New Material AwardNew Material Award

This year, from November 20 onward, Het Nieuwe Instituut presents the work of sixteen designers, artists and architects who are nominated for the New Material Award 2014. The New Material Award challenges artists, designers and architects to create and present designs featuring the use of new materials and innovative techniques that contribute to a better and sustainable society.

The prize has two categories: the New Material Award, with a cash prize of ¬ 15,000 for a finished product, and the New Material Fellow, in which a laureate is supported by Het Nieuwe Instituut to further develop and research their proposal for a period of up to six months. Out of the 81 submissions, a committee of experts selected sixteen ideas and designs. On 20 November, a jury of experts will announce the two winning designs during the presentation ceremony and opening of the exhibition in Rotterdam.

The New Material Award is a collaboration of DOEN Foundation, Materiaalfonds and Het Nieuwe Instituut. These institutions hold the view that artists, designers and architects have an important role to play in initiating new developments in society and addressing current and urgent issues. The prize focuses on the intersection of science, design, art and technology. It aims to challenge participants to seek solutions for the future beyond the boundaries of their own disciplines. This ambition is reflected in the entries that present a wide range of innovative solutions in which functionality, aesthetics and sustainability go hand in hand.

The sixteen nominees are: Atelier NL with SandBank, Borre Akkersdijk with B.B. Platform, Nina van den Broek with Ivorish, Niels Datema with GraphLight, Milo Dool with Pendant Lights, DUS architects with _3D Print Canal Hous_e, Aagje Hoekstra with Coleoptera, Laura Lynn Jansen and Thomas Vailly with CaCO3 Stoneware, Elisa van Joolen with Invert Footwear, Chris Kabel with Blue Sky Project, Studio Eric Klarenbeek with Mycelium Project, Quintus Kropholler with Black Gold, Roos Meerman with Aera Fabrica, Ingrid Nijhoff with Living Pixels, Tjeerd Veenhoven with No-ink and Julia Veldhuijzen van Zanten with Protective Underwear.
The work of all the nominees can be viewed on the new website: www.newmaterialaward.nl

The jury consists of Ingrid Zeegers (head Sustainable Business Development C&A Europe), Dirk van der Kooij (designer at Studio Dirk Vander Kooij) and Pieter Keune (founder kM magazine, lecturer at the AHK-Reinwardt) and operates under the independent chairmanship of Edo Dijksterhuis (art critic and publicist).