One of our first stops at Dutch Design Week is always the talent hotbed that is the Dutch Academy Eindhoven, where the latest flock of graduates flaunt their final projects. This year, new creative director - graphic designer Thomas Widdershoven, of Thonik design studio - titled the exhibition 'Self Unself', asking visitors to explore the tension between the 'I' and the 'we' in contemporary design.
Some of the projects expressed personal fascinations (or the 'I') like Birgit Severin's beautiful drawings exploring her interest in breaking common forms of pattern. Others spoke about collaboration and social issues - what Widdershoven calls the 'unself' or the 'we'. One interesting example came in the form of Luc van Hoeckel's 'Single Spark'. Designed with war traumatised people in Northern Uganda in mind - it's a starter kit that allows people to start up a small ointment-making operation in order to help ease pain, generate an income and increase autonomy.
Widdershoven also extended the 'Self Unself' theme to the Van Abbemuseum, where he invited both established designers and selected Design Academy Eindhoven graduates to exhibit recent projects. Here, Hella Jongerius' collaboration with airline KLM on its World Business Class perfectly embodied the battle between the 'self' and the 'unself', with the designer having to negotiate between her own strong design aesthetic and those of the client.
Elsewhere in Eindhoven, one of our most exciting finds was a show by Dutch brand Vlisco. Founded in Helmond in 1846, the hand-printed textile company has a huge following in West Africa for its colourful, geometric prints, but is little known back home. At Dutch Design Week, it entered the design foray by teaming up with Studio Job. The design studio, known for its highly decorative prints and strong iconography, seems like a perfect match for the brand. Studio Job's one-off print, featuring African masks, snakes and leaf motifs, will be followed with more collaborations with designers. 'We're on the verge of becoming a new Vlisco,' declared CEO Hans Ouwendijk and creative director Roger Gerards.
Our Dutch Design Week tour also took us to the fledgling design district of Sectie C, where designers like Nacho Carbonell threw open the doors to their studios. We were particularly impressed by the refined 'Bellamp' by Akko Goldenbeld. Meanwhile, over in the sprawling former industrial Area Strijp - now filled with design and art studios - a spirit of collaboration was rife. A good place to linger was the group show 'Objects to Play' in the studio of painter Christiaan Lieverse, where the notion of the design duo reigned supreme. Oskar Peet and Sophie Mensen of Os and Oos studio conceived a tonal set of modular rugs, while Brit van Nerven and Sabine Marcelis teamed up on a beautiful series of glass objects that used layering and colour to play with perceptions of space. This trend for collaboration - an eminently practical one for young designers, who can pool their resources and talents - is one of the things that makes Dutch Design Week so interesting.
Sophia Altekamp's 'Home Mixology' series, includes a juicer, shaker, crusher and measurer with colourful lines to make mixing easy
Birgit Severin worked on a vast series of drawings for her final project at the Academy. The series explores her interest in breaking common forms of pattern, which are often uniform and rigid, and working in a looser and less mathematical way to express the beauty of the human condition
'Single Spark' is a starter kit by Luc van Hoeckel, aimed at the men and women living in Northern Uganda who have been traumatised by war. The kit allows them to start up a small ointment-making operation in order to ease pain, generate an income and increase autonomy
'Screw Yourself' is a collection of facial jewellery designed for men, inspired by toy blocks held in place with screws. Peter Hsieh's playful series encourages men to use their face as their own playground
'Primal Skin' is a make-up range for men, made of natural ingredients - coal, clay and mineral stones - all applied with sturdy tools, which offer better grip for the male user. The range is designed by Annemiek van der Beek
'Baharat', a range of spice containers by Hozan Zangana, challenges conventional forms with its pyramid-shaped lids
Niels Datema utilises graphite as an electricity conductor to create his 'Graphlights' which turn off when the lights are removed from their pivot base
Bas Kamp has designed a set of five humane animal traps for his final project, which offer the user the choice of live removal. The traps are made in a mix of material including terracotta, ceramic and metal
'MAG furniture' by Benjamin Vermeulen is a series of steel and wood flat packed furniture that, requiring no tools, can be quickly assembled by powerful magnets
Guillaume Neu-Rinaudo's final work looks at the personal associations we have with objects. He designed a series that allows for self-reflection and free exploration, entitled 'Object for Identification'
Over at IGLUU in Eindhoven, hand-printed textile brand Vlisco staged an exhibition titled 'Vlisco Unfolded'
Sketches of Vlisco's distinctive designs
As well as presenting its new collection, archive material and its company history, Vlisco also presented a one-off print produced in collaboration with Studio Job, which was a highlight of the exhibition
A collection of leather bags and holdalls on display at Jannissima Concept Store
Design Academy Eindhoven's creative director Thomas Widdershoven also curated an exhibition at the Van Abbemuseum, continuing the theme 'Self Unself' with works by established designers, as well as a selection of graduates from the Academy. Pictured is an installation of samples, tests, first drafts and experiments from Vincent De Rijk's archive
A collection of Hella Jongerius' tests for her collaboration with the airline KLM, for which she designed its World Business Class, presented at the Self Unself exhibition
Hella Jongerius' flight cabin model introduces different forms of textiles in shades of blue, working with the brand's identity as well as creating a more comfortable flight experience
The Dutch Invertuals: Revaluate exhibition, curated by Wendy Plomp shows the 'Keystone' collection by OS & OOS
'Ziel' coloured glassware collection by Daphna Laurens, shown at the Dutch Invertuals: Revaluate exhibition
Roos Gomperts' 'Foam & Glass' collection treats glass and foam as equals by creating each other's opposite form
New exhibition space Kazerne - which opened during Dutch Design Week - hosted contemporary design product distributor Thomas Eyck, who presented new 'Coloured Vases' by Hella Jongerius
Also on display at Kazerne was a series of breakfast tableware by De Intuitiefabriek, commissioned specially for Chateau de la Resle
The 'Haze' chair by Studio Wonmin Park, sits in contrast to the industrial backdrop of the Kazerne exhibition space. The studio's collection was launched at Spazio Rossana Orlandi during this year's Salone
Max Lipsey's 'Steel Vessels' on display at Kazerne
A sea of Daphna Laurens' 'Bottle Houses' sits atop vessels on the floor at Kazerne
Studio Drift's compelling 'Nola' lighting installation mixes coloured light via hand-blown glass domes
'Bellamp' by Akko Goldenbeld on display in his design studio at the Sectie C workspace, where 94 designers, artists, photographers, musicians, graphic designers and other creative companies have their studios
Nacho Carbonell showcased a selection of his new projects in his studio at Sectie C
One of many lighting sculptures by Nacho Carbonell on display at his studio
Nacho Carbonell's sketches pinned to the walls of his workshop
Daniel Gaciu's 'Organic Cups' bring new life to something people regard as disposable in his dried fruit vessels made of melon skins and beeswax, on show at the Agri Meets Design exhibition. Gaciu's work is part of a series in which designers have responded to issues within agriculture
Nanda Smits' newly designed leaf and canteloupe-shaped ceramics, on display at Piet Hein Eek's concept shop
The many varied furniture collections of Piet Hein Eek sit side by side in his studio and showroom space, at Strijp R
Piet Hein Eek's 'Crisis 2013' collection comprises sturdy wood cabinets
An oak stool from Steven Banken's 'Tannic Acid' collection, on show at his atelier in Strijp R
The 'Copper Lamp' series by Steven Banken
The 'Split Mirror' collection by Ontwerpduo, is constructed using singular sheets of folded mirror, which allows the user to see their reflection from three different angles
'Tallow' candles by Ontwerpduo on show at their studios at Strijp R
In Brit van Nerven and Sabine Marcelis 'Seeing Glass' collection - on show at the Objects to Play exhibition at Strijp T - glass objects play with material, colour and layering to create unexpected reflective effects that alter one's visual perception and play with the surrounding space
'Toolbox for Imagination', by Lotte van Wulfften Palthe, is a careful gathering of objects for one to play with, to stir the imagination and help dream
The OS & OOS 'Formation Carpets' collection - on show at Objects to Play - is made up of three basic forms, six colours, and ten shapes for the user to reconfigure
The Guestbook at the entrance to the Objects to Play exhibition invites the visitor to type their name and write comments using a vintage typewriter
Inspired by the streets of Venice, where the washed sheets of the city hang on lines from above, Reiner Bosch created a series of lights using fine sheets of Murano glass, as part of the Convoi Exceptional exhibition, on show at Strijp T
'Weld Drawings' by Josh Bitelli is a series of kettles and candlesticks made by coils drawn in molten steel, on show as part of the Convoi Exceptional exhibition
Responding to the fact that there is 50% to 80% of timber wastage during standard manufacturing, Marjan van Aubel & James Shaw created a collection of chairs by mixing bio-resin with the waste shavings, to create a new mouldable material
Their 'Well Proven Chair' project is on show at Convoi Exceptional
Carolina Wilke's copper shelf and wood book ends on display at Convoi Exceptional
Graphic textiles are made into scarves, throws and cushions as part of collaboration between textile designer Nikkie Wester and Jonghlabel
'Oscillation Bowls' by David Derksen, on show at Eindhoven's temporary Art Centre, are painted by a pendulum, creating a unique pattern on each plate's surface
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Find yourself at Six Senses Kyoto, the brand's breathtaking Japan debutSix Senses Kyoto opens its doors boasting tranquil, luxurious interiors by Blink Design Group
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Shigeru Ban’s mini Paper Log House welcomed at The Glass House'Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House' is shown at The Glass House in New Canaan, USA as the house museum of American architect Philip Johnson plays host to the Japanese architect’s model temporary home concept
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Artist Mickalene Thomas wrestles with notions of Black beauty, female empowerment and love'Mickalene Thomas: All About Love’, a touring exhibition, considers Black female representation
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Solar light by Marjan van Aubel brings the sun’s colours indoorsThe new ‘Sunne’ solar light by Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel captures the sun’s energy and mimics its glow, evoking sunrise and sunset in your living room
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Amsterdam's grand Felix Meritis unveils contemporary refresh by i29Dutch architecture studio i29 is behind the listed Felix Meritis building's interior restoration and redesign in Amsterdam, a scheme bringing together historical glamour and contemporary design sophistication and technology, while enriching the city's culinary and cultural scene
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In the loop: the making of Sabine Marcelis’ neon circles of light -
House of fun: design duo Studio Job creates a maximalist pad in Amsterdam -
The Design Circle: kneeling at the altar of Amsterdam’s Art ChapelAn exhibition at Amsterdam's modernist Art Chapel paints a sweeping picture of Dutch design today
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Dutch Design Week 2012
