Designing the SocialDesigning the Social

In the 1920s, a group of idealists laid the foundations for De Ploeg, a weaving mill in the agricultural colony of  Best, Brabant. Some were inspired by religion, others by socialism, anarchism or pacifism; or even a mixture of them all. Their cooperative production and consumers association was to be the symbol of a new way of life. Shortly after the end of the First World War, the initiators hoped to link their vision of the world community to a collective way of working and living. Once established in Bergeijk, unprofitable agricultural activities were discontinued. De Ploeg focused entirely on textile production. With its woven curtain fabrics, the company quickly presented itself as a forerunner in the interiors sector. The fabrics were light, brightly coloured and graphic, fitting the image of modernist architecture and the new human: free, independent and averse to everything the past stood for.

De Ploeg collaborated with progressive architectural organisations such as De 8 and Opbouw and with the GoedWonen foundation. In the 1950s, landscape architect Mien  Ruys and architect Gerrit Rietveld worked on the design of a park containing a new factory building. Worker well-being was central to their design, rather than corporate status. To guarantee the ideology's continued existence, the  Werkbedrijven Bergeijk foundation was set up in 1957. In the mid-1960s, it organised a series of architecture conferences. In the factory, architects, activists and scientists discussed how to design better living environments and the need for experimentation and resident participation. Nevertheless, both the ideal foundations of the living-and-working community and the financial position of the company gradually came under pressure. Today, the factory is still standing and De Ploeg continues to produce high-quality, traditionally made curtain and furniture fabrics. A digital version of the compiled reports from the conferences held at De Ploeg can be downloaded below.

Concept, research and design: Rudy Guedj
Research and texts: Hetty Berens