Sofa to go

Four suitcases, put together, form a homey sofa for all those long moments we spend in drab hotel rooms, airport lobbies or train stations. This is a design by Nieuwe Heren aka 'New Gents'.
'Nieuwe Heren' was set up in 2009 by the two gents sitting on the suitcase sofa in the photo above: Erik de Nijs and Tim Smit.
Erik and Tim are both in their early 20s: Erik is 24 and Tim is 21 years old. Their designs show how much their youth is an advantage: just check those wireless pants in the photos below!

Wouter and Lotty

Wouter Scheublin and Lotty Lindeman are showing their intriguing and playful designs at their new studio, which is a part of Piet Hein Eek's new exhibition space in the old ceramic factory in Eindhoven. It is obvious from my photos what caught my eye:
Wouter's walking table (see the video above) and
Lotty's suitcase cabinets.
The tentlamp and the football were made by Lotty, while the red chair and the chests were made by Wouter. It appears that one of those Wouter's chests can walk, too. Apparently, his book case already had a stroll through Milan.

2010 Dutch Design Week

On Saturday, the 2010 Dutch Design Week (DDW) began in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. I attended the opening and plan to return before it ends. I'll dedicate this week to DDW and the weeks after that to Dutch design.
How to describe DDW? It seems chaotic and disorganised. Limited to the highlights alone, there are: the Graduation Galleries at the Design Academy Eindhoven, the galleries of the graduates of Industrial Design at the Technical University Eindhoven, the Dutch Design Awards, the newly open showroom by Piet Hein Eek, the indie designers showing at the Klokgebouw, the ‘Liberation of Light’ exhibition at the Designhuis...
So it seems easier to define DDW by what it is actually not about: it's not a furniture fair and it doesn’t strive to connect established Dutch designers with international markets.
What then sets DDW apart? Where is the heart of DDW? It still beats right where it all began in the first place: at the Graduation Galleries of the Design Academy Eindhoven. Against more than 300 events, it is the hopeful, naive, grandiose, idealistic projects made by the Bachelor and Master classes that still receive the biggest attention from the Dutch audience and media. And that despite the fact that statistically less than one of the year's graduates will hit the big time.
Do you find this interest unusual? That wouldn’t appear so to the Dutch.
The Design Academy Eindhoven is the central design institution in the Netherlands. It is perceived almost like a design brand in its own right, whether it's showing in the Netherlands or abroad. It's hardly a coincidence then that it is the very core of DDW. After all, the most prominent Dutch (and world) designers of this day and age have learned their trade here. Job Smeets (of Studio Job), Jurgen Bey, Piet Hein Eek, Richard Hutten, Wieki Somers, Hella Jongerius... And that's just to name a few of the famous pack.
And so, amidst all the glitter I've encountered in the past days, I begin my posts with the graduate projects by one Amba Molly.
The photographs featured below showcase her ‘Mitose’ series, a new family of ceramics created by product procreation. Just observe that beautiful mutant plastic bottle merged with an oil jar! Her ‘Symbiose’ series (see photographs above) is inspired by nomadic tribes who carry their homes with them (rather than carry themselves to their homes). It therefore goes a step further than 'Mitose' in making a human body a snail's shell to accomodate the furniture and other commodities we need on us if we want to call ourselves home.

Still here and very still

The official video for Stillness Is The Move by the 'Dirty Projectors', a Brooklyn-based experimental rock band. The song is featured on their Bitte Orca album (2009).

Back a little bit

A video of Lykke Li's indie song Little Bit. And you really need to check out her song I'm Good, I'm gone here (the official video for the same song can be found here and it is also well worth your trouble).

500 photographers

I have already written about Yeondoo Jung earlier this year (see here). This Korean photographer is best known for his photographic series.
The featured photographs are from his Wonderland series (2005), in which he recreated children's drawings in real life with people and props.
All photographers featured on gem this week are taken from 500 photographers, a weblog run by Pieter Wisse, a photographer from Rotterdam. For 100 weeks in total (still running), Wisse is bringing carefully selected photographers to our attention. A photographer a day.

Adeline Mai

Adeline Mai is a 21-year-old French photographer, who makes intimate, nostalgic and poetic portraits of her generation. If you are interested to see more of her work (photo and video), press here for her internet page and here for her blog.