the dutch design week and it’s progressive abstracted design views always have a reputation to live up to and this year they yet again didn’t disappoint. as expected the focus was on material and waste for the most part with a serious dose of social consequence thrown in for good measure. i always so appreciate the ddw’s consideration and attentiveness to visitors’ curiosity which is about genuine exploration rather than superfluous entertainment.
my choice for 2016 fall on tom van soest’s stonecycling project which turns building waste into new building material; a truly balanced solution between aesthetics and sustainibility with enough space for greater application and development.
other notables include the team from atelier robotiq and their nature inspired, delicately iridescent, retro-future-tech, wire wound ufo lamp, boris de beijer‘s collaboration with benedikt fischer which resulted in a random material with nostalgic entrapments of found objects between recycled waste, all turned into a lamp. there is something very modern about this.
another special place is always kept for the unexpected investigations of bart hess who has captured my heart many a time with his living explorations, his development methodology of a flesh coloured veiny latex textile is just such a case in point.
as i’m typing this, i’m expecting the judges final decision; the award goes to…
but amongst all this thoughtful innovation i sense within me a small pity that a celebration of contemporary design forwardness would still bow to such an archaic affair for appreciation and acknowledgement.