Dutch Design Week announces 2015 theme: ‘What if…’

‘What if…’ is the theme for Dutch Design Week (DDW) 2015. With this theme, the organisation celebrates and highlights designers’ power of imagination. Their best responses will be on show during the 14^th edition (from 17 to 25 October) in the form of concepts and products, experiments and cross-overs. The campaign to support the theme is facilitated in cooperation with the design agency Fabrique. The first programme sections will be online this week.

Power to the imagination

DDW sees ‘What if…’ as the ultimate question from which creativity and innovation starts. Designers realise the most varied forms of innovation by looking at what exists from a different angle, by not being satisfied with the status quo, and by continuing to look for alternative answers and solutions.

Martijn Paulen, DDW director: ‘Posing the right questions is the motor for the imagination. Designers think about how we will live and live together in the future. They dare to question everything, dream of a different answer and shape it. This is how they lay the basis for the innovations of the future.’

Preview

New this year

The new label by TextielMuseum bundles the TextielMuseum’s collection and the TextielLab’s craftsmanship, and presents itself during DDW under the art directorship of Jongeriuslab. At Broeinest, Baars & Bloemhof present various collaboratives between industry and the creative sector, with work from De Inituïtiefabriek, Lex Pott, OS Δ OOS and Studio Mieke Meijer. The exhibition ‘Thing Nothing’ at Van Abbemuseum (curated by Thomas Widdershoven, Jan Konings, Ina Hollmann and Agata Jaworska) shows the role of design in a dematerialising world.

The festival feel is reinforced this year by the introduction of DDW Music, a collaboration between DDW, the Effenaar and booking agency Friendly Fire. During the week, there will be live performances at various venues around town, free for anyone with a DDW go-as-you-please ticket. Separate tickets will be available for the DDW Music Specials in the Effenaar and the Muziekgebouw.

The fourteenth Dutch Design Week will take place from Saturday 17 to Sunday 25 October in Eindhoven (the Netherlands). Visit www.ddw.nl for more information and the programme. Or follow DDW Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (#DDW15).