Design Commissions
Irma Boom (1960) is a graphic designer who specialises in book design. In 2016, in partnership with Malkit Shoshan, she designed the exhibition graphics and printed matter for BLUE, the Dutch submission to the Venice Architecture Biennale. Boom studied at the AKI in Enschede. In 1991 she established Irma Boom Office and since then has worked for cultural and commercial clients at home and abroad, including Rem Koolhaas and his office, OMA. For Boom, design is a question of experiment and a constant quest for innovation in form, structure and content.
Blue
During the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016, the Dutch pavilion presented _BLUE: Architecture of UN Peacekeeping Missions _based on architect and curator Malkit Shoshan's research into architecture in conflict zones. The presentation focused on the case study of Camp Castor in Gao, Mali, where the United Nations is carrying out a peacekeeping mission. The colour blue is used as a metaphor for the conflict, uniting architecture and human rights. The peacekeeping mission is located in the desert region of the Toeareg, known as 'blue men' because of their indigo clothing, and is carried out by UN Blue Helmets. In this nomadic region the borders are fluid and shift with the seasons; there is a state of permanent crisis due to war, climate change, sickness and hunger. The color blue has also guided designer Irma Boom who, together with Malkit Shoshan, has designed the exhibition's graphics. The web cover is made by Studio Moniker.