Martha Nash | MarthaMarthaMarthacoin

marthanash.com

Crypto, macroeconomics, monetary systems?
Luckily I still have my piggy bank

Monetary systems and economics – it isn’t easy for the layman. But with the global impact of our economic system on natural resources, health and well-being, it is necessary that we get a better grip on what is going on. Martha Nash humorously takes on the role of an autocratic
banker introducing the world’s first physical cryptocurrency, the MarthaMarthaMarthacoin. If you make Martha happy, your coin’s worth will increase. But please beware: how much are you really prepared to give for a suitcase full of Marthas?

Multidisciplinary designer Martha Nash (United Kingdom) makes complex processes understandable and discussable through storytelling. With humor and imagination the processes of bureaucracy and economics become tangible for us all. She has set out to further develop her love and skill for ceramics by mastering in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art in London.

Alissa Guillouet | A Consolidation for Melancholic Souls

alissaguillouet.com

A timeless place for collective melancholy

A Consolidation for Melancholic Souls shows a sequence of melancholic poses drawn from classical Western art pieces, from Albrecht Dürer’s Melencolia (1514) to recent work by William Kentridge. The bare poses, isolated from the original artworks of which they were once part, showcase the ‘weltschmerz’ that has been felt by people throughout centuries. In this consolidated sequence, space occurs for the contemporary viewer. A moment to submerge in their own feelings of melancholy, longing, pain, despair.

We are not alone.

Artist and designer Alissa Guillouet (France) researches the human state in historical and contemporary arts. By concentrating on temporality and stripped-down imagery, she reveals unseen connections between images, cultures and people then and now. She is particularly drawn tot heatrical formats, that allow her to move fluently between various forms
of art, images and poses, and that can be experienced collectively.

Seungbee Han | Things we can love, maybe inevitably; Bee Machine

seungbeehan.com

What preferences from AI determine our data?

Bee Machine calculates the chance for a friendship or love between its user and designer Bee Han, based on facial analysis and five algorithms. The algorithms are derived from Bee Han’s own preferences and characteristics, and from the study of physiognomy (reading one’s character based on their appearance). While the algorithms are invisible, the calculated result is irrevocable. The subjectivity of machine generated data raises questions about our faith in technology.

Seungbee Han (South Korea) is interested in the interrelationship between people and technology. Through play, humor and imagination, she explores the social acceptance of future technologies. Raising questions rather than answers, she ultimately aims to make her audience reconsider their own attitude towards everyday technologies.

Ben van Kemenade | Regenarated
benvankemenade.com

Old wood/ new life

When designer Ben van Kemenade discovered that woodworker Riky van Dulleman was no longer able to manage her rich collection of wood after 40 years of craftsmanship, he immediately saw the need to carefully preserve the collection. The installation Regenerated is a set up for the old wood around a freshly cut salix. The moisture released from the salix prevents the old wood from bending, twisting or breaking. Old and new materials benefit from one another’s presence, and traditional knowledge passes to future generations.

Ben van Kemenade (The Netherlands) designs with care for material and everyday objects. Alongside the fast pace of our industrialized lives, he creates a thoughtful calm: attentive to material qualities, craftsmanship and heritage. Ben van Kemenade lives and works in Eindhoven, in a collective studio with like-minded people. A new generation of designers, who call for a future with care for craftsmanship and tradition.

Niels Nijman Diffre | Louis Vuitton Gucci air max TN Lacoste shoe bag

Fashion icon or AI? Designer clothing and the hunt for authenticity

The fashion items presented here do not come from a renowned designer, but are simply generated by AI, printed in 3D and finally painted. The apparent authentic designs suddenly seem much less desirable than their presentation would lead you to believe. By playing with the interchangeability of designer clothing, Niels Nijman Diffre draws attention to the hunt for fashion icons by youngsters in Parisia. suburbs, aiming to boldly distinguish themselves.

Designer Niels Nijman Diffre (France) lives and works in Paris, where he studied product design and humanities. In his current work he focuses on the social context and perception of products and their appearances.

Daan Overgaag | Seeds of Resilience

daanovergaag.com

The vegetables and crops we nowadays find in supermarkets bear little resemblance to their biological ancestors. Daan Overgaag collected and cultivated 145 old, new and wild plant species on a plot in the Zuidoostbeemster, the Netherlands. A living archive, and a tasteful one, because with the harvest he prepared pop-up experiences: dinners with a wide variety of historical ingredients that have been displaced by their commercialized descendants.

Daan Overgaag (The Netherlands) is a gastronomic designer, anthropologist and chef. His work combines anthropological fieldwork, scientific research, design methods and cooking – and focuses on investigating and discovering old and new food sources and techniques. As one of the founders of Casa Kaos, a gastronomic studio in the Philippines, he recently opened Roots Restaurant. Here he translates his research into what he loves most: cooking.

Pierre Salaün | H.B.M.S.

pierresalaün.com

1.5-mm thick, foldable, sculptural, indestructible

The Hand-Bent Metal Shelf (H.B.M.S.) is constructed from one industrial 1.5-mm thick sheet of stainless steel. The ingenious design is laser-cut into the sheet. After transportation, the new owner folds the precut pieces in position: into a rigid structure that forms a shelving unit. The project proposes a conscious treatment of scarce materials. At the same time, the furniture presents a cool industrial aesthetic in which the design choices are visible and vivid.

Clemens Tomlow | Monster Under the Bed

Monstrous costumes invite us to fall in love with the odd other

All over the world, stories about monsters are told. Often scary stories, in which the monster symbolizes an unpredictable evil. However, some stories teach us that what society deems monstrous, is often rather misunderstood than evil. From Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast for example, children learn to overcome their fears.

Clemens Tomlow: “As a queer person, I often felt like someone’s version of a monster: weird, odd and misunderstood. But I have found that there is power in celebrating one’s otherness”. With his monstrous costumes, he invites us to embrace the different and the bizarre in the other and yourself.

Clemens Tomlow (The Netherlands) is a versatile artist and designer. He uses textiles, fashion and costumes to express intimate stories, of himself and others. He finds inspiration for his extravagant creations in everyday life and childhood. With play, fantasy and bright designs, he opens up our hearts for big emotions and untold stories.

Lotte Wigman | Negotiating Boundaries

Designing for the Symbiocene
In search of harmony: how can humans and non-humans live together?

Our present time, the Anthropocene, revolves around people. We seem to have forgotten that we share this planet Earth with thousands of other species, with major consequences for the ecology. With sea levels rising globally, it is likely that the man-built environment needs to accommodate other residents in the foreseeable future. Designing for the Symbiocene proposes an architectural style that is welcoming to humans and marine animals. The project proposes a future in which humans and non-humans live together in symbiosis.

Designer Lotte Wigman (The Netherlands) brings biology, history, archaeology and architecture together in speculative narratives of ecologies from the past, present and future. She combines theory with fieldwork, constantly seeking perspectives from non-humans that have been overlooked. How can we use these insights to redesign our shared world? In 2023 she received the Rene Smeets Award.

Willem Zwiers | Willems Ceramics Atelier

willemzwiers.com

Willem’s Ceramics Atelier is a workshop like no other. Willem replaces tradition, conventions and science with intuition, experiment and play. With self-designed, simple tools and a range of analogue machines he creates space to explore the clay’s natural qualities. Ceramics with air bubbles, torn or processed with a meat grinder, there are no limits.

The result: unconventional beauty.

Willem Zwiers’ (The Netherlands) designs reveal an unprecedented creativity, freedom and playfulness. Intuitive and explorative, free from conventions and preconceived outcomes. Willem is no less ambitious: with great dedication and high productivity, he claims recognition for his unconventional approach in the international design circuit.