Dutch Design Week 2022
Eindhoven, Netherlands
October 22 – 30, 2022

Miriam van der Lubbe has announced the theme of Dutch Design Week 2022 (DDW22): Get Set. The theme signals a shift in mentality and vibe; a shift from preparation to action. This focus crystallised out of several meetings with members of the design community. As Creative Head of DDW22, Miriam announced Get Set during a live Q&A on Instagram with designer Pete Fung. The role and vision of Miriam and Dutch Design Foundation (DDF) are deeply rooted in the idea of listening closely to the design community. Earlier this year we organised several meetings with both groups and individuals, designers from various disciplines, to test the temperature and talk about the future of the design industry. How can DDW as a festival best relate to the design field? How can DDW help designers to create a meaningful impact?

Miriam during the live Q&A: “You can explain Get Set in many ways. Of course, we must get set for the challenges we’re facing, but we must also get our setting right. We must forge smart coalitions and work together on the missions and the challenges we’re facing. Be prepared and recognise what is going on. Feel involved. But the most important message is that people must get activated. Doing nothing is not an option anymore. We have to act now. And not everything will work out the way we plan or hope, but I don’t think that’s a problem at all. The only mistake we can make is just not to get started. So get set!”. Marjan van Aubel and Formafantasma are the ambassadors of the 21st edition of Dutch Design Week (DDW). They are developing unique works and projects, especially for this edition. With this, they bring their own interpretation of the DDW theme Get Set: We’re on a mission. Every year, DDW asks people from the design field to take on the role of advocate for design in general, and DDW in particular. According to the Dutch Design Foundation (DDF) – the organisation behind DDW – the three ambassadors once again represent the most contemporary and urgent voices in today’s design world and that of the future. New this year is that the ambassadors also use their position as established designers and DDW ambassadors to include young design talents in their mission.

Marjan van Aubel Studio is an award-winning, innovative solar design practice that translates solar energy into everyday life. They design for a positive future with a combination of sustainability, design and technology. The studio creates lasting change through solar design, whereby the power of the sun is seamlessly integrated into our environments, buildings and objects. The aim is to make solar energy more accessible to everyone. Marjan has collaborated with global brands including Cos, Timberland and Swarovski, with the goal of accelerating the global energy transition to solar power. Her studio’s most notable works are Sunne, Current Table, Power Plant and the roof of the Dutch Pavilion at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai. Marjan is co-initiator of The Solar Biennale, which will take place for the first time this year in September and The Energy Show – an exhibition focussing on the sun, solar energy and manpower. Creative Head of DDW Miriam van der Lubbe on Marjan as ambassador: “Marjan van Aubel Studio is a true pioneer in the field of solar design and brings this topic to the fore with striking urgency. Her work brings together innovation, sustainability, design and technology. Marjan puts the true potential of solar energy on the map by integrating it into her product design, thereby demonstrating how powerful the design can be. Marjan van Aubel Studio is a leader in design and entrepreneurship that shows the need for smart collaborations. Marjan is an example for future generations: inspiring, driven and ambitious.”

The Italian duo Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin have been advocating holistic design thinking and value creation ever since founding their own studio Formafantasma in 2009. Their goal: to better understand, facilitate and transform the built and natural environments we live in. Formafantasma sees material, technical and social possibilities everywhere, and loves to open them up for discussion. Formafantasma works from its studios in Milan (Italy) and Rotterdam (the Netherlands) and embraces a broad spectrum of typologies and methods, from product design to spatial design, strategic planning and design consultancy. Whether it is a commissioned design or a self-initiated project, the studio always pays the same careful attention to context, process and detail. Its portfolio is therefore characterised by thorough research results and a coherent visual language. Creative Head Miriam van der Lubbe on Formafantasma as ambassador: “Formafantasma creates unique work, is conceptually strong and often makes a poetic translation of vision into expressive and outspoken work. Their work is included in collections all over the world. Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin are uniquely capable of collaborating with leading brands based on their own autonomous ideas. They are drivers of talent development and are not afraid to tackle topics and issues of social urgency.”

Get Set: We’re on a mission! This year Dutch Design Week (DDW) comes to you with fresh ideas for now, addressing the relevant issues of tomorrow, from Saturday 22 until Sunday 30 October. Seven thematic exhibitions presenting new perspectives on a changing world that invite you to think along and join in, to be seen exclusively during DDW in Klokgebouw and on Ketelhuisplein: Get Set for Durable Living shows designs that respond to the demand for a high degree of adaptability and flexibility in the built environment. Get Set for The Next Generation questions how we design, organise and innovate our education. Get Set for Digital Evolvement zooms in on how the virtual world is interwoven with the physical. Get Set for Smart Livability uses the exhibition The New Nature of Living to present designs that improve or ease our relationship with the world. Get Set for Creations of Trust is all about work that responds to the demand for our safety and the call for more trust. Get Set for Global Wellbeing nourishes the mind and takes care of the body. With concepts and designs that connect to what we can do to remedy existing planetary health problems and what is needed to keep the world liveable for everyone in the future. Get Set for Things that Matter explores the value and meaning of objects in times of overconsumption.

DDW wouldn’t be DDW without all the designers, studios, universities, academies, locations and partners who organise their own exhibitions every year during the week. Spread over nine areas in Eindhoven, you will get to know the work of both new and established designers. Ready for a sneak preview? Have a first look at some of the locations and exhibitions at DDW22: Van Abbemuseum presents approximately 50 works from the recently acquired design collection of Lidewij Edelkoort. The Design Academy Eindhoven Graduation Show is one of the world’s most influential exhibitions of work by new designers. Located this year in the Microtuin near the station. Manifestations in VEEM presents their trusted and proven mixture of art, technology, fun and robots to show you the human side of technology. Don’t miss out on their extended virtual programme. New Order of Fashion invited Hurra Pang Pang to let you experience the materials, craftsmanship and creative love that goes into (re)making sustainable fashion first hand. Next Nature opens RetroFuture, an exhibition about yesterday’s future in Eindhoven’s spaceship Evoluon. TU/e’s Drivers of Change presents designs that show the power of technology in response to the challenges of tomorrow. The Solar Pavilion is the closing piece of the Solar Biennale. Designed by V8 Architects and Marjan van Aubel Studio, you can experience the power of the sun. World Design Embassies, a Dutch Design Foundation programme, uses eight embassies to explore the role of design in the development of solutions for complex social challenges, such as climate change, the energy transition, an aging population, the housing shortage and more.

About DDW: Over the past 20 years, DDW’s profile has been a festival emphasizing the design of the future and the future of design. With this focus, DDW showcases the work of creative minds worldwide, designers who are shaping a positive future. Their work has the potential to impact our society for years and decades to come. And DDW is the place to show, review and challenge these ideas. DDW22 will take place from 22 – 30 October.

more. www.ddw.nl