The big question students and graduates ask themselves during this exhibition is: “What is our work worth?”
Four students and two alumni of DAE are going international! During four days they exhibit at ‘Our Work is Worth’ (OWIW) during the Just Mad art & design fair (part of the big ARCO Art fair). This event is held from the 16th till the 19th of February in Madrid.
The participating students and alumni will ask what people (potential users or buyers) think of the aesthetic, technical, innovative, commercial and emotional value. They do so in order to receive more thorough feedback. This could give them a broad insight of how the market receives their work. After three days they determine a price for the work according to the feedback and on day four they sell it for this price.
OWIW is an initiative of DAE student Liesje Lokbi. She came up with the idea during a second year assignment, two years ago. The assignment said: 'Try to live as long as possible with five euro'. Liesje says: “In that period I concluded I needed to make money. And how nice would it have been to make money with my educational knowledge. I tried to sell our work. Not just mine, but from all students. Immediately the big question arose: What is our work worth?” Since then the concept evolved into a bigger event. It has been organized twice in the Netherlands. The highlight was an exhibition in “De Bijenkorf” (well-known Dutch retail chain) during Dutch Design Week 2011. Now it’s the first international adventure for OWIW. Liesje: “Personally I am very curious how an international audience will receive our work.”
DAE students at OWIW:
Tijmen Smeulders, 3rd year Man and Well-being. Presenting four press-paper (paper weights)
What's the relevance of the paperweight since every object with a weight can function as one?
These paperweights are an answer to this question. Each paperweight has its own unique quality and shape.
Niels Datema, 3rd year Man and Activity. Presenting spoons in various sizes for baking bread.
The smell of freshly baked bread, the crunchy crust, the texture of a slice of whole grain bread; this is what you’ll experience when you make your own bread. To bake a loaf of bread you need 5 ingredients: flour, water, yeast, sugar and oil. Every spoon is designed for one ingredient such that it provides this ingredient in the right amount as indicated on the side of the grip. Further you’ll need your two hands for some thorough kneading and be prepared to start the day with a smile on your face!
Ma'yaan Pesach, 4rd year Man and Leisure. Presenting a research project.
The set of dolls was made for a research in “Oud- Woensel”, an old neighbourhood in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The dolls are a communicator between the neighbours and are meant to be standing on the front window shelf. There is one main body and 5 different heads from which each one there is one missing part that symbolise a certain mental feeling (Sham, Dumb, Decimus, Anosmic & Vapid). As a part of the research Ma’yaan made different variations and appearances of the original model.
Ieva Laurina, 4rd year Man and Well-being. Presenting a hammock and a necklace.
The hammock is like a flying cloud. And it can make you fly as well. It gives shelter from the busy everyday life, taking you into another world. It is like going back in time to your childhood, when everything seemed so easy and accessible and you could almost walk above the ground. The hammock can be used inside the house as well as outside. Besides, the functional side it is a sculptural object that reacts on wind blow and any movement.
Necklace: The simple form is inspired by jewelry’s archetype- a pearl necklace. First I transform the ¨pearls¨ by making them flat, and then I add the third dimension again with the fur.
DAE alumni at OWIW:
Sabine Marcelis. Presenting her house-wine maker.
Wine-making is a rewarding and enjoyable activity. However, the available equipment is bulky and aesthetically unappealing. The process is often hidden away from view in garages and basements. This is a real shame, as wine is a living, breathing entity which deserves an audience to witness it maturing.
HOUSE WINE is an all in one home-brew installation which celebrates the process of wine-making by bringing it into our living space. An installation which requires nurturing and care and exists as a calming presence in the home. Introducing improved functionality and ease of use coupled with aesthetic value.
Germans Ermics. Presenting isometric mirrors.
It’s all down to mathematics, not magic, but that does not diminish the deceptive effect of Germans Ermičs’ Isometric Mirrors. By framing oval mirrors with a curved sliver of wood, they mimic holes in the wall; windows onto a parallel world. And so, Ermičs challenges us to question our perception of what is real.
“I was really interested in optical illusions and wanted to create a simple interior object with an element of the unexpected,” he says. Positioned together, his ensemble of three mirrors enhances the sense of confusion, as entire sections of the wall appear to shift and tilt.