Dezeen and MINI Frontiers: in this movie filmed in Eindhoven, Dutch Design Week director Martijn Paulen explains why he invited technology universities to be a key part of this year’s event. «We did this because we honestly feel that in the overlap between technology and creativity the answers to the future are being made.»
Stella, a solar-powered family car by Eindhoven University of Technology studentsTechnology universities have exhibited at Dutch Design Week in the past, but this year Paulen put them centre stage. «We’ve put a lot of effort into inviting the technological universities to the heart of Dutch Design Week,» he says. Projects ranging from solar-powered cars to 3D-printed food from a variety of technological universities across the Netherlands were presented at an exhibition called Mind the Step in the major Klokgebouw venue. «Dave Hakkens’ Phonebloks couldn’t have happened ten years ago,» Paulen says. That couldn’t have happened even five years ago.»
Sweetie avatar by LemzDutch Design Week takes place in Eindhoven each year and Paulen believes the small industrial city is one of the few places in the world where design and technology is being successfully integrated. «I honestly believe they will bring the solutions for the future.»
From Insects vases made from propolis by Marlene HuissoudPaulen gives two of the winners at this year’s Dutch Design Awards as examples of projects that combine design and technology in an exciting new way. «The people from the engineering side bring new ideas and materials for creatives to play with and the other way around,» Paulen says. The music in the movie is a track called Family Music by Eindhoven-based hip hop producer Y’Skid. «They’re really two different worlds and I think we’re taking a really big step in bringing these two worlds together.»
Algaemy textile dyes made from algae by Berlin studio Blond BieberOther work on show at Klokgebouw included projects by designers experimenting with new biological materials including dyes made from algae and bowls grown with mycelium, part of a fungus. Vessels made from mycelium by Officina CorpuscoliPaulen believes that encouraging an interdisciplinary dialogue between designers and technologists will lead to further interesting materials and products being developed. Martijn Paulen, Dutch Design Week directorBringing design and technology together «is when the really interesting stuff starts to happen,» Paulen claims in the movie, which was filmed at Dutch Design Week in October. At least, not in my opinion.»
Dezeen and MINI Frontiers is a year-long collaboration with MINI exploring how design and technology are coming together to shape the future. «We’re a city of builders, we’re a city of creatives, so we’re making it work here and there are not so many places in the world where you find these ingredients.
