Milan: Furniture Fair – Lambrate/Ventura – Design
Academy Eindhoven. Self Unself Where Objects and Issues Meet is the name of
this year’s exhibition by the students of the Design Academy Eindhoven. Thomas
Widdershoven, creative director of Design Academy Eindhoven and curator of Self
Unself explains about how the theme shows itself, 'The ‘self’ in the exhibition title, still
first and foremost refers to the student. The academy is fully focused on
the talents, preferences and fascinations of its students. For their graduation
they have to initiate projects themselves, in which these come to the fore. But
when you look at those projects – about healthcare, open source production, new
economic systems – they come across as pretty altruistic.
Contemporary design is very much oriented toward the ‘unself’.’
Above. Jan Pieter Kaptein - The Second Self Laboratory. Welcome
to ‘The Second Self Laboratory’ where you can try out different social roles.
Embrace a new way of being by a change of costume. Do you want to be a judge,
an executioner, a stranger, monster, outcast or Mr. Ordinary? They are all in
the collection, based on archetypical characters from literature, mythology,
theatre and cinema. The costumes function as universal symbols, revealing
information about rights, duties, abilities and social status. Wearing them
does not only influence your image, but also your self-perception and behavior.
Explore your character by changing your clothes.
Ilse Crawford, Irene Fortuyn and Tessa Blokland
Design Academy Eindhoven: Self Unself Where Objects
and Issues Meet. Martijn van
Strien - Dystopian Brutalist Outerwear. The future may be bright, but it might also be very dark, says Martijnvan Strien. He considered the worst-case scenario and came up with the ultimate
back-to-basics collection for harsh conditions. Made with minimum cost and
effort from a single piece of heavy-duty black tarpaulin, with only straight
cuts and sealed seams. The styles are inspired by Brutalist architecture,
giving this outerwear a linear, invincible look. The design says it all: brace
yourself and be safe.
Design Academy Eindhoven: Self Unself Where Objects
and Issues Meet. Matthijs
Holland - Scale of Gender. “Gender
definitions are too restrictive and unrealistic, and have been so for ages,”
says Matthijs Holland. To prove his point, he presents five portraits of
historic figures that do not fit the stereotype of a typical man or woman. From
the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut, to Pope Joan from the 11th century, or
Berlin’s famous transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf: they all testify to the range
of possibilities in between the two sexes. “It’s high time that we start to
consider all varieties as perfectly normal,” says Matthijs.
Design Academy Eindhoven: Self Unself Where Objects
and Issues Meet. Bas Kamp - Humane
Traps. The usual way to deal with vermin
is to fight it with poison or traps, both usually fatal. Bas Kamp has designed
a set of five traps, which offer the user a choice: death or live removal. The most
animal-friendly option is to check the traps regularly and relocate the live
vermin – give them a new home outside your own. If you wish to terminate their
life cycle, there are two options: the trapped vermin can be eaten by a natural
enemy, or killed instantly without the use of any poisonous substance so that
they can be absorbed by nature.
Design Academy Eindhoven: Self Unself Where Objects
and Issues Meet. Denise Gons – Outfit Housefit. Outfit Housefit is a series of textile furniture
pieces exploring the hybrid between clothing and furniture design. In today’s world we live and work in multiple
spaces, but by contrast, our interiors and furniture are fixed and static. This series of textile furniture pieces
examines how we can adjust our surroundings to this dynamic lifestyle. Inspired by clothing design Denise Gons
developed an intuitive study of forms; soft, textile alternatives for hard and
fixed pieces of furniture. If our room
becomes the body and furniture it’s clothing, what would be the outcome?
Design Academy Eindhoven: Self Unself Where Objects
and Issues Meet. The Secret Cookie Factory. Give a secret – receive a
secret. Would you give your personal secrets to a stranger? You will be
very tempted by this group of cookie makers. The Secret Cookie Factory is an un-resistible
factory.
The Cookie
Factory: Juhee Hahm, Daeun Lim, Anne Texier, Maxime Benvenuto and Floriane
Misslin.
Het Nieuwe
Instituut - Archive Lernet and Sander- Installation. What Happens to Dutch Wallpaper? Artists Lernet and Sander were commissioned by the Het NieuweInstituut to create an exhibition by using the historical wallpaper archive by
manufacturer Rath and Doodeheefver. In the twenties, Rath &
Doodeheefver worked with architect H.P. Berlage and until the eighties their
wallpapers were seen in thousands of Dutch interiors.
Zuiderzee Museum and Textile Museum
– Glithero – Woven Song. In 2013 the two museums of the Netherlands, Zuiderzee Museum and Textile Museum,
commissioned design duo Glithero to create a project on the subject of
immaterial heritage. The designers sought to identify the nature of craftsman’s
know-how’ by means of an original intervention; the attempt to weave fabrics
from music organ punch cards. By the translation of one craft language into
another, they created a window into the introvert world of the craftsman’s
practice whilst in parallel revealing issues about the preservation of wisdom,
know-how and knowledge of craftsmen in general.
The result is a film installation that shows the collaboration of the
two craftsmen, the artefacts and material outcomes of the project, and a fabric
showcasing the beauty of the punch cards and their abstract pattern of holes.
Dutch Cheese Platter