Stimuleringsfonds

After a two-year enforced break due to COVID-19, the Salone del Mobile will take place once again this year in the form we knew before the pandemic. The Creative Industries Fund NL called on Dutch designers to submit a proposal for a presentation during the fair week in Milan.

The Open Call Salone del Mobile 2022 yielded 25 proposals. From these, advisers Simone Post, Siba Sahabi and Arnout Meijer selected 15 projects. With the selected projects, the Fund aims to present the excellent quality of the Dutch design sector and to strengthen the international reputation of the creative industries in the Netherlands.

The selection consists of:

- RoBoGo – Studio RAP
- 21st century Heraldry of Italy – 75B Rotterdam (photo above)
- Animal Factory – Luca Boscardin
- Op maat – VANTOT vof
- Kaia – Studio Kim van den Belt
- Spaces for Well Being – Alissa+Nienke
- No Waste Time Chair – Teun Zwets
- This is it. – WhiteNoiseDada

- So It Goes – Sander Hagelaar
- Regained x Weved Chair 01 – Buro Bordo
- Design ARRAY lighting in Milaan – David Derksen
- Magic Colour Machine – LoopLoop
- Playfulness – Studio Sophia Schullan
- Sitting on Steel muscles – Flora Lechner
- Natuurlijk – Tess van Zalinge

additional information about the selection

The selection provides a broad picture of the qualities of the Dutch design field. A number of recurring themes within the projects are noteworthy. Several projects focus on the revaluation of materials and the transition to a circular economy. For example, Teun Zwets presents the No Waste Time Chair, made of residual foam from industry that is upgraded with a coating of recycled material. With This is it, WhiteNoisaDada prompts the audience to reconsider our values by presenting worthless materials (waste) as high-quality icons under the guise of anti-aesthetics. Regained and Weved have joined forces and developed a folding chair from reclaimed hardwood sourced from the construction industry and previously unused Dutch wool. Natuurlijk is a project by Tess van Zalinge that focuses on the innovative processing of textile waste. Together with three creative entrepreneurs, Van Zalinge developed three looks from deadstock sourced from factories in the mecca of textiles: Prato in Italy.

Attention is also given to public space. With Animal Factory, Luca Boscardin wants to encourage the rethinking of public space and bring colour and playfulness to the urban landscape. The collection of minimalist metal tubular structures in the shape of animals stimulates interaction between people and generates social dynamics. RoBoGo is a project by Studio RAP and RNDR that takes the media façade – known from tourist attractions such as Times Square in New York – to a new level with an eye for the dynamic and communicative power of the façade and architectural value of the built environment. For this purpose, they developed 3D-printed ceramic panels with integrated LED lights. In Milan, they are being presented at Magazzini Raccordati, which is currently being renovated. VANTOT is exhibiting two lighting installations in Milan including Sunseeker, an innovative, sustainable and interactive street-lighting installation. Sunseeker moves around its axis like a sunflower, always looking for the optimal position relative to the sun. The energy this generates allows Sunseeker to move and interact with walking audiences at night by changing light intensity and colour.

Whether or not in response to the corona pandemic, two projects are concerned with caring for each other. Spaces for Well Being is Alissa+Nienke’s vision for designed spaces that are proven to contribute to human well-being. This vision becomes tangible in Milan in a presentation that shows a mix of materials, installations and prototypes in several different scenes. With Playfulness, Sophia Schullan wants to improve people’s mental health and create a happier everyday life in times of crisis. In 15 installations made from trivial household items, Schullan playfully turns our daily routines upside down. Based on the installations, Schullan made a short film.

locations

The selected projects will be presented at different locations in Milan. Four of the selected projects have been invited by Certosa Initiative – a new Dutch platform set up by architecture firm Beyond Space and Organisation in Design. The location is in the Certosa district. Two selected projects were invited by BASE Milano, a collective active in multiple creative disciplines and focused on developing an inclusive ecosystem. BASE invites designers to design a more conscious and sustainable future together. The exhibition at the Salone is called: We Will Design. The collective is located in the Tortona district. Also on display are projects at Palazzo Francesco Turati where Masterly has a location, in Isola Design District, at Rossana Orlandi and at Alcova.

assessment and budget

The proposals submitted were assessed against the criteria for this open call:
- The artistically relevant value of the presentation: the applicant’s portfolio, position within the professional field and the context in which the work is to be presented are considered;
- The plan and motivation: the advisers looked at the exhibition design and whether the activities are consistent in purpose and intent. Also important was how to increase the significance of the presentation;
- The relevance of the presentation for the Dutch creative industries: the expected opportunities and contribution that the presentation creates for the applicant and the Dutch creative industries are also examined.

The degree to which the presentations represent the breadth and diversity of the Dutch design field was also taken into account by the advisory committee in its assessment. The assessment took the form of a tender: a number of proposals were preferred to the other submissions. The budget of € 50,000 allowed all the positively assessed applications to receive grants.

The Salone del Mobile 2022 takes place from 7 to 12 June 2022.