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Sense Nonsense

Science and engineering enjoy and even indulge in their reputation for serious research. These disciplines garner respect for remaining focused on making the world a safer and better place. Scientific research is considered serious business.

Art and design have a less stellar reputation for crucial research. The general public tends to assume that the freedom afforded to the more creative disciplines inevitably results in more imaginative, but less critically significant inquiries.

This exhibition takes a closer look at this artificial dichotomy, between art and science, and between the role of the designer and the engineer. An integrated relationship between sense and nonsense is explored to reveal that across all disciplines a dose of both is not only evident, but vital. 
It is never as simple as it looks. Even the most nonsense of projects contain a core of serious investigation.

Impression of the Exhibition

  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum
  • Sense Nonsense Exhibition at Van Abbemuseum

Wim T. Schippers, Le Taxi Cabossé, 1982

Every consumer is afraid of the first dent. To take away this burden, a car can come pre-dented. What at first appears to be an autonomous art project, is in fact potentially problem-solving. Confront your conventions; order your car pre-dented.

Collection: J.A. De Ruiter

Michael Sailstorfer, Popcorn Machine, 2009

An unusual, yet highly effective combination of devices to produce popcorn en masse; the bluntness of the gesture and its consequent production conjures images of “cornucopia”, an exuberant and inexhaustible source. Welcome to the land of plenty.

Collection: Andreas Westhoff

Studio dip, Fish on Wheels, 2014

A tank of water has been given wheels and the control of its movement has been handed over to the fish: the tank drives in the direction that the fish swims. Computer vision technology can enable interactions that are so simple that they can even empower fish – that’s if they are intelligent enough to understand this.


 

From Monday 20 to Saturday 25 October the Van Abbemuseum is also organizing a special No Nonsense evening programme with food and drinks, tours, performances, discussions and live music.

Every evening between 19.00 and 21.00 visitors can book for a dinner in the Karel 1 museum café organized by food designer Annelies Hermsen, and until 23.00 there will be absurd or critical comments in the programme.

www.no-nonsense.vanabbe.nl

Evenings, 20 to 25 October:
Cost of evening programme + dinner, € 32.50 (excluding drinks), students € 30.00.
Cost of evening programme excluding dinner (and drinks) € 17.50, students € 15.00.
Reservations: via no-nonsense.vanabbe.nl.

During DDW, visitors to the “Too much information - counter” in the entrance hall of the Van Abbemuseum can also find out if entrance is possible.

Participants

Curators
Thomas Widdershoven
Jan Konings
Agata Jaworska
Ina Hollmann

Featuring Work by
Atelier NL
James Auger
Maarten Baas
Laurent Beirnaert
Pieke Bergmans
Tord Boontje
Pierre Bouvier
C-Lab
Teresa van Dongen
Dutch Lab
ECAL
Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg
Ward Goes
Cynthia Hathaway
Aurelie Hoegy
Gerard Jasperse
Joris Laarman Lab
Chris Kabel
James King
Lina-Marie Köeppen
Bori Kovács
Laikingland
Ben Landau
Jimmy Loizeau
Nuon Solar Team
OMA
Anne Pabon
Mandy Roos
Michael Sailstorfer
Wim T. Schippers
Scholten & Baijings
Maarten van Severen
Helmut Smits
Studio diip
Studio Makkink & Bey
Studio Wieki Somers
Mark Sturkenboom
Wiktoria Szawiel
Thomas Thwaites
Paul Tubiana
University of Cambridge
Tomm Velthuis
Marcel Wanders
Hongjie Yang

Other DAE Venues