Interdisciplinary and International Collaboration at the Center of London Design Biennale 2023 | News Article
News Article | May 23, 2023 | 11:00
The London Design Biennale 2023 in June will be a showcase for how designers around the world can contribute to a better and fairer world. The key elements are working together, embracing different perspectives, listening to each other and sharing knowledge. Dutch designers are also on board, and their pavilion sends a message about the importance of fostering international dialogue to find solutions to global challenges. Unexpectedly, London’s Somerset House, the venue for the Biennale, was a great source of inspiration for the Dutch Pavilion’s creators, explains Holland Pavilion curator Colin Keyes.
Play with disorientation concept
“Before becoming a magnificent civic landmark, Somerset House was a very mundane collection of various administrative spaces. It demonstrates both the mediocrity and the violence of the bureaucracy,” says Keyes.
When Mr. Keyes, an Englishman living in the Netherlands, submitted his proposal for the Dutch Pavilion, he was not fully aware of Somerset House’s history. But ever since learning about the place’s bureaucratic past, the Dutch Pavilion production team has taken inspiration from it. As a result, the centerpiece of the Holland Pavilion is a ‘stamping desk’ that is intentionally designed to look old. When curator teams from other pavilions borrow items from the Dutch Pavilion, they must fill out forms at this desk. The theme of bureaucracy fits very well with the theme Keyes conceived for the Holland Pavilion: disorientation and reorientation. “Stepping into a bureaucratic environment in the real world can be disorienting, but creating such a space at Somerset House isn’t entirely out of place,” says Keyes.
“The Dutch are good at promoting international cooperation.”
From the outset, the Dutch Pavilion’s vision was to be a hub within the Biennale, lending out interesting design furniture, making it easier for other design pavilions to host their events and gatherings. This is the Dutch designers’ response to the Biennale theme ‘Global Game, Remapping Collaboration’. The message of the Dutch is that we cannot solve global problems alone, but we are good at helping people around the world come together and work together. Unfortunately, the process is often time-consuming and bureaucratic. The story, and more! – Beautifully captures the unique experience of the Dutch Pavilion at the London Design Biennale 2023.
Interdisciplinary collaboration to build “out of joint”
The Dutch pavilion is about disorientation and reorientation. “Out of Joint” is the name of the exhibition. This showcase of Dutch creativity was co-created by a multidisciplinary design team, Colin Keyes. wonderful future Responsible for general art direction and experimental revitalization of scenography. studio waterer Responsible for the composition and production of the exhibition, tim teven studio We are doing materialization and creation of all objects, Janine Van Berkel Graphic designer for the Dutch showcase “Out of Joint”.
Completely rethinking the concept of the Biennale
It may be a characteristic of the Dutch to be a little destructive. The artistic director of the London Design Biennale 2023 is the Rotterdam-based Nieuwe Institute, which saw this assignment as an opportunity to question the whole concept of the Biennale. Can you believe it? ! When you were approached to set the artistic framework for the Biennale, you decided to tell the Biennale directors: “I don’t believe there are borders in design, so during the Biennale I propose that designers from different countries work together. Rather than introduce it, that’s exactly what the New Institute said at the London Design Biennale, and surprisingly the response was, “That’s interesting, let’s make it happen.”
“The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations” is the theme for 2023. One of the first things the Nieuwe Instituut did after announcing the theme was to ask game developers. play in the city To build a platform where all designers contributing to the Biennale can connect with each other, share what they are working on and see if there are opportunities for collaboration. This online game is much like a dating app. Each ‘Country Pavilion’ will post its profile online, describing its interests and what the pavilion can offer. Whether that has led to new and unexpected collaborations will be revealed at the London Design Biennale at Somerset House from 1-25 June.
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Sponsored by the Embassy of the Netherlands in the UK
In line with the Dutch government’s international cultural policy, the Dutch Embassy in the UK makes available financial support for UK venues and festivals that give Dutch artists and designers international exposure and international experiences. I’m here. The London Design Biennale provides a great platform not only for Dutch-based designers, but also for the Nieuwe Instituut. The Embassy of the Netherlands in the UK has therefore decided to support this international cooperation. both economically and otherwise.
Find out more about the Embassy’s efforts to support Dutch culture in the UK below. www.netherlandsandyou.nl/uk/culture.
https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/latest-news/news/2023/05/23/london-design-biennale-2023 Interdisciplinary and International Collaboration at the Center of London Design Biennale 2023 | News Article
