Signals & Stats

Dutch Design Week 2016: Age of energy

Eindhoven – Power Play by Dutch Invertuals aimed to rebrand sustainability by exploring the future of environmentally friendly design.

The exhibition was curated by Wendy Plomp and featured works by 13 experimental designers
The theme drew on technological advancements that will lead to an abundance of sustainably harvested energy

In Flux by Roos Meerman, Power Play by Dutch Invertuals

@Meal by Bastiaan de Nennie, Power Play by Dutch Invertuals

Frost Light by EDHV, Power Play by Dutch Invertuals

bench by Tijmen Smeulders, Power Play by Dutch Invertuals

Carefully balancing science and fiction, the show was set in a near future in which traditional power sources have been replaced by environmentally friendly alternatives. ‘From windows that act as solar panels to pigments that absorb light and store energy, we already have technological solutions that will enable us to create sustainable environments,’ explains Plomp. ‘The exhibition imagines how these technologies could change the image of green design.’

The pieces ranged from works that aimed to redefine our relationship with energy to didactic objects that revealed new sources of power. An installation by Roos Meerman visualised the flows of energy that are invisible to the naked eye. The designer used Schlieren photography, a visual technique that captures varying densities of air, to show the thermal energy that is emitted by the human body.

Tijmen Smeulders took a more speculative approach, proposing new industrial production techniques that could exist in a world free from the limitations of responsible energy consumption to enable unbounded ornamentation.

The Big Picture

Brands and creatives are pushing to change the image of environmentally friendly products, as outlined in our Sustainability Report. For more highlights from Dutch Design Week read our show review and keep an eye on our Design Directions section.