The ‘Oohs’ and ‘Aahs’ of the DDW

It’s October again, which means it’s time for Dutch Design Week to take place in Eindhoven. For nine days the city transforms for the biggest design event of Northern Europe. Ideas of more than 2600 designers are presented to more than 350,000 visitors from home and abroad. In more than 110 locations across the city, DDW organizes and facilitates exhibitions, lectures, prize ceremonies, networking events, debates, and festivities. As there are only so many hours in a festival, we cherry-picked the locations that you’d have to visit before leaving.

Graduation Show 2019, all week at the Campina terrain

The show gives alumni of the Bachelor’s and Master’s the opportunity to showcase their graduation project. Expect an insight into current design debates and ideas with global relevance. This edition transverses boundaries between the four Master’s and eight Bachelor’s departments, a new curatorial strategy will continue to question and revisit how designers present their work, sparking debate about our collective positioning within the field.

The Symbiocene Forest, all week at Strijp

In the middle of industrial Strijp we find BioArt Laboratories, a repurposed historical military complex in a dense forest. This surprising and refreshing place sparks the debate about anthropocentric perspectives on economy, habitation, and land by adopting key principles of the Symbiocene.

Sunbrella, all week at Warehouse of Innovation

In the middle of the city centre we found the Warehouse of Innovation, a former shopping mall. Inside Sunbrella, a US performance fabrics brand showcases a new exhibition surrounding sustainability. Wendy Andreu has developed an innovative technique to sustainably repurpose Sunbrella’s waste to create a functional and decorative solution; mixing discarded fabric fibers with acrylic resin which results in a versatile composite material. The experimental partnerships with both Wendy Andreu and Liz Collins open doors for numerous possibilities concerning the regeneration of Sunbrella’s waste and demonstrate Sunbrella’s continued awareness of their ecological impact.

NulZes, all week at NRE-terrain

The Nul Zes collective is located on the NRE-terrain for over six years and includes architects, designers, and researchers. This combination creates some sort of creative acceleration which is showcased throughout the week. Find beautiful sensitivity in The Sun Show created by Allisa+Nienke, win an insight into the world with a game of rope pull at Scheepers&Renee, or increase their self-designed value at the bar.

Dutch Invertuals, all week at NS Loods

This exhibition marks Dutch Invertuals’ 10th anniversary by bringing together a selection of its emerging and established designers. The show presents different takes on the most iconic shapes in the universe: the circle. „The circle, the ultimate symbol of unity, perfection and infinity. By envisaging and challenging its shape, the Invertuals give insights into their unrestricted approach. We offer our personal take on something that is already perfect.“ – Wendy Plomp, founder, Dutch Invertuals