Dutch Design Week 2021

Looking ahead to DDW21!

After a fully virtual edition in 2020, Dutch Design Week (DDW) will be hosting a physical event in Eindhoven from 16 to 24 October. Additionally, DDW will develop an online programme including virtual exhibitions – 3D Viewing Rooms – and DDW TV. Guided by the theme ‘The Greater Number’, the twentieth edition of DDW is all about looking for the greater number.

DUTCH DESIGN WEEK 2021

This past year has shown us that while the digital part of DDW is crucial, the physical event remains key. That’s why we are optimistic, looking ahead to October and aiming our DDW sights on a physical festival in Eindhoven. DDW stands for serendipity and chance meetings – new designers, ideas and vistas that surprise and inspire you unexpectedly. And that’s what we want to focus on. We hope to be able to welcome visitors six months from now, in various locations, in line with Covid-19 measures applicable to the time and date of the event. This decision comes after consultation with the design community, important partners, and the relevant authorities. Although we do have contingency plans in place, just in case, we believe a physical event will be possible by then.

The festival will be supported by an online programme with, among other things, the 3D Viewing Rooms and DDW TV, which were first introduced in 2020. Both parts will be revised and further developed, to ensure congruity with the upcoming edition of DDW.

Are you a designer? Sign up now to take part in DDW21!

Call for Entries DDW21 © thonik

THE GREATER NUMBER: QUEST FOR BETTER NUMBER

After the corona crisis, will we continue on the same road that we’ve been following for the past decades, namely a road built by economic growth? That is a question that many people have been asking for the last year. DDW doesn’t think so and calls for reflection and change with ‘The Greater Number’. Change should focus more on social values and better care for the planet, rather than just economic values. Perhaps less should be consumed to produce less waste, more sustainable products should be used, or a new change in behaviour between consumer and product is needed. A future in which there is a constant search for a better number: sometimes less, sometimes more but of higher quality and sometimes simply different. Including when it comes to opportunities and inclusiveness in our society. This is all captured in the overarching theme ‘The Greater Number’. With this theme, DDW hopes to inspire participating designers and partners to share their vision on the basis of various subthemes around the pandemic, the wellbeing economy, climate, inclusivity, and the design field. Read all about the DDW21 theme here!

Studio RENS at DDW19 © Britt Roelse

VISIT DESIGN OPEN IN EINDHOVEN

For those who can’t wait until October, there’s plenty of design to experience in Eindhoven in June. The third edition of Design Open will take place from 13 to 17 June, where more than 20 Eindhoven designers and design studios will open their doors to the public. Guests will be able to visit Kazerne, Studio RENS, Foundation WeAre, Kiki & Joost, Aptum, Ontwerpduo, Antigoon and Studio Anne Ligtenberg. How does it work? Visit designopen.nl to select the designers and design studios you want to visit, then send them an email to make an appointment.

A LOOK INSIDE WITH DDW STUDIO VISITS

Can’t visit Design Open but want to have a look inside the Designer’s studios? You can! In our video series ‘Studio Visits‘, designers from our DDW community give you an exclusive look behind the scenes. Meet Rick Tegelaar, Floris Schoonderbeek, mo man tai, and Niels Hoebers in their ‘natural habitats’ and discover what makes them tick as designers!

ARE YOU COMMITTED TO A GREEN AND SOCIAL EUROPE?

The New European Bauhaus, a European Commission initiative, is calling on the cultural and creative industry to build a beautiful, green and social Europe together. It is a creative and interdisciplinary movement that seeks to make green transformation with state-of-the-art technology visible and accessible to all. In addition to the call for new ideas and concepts, the European Commission also recognises what has already been achieved. Winners of the New European Bauhaus Awards will be awarded a cash prize of €30,000 for existing groundbreaking achievements and winners of the New European Bauhaus Rising Stars will be awarded a cash prize of €15,000 for their further development of emerging and pioneering concepts and ideas. Want to apply? Click here. The deadline for submissions is on 31 May 2021.

Dutch Design Week
16 – 24 October 2021, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
www.ddw.nl

Dutch Design Foundation
Dutch Design Foundation (DDF) is optimistic and believes that the problem-solving capacity of designers can improve the world. That’s why DDF offers designers opportunities, support, publicity and a platform. DDF organizes Dutch Design Week, World Design Embassies and Dutch Design Awards and is active far beyond the Netherlands. Through debates, lectures, exhibitions and gatherings staged all year round, DDF provides a platform for the best and most promising designers, helping to disseminate their ideas and work. www.dutchdesignfoundation.com