Dutch, More or Less: Contemporary Architecture, Design and Digital Culture now on at the Nieuwe InstituutDutch, More or Less: Contemporary Architecture, Design and Digital Culture now on at the Nieuwe Instituut

• Dutch, More or Less: Contemporary Architecture, Design and Digital Culture is now open at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam and will run for two years.

• The more than 60 objects, spanning over 30 years of Dutch design, are drawn from all three disciplines that are the focus of the Nieuwe Instituut: architecture, design and digital culture.

• Dutch, More or Less begins with a section of iconic works from the 1990s, while the second section shows how over time the boundaries between the disciplines are dissolving more and more in a common quest for a better world.

• In addition, every five months during the presentation, there will be space for a new work by an emerging maker that reflects on the future of Dutch design.

Last weekend, Dutch, More or Less: Contemporary Architecture, Design and Digital Culture opened at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. For two years, this long-term presentation will showcase the versatility and distinctiveness of ‘Dutch design’, which has made such an impact worldwide since the 1990s.

More than 70 designers, architect and digital makers are represented, from icons such as OMA, Victor & Rolf, Iris van Herpen and Bas van Abel to unexpected gamechangers, and from interactive installations to fashion items, models and furniture.

As the Netherlands itself is in many ways designed and fabricated, its spaces, objects and interactions have traditionally been a breeding ground for new ideas. This presentation explores how driven by social and ecological urgencies and technological developments, boundaries between the three disciplines are dissolving since the 1990s in a shared search for a better future.

Dutch, More or Less begins with a trip down memory lane, with several iconic pieces from the 1990s. In a time of increasing globalisation and the rise of the internet, Dutch design, often with government support, quickly became of international importance. This is reflected in the characteristic playfulness and positivity of the works included from the three disciplines.

These include Sjoerd Soeters’ ‘circus theatre’ in Zandvoort and the Expo 2000 Dutch Pavilion by MVRDV; the Long Neck Bottle by Hella Jongerius and the Chair with Holes by Gijs Bakker; and digital works such as the Digital City [Digitale Stad] and Mediamatic’s proceedings of the Doors of Perception conference.

In the second part of Dutch, More or Less, the focus shifts from what Dutch design is to what it can do and mean. Since the 1990s, the boundaries between the three design disciplines have increasingly dissolved in designer’s attempts to address pressing social and environmental issues – sometimes to the point where they can no longer be distinguished as separate.

The 21st century works in this section are no longer grouped according to discipline, but according to six possible questions about how we might look at Dutch design practice today. How do we design with nature rather than against it? What intelligences will we need in the future? And what is ‘Dutch’?

Finally, every five months Dutch, More or Less offers space for new work by an emerging designer, who – under the title What’s Next? – explores where Dutch design might be heading in the future.

The first designer to occupy this space is Amsterdam-based digital artist and illustrator Black Childish (Mickaël Mehala). He playfully combines the vibrant colours, culture, nature and characters of his home island of Martinique with a familiar Dutch design: the famous black and white striped traffic light. His work will be on display until 20 October 2024, when he will be succeeded by Estelle Bariol / Studio ACTE.

Aric Chen, general and artistic director of the Nieuwe Instituut, says: “Dutch, More or Less not just shows the bold and innovative spirit of Dutch design, architecture and digital culture. It also proves that the combination with new approaches and interactions that go beyond the individual disciplines, is a very promising one. And a very needed one as well, given the current social and ecological urgencies.”

Dutch, More or Less: Contemporary Architecture, Design and Digital Culture can be seen from 1 June 2024 at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. The presentation is long-term and will be shown in different configurations for two years.

Images: accompanying images can be downloaded here.

Contact: Robin van Essel, Press Officer | +31 (0)6 3803 9218 | r.vanessel@nieuweinstituut.nl

Curator: Aric Chen, in collaboration with the Nieuwe Instituut team
Spatial design: Koos Breen and Jeannette Slütter
Graphic design: Jacob Hoving

75B, Bas van Abel, Mina Abouzahra, Atelier NL, Gijs Bakker, Irma Boom and Johan Pijnappel, Nikolai Carels, Jo Coenen, Concrete Blossom, Cream on Chrome, Cubic 3 Design, Teresa van Dongen, Driessens & Verstappen, Gabriel Fontana, Mieke Gerritzen, H+N+S, Jeanne van Heeswijk, Iris van Herpen, Julius Horsthuis, Ian Ingram and Theun Karelse, Noa Jansma, Jaromil | Dyne.org Foundation, Hella Jongerius, Dirk van der Kooij, Joes Koppers, Audrey Large, Shahar Livne, Karel Martens, Mediamatic Interactive Publishing, Christien Meindertsma, Alessandro Mendini, MVRDV, Neutelings Riedijk Architecten, Next 5 Minutes, Simone C Niquille /technoflesh Studio, NL Architects, Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), Orson+Bodil, Patta X Bodil Ouédraogo, Liesbeth van der Pol / Dok Architecten, Esther Polak Jeroen Kee and Waag Society, RAAAF | Atelier de Lyon, Tejo Remy, Marlies Rohmer Architecture & Urbanism, Schie 2.0, Christian Schwarz, Jeffrey Shaw and Dirk Groeneveld, Bořek Šípek, Sjoerd Soeters, Wilma Sommers, Space&Matter, Wouter Stroet, Studio DRIFT, Studio, Klarenbeek & Dros and Atelier Luma, Studio Makkink & Bey, Studio Ossidiana, Superuse, TomTom, Tulip Trust, UltiMaker, UNStudio, Viktor&Rolf, Marcel Wanders, Sander Wassink, XS4ALL, Aimée Zito Lema and Elisa van Joolen, Jan Zuiderveld, ZUS [Zones Urbaines Sensibles]  

Not all architects, designers and (digital) artists were contacted. Some of the works presented come from our own collection or are on loan from other institutions.

Commissions:
Black Childish: 1 June 1 to 20 October 2024
Estelle Bariol / Studio ACTE: October 2024 to February 2025
Yassine Ben Abdallah, from March 2025

Further commissions will be announced at a later date.

Nieuwe Instituut is the Dutch national museum and institute for architecture, design and digital culture, located in the Museumpark in Rotterdam. Our three disciplines make up the spaces, objects and interactions that shape our world. Through exhibitions, events, research and other national and international initiatives, we show how design ideas make a positive contribution to pressing social challenges. We want not only to imagine a better future, but also to test and implement it together with our visitors. Nieuwe Instituut is a welcoming and lively place where designers, thinkers and the public meet. Multivocality is also the basis of the Zoöp, our organisational model that gives a voice to non-human life. Nieuwe Instituut is also responsible for the management, conservation and accessibility of the National Collection for Dutch Architecture and Urban Planning, one of the largest architectural collections in the world, and the Sonneveld House Museum, an icon of Dutch functionalist architecture built in 1933.