Studio Truly Truly

Column Lights by Studio Truly Truly came out of  'Transitions III' in cooperation with Baars & Bloemhoff. Studio Truly Truly, Joel and Kate Booy, applied two different materials in complementary colors; a matte Forbo Bulletin Board and a more shiny anodized aluminum. Column lights look like cabinets with a plug. They are a mix of furniture- like objects and luminaries, demonstrating a type of restraint that reminds us of the minimalism by the late Maarten van Severen (1956-2005). 

Studio Mieke Meijer

Our absolute hero of Dutch Design Week was Studio Mieke Meijer, the co-authorship of Mieke Meijer and Roy Letterlé. As part of the Dutch Invertuals show, they came up with a geometric white frame developed in collaboration with Luxaflex® displaying interludes of open frame and closed surface, using a wire-grid carrying of diamond shaped pieces of white cloth in variable sizes. The installation was driven by changes in the room caused by passers-by; variations like light intensity and shifts of temperature caused movements and visualized an experience of clarity and shades. Part of the enchantment was the honesty of the machine; its mechanics clearly visible, creating a level of understanding between product and observer. Another highlight was Mieke Meijer's solo exhibition The party and the sum triggering issues of perspective, scale and proportion.

Michiel Martens and Jetske Visser

Another visible and dynamic studio you could not have missed is Michiel Martens and Jetske Visser. Being part of the Dutch Invertuals collaboration with Luxaflex®, Martens & Visser gave us a magical experience by creating a sort of abstract rain exploring a world of wonders within the conception of working with material strips. 'Our twisting installation is the result of an experimental attitude, in which materials are treated with a sense of wonder. The prismatic surface expresses contrasting qualities, feeling both naturally fluid and mathematically precise, at the same moment.' 

Kiki & Joost

Not in the city-center but definitely worth the design taxi ride* Kiki & Joost celebrated the opening of their new place 'The Tinkering Labs’. Originally built as a Philips Laboratory their studio and showroom now boosts a new type of radical experiment; spontaneous creation and physical exploration, utilizing all sorts of media and materials. Tinkering is at the heart of both Kiki and Joost’s innovative designs – and at the start of every great project. Marked by bright orange walls and placed on small pedestals, the spectators could easily distinguish the works in process, from the finished product. 

(apart from Volvo sponsoring the design taxi- a great many thanks to all those volunteeres that drove visitors During Dutch Design Week)

Jessica den Hartog

Recycled plastic and re-use became certified buzzwords at Dutch Design Week. Effectively one creative  hit us right between the eyes with her candy link sheer decorative blinds made from recycled plastics. Jessica den Hartog sorted, washed and recycled all plastics by hand. Because the regular recycling industry makes no color distinction and grinds all kinds of plastic into a gray pulp, raw composite Degranulate fails in all categories of visual appeal. Den Hartog decided to simply put her designers brain to use and sort things color-wise and turned out a presentation of poetic beauty (and a book documenting the process).