Annalisa Rosso shares highlights from Dutch Design Week

With Dutch Design Week 2013 wrapping up today, we asked Annalisa Rosso to share some of highlights. Here are her top three:

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In only 9 days (not really a week), the DDW's 12th edition boasted 250,000 visitors and more than 2,000 designers.

It's been an intense week, and I'm emerging from it full of stimulating ideas and new images in my mind. For me, what counted most was the unique atmosphere created by relaxed people who love talking about their work, with some of the the best and most interesting moments being the meetings; meetings with old friends and new talents. While I'm confident that I'll soon be seeing them all around the world, but it has been such a pleasure meeting these designers in their home environment.

I really appreciated this year’s theme, ‘Future Now,’ and seeing how it was interpreted in numerously different ways, always with a focus on research and cooperation. I loved seeing projects presented across multiple platforms. It's so inspiring seeing the same object, investigated in more or less complex ways, being shown at the Design Academy Eindhoven graduation show (check out my post about Self Unself), at the suggestive Kazerne cultural hub, or in the Design Windows that dotted the city centre. Not to mention the endless parallel exhibitions.

Here's a selection of my favorites from the week:

#1) Zona Ventosa

80 designers from 18 countries occupied the entire TAC building, that usually hosts artists and creative entrepreneurs.  With the claim "design ignores borders", designers showed their work reaching a great connection between different styles and characters. In some cases the results were better than others: my favorite room was the one managed by Pepe Heykoop, Lex Pott, David Derksen, and Paul Heijnen. These independent designers, who all studied at the Design Academy and are self-producing, are strongest in their ability to "adapt and play in to a rapidly changing world" each with an unique aesthetic taste.

Vase by Pepe Heykoop and cabinet by Paul Heijnen.

Lights by Pepe Heykoop.

Plates by David Derksen.

Studio Elke van den Berg.

Studio Elke van den Berg.

M.OSS design.

#2) Kazerne

With a pop-up shop and restaurant Eat Drink Design, Kazerne opens a 2,500 square meter post-industrial area to the public. The suggestion of the space underlines the great design selection proposed. Objects included tableware by BCXSY, lamps by Booo, furniture by Wonmin Park, and chairs by Maarten Baas. Here it becomes clear to me that Eindhoven is not only interesting to look at in terms of their study and research, but that there is a beautiful and involving market emerging here too.

Eat Drink Design.

#3) Dutch Invertuals

Best display design: the exhibition Revaluate, by Dutch Invertuals. An occasional collective curated by Wendy Plomp with a common theme: the urge to experiment and to redefine matters. Work was shown on the top of massive sand blocks, fixed only on their sides. The sand of the top surface was like a small natural ground, inviting the visitors to touch and get closer to objects, to feel and experience their texture directly.

* All images are courtesy of Annalisa Rosso

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    Annalisa Rosso

    Annalisa is a freelance journalist, trendsetter, and independent curator often hired as an Italian correspondent on design and contemporary art. She is curious about everything, always looking for something new. Because unrest is a good engine.