Under the theme Real Unreal, Dutch Design Week (DDW) invited visitors to Eindhoven to explore its exhibition and event program across more than 100 locations from October 19-27. For 23 years, the event has centered on exploring and questioning both the design of the future and the future of design. In this article, we delve into its theme, mission, and place in cultural policy
Words: Funda Küçükyılmaz
Carte Blanche, Kiki&Joost, Kanal, DDW, 2024, Photo: Anwyn Howarth
One of Europe’s leading design events, Dutch Design Week (DDW) annually brings together the ideas and projects of about 2,600 designers with over 300,000 visitors from around the globe. Firmly rooted in the DNA of Eindhoven, the event -now in its 23rd edition- explored what we accept as truth under the Real Unreal theme, and invited the designers to reshape our future. We are in a post-truth era, where the concept of reality has lost its significance in every field, giving way to perception, and everyone now lives within their own version of reality. Meanwhile, the increasing presence of artificial intelligence in our daily lives has further blurred the fine line between real and unreal. This year’s theme at Dutch Design Week offered a designer’s perspective on this challenging and elusive state. Through the Real Unreal theme, designers questioned accepted realities while presenting forward-looking ideas that may once have seemed unimaginable. The theme addressed how we navigated today’s fragmented realities, exploring what is real, what is not, and where these viewpoints intersect.
Dutch Design Week, 2024, Photo: Max Kneefel
This year, DDW invited designers to take on the difficult role of modern-day magicians, urging them to explore, challenge, and redefine the accepted realities around us, while helping us envision and even bring to life the unimaginable. The theme openly states that, even if we can’t always tell what’s real, we must look beyond the obvious, even beyond our own ideas. Embracing the motto “Don’t believe everything you think,” DDW 2024 invited us to envision how the future might look. DDW restructured its event and exhibition programs last year to enhance accessibility, improve understanding, and foster stronger connections between participating designers and visitors.
Starting in 2023, all programs and activities are curated under design perspectives and mission statements, grouped into ten thematic narratives. The Dutch Design Foundation, which organizes DDW, developed these categories to serve as a guiding manifesto for the event. The Foundation approaches design from diverse angles, spanning from individual to systematic, and from conceptual to practical, grouping its design perspectives under five categories: signature & collectible design, speculative & social design, product & craft design, service & innovative design, and independent & critical design.
Acknowledging that designers are increasingly focused on addressing urgent issues like climate change and social inequality, the Dutch Design Foundation established five mission statements: Enabling Our Thriving Planet, Creating Our Living Environment, Boosting Our Health & Well-Being, Achieving Our Equal Society, and Challenging Our Digital Future. These missions, along with the design perspectives, lay the groundwork for the 2023, 2024, and 2025 editions of the event, offering a cohesive framework for both participating designers and visitors.
Returning to this year, the Real Unreal theme brought together an extensive program of exhibitions and events under these perspectives. Among the programs were open-call exhibitions featuring designers whose projects were accepted by DDW, as well as showcases of final projects by students from various universities. A striking aspect of this year’s event was the collaborative nature of each exhibited project. DDW encourages collective efforts among designers at every stage, emphasizing that only through collaboration can the impossible be achieved and that change is possible only when we work together.
Designing Society, DDW 2024, Photo: Almicheal Fraay
The projects on display were a powerful reminder of how crucial design is to understanding and improving both today and tomorrow. Designing (in, for, with) Society, an exhibition that emphasizes the importance of designing with society in mind, offers a compelling vision of the future. Organized by the World of Design Embassies (WDE), a programme of Dutch Design Foundation, the exhibition represented diverse ambassadors, including the Embassy of Circular and Biobased Building, Embassy of Digital Futures, Embassy of Food, Embassy of Health, Embassy of Inclusive Society, Embassy of Mobility, Embassy of Safety, and Embassy of Water.
In discussing these exhibitions, the Dutch Design Foundation emphasizes the need for an urgent demand for change in a world that has been thoroughly designed. Their philosophy is that anything designed once can be redesigned to meet current and future needs. Combining creativity with scientific insight, corporate responsibility, and political will, Dutch designers collaborate with local governments, initiatives, and sponsors. The tangible projects on display, many of which have already been or could be implemented for the public good, highlight the important role design plays in our lives.
When we asked Creative Head DDW Miriam van der Lubbe about this year’s theme, her response also highlighted this drive for action: “Of course, this year again, there is a strong emphasis on circularity and inclusivity, common themes in recent editions, but the mindset has shifted. Whereas the focus used to be on highlighting problems, designers are now actively working to truly make a difference.”
Mission Days 2, Natlab, DDW 2024, Photo: Almicheal Fraay
Beyond its exhibitions, DDW’s event program, which included talks, workshops, design tours, and the Dutch Design Awards, also stood out. New this year was Mission Days, an event to create interactions between designers and industry professionals. Each day featured sessions under a specific theme with a mission related to shaping a better society and healthier planet. The event provided opportunities for knowledge sharing, networking, and expertise exchange. We particularly liked the flexibility of the program, allowing professionals to curate their own Mission Day based on their interests and schedules.
Each year, DDW invites three designers as DDW Beacons. This year, the event welcomed writer, researcher, lecturer, and landscape designer Julia Watson from Lo-TEK; Bas van de Poel, innovation director and co-founder at design and innovation office Modem, and André Doxey, who joined LEGO Group in Denmark as Head of Design and Senior Vice President earlier this year.
Bio Art Laboratories, Strijp, DDW 24, Photo: Cleo Goossens
In addition to the exhibition and event programs, it’s important to discuss how Dutch Design Week positions itself as a cultural policy and impacts the city’s DNA, particularly in light of the fact that the event has been held for 23 years in Eindhoven, a city that has increasingly attracted "highly qualified migrants" from many countries, including Turkey, in recent years.
Evoluon, Area West, DDW 24, Photo: Tommy Köhlbrugge
Located in the south of the Netherlands, Eindhoven has a distinctive industrial past and a rich tradition of technological innovation, in contrast to the more trade-oriented and culturally established Dutch cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. DDW’s presence in Eindhoven since 2002 is deeply rooted in the city’s design legacy and industrial history. Eindhoven’s transformation into a center for innovation and design dates back to the founding of Philips in 1891, an electronics giant that not only drove technological progress but also imbued the city with a spirit of innovation. This legacy has established Eindhoven as a key design hub.
Through DDW, Eindhoven has gained recognition on the international design stage, not only as an industrial center but also as a birthplace for creative and innovative ideas. The event has raised the city’s cultural appeal and enhanced its standing in the global design community.
A crucial factor is also the globally renowned Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE). Known for challenging the boundaries of design thinking and fostering talents that question traditional norms, DAE has played a central role in transforming Eindhoven into a design capital. Many of the city’s and the Netherlands’ designers and entrepreneurs are DAE alumni.
However, this dynamic was shaken in recent months with the possibility of the Design Academy relocating from Eindhoven coming to the fore. The school administration announced that it was considering moving to another city due to the increased need for housing and space related to the growing population from migration. The concern about losing an important institution that has become an integral part of Eindhoven's design ecosystem has raised significant worries among both students and the local community.
DDW 2024, Photo: Max Kneefel
Fortunately, a solution was found after several months of negotiations and public discussions. The city administration and the academy agreed on expanding and modernizing the school’s facilities within the city, ensuring that it will continue to remain in Eindhoven at least in the near future. During this process, the Dutch Design Foundation also advocated for the Dutch Design Academy to stay in Eindhoven. In its statement, the foundation emphasized that “Eindhoven’s unique DNA is at risk,”* asserting that the academy's presence is critical for establishing connections between education, design, and the city's industrial heritage. The foundation warned that losing this connection could weaken the city’s identity as a center of design and innovation.
The decision for the Design Academy to remain in Eindhoven is critical not only for maintaining the academy's relationship with the city but also for preserving the city’s position as the heart of Dutch Design. Reflecting the spirit of collaboration between industry, academia, and design, Dutch Design Week, alongside the presence of the Design Academy Eindhoven, ensures that the city continues to be a vibrant center leading discussions about new ideas, innovations, and the future of design. Dutch Design Week is a remarkable example of how a well-curated cultural strategy and program can positively shape a city's character. It seamlessly adapts to the zeitgeist while continuing uninterrupted, showcasing the dynamic interplay between culture and urban development.
Sources:
In preparing this article, information gathered during the press tour and press releases were supplemented with the following sources.
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