarer and our economic prosperity ever more dependent on the fluctuating prices of such, how can we disengage from this cycle and give these economic materials a cultural value?

Or, put another way, how can we use raw materials in an alternative fashion, that removes them from the economic cycle and places them in cultural cycles.

Onomatopee in collaboration with the Eindhoven workshop Beeldenstorm asked 10 design studios to explore this question and the results are on display under the title “Copy Nature #2: Elementary Sentiment”

And for all who aren’t interested in the theoretical background to design research  – which is fine, there’s no compulsion to be interested in such – “Copy Nature #2: Elementary Sentiments” is a collection of some truly delightful and innovative objects presented in an exhibition space designed by Daphna Laurens.

Among those pieces that especially impressed us were “Nails” by BCXSY – a table and candle holder that employees a formed piece of brass as the linking element between pieces of wood; a bit like an over-sized, malformed nail – and “Mirrors” by Daphna Laurens – a piece of brass, a piece of aluminium and a piece of bronze with one face of each highly polished until it becomes a mirror.

While we really liked the exhibition and the works on display…..

If you’re using such materials in such a context; then they become unavailable for their current uses. Or even more expensive. Which is then counter productive.

Which means we need alternatives. Or better alternative processes and new thinking so that the use of such metals becomes obsolete.

And so while “Copy Nature #2: Elementary Sentiments” unquestionably provides ways of adding cultural value to raw materials – it is only part of the discussion.

Copy Nature #2: Elementary Sentiments can be viewed at Onomatopee, Bleekweg, 5611VB Eindhoven until October 30th.

During Dutch Design Week 2011 Premsela, the Netherlands Institute for Design and Fashion, opened an exhibition in the Designhuis Eindhoven that both celebrates Dutch Design Week’s 10th anniversary and honours 15 Dutch designers who got their break and/or made their name in Eindhoven.

Rather than simply present the 15 in isolation, curator Miriam van der Lubbe presents them in the context of a young designer they admire and of someone who inspired them.

And so, for example, Richard Hutton is presented together with Gerrit Rietveld and Sjoerd Vroonland.

Or Jürgen Bey and Rianna Makkink with Nienke Sybrandy and Marijke van der Wijst.

Consequently, there is no logical progression to be seen through the exhibition; and also no real undiluted hagiography of the 15 “greats.”

Rather it is more a collection of, more or less, delightful examples of design presented lovingly, if somewhat matter-of-factly.

Which we like.

Its not the works that are important. Its the designers.

And that comes over very clearly.

Obviously the limitation to  Eindhoven means the exhibition doesn’t provide a complete Who’s Who of modern Dutch design, for example, you’ll find no reference to Marcel Wanders, because Eindhoven has played no relevant role in his carear. The exclusion of Hella Jongerius is a touch more difficult to explain.We didn’t ask. It’s unfair to ask a curator to justify every exclusion you personally find odd.

But ultimately for all interested in the story and development of design in Holland over the last 20 years or so, “Spring: Excellence, Talent and Inspiration in Design” is a wonderful starting point.

We do have one small, not complaint but more negative comment – but we’ll save that for a post dedicated to that whole subject. Of which “Spring: Excellence, Talent and Inspiration in Design” is just one example. And not the worst by a long shot.

Spring: Excellence, Talent and Inspiration in Design at Designhuis Eindhoven runs until January 7th 2012.

More details can be found at www.premsela.org

We’ve long since accepted that there are more design weeks in a year than actual weeks.

But we still can’t accept the poor coordination between the various festivals.

June, July, August.Basically nothing.

September, October. Every day

Copenhagen, London, Brussels, Budapest, Istanbul, Vienna, Eindhoven, Leipzig, Lodz, Zürich…. Every 2 years Orgatec in Cologne.

And in the midst of all this Berlin sprouts Qubique.

Hallo!

We however have no choice. Or at least little choice.

Our October 2011 tour begins in Vienna, without question one of our favourite design weeks. An obvious highlight is the annual Passionswege which this year features, amongst others Tomás Alonso, Tomas Kral and Uli Budde. Plus this year we hope to do a little more research on Michael Thonet.  Most of his old haunts have long since been bulldozed; but we’re hoping to find one or the other vestige of his time.

On the way back from Vienna we’ll be stopping of at Moormann in Aschau in Chiemgau. But more on that later.

The next festival highlight is Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. If we’re honest we don’t find Eindhoven as relaxed and pleasant a festival as Vienna; something we, perhaps irrationally, blame on the certain smugness we detect emanating from the Design Academy. That said, experience shows that Eindhoven often has the better products than one finds in Vienna; which as a festival tends to lean more towards concepts and design as a problem solver.

We will of course let you know.

Then things get really hectic with Qubique in Berlin being closely followed by Designers’ Open here in Leipzig.

If we’re honest we don’t really understand why the organisers of Qubique have chosen to set up their show in the middle of the busiest period for European design events.

Its a bit like Red Bull deciding to establish a football team in Leipzig; when Sachsen is saturated with football teams. Rather than in a sporting wildernesses such as Niedersachsen.

In principle we’re all in favour of a high quality designer furniture trade fair in Germany – IMM for us being a show on its way out in that respect.

But October!

We imagine the timing will be a central feature of our reports from Berlin.

That and the question in how far Vitra‘s late decision to attend validates Qubique. Or is it just a brief liaison in an Orgatec free year that happens to fits in nicely with the sales launch of the GStar/Prouvé collection?

Older readers will know what we think.  But also that we will give both parties the chance to respond.

Designers’ Open is, obviously, our home festival and with its move to the Baumwollspinnerei promises to be little more relaxed than last years hand-to-hand combat through the corridors of the Hôtel de Pologne.

And then on November 1st its off to Zürich and Neue Räume, Switzerland’s biggest designer furniture fair – and a great opportunity to assess the situation of  the Swiss producers following the Swiss Francs strong summer and the associated export problems.

And yes on the way back we will stop and take some squint photos of the VitraHaus.

As for Copenhagen, London, Brussels, Budapest, Istanbul and  Lodz. We’ll get to you next year. Hopefully.

Reports, photos, interviews and features from all festivals will be posted here.

Pretty much how our October is going to look.....

In the history of (smow)blog only two designers have contacted us to comment on our comments.

The first was Brooklyn based Jason Miller and the second was SintLucas student Vivienne van den Dungen.

Writing about a stool she was exhibiting at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven we commented that :

“Our one complaint would be that the current version doesn’t really seem to know what it is: the higher component being to short to be a back rest and to narrow to be used for holding, for example, a cup. But the basic idea is very interesting.“

Words we stand by.

Vivienne van den Dungen @ YP Out of the Box, Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven

Vivienne however contacted us, and her comments not only forced us to see the work in a different light; but also wonderfully illustrate why with student projects the focus of the critique should never be on the product but on how the student responds to the set task.

Because student projects always involve a set task.

According to the information provided in Eindhoven the premise of “SintLucas -YP (Young Professionals) Out of the Box” was: “Fourth-year students show stools made of different kinds of materials. The students have used two of their own opposite qualities as the source of inspiration for their designs.”

What was not explained was that in addition the stool should have the measurements of 50x50x35 cm, and the back had to be 20cm or shorter.

And so obviously Vivienne couldn’t build a stool with a higher back. Or make the stool much wider.

The question therefore is – was such a stool design appropriate given these limitations?

To which we say: Yes – because the basic idea was and remains interesting and as with all designs that make sense it is always worth experimenting and seeing how far you can push the concept.

As far as we can remember Vivienne was the only student to attempt a backrest. A foolhardy idea given the 20cm limitation you may think – or perhaps a worthwhile attempt to see if one can take the limitation and use it to your advantage?

The combination backrest/shelf is neat idea.

We just don’t think the result is ideal -  but the attempt was certainly valid.

Vivienne contends that the double function does work – and having never sat in the piece we obviously cannot contradict that… other than to say we have elbows like manic geese and we wouldn’t trust ourselves not to spill beer all over the carpet while reading the paper.

But maybe we are the exceptions.

Vivienne however also says is that she plans to make a piece with a longer back and/or a differently organised “shelf”

Which is lovely to hear.

We wish Vivienne all the best not only with the re-working of the design but also with the rest of her career.

And we hope she continues to complain about our comments on her products – because product design needs more dialogue and discussion.

SintLucas -YP (Young Professionals) @ Dutch Design Week 2010

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