All posts filed under: Eindhoven

So hip it hurts: Human connections in a tech-obsessed world

“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict and debate.”   Dat technologie niet heiligmakend is weten we ondertussen al. ‘Tech’ moet ten dienste staan van ons als mens en niet andersom. Dat lijkt evident, maar je hoeft vandaag maar gewoon op restaurant te gaan en je ziet het meteen, minstens de helft van de tafels ‘zit’ op zijn smartphone en heeft nauwelijks oog voor zijn of haar gezelschap. We zijn verslaafd aan ‘sociale’ media conversaties en digitale vriendengroepen, maar we zijn nog nooit zo alleen geweest. Volgens een recent onderzoek van de BBC voelen meer dan 1/3 van de Britten zich erg eenzaam en dit is geen alleenstaand feit. Overal steekt eenzaamheid de kop op en we zien vandaag al de eerste tekenen van een intense zoektocht naar menselijke ervaringen, warmte, een gevoel van ergens toe te behoren en de wetenschap dat er voor ons, heel persoonlijk, gezorgd wordt. Members-only-clubs We zien dan ook dat veel nieuwe hospitality services zich extra gaan inspannen om mensen onderling aan elkaar te koppelen. Niet …

The Tourist_Image of the day #24

This image-of-the-day I shot during a visit at the very strong expo Robotlove during the Dutch Design Week. It catches by attention by it’s beauty, it’s innocence and it’s possibility. The figure is called ‘The Tourist’ and is the work of Dutch artist Margriet van Breevoort. She uses her hyperrealistic sculptures to seduce the viewer to believe in something impossible. The Tourist is the reminiscent of a traveler from a distant world, lost in the here and now. The figure seems to be amazed at the grand and complex world in which we live today. Where does the tourist come from and to what world does she belong? In the light of what is possible today, The Tourist is a reflection of a impending reality. Another work at from the same artist, shown at Robotlove is The Waiting, a humanoid walrus waiting quietly on a bench. The sculpture makes us wonder: what is normal in the world with endless possibilities? Intriguing no? Much more to come on Robotlove and the Dutch Design Week in the next …

corn skin waste

Corn food waste: material innovation_DDW 2017

We all know corn. We think there is one kind of corn we can consume during barbecue’s and spare ribes, but are wrong. In Mexico alone farmers breed 62 sorts of corn. The skin of these species of corn are waste material as we don’t consume it. Corn skin waste Designer Fernando Laposse found out dat we do not have to throw away the corn skins but that they can be used as finishing layers on furniture, decorative items and all kind of MDF constructions. The designer also shows where the corn is sourced. By doing so he not only celebrates bio diversity but gives also support to the small farmers who sustain their family. Fernando Laposse is a London based Mexican designer with a BA in product design from Central Saint Martins. He was born in Paris, France september 1988. His work is deeply rooted in material experimentation and craft with a great emphasis on self production and the DIY culture. His projects aim to raise questions regarding whole system thinking, ephemerality, patterns of consumption and …

Leek paper food waste innovation_DDW 2017

Thé themes of this Dutch Design Week was definitely waste management, but even more trying to make new, innovative materials out of it. This Leek paper food waste innovation is one of them. This initiative I spotted at the Embassy of Food. What is this about? Well, meet Jan Van Lierop, the largest organic vegetable grower in the Netherlands. He exports most of his produce and he is legally obligated to deliver his leaks in packaging. But today we all try to have less packaging and preferably biodegradable… The question popped up: What if his company were able to use the waste flow from the leaks to make a wrapper? That is what Belgian (based in Rotterdam) designer Isaac Monté came in. He started to experiment with leak pulp, as you do with wood pulp to make paper. The result of his experiments were quite impressive. Interesting printable leak paper, all different texturewise because of the many greens and fibers in the waste pulp. The leak paper did not smell funny, had a beautiful look and …