Dutch Design Week 2017: The Anti-Efficients
In October of each year, Dutch Design Week (DDW) takes place in Eindhoven. This year: 2017, it is held from 21-29 October.
Mimi Berlin Blogger Team visited and reports to you; our readers. Let us start with our favorite presentation so far: The group exhibition “The Anti-Efficients”, tucked away in one of the rooms of the small buildings at the Kazerne complex in Eindhoven. Designers Sejoon Kim, Seungbin Yang, Hyunjee Jung, Sooji Lee are the ‘The Anti-Efficients’.
Sewaji is the result of the collaboration between Sejoon Kim and Hyunjee Jung. They present work under the tiltle ‘Cute. anthropomorphization and thingification’. Kim and Jung show their own interpertaiton of cuteness, they also imitate each others ‘cuteness’. The sculptures are based on the graduation thesis of Sejoon Kim: Cute, かわいい, 귀여워, ” which is about ‘cute culture’ and starts from the question of why he, as a Korean (broadly East Asian), is more drawn to cute things than Europeans are. We, at Mimi Berlin, find that to be a very interesting topic, since we, being European, are always drawn towards cute things; such as the Sewaji collaboration. (we need to read that research document!)
Sooji Lee For the ‘When Attitudes Become Typeface+Hand made figurines’ project Sooji Lee collaborated with writer Nemonan and the video artist ‘Visuals From’. The Texts on the wall are written with a special tool designed for this project. Sooji Lee made the text with this tool, by hand, and spent 2-3 days finishing each poster including embossing and stitching.
Seungbin Yang is showing ‘Simulacre’, a series of black sculptures. The Simulacre series are made in the traditional craft of Korean laquerware, using secretions from the Ott tree. This technique has become rare but Seungbin Yang wants to preserve it.
From what we understand, and in a nutshell; the designers want to show us what they call ‘the invisible story’ behind the ‘visible outcome’ or result. The invisible story being the time and personal methodology put into producing their designs (or the visual outcome, the result). We guess they named themselves The Anti-Efficients because it takes lot’s of time to finish a design. It probably isn’t that simple, you are welcome to correct us in the comment section below…
Anyways. “The Anti-Efficients” is organized by the Dutch arts and craft center “HOW & WOW” which is part of the Crafts Council Netherlands, a platform for contemporary craft. (well, that’s a mouthfull!)
More reports on the Dutch Designweek 2017 by Mimi Berlin Blogger Team