New York-based design fans who would have loved to visit the Ventura events during Milan Design Week but missed them, should rejoice: this week (from 13th May), they will indeed be able to see a selection of products by a new generation of designers at "Ventura New York – The Dutch Edition", part of WantedDesign Manhattan.
Organised by Ventura Projects (known for curating in the last seven years a whole new design area during Milan Design Week, in the post-industrial district of Lambrate, that has quickly turned into the number one showcase for thought-provoking designs), the showcase will focus on fourteen emerging Dutch designers.
Before the 1980s, Holland was primarily known for its graphic design. The term "Dutch Design" started gaining popularity in the late 1980s and was closely associated with a group of designers who enjoyed international acclaim in the early 1990s and who were mainly characterised in their work by an experimental approach with an ironic twist added, among the others Studio Job, Jurgen Bey, Hella Jongerius, Marcel Wanders and Droog.
In recent years, the design landscape has radically changed also thanks to the graduates of influential schools such as the Design Academy Eindhoven and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy Amsterdam who often developed extremely innovative projects.
The creative minds involved in the "Ventura New York" showcase will look through their projects at the role of the designer in our times.
The designers involved were mainly inspired by three main themes - cultural inheritance and diversity in design; the unconventional use of novel technologies and the use of the design process as a final product - but all of them are characterised by a distinctive cross-disciplinary approach and quite often combine new technologies with traditions.
Daniel De Bruin will present for example during the event his "analog 3D printer": trying to bridge the gap between the mechanical and the artisanal, De Bruin designed a machine that makes old fashioned pottery pieces, a sort of 3D printer that does not use a computer, software or electricity, but it's powered by gravity and weights, so that the designer is directly involved in the "printing" process.
Rogier Arents will show a project called "Heart Calligraphy", a collaboration with biomedical engineer Bin Yu. Inspired by the philosophy behind Chinese calligraphy that states that the mind leads the brush, Arents and Yu researched how biodata can be translated into a sensitive visual language in order to enhance self-awareness.
They therefore produced a biofeedback installation in which the heart leads the brush and participants are invited to explore the physical, cognitive and emotional influences on their physiology; the resulting prints are abstract portraits depicting the subconscious processes of the human body.
A few projects developed by the designers included in the showcase revolve around textiles: Simone Post's "Post-Vlisco" consists in a series of rugs made with faulty materials from Vlisco, leading producer of batik-printed fabrics for the African market. Using folding and cutting techniques, Post created patterned rugs inspired by the big rolls of textile in the factory. The resulting products could be considered as unique pieces characterised by endless colour combinations.
Fascinated by fungi Lizan Freijsen carried out an extensive photographic research into stains, moulds and moisture spots, coming up with a series of carpets and blankets inspired by traces of stains and decay (the New York showcase will be accompanied by her original photo-archive, a very interesting document that will allow visitors to get further information on the background research for this project).
Studio Rik ten Velden's "Knitted" and “Knotted" collections are the results of hands on textile experimentation: the former features removable woolen shades applied on elegant steel frames, the latter originated from a visit to the Maritime Museum in Rotterdam where Ten Velden received a crash course in knotting techniques from senior craftsmen, creating a chair and a lamp with one single rope knotted on the object.
Using materials such as paper, felt and resin in experimental ways, and combining the history of Europe and the Middle East, Siba Sahabi created a room divider inspired by the Moorish architecture of the 12-17th century in Southern Spain, and a series of sculptural vessels that recall in their shapes and silhouettes ancient Greek vases made of felt.
The focus on materials also characterises Rutger de Regt and Marlies van Putten's Handmade Industrials' "Make & Mold RYB Collection" – a series of unique hand sculpted and therefore rather wonky looking vessels and vases, made with a flexible mold and bio-degradable polymers.
Carina Wagenaar's jewel-like wall medallions prompt viewers to pay extra attention to even the smallest detail. Intricate configurations of every day objects, these assemblages capture life experiences and tell stories of consumption from our modern lives.
The power of the collective is presented and celebrated by Envisions (Adrianus Kundert, Jeroen van de Gruiter, Iwan Pol, Sanne Schuurman, Simone Post, Studio Plott, Studio Truly Truly, Tijs Gilde, Bastiaan de Nennie), a group of designers showcasing a collection of objects that hint at the research process, hoping to trigger a dialogue between designers, clients and manufacturers.
Projects revolving around biotechnologies and material researches are the most interesting ones, especially when the designers tried to look at alternative applications of such disciplines or manufacturing methods.
In other cases fashion was the starting point for interior design projects: Susanne de Graef's "Rhythm Of Light" lamps are indeed based on the shape of the crinoline skirt, and they transform a historical garment into a modern day interior design product. Like all the events organised by Ventura Projects, this New York-based showcase is an unmissable one for all sorts of creative minds on the lookout for something refreshing, inspiring and engaging.
"Ventura New York – The Dutch Edition", WantedDesign Manhattan, NYCxDESIGN 2016, Terminal Stores 269 11th Avenue, between 27th and 28th Street, NY 10001, from 13th to 16th May 2016.
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