The Dutch Atelier unveils a collective design exhibition at the Isola Design District

As part of the Isola Design Week, the Dutch Atelier will feature inspiring works from Dutch designers at Atelier Kondakji, on Via Civerchio 2, Milan from 7th June till 12th June 2022. The curated art and design works offer fresh perspectives and identities which are carefully produced through local and heritage sources referencing the past, present and future. Every actor in the design process is celebrated through the contextualisation of each showcase when young designers align their works to Isola’s theme, “Together As One.” This year, Isola participates as an important design district during the Milan Design Week 2022, to empower the fast-growing networks with the conjunction of people divided by backgrounds and disciplines but united by design. Here are few of the exhibits for visitors to look forward to at the Dutch Atelier’s collective exhibition for the design week.

Arno Hoogland’s Lounge Chair

Arno Hoogland, an artist and designer based in Amsterdam will be showcasing his latest comfort lounge chair- R400. Arno explores patterns and practices related to human behaviour within specific spaces and towards certain objects by experimenting with passage of light, movement, form, and texture. His works of art and design provoke sensorial interactive platforms that enable people to raise awareness of their habits while renewing their attention to their environment.

Bold & Schaft’s latest wall pieces for the Dutch Atelier

Dutch design company Bold & Schaft are set to present their latest collection of wall pieces at the Dutch Atelier for the Isola Design Week. Drawing inspiration from Dom Hans van der Laan’s theory, the “Plastic Ratio”, the dutch designers create a series of wall pieces with the focus on ‘perception’ instead of ‘beauty’. The wall sculptures will create a subtle interplay of perspectives through the movement of spectators and the casting of daylight on the sculptures. To contextualise their designs, Bold & Schaft studied different fabrics and their perspective possibilities through artificial and natural light.

Dutch manufacturer Cooloo present ‘Dazzling lounge set’- a new metal coating

Cooloo challenges industrial practices and standards by questioning the way we utilise products. They think and act towards developing solutions for the finite material world by promoting local and sustainable production methods. For their exhibit, they bring forth the dazzling lounge set which is a real metal coating produced from aluminium waste. They are all set to showcase their standard collection Emotion and Ocean alongside this bright shiny new coat.

Hanna Kooistra’s Stages of the Ordinary

Designer Hanna Kooistra presents the ‘Stages of the ordinary’ for Milan Design Week 2022. As a creative rendition of everyday products from the pre-industrial era, Hanna developed the context of her showcase as ornaments of the past. She tries to capture the essence and the form of communication from ages in history to venture far beyond the decorative layer in the designs of these objects. She selects the objects that hold less relevance in the everyday dynamics today and identifies their aesthetics by stacking, cutting, stitching, flattening and folding their images and shapes to reinterpret these objects as a contemporary collection. Following this work method, she presents a collection of ornaments from a renewed perspective.

White Noise Dada

The collaborative projection of Klaas Kuiken and Charley Reijnders is the Dutch company, White Noise Dada. Their work is best-described activist, absurdist and provocative at times. However, their blunt approach to designing is humorous and challenging to the existing norms. WND will be showcasing two large vases made of plastic waste amidst an apparent 17th-century panel of crushed plastic plants for the Dutch Atelier. The iconic objects hold references to art history but with the use of waste materials, they also raise the critical note of consumer behaviour. WND will also be presenting an acoustic panel made of old mattresses that are ripped and painted to make them UV resistant. With the panel, the designers experiment with various textures and values to create what looks like a stone wall, but is actually made of soft waste. For Isola Design Week, White Noise Dada also presents a merchandise campaign with the presentation of merchandise over merchandised products.

Ivi van Keulen Smashing Heritage

What if you could smash heritage pieces directly from the 18th Century? Ivi van Keulen— the designer based in Netherlands, questions the expression and valuation of art by smashing beautiful vases into pieces only to rearrange them into a single vase. The artist, with her showcase at the Dutch Atelier, tries to portray how beauty can also be flawed but still look perfect. “The 18th Century vase was meticulously made. Beautiful but flawed, with chips and cracks. If it would be immaculate, it would be deemed to be very valuable. But, in the state that it was in, it’s thought to be worthless. It would also cost more to restore than they could ever sell it for. So we have an antique object that is undoubtedly beautiful, authentic, and true but is essentially valueless in the market,” shares Ivi on her conceptualisation of the bespoke vases.

Foamblock chair by Teun Zwets

Made from locally sourced foam cut-offs and coated in recycled jeans by Cooloo the foamblock Chair is a signature design by Teun Zwets. Teun used the foam blocks in their original form to determine the shape of the chair. He constructed the chair like a lego puzzle, thus showcasing the unique shape of the chair. The chair was commissioned by Creutz & Partners - CP Lab for a larger interior project and will be displayed at the Dutch Atelier.

Alongside these upcoming and established designers, the Dutch Atelier will also be showcasing the works of other designers including Anouk Lemm, Sofie Aaldering, Studio Wae, Studio Noun, Bestwelhip, Bas Kosters, VanTot and Wisse Trooster among others. A canvas similar to the Milan Design Week banner is presented by the gallery to each of its protagonists to display their thematic representations of art, installations, and design exhibits.

STIR takes you on a Milanese sojourn! Experience Salone del Mobile and all the design districts - 5vie, Brera, Fuorisalone, Isola, Zona Tortona, and Durini - with us. STIR’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2022, Meanwhile in Milan showcases the best exhibits, moods, studios, events, and folks to look out for. We are also excited to announce our very own STIR press booth at Salone del Mobile - Hall 5/7 S.14, Fiera Milano RHO.