Archives at Risk: Hella JongeriusArchives at Risk: Hella Jongerius

‘Dutch Design’ may be world-renowned, along with Dutch artists being digital culture pioneers, but the archives of these designers are far from secure. In fact, an important part of Dutch design memory is in danger of disappearing. As at the moment, there is no central policy and structural funding in the Netherlands to preserve these archives. And it is precisely the social context provided by archives that offers in-depth interpretation and meaning to the maker's practice and works.

This traveling installation, initiated by the Network Archives Design and Digital Culture (NADD), addresses this urgency. Because, what happens to the archive when a design studio closes its doors? And what will be lost if no place is found for this heritage soon? Every three months, a new ‘archive at risk’ will be revealed at an institution/museum in the Netherlands. The presentation at the TextielMuseum in Tilburg highlights Jongerius' extensive design practice by showing a variety of (archival) material and design pieces.

Since founding Jongeriuslab (1993), Hella Jongerius has gained international fame with her unique vision of industry, craft, art, and design. Many people are familiar with Jongerius’ designs in glass and ceramics, including her ‘B-set’ tableware and IKEA vases. Her oeuvre pays particular attention to textile development. Jongerius has developed and designed rugs, fabrics, and furniture for companies such as Vitra, Kvadrat, and KLM. Jongerius’ textile design archive currently includes over 160 boxes of samples and models.

At the time of the presentation, TextielMuseum was seeking funding to acquire several Jongerius’ special objects and prototypes, which will be part of the museum’s collection along with the generous donation of the textile design archive. On March 7, 2024 the news was announced that with financial support from Vereniging Rembrandt and its Titus Fund it was possible to acquire eleven textile objects and prototypes from the period 1995 - 2021. The acquisition is accompanied by the donation of Hella Jongerius' entire textile design archive to the TextielMuseum.

The presentation was on view until the 16th of February 2024 in library of the TextielMuseum. The museum library is open from Tuesday through Thursday from 10:00-17:00h and Friday by appointment.

Archives at Risk: Seeking Shelter is curated by Annemartine van Kesteren (Curator of Design at Boijmans Van Beuningen) and designed by spatial designer Ben Shamier. This year, the installation will be on display at various NADD partners and showcase ten different endangered archives.