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Archive for March, 2008


C group /Original, Copy or Look-Alike


Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Lloyd Hotel Lobby Gielijn poster Zitten

With this typical Gielijn Escher poster a wonderfull collection of 100 chairs was announced. As part of the Lloyd Hotel’s Cultural Embassy program a joint exhibitions was presented of several private chair-collections. This exhibit went beyond its boundries into the intimicy of the hotels floors, rooms and hallways, highlighting their own corporate furniture collection. Gerrit Oorthuys took the initiative of this exhibit and generously showed us around.

Coinciding with the Foundation Year’s January Project Theme “Dull”, we set out to research the origin of a few selected chairs to find out their relation to the motto: original, copy or look-alike. Erik Slothouber (participating in the exhibition with his own designs) lectured on the 2 Rietveld Academies in Amsterdam and Arnhem illustrating the complexity of the choosen motto.

Tejo Remy Rietveld PYR Ramin Visch

(l>r: Tejo Remy/reclaiming design, Willem Rietveld’s/PYR, Ramin Visch/Eli2006)

Research material was edited down to A4 sized guided tours into selected subjects. All subjects presented in this list are also available as hard copy research prints at the ResearchFolders available at the Rietveld library.

As the two collections represent old and modern classic chairs, it gave us the opportunity to carefully select an interesting designers scala spanning the whole of twentieth century furniture design. Starting with Thonet and architect/interiour designers Mackintosh and De Bazel. Bauhaus professor architect and artist Max Bill was highlighted next to Gerrit Rietveld and the renowned interier shop Metz&Co, through which his furniture icons were often first sold. Erik Slothouber’s lecture connected the early to the late Rietveld and simultaneously presented a link to the architect/designers duo Slothouber & Graatsma. Including the company Rietveld by Rietveld constructed the ideal moebius loop in the “original versus copy” motto.

Including Charles and Ray Eames felt like a must as is Vitra for its museum’s chair collection and chair manufacturing. Don’t forget we were talking about originals versus copies versus look-alikes. The Revolt chair –present in many classrooms of our academy– introduced dutch designer Friso Kramer. Lloyds furniture collection containes many modern designer from which we selected, Tejo Remy, Piet Hein Eek, Jasper Morrisson, Hella Jongerius and Ineke Hans. Finally we added some intriguing subject we coul not resist like: an African stool, poet and craftsman Frits Swart, the poster designer Gielijn Escher and a story about the “zitzak” van Audrey Lai Ng that never saw the daylight.

B group /encounters with the autonomy of design


Monday, March 24, 2008

When two exhibitions present a clear insight in the autonomy of modern designing, DesignResearch has to examen what it is all about and who is involved.
This occasion was presented by the “Joyride Expo” organized by Platform 21 and “At Random: Networks and Crossovers” curated by the Paviljoens Almere.

frank tjepkemaX-XL chair at Joyride
(l>r: at studio Tjep > cuddling the XXL-chair > visiting JoyRide Expo)

The participation of the Dutch product- and interactive design avant garde presented an unique opportunity to experience the freedom in which design concepts can be developped. This became clear at the opening event of the Joyride Expo, when designers transformed remote control toycars into their ultimate joyride dream

skycatcher at random reader
(l>r: Skycatcher by Maurer & Puckey > Expo & Reader designed by Lust)

When visiting Almere (only a 20 minute train-ride), Luna Maurer presented insights into the philosophy behind here work “Graybloc“. One of her other works “Floor design” –an ongoing and ongrowing work in progress– covers the floors with mappings of the organisations consultative structure, as such visualizing the Paviljoen’s network. We could be present to witness her weekly upgrade.
Studio >Tjep< was visited in a later stage as part of a students investigations. We enjoyed an informal presentation of some projectbooks, focussing on his proposal for the restyling of the IKEA restaurant.

Soap Box ResearchBertjan Pot Research part1

Research material was edited down to A4 sized guided tours into selected subjects. All subjects presented in this list are also available as hard copy research prints at the ResearchFolders at the Rietveld library.

Related to Joyride the investigation focussed on the following subjects and people: Bertjan Pot (furniture design), Strange Attractors (interactive design), Marijn van der Poll (product design), Moniek van Heist (fashion design), Dinie Besems, Pieke Bergmans (product design), Frank Tjepkema /Tjep (interior/product design) the general subjects of >Concept Cars<, >Soapbox Racing<, “Craddle to Craddle” McDounough/Braungart (industrial design) the Nature Design exhibit in Zürich and its publication by Lars Müller, Droog Design, Bruce Mau’s “massive change” (communication design) and as added subjects Sophie Krier (Design Lab) and the artist Panamarenko.

related to the ongoing At Random: Networks and Crossovers exhibit, the investigation focussed on: Jeanne van Heeswijk (artist), Lust (graphic design), Nathalie Bruys (geluidskunstenaar), Luna Maurer (interaction design), the At Random reader by Lust design, and the related subjects SKOR and OPEN magazine #13

Dexter Sinister at Whitney Biennale


Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Dexter Sinister Emblem
Dexter Sinister (Stuart Bailey, David Reinfurt and Sarah Crowner) call their project a “Just-In-Time Workshop & Occasional Bookstore”1. Their workshop deals with the classical production scheme of publications and the different roles of designer, publisher, producer, editor, curator and distributer. The twice a year published culture (“art-design-music-language-literature-architecture”3) magazine Dot Dot Dot is an example for the redefinition of traditional ideas of publishing.

They also take part at this year Whitney Biennial in New York.
“Dexter Sinister’s proposal for the Whitney takes the form of an extended poem titled True Mirror, a composite of excerpts from writings and artworks derived from a variety of artists and authors. Loosely based on ideas of reflecting and shadowing, the manifestations of this abstract proposal remain necessarily open until the Biennial begins. Dexter Sinister will occupy a former colonel’s dressing room at New York’s uptown Armory, from which they will explore various channels of distribution alongside the rest of the show. These activities are prefaced by a typically oblique double motto: “Quality is merely the distribution aspect of Quantity” (or vice versa).”2

A reasonable but rather long interview about things can be found at www.bombsite.com.

More information about the project, contributers and their releases can be found at Dexter Sinisters True Mirror website or Whitney Biennial
posting prepared by jan (group f)

Cooking and Constructing


Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Last Sunday afternoon E-Group went back to the basics in the “Cooking and Constructing” exhibiting-event organised by Platform 21. Together with students from the Textile department and Heleen Klopper we tried to use vegetables as a source for printing and making.

patato printingpatato print games

This event took place after an introducing visit and small lecture on “text and textile” by Erik Wong and a visit and guided tour into the wonderfull World of Vlisco (Garenteed Dutch Wax) printed designs (dessins) exhibited in the Volkenkundig Museum in Leiden.
Textile can be used as a medium for direct communication as these examples clearly show.

E for Ethical-EnvironmentalVlisco printWW2 Japanese Kimono
(Katharine Hamnett T-shirt, Vlisco print, WW2 japanese kimono)

New Design Websites and Blogs


Tuesday, March 11, 2008

We present a new set of links: Design teacher Veronica Ditting recommended LinedandUnlined >a portfolio of writing, resources, and ideas by Rob Giampietro< and Showstudio >the legendary blog by Peter Saville+Nick Knight.
Our Brasilian design connection Ricardo (ex Sandberg Master) suggest you take a look at the all visual Collective Perception blog >where forward thinking terrestrials exchange ideas and information about the state of the species, there planet and the universe<.

media MITuniversity

Henk Groenendijk suggest you spend some time with Design Observer >a huge database on design subjects and articles< or UBU Web >an independent resource dedicated to all strains of the avant-garde<. Towards the future have a lok at Koert Mensvoort’s Next Nature blog. Out of Dot Dot Dot magazine grew The Serving Library and New Design Websites and Blogs can be found in Design Observer a great platform with >writings on design and visual culture by Michael Beirut, Jessica Helfand and William Drenttel<. Erik Mathijsen adds the link to the overwhelming MOMA website.
Finally for all the students of group D desperately trying to make there presentation deadline PlayPlayPlay by American designer Rick Valicenti
[investigate links]

A group’s researched book-concepts


Monday, March 10, 2008

TM-City SMCS Warhol_Index TM-City SMCS

After many month we finally present the research results into 25 selected books from the “Collections Groenendijk”. During a one-hour event every student was presented with the opportunity to start-up a research into the manifest art or design concepts presented in these unique book designs. Designers Julia Born and Will Holder were presented through an interview-DVD made by the graduate program of the “Werkplaats Typografie Arnhem” for the Chaumont festival workshop 2005. Others projects, by Richard Niessen or Andy Warhol, were presented at an visit to the Stedelijk CS, where their books were displayed in context. Coralie Vogelaar (a Sandberg Master) came to visit us in person to give insight in her work and ideas and lecture on the concept behind her latest publication “Masters of Rietveld: design in the 21st Century” published recently by the Sandberg Insitute /Design [above: Niessen TM-City / Warhol Index-Book

A New Art World
Caetano de Carvalho on “A New Art World” by Richard Niessen + Ad de Jong

Research material was edited down to A4 sized guided tours into these subjects. All subjects presented in this list are also available as hard copy prints at the Research Folders at the library. The investigation focussed on the following book titles: Ed van der Elsken’s “Love Story in St Germain“, Irma Boom’s Grafisch Nederland 2005 on Color, “Start A New Art World”(published above), the acclaimed cooperation between photographer Geert van Kesteren and designer Linda van Deursen “Why Mister Why“, “Hhalo” by Julia Born and Rebecca Stephany’s “Archiving Today”project. Last 3 ladies all teaching at graphic design department.

SpoerrieThe ThingThe Thing Norm design Swiss TypeS M L XL

Daniel Spoerrie “An Anecdoted Topography of Chance“(extra info), Dieter Roth’s “Dieter Roth Band 10“, “S M L XL“by Koolhaas, Sandbergs “Experimenta Typographica“: Mens Sana in Corpore Sano and “Counterprint” by Karel Martens. “The Thing” by Norm designstudio, Andy Warhols classic 1967 “Index-Book”, Will Holder’s “Catalogue“: starring Gijs Muller, Edward Ruscha’s “Colored Peolple”, Richard Niessen’s piece de résistance TM-City.

Why Mister Why GN2005:Color

Sandberg Institute Master: Coralie Vogelaar with “The Photoshop” and “De Hedendaagse Ontwerper”, Gerald van der Kaap’s original ” HoverHover” and the monumental cooperation between Jonathan Barnbrook and Damien Hirst “I want to spend the rest of my life everywhere, with everyone, one to one, always, forever, now”.

Dot Dot Dot X Hester Permanent Food 15

Finaly some highly conceptual magazine concepts like, the 1980’s I-D magazine 2, Jop van Bennekom with Re-magazine: ‘Hester‘, Permanent Food or Stuart Bailey’s “Dot Dot Dot” magazine.

Reviewed Printed Matter


Sunday, March 9, 2008

The International Institute of Social History (IISH) is the world’s largest documentation and research centre in the field of social history. Since its foundation in 1935, the institute has dedicated itself to the collection, preservation and availability of the heritage of social movements worldwide.


Situationist Pamphlet 1967

The  publication “Reviewed Printed Matter” is the outcome of a review assignment which was part of the theory program Critique & Actuality in the graphic design department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, 2007. The eleven-day program was compiled by Kasper Andreasen and was based on studying and understanding different methodologies of reviewing and analyzing printed matter; selected posters, pamphlets, cards and books from the archives of the Institute of Social History in Amsterdam.


Nieuwe Realisten Poster 1964 - poster archive - Letter for Iris- Number of silence

The International Institute of Social History holds over 3,000 archival collections, some 1 million printed volumes and about as many audio-visual items. The available Collections are accessible through an online catalogue, an online index of archives and inventories. The IISH is also home to a number of other documentary institutions, most notably the Netherlands Economic History Archive (NEHA) and the Press Museum. Both offer supplementary collections and services. Their material is included in the IISH catalogue. Visitors can consult the collections for reference and research in the reading room.

download this research reader: Reviewed Printed Matter

[initiated by Kasper Andreasen]


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