MINED #3: Design Academy Eindhoven 2017 Graduation Show.

Design Academy Eindhoven‘s (DAE) youngest generation of designers has been turning doubts about the world into a productive instrument, and their 2017 Graduation Show is no exception.

Surrounded by ‘alternative truths’ in almost every aspect of their lives, these young designers deploy the power of questioning the obvious and do not shy away from unravelling hidden complexities. Titled MINED, DAE’s Graduation Show, curated by Formafantasma, presents the outcomes of their fundamental research and reflections. From reconstructions to storytelling, from archaeology to investigative reporting, and from a tool that makes body language noticeable for a visually impaired listener to an analysis of how a flush toilet can become a metaphor for political oppression and racial discrimination.

Digging deep is digging hard. Students have been mining their own personal lives as well as data sets and codes of law and material and technological possibilities to address omnipresent concerns. Working as archaeologists, they dug up dirt and poetry while creating alternatives for existing models, systems and products. This can be a painful process, and it takes commitment and perseverance to find useful fragments and raw materials to compose possible answers. The result is personal yet universal. The 177 projects in the 2017 Graduation Show do not pretend to give definitive solutions. However, their lingering does result in fascinating new approaches that reveal possible futures.

Read on for some of our favourites this year.

Related: Design Academy Eindhoven 2016 Graduation Show, Curated by Formafantasma.

Bhutan Colour Memories by Manouk Pekelder // “Childhood memories can be very powerful. Years later we can still recall the green smell of resin in the pines behind the house, the rushing of water on dark grey stones in the riverbed where we played growing up. Impressions that shape our identity,” says Manouk Pekelder. She has captured the memories of her own formative years in Bhutan in a richly coloured room divider that brings together her Dutch and Bhutanese roots. The Bhutanese are masters of woodcraft, weaving and colour, the Dutch were pioneers of stained glass. The screen is made of red cedar wood, evocative of the Himalayas, with patterned colour panels that are based on traditional weaves as well as a contemporary take on stained glass.

Photo by Iris Rijskamp.

Layers of Mind Cabinet by Seoyoon Kwon // How does our mind work? Seoyoon Kwon describes our personality as a layered structure with a variable content. By adding or opening up layers, we can conceal or reveal things about ourselves. Just like a cabinet filled with objects – safely tucked away or proudly put on display. Inspired by this metaphor, Seyoon designed a series of cabinets that play with the concept of hide and seek. Depending on how much of your inner self you want to show, you can slide open the silk-covered doors or increase opacity. Are you secretive or outgoing? Or perhaps a little bit of both? See what happens when you sync your furniture with your state of mind.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

Ventri by Billie Van Katwijk // In the meat industry, cow stomachs are a waste product; unfit for anything but dog food. For Billie van Katwijk, the rich, organic textures make these animal innards a fascinating material. Each of the cow’s four stomachs has different properties, shaped by their function. Some are like winding landscapes, others are almost reptilian. In a labour-intensive tanning process, she was able to transform their raw, natural aesthetic in a unique range of leathers with their own look and feel. Made into handbags, ‘Ventri’ reveals how slaughterhouse remnants can become luxurious design.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

Vice Versa by Kristofers Reidzāns // With his range of double-purpose products ‘Vice Versa’, Kristofers Reidzāns has synthesised clothing archetypes and architectural shapes. His three interior pieces undergo a metamorphosis when draped around the body. A wall tapestry that improves the acoustics in a room becomes an overcoat, a gauzy curtain turns into a loose flowing shirt and a room divider can be a voluminous vest. Sculptural in scale when they function as objects in an interior, yet adaptive to the human body, they illustrate Kristofers’ exploration of the cutting edge. Don’t hide your clothes in a closet. Put them in the spotlight.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

Virtual Materiality by Julica Morlok // With characteristics reminiscent of living creatures, the almost surreal seating objects created by Julica Morlok demand a different way to interact with them than traditional chairs and sofas. Because of their transparent skins, bonelike structures and organic shapes, you feel compelled to touch them, and they provoke strong emotions: simultaneous attraction and repulsion. ‘Virtual Materiality’ is a response to the development in digital design where objects are made to come alive and behave like abstract living bodies. Julica’s design proposes a new form language for our everyday surroundings that is sure to impact the way we behave in it.

Photo by Ronald Smits.

Leaning Shelf by Marija Dondovic // Where exactly is the divide between an object and its surroundings? Marija Dondovic explores this idea with her ‘Leaning Shelf’. This shelf is entirely reliant on the immediate architecture: it can only stand when leaning in a corner. The furniture is in symbiosis with the interior. For the onlooker, the shelf seems to disappear partially into the wall itself; a visual illusion challenging the actual reality. Yet the piece remains functional. The user can display a favourite collection or treasured possessions for all to admire.

Photo by Iris Rijskamp.

Linda by Peter Cornelis Müller // Linden trees have always held a special place in human culture with their beauty, symbolism and numerous uses. They feature in the mythology of folk as well as religious tradition, in literature and music. Examining present applications, Peter Cornelis Müller has reached out to people all over the world who still work with the linden: beekeepers, tea growers, manufacturers of paper, yarn and rope, but also contemporary musicians and poets. The growing network ‘Linda’ represents a holistic view on the subject and proposes new perspectives and uses for the linden in today’s world.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

My Hands by Friso Wiersma // Friso Wiersma designed ‘My Hands’ as a tribute to the dedication and craftsmanship required to make this installation. In the hands of the maker, the wood gradually takes shape through repetition, careful attention to detail and a respect for this natural material. The finished piece is a physical embodiment of these qualities. It is highly personal, made to fit the measurements of Wiersma himself using the golden ratio – used since ancient times to achieve balance and beauty in art and architecture. The custom woodwork is a stand against the modern tide of mass-produced furniture. Inspired by old Dutch work songs, Wiersma wrote his own work song about the process.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

Body of Construction by Agnieszka Mazur // These unusual looking seats combine an unexpected use of material with an exploration of physical posture. “Why do we always hide joints and seams in design, and what would happen if we show them?” Agnieszka Mazur wondered. She decided to explore alternatives, using metal rods and hot glue and taking her own body as a guide. For her ‘Body of Construction’ project she began by exploring exaggerated, overly visible connections. From this focus on every single, particular joint she arrived at these gradually built pieces of furniture that reflect the natural positions of the body. In the open framework, the glued joints started taking a prominent visible role, which Agnieszka recognised makes the user more aware of the value of both the joinery and the material. Does exposed joinery make us feel more assured about the structures? Or does it make us question their safety? The glue does more than bind alone; it also flows, creating unsuspected and highly expressive joints and surfaces. She decided to maximise their prominence, turning a purely functional material, usually hidden from sight, into the defining, identifying characteristic of her object.

Photo by Ronald Smits.

Metamorphism by Shahar Livne // ‘Metamorphism’ is a speculative design that shakes up our notions of waste and nature. Shahar Livne envisages a future in which the production of petrol-based plastics is a thing of the past. She presents plastics as a new natural resource that is mined and used by craftsmen as a rare, nostalgic raw material. This would create a new aesthetic that moves beyond our current view of plastics as cheap, mass-produced materials and pollutants. Shahar thus demonstrates how a shift in our perceptions of what is natural could lead to a new cultural reality.

Photo by the designer.

Voltaic Realism by Keisuke Fujita // There are 800,000 suicides globally per year, and every second, Twitter is flooded with people telling the world that they want to die. Yet, we do not feel the weight of the words on the screen. They remain little more than flashing lights. With ‘Voltaic Realism’, Keisuke Fujita materialises this endless stream of suffering that would otherwise vanish. His real-time installation converts digital signals into physical substance. Each Tweet uses 0.0054g of carbon as it is transmitted across servers and devices. So for each suicide Tweet registered, 0.0054g is scratched from a large chunk of solid carbon until gradually it is worn down, one sad message at a time.

Photo by Ronald Smits.

Standing Textiles by Fransje Gimbrere // These fragile looking textile skeletons are actually strong and sturdy structures, applicable in interior design and architecture. Stretching the boundaries of 3D weaving, Fransje Gimbrere created this experimental series of textile sculptures that give direction to the interior without diminishing the sense of space. They are built up, thread by thread, on custom-made weaving looms. The rope – coated with resin to retain its shape – can be replaced by any kind of wire; the structures can take on any size or shape. The constant change of pattern, depending on the angle, provides a fascinating see-through view. ‘Standing Textiles’ magically play with perception in public and private spaces.

Photo by Iris Rijskamp.

Dutch Wife by Aram Lee // These blankets are the result of Aram Lee’s study into the changing narrative and value of objects as they are transplanted from one cultural context to another. She uses the ‘Dutch Wife’ as an example. Originating in Dutch colonial Indonesia, this is a body-sized bolster cushion made of bamboo mesh that can be embraced by the user to keep cool at night. This was designed for a tropical climate and is unknown in the Netherlands. Aram travelled to Indonesia and traced the object back to its historical roots, aiming to introduce it to the Dutch population. The idea is to symbolically reverse the process of colonisation and ‘emancipate’ the object. The Dutch Wife belongs to a certain period, and to a specific relationship between the two cultures that is set in the past. By deconstructing and applying the original production principles to a series of blankets, which are more familiar to the Dutch situation, Aram allows the object to break out of its old context and re-appropriates it to a new one. The contemporary version is no longer about Dutch ideas of Indonesia, instead telling a story about the present.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

Spunky Webs by Fenna Van Der Klei // Fenna van der Klei has noticed how men are increasingly open to expressing their delicate side. Her ‘Spunky Webs’ collection captures the trend and takes it an innovative step further. Combining delicate yarns with sturdier plastic elements, these wearable, netted fabrics play with light, gravity and body shape. Iridescence, geometric patterns, open weaves and colour tones all combine to hide and reveal, embrace and accentuate the shape of the male body. Fenna has captured her designs in a series of photographs as a material catalogue for the fashion industry.

Photo by the designer.

The Peewit’s Landscape by Rebecca Oevermann // As we want to make the most efficient use of agricultural land, we tend to forget that we are not the only ones trying to make a living there. While monoculture and fertilisation produce greater grass yields for cattle, other species – like the peewit – suffer from it. With this colourful stage, Rebecca Oevermann wants us to take a look from the peewit’s perspective. It is a bird observatory that shows the landscape through birds’ eyes, with side vision and a different colour scope. The path leading up to the window underlines the change of view as you enter the peewit’s realm to overlook the grassland that both men and birds need to survive.

Photo by Iris Rijskamp.

Tilia X Europaea by Melle Witteveen // Based on a cultural and historical research into the linden tree, Melle Witteveen has created an installation that visualises our connection with nature and how it has changed over time in five objects. The prominent place the linden tree has held historically, as a place of jurisdiction and social gatherings, has vanished. Today people see the tree as a nuisance; washing its sticky sap off the car is one more thing to do on a busy day. The five objects created by Melle each highlight a different aspect of this changeable relationship between man and nature. Each invites visitors to reflect on it through a different approach; spiritual, critical, practical, biological or industrial.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

How To Overcome The Fear Of Failure by Doeke Van Nuil // These ceramic creatures are Doeke van Nuil’s visualisation of his attempts to create them. Moving from a BA in illustration to an MA in Conceptual Design, Van Nuil observed a significant difference between the two disciplines. In his view, illustrators often use visual storytelling to talk about struggles and failures, whereas design has a tendency to guide people towards a clean and finished notion of success. But who ever achieved success without failing first? Changing from stylus and screen to ceramics as a mode to express himself, Van Nuil came to reconsider all the stages of creating. Working with this volatile material gave him a new naivety and created room for both disappointment and breakthrough. In shaping these figurines he embraces any mistakes and lets them reflect his confusion, questions, pleasure and surprise. How to Overcome the Fear of Failure demonstrates what people can gain from allowing for failed attempts and serves as an inspiration to try fearlessly.

Photo by Nicole Marnati.

Wired by Lauren Leedam // Lauren Leerdam has experimented with cable netting to see if he could find new uses for it, resulting in this striking shelving unit. In its traditional form, the industrial material is based on a flexible 2D netting structure that consists of wires and connectors. Lauren found that when stretched, the latticework not only becomes more open, allowing for more organic shapes, it actually gains in strength as well. His new design allows the cables to gain a third dimension, depth, and with the added shelves, the framework locks itself into place.

Photo by Iris Rijskamp.

Inertia by Florence Louisy // The Mazy quarry in Belgium produces the purest, blackest marble on earth. With its high carbon content, the stone is extremely good at absorbing and storing heat: it has a high thermal inertia. Inspired by this natural property, Florence Louisy designed a series of marble objects that can be heated to spread warmth throughout the home in a more appealing way than today’s heating systems. A bed warmer, dish warmer, stool and polished wall tablet together make up ‘Inertia’ − a modern reinterpretation of ancestral habits around the hearth as a source of warmth and social bonding. With thanks to Marbrek and Merbes-Sprimont.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

10:1 by Christian Hammer Juhl // Increasing urbanisation means that our living environment is becoming smaller. We occupy fewer square metres and move around more often. It’s time for a new type of furniture to fit in with this modern lifestyle. ‘10:1’ by Christian Hammer Juhl is designed to deflate when needed. The furniture is made of a dense foam that can be compressed to 10 percent of the original size using the suction power of a vacuum. Instead of being stuck with a living space in a set state, it’s fluid; ours to shape as we please.

Photo by Iris Rijskamp.

Sedentary Laboratory by Dorota Gazy // Our modern society is largely sedentary. We spend our days sitting, at home and at work. This causes all sorts of ailments, from back pain and hernias, to osteoporosis and weak abdominal muscles. ‘Sedentary Laboratory’ by Dorota Gazy is a vision of the future: objects tailored for bodies deformed by our current inaction. A cane maintains balance for weakened legs, a chair supports our bent backs, an oxygen mask feeds brains slowed by lack of movement and a suit is sewn with a hunched back and trouser legs shaped into a constant sitting position. It’s a preview of tomorrow today. You have been warned.

Photo by Ronald Smits.

Reframe by Jian Da Huang // With ‘Reframe’, Jian Da Huang creates an accessory collection of soft 2D shapes that add an architectural structure to clothing. Jian was inspired by the use of bones to do the same. Traditionally bones were hidden in clothing, such as corsets and hoop skirts, sculpting forms from within. With these designs, he applies a framework of soft bone-like elements that change the silhouette from the outside, by tying and draping fabric around them. The idea is to deconstruct existing rules of clothing and to create alternative outlines, depending on the whim of the wearer.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

By hand by Friso Wiersma // It is in making things, that we become emotionally attached to them. Our own individual touch, and a slice of our precious time add value. Yet, many of us lack the skills to craft our own furniture. That is why Friso Wiersma created ‘By Hand’, a flatpack series including a stool, bench, cabinet and nightstand that anyone can create. Pre-cut joins mean it can all be done without so much as a nail or screw. The forms and colours are inspired by American Shaker design. Brush with traditional milk-based paint and there it is: a functional, finished piece handmade by you!

Photo by Ronald Smits.

Hey Jute by Alexander Marinus // Jute is the second most-cultivated textile fibre in the world. Industrial processing and chemical treatment destroy the natural qualities of this ecological material and it tends to be used in utilitarian cloth like cargo sacking. We do not make use of its full potential. ‘Hey Jute’, by Alexander Marinus showcases the benefits of the raw fibre. Growing between two to five metres, the strands are incredibly long. And strong. The cushion highlights the length and lustre, while the wall hanging incorporates felted jute – an alternative treatment that keeps the strength and length intact. When the raw material has so much to offer, it’s time more people wake up to its value.

Photo by the designer.

Kur by Timo Wuchner // Do you live in the city and long for the sea now and then? And especially that healthy sea air that freshens up your lungs and head? ‘KUR’ offers just that without the obligatory trip to the coast. These wall modules are inspired on the graduation towers that are traditionally used for salt production and in spas, with salt water running down a wall of stacked blackthorn. Timo Wuchner has downsized them into small-scale structures for urban environments. The prickly bushes catch drops of salt water, causing them to evaporate, letting the salt work its healing magic. Arranged into a walking route with places to linger, KUR provides a delightful sea breeze right in the city centre.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

Bringing Death Back To Life by Carmnen Lopez Brio // While other cultures honour death, in the Western world, we do not accept it. Yet, familiarity with death is a way of making peace with the human condition. With ‘Bringing Death Back to Life,’ Carmen Lopez rethinks the way we die in three personal pieces rooted in old traditions. The first is a bronze ring marking a final outfit – a physical reminder of that inevitable moment. The second is a coffin of flowers. Soft and tender, it reminds us that death is natural. The last piece is a bronze nail that rusts with time, providing loved ones with everlasting proof of the departed’s existence. Such nails could be placed in public, amid the flurry of life.

Photo by Iris Rijskamp.

Dining Toys by Roxanne Brennen // Eating and sex are surprisingly similar. Both are primary, animal instincts that activate our brain’s pleasure centre, releasing endorphins. But Western etiquette inhibits these instincts, dictating how we handle our food and interact with others at the table. Our tableware too reinforces ‘proper’ eating behaviour, turning it into a rather frigid affair. Instead, with ‘Dining Toys,’ Roxanne Brennen invites us to lose control, and make eating every bit as playful and adventurous as sex. This set, inspired by sexuality, helps us to rediscover the tastes, smells, textures and sounds of food. Like sex, consuming food should be about maximal intimacy, pleasure and discovering yourself and others through experience.

Photo by Iris Rijskamp.

Gift For/Of Syria by Yildau Ter Beek // Wheat – one of the most important staple foods in the world – has its origin in the Fertile Crescent, which includes present-day Syria. Today the word ‘Syria’ reminds us of a devastating war, and rarely of its rich culture. Their wheat is now arriving in bags of humanitarian aid organizations, often with the text ‘Gift of’, followed by the name of the donating country. It emphasises the gap between ‘us’ and ‘them’. To remind us of the origins of our daily bread and to bridge the gap, Yildau ter Beek has redesigned the wheat bag, inspired by Syrian textiles. When the wheat is finished, it can be re-used as fabric for clothes and coverings.

Photo by Ronald Smits.

Adore Me@ by Jella Lena Van Eck // With ‘Adore me@’ Jella Lena van Eck reimagines an oracle for the modern day. Much of our lives take place on our phones and so, this oracle exists on a series of mobile devices. The face of Instagram, she guides you and answers all of your questions, telling you how you should look and act to become Insta-famous, complete with a massive social media following. Because being adored online, isn’t that what we all want? Look into her eyes, listen to her voice and find out her secrets. Because in this video installation, she tells it like it is, with brutal honesty.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

Cycling Cinema by Milan Talk // At movie theatres, you will watch films in a black box; ‘Cycling Cinema’ offers a broader scope, bringing the outdoor scenery into the picture. Instead of going to the movies, the movies come wheeling their way to you – or to any other location. A place that adds to the atmosphere on screen, for example, and intensifies the experience. The Art Deco design, in the typical style of old theatres, gives the bike that extra nostalgic movie vibe. With a projector, screen, audio system, lights, eight chairs and a popcorn container tucked inside, this adventurous vehicle holds all the tools to transform any site into an open-air cinema.

Photo by Ronald Smits.

Marbled Salts by Roxane Lahidji // In ancient times salt was rare and costly. Yet, since the industrial revolution it has become so cheap and easily available that we longer recognise its value. With ‘Marbled Salts’, Roxane Lahidji explores new possibilities, reinventing salt as a sustainable design material. She makes use of its unique physical properties as a self-binding composite to create a set of tables and stools. By mixing it with tree resin, she gives it shape and strength. Coal powder and natural colour variations in salt mimic the aesthetics of expensive natural stone such as marble. Herein she draws a contradictory parallel between the flexible versatility of salt and the material language of heavy and solid rock. The design also aims to invite a discussion on the concept of value – essentially a social construct − and the costs the finished product implies.

Marquetry Production by Dita Pāne // To revive marquetry, a labour-intense wood decorating technique that disappeared after the industrial revolution, Dita Pāne has come up with a new way to give contemporary interiors a touch of elegance and personality. Using CNC-controlled laser cutting, she created ‘Marquetry Production’, a range consisting of decorated plywood furniture and wall/floor panels, made from locally sourced birch. Traditionally, expensive materials like tortoiseshell and exquisite wood veneers were used for the ornamentation. Pieces could take years to complete. Dita offers an affordable update with a beauty of its own, a break from the straight lines and flush surfaces of post-industrialist design.

Photo by Femke Rijerman.

Oesterplat by Marjolein Stappers // Oysters are increasingly popular as a delicacy, but they are also cultivated for being excellent natural water filters. Marjolein Stappers investigated yet another interesting feature of these versatile creatures. Struck by the beauty of their shells after savouring them at a restaurant, and noticing how they were thrown away as garbage, she came up with the idea for Oesterplat. She started to collect the empty shells from restaurants and found a way to turn them into something more durable. The result is an elegant tile collection made of concrete, marble and… oyster shells, showing their mother-of-pearl shine as newborn fossils.

Photo by Iris Rijskamp.

Courant d’Air by Océane Romanet // ‘Courant d’Air’ offers an alternative cooling system by letting water evaporate through porous bricks. The energy used for refrigeration and air conditioning causes greater emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. It turns urban areas into ‘heat islands’, resulting in even more use of cooling technologies; a vicious cycle. Océane Romanet was inspired by traditional terracotta water containers placed in window sills to let the breeze carry cooler air into a room. She has experimented with different degrees of porousness and built a series of architectural elements with her bricks for use as coolants in public space: a bus stop, park shelter and a pavilion.

[Images courtesy of Design Academy Eindhoven. Photography credits noted.]