Droog 2: our second magazine
Our second issue of the Droog magazine is out now, with news about Milan 2010, the Droog Townhouse, Pioneers of Change and more. Flip through it here, and pick up a copy at Droog Amsterdam.
Author: @droog
Q&A with Christophe Coppens
Christophe Coppens’ 2010-2011 Winter collection is on view at Droog Amsterdam until October 17th and at Droog New York until September 25th.
Why is your collection about exotic birds?
In difficult times people should take over the best qualities of birds: the protection of the nest and feathers, the beauty of their colours, their freedom.
How does this collection relate to your past or future body of work?
I have always worked around the theme of protection. Accessories are often there to protect you, against the elements and against the bad bad world. As for the future, we’ll see!
What influence does your role as theatre actor and director have on your work?
My education always follows me with everything I do. I cannot create without thinking of the setting, the soundtrack, the lighting…
What’s next for you?
I’m in Paris next week. I’m working on hats for Manish Arora show. And much more, that is too early to talk about now.
Any thoughts about Droog?
I have always been a fan of Droog, since the beginning. They have always been very strong and consistent in everything they do. I am proud they invited me.
Interview with Daniel van der Velden and Agata Jaworska
Last week the Russia consumes design team, led by Daniel van der Velden was in Moscow for research and initial concept development. Theory & Practice published an interview by Ksenia Petrova with Daniel and Droog project & content manager, Agata Jaworska today. Here is the extended English version.
Tell us, please, what is this project about and what was its premises?
Agata: The Droog Lab was initiated in 2009 in Amsterdam by Renny Ramakers, director and co-founder of Droog, mainly for two reasons. One is this fact that more and more cities all over the world are developing in the same direction and are starting to look the same, when in reality, one knows there are real differences between them. The other is, if you look at the world of design, designers are copying and referencing each other and the design world is becoming circular and inward-looking. The Lab was started to bring designers to foreign places to find new directions for design. We will be working on eight projects over the course of four years.
Daniel: The initial idea of ‘Russia Consumes’ came from two observations that Renny Ramakers had. One was about the extreme, ‘hyperconsumption’ – diamonds, ‘bling-bling’, etcetera. The other was about peasants reading classic literature on the train. We think that these two forms of consuming might be connected – either by their extreme difference, or by the fact that they exist as part of a similar mindset or mentality. So, what we’ve been doing here this week is visiting different places, interviewing people, researching, observing and of course participating as far as we can in everyday Moscow life – and observing that through a design lens, a design point of view. What we have found is going to be translated into a design concept which can be an idea, an image, a prototype or a product. The concept will not be about Moscow but it will be informed by it.
Agata, you said, that there is a series of similar projects by Droog?
Agata: The first project was in Dubai, the second is in the Canadian Arctic, the third one is in New York, and Moscow is the fourth. There will be four more and each of them will have an exhibition and a publication.
What is the role of Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design?
Agata: Strelka is our local partner. We certainly couldn’t have entered Russian society the way we did without them. Also the president of Strelka, Ilya Oskolkov-Tsentsiper came to Amsterdam for our kick-off brainstorm with Daniel, Renny Ramakers, Sjeng Scheijen, an expert in Russian culture. We will be presenting the outcome at Strelka in May 2011.
What kind of outcome you are expecting from this project?
Daniel: I’m expecting that we deliver something that works on two levels; one is a level of fantasy, of fiction, or fairytale – design providing an escape route for the mind. But on the other, lower level it should be about absolutely basic elements of life, about survival in a world that is so pretty and yet so hostile. At this point I also would like to mention our team, consisting of the architect Totan Kuzambaev, graphic designer Pavel Milyakov, graphic designer Michèle Champagne and product designer Digna Kosse. Together with Agata we’ve had such a great week – and I do hope this will show off in the final result. As said before, it is going to be something conceptual as you would maybe expect from Droog.
Agata: It’s very important to note that we’re not designing for the place, even though we are working with people from here, but rather, we are learning from the place as an inspiration for a broader result.
What did you learn so far here, in Russia?
Daniel: The thing that I found very interesting about Russia as far as I’ve seen it is this vibrant and dynamic society, which coexists with institutions and government in a fascinating manner. Because there often seems to be no positive interaction at all – the government does its own things, people do their own things. You have this body of institutions that is almost like a ruin, or museum piece, and on top of that there is all that social energy. We’ve been to luxury villages and exclusive spas and shopping malls, and to a soup-kitchen. We’ve been to people’s houses, to the high-rise in the periphery, and to grey and black markets where they sold things from Chinese imports to machetes to live owls and raccoons. Impressive.
Agata: I think the biggest lesson we learned from Russia is how it is incredibly advanced in some ways but also backwards at the same time. The way people cope, and at times thrive, is a model that countries in the West dealing with uncertain times can learn from.
And the last question is about Russian soul, of course. There are lots of speculations about this ‘mystical’ thing. Do you have something to say about it based on your experience of Russia?
Daniel: You can keep talking about it, you may approach it – but you can never quite grasp it. I found here, in Russia, a deep and sometimes black humor. No conversation has passed without at least five jokes and anecdotes. This coexistence of optimism and cynicism is very interesting and it does have the literary quality that Renny pointed at in the very beginning of this project. I would say that we don’t see this in the West and I wouldn’t say I understand it yet – I’m not sure if I ever can. I’m thankful for this week, and invite you to look at the outcomes in May 2011.
Vidafine interviews Renny Ramakers
Text by Vidafine.
“Reality isn’t static anymore. It’s not a set of ideas you either have to fight or resign yourself to. It’s made up, in part, of ideas that are expected to grow as you grow, and as we all grow, century after century.” – Robert M. Pirsig, Zen: The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,1974 , as referenced by Renny Ramakers, Co-founder and Director of Droog.
Recently, we introduced you to Droog, a conceptual design company located in Amsterdam. We mentioned the various facets of the company and how the Droog Lab is quickly becoming a globally known research hub that brings relevant solutions to its clients, and people of the world. Many of us live life hoping to one day start something that we can call our own. Few, actually go ahead and do it. After learning about Droog, I was particularly interested in the projects that this company is currently involved in, and was estatic when Co-founder and Director of Droog, Renny Ramakers, agreed to chat with us about her beginnings and her vision for the future of Droog.
idafine: After some research, we discovered that you have a history background. How did you transition into global design from what you studied in school? What drew you to this particular industry?
Renny: After studying art history I reached a point in which I wanted to impact it. Art history gave me broad perspective and critical rigour that I combined with my ability to sense what is going on at the present. Together with the Co-founder of Droog, Gijs Bakker, we noticed a movement that some designers in the Netherlands were pioneering. We gave it a title and a presence that took off, and eventually became global.
Vidafine: Knowing about the past and how things ‘used to be’ definitely can drive someone to initiate change for the future. What is your ultimate goal for Droog?
Renny: I am quite ambitious and we have many plans… I started Droog because I found it necessary to present a new spirit in design. At that time this new spirit was based on a conceptual approach. Now, one can see this approach everywhere and as I feel it, it is time for new impulses. That’s why I started the Lab. But we are also trying other directions, and are working on other models. For instance, our presentation this past April in Milan, Saved by Droog, has opened up a new way of working (by treating unwanted products as raw material for product development) and we want to continue on this path. Ultimately, I want to express that Droog is not a design collective but a company. Our company is content driven but it also wants to make profit.
Vidafine: Founding your own company is definitely a lifetime milestone. What’s your most memorable moment as Co-founder and Director of Droog? Continue reading “Vidafine interviews Renny Ramakers”
DAMN: More than Sandcastles
Here is the DAMN’s lead on the story about design in the Middle East featuring Droog al Arab:
On Design and Art in the Middle East
You don’t have to dust off any archive to see Dubai’s quick zero-hero-alleged zero turnabout. But those with business class destination-deficiency syndrome do not dictate life and art, and as Mark Twain quipped ‘reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated’. Surveying the fortunes & development of the regional art and design scenes, one resident expatriate also profiles the work of ‘local’ artists Rokni & Ramin Haerizadeh and Hassan Sharif.
Jurgen Bey in local attire, climbing Fossil Rock; Droog al Arab team in the background. © Photo: Katrin Greiling
Vidafine writes about the Lab
Thank you Vidafine for this article on the latest activities in the Droog Lab:
Since 1993, Droog has been a budding conceptual design company that has helped Dutch design gain international recognition. They create in a way that is fresh (sometimes unusual), down to earth and iconic, with the ultimate goal of changing the way people think about their surroundings (which is what we obviously love about them here at Vidafine). Headquartered in Amsterdam under the distinctive eye of Renny Ramakers, their main office operates out of the Netherlands just above their store, while another store has sprouted in New York in 2008. In addition to designing clever products, one of the latest initiatives of this company is their Lab. The Droog Lab is definitely something worth talking about as it aims to bring together the creative design talents of the team with global issues that require further investigation.
“The Droog lab is free, unrestricted and exploratory, yet has a very ambitious mission: to define the next generation of global design. The Lab identifies urgencies on a global level and investigates them locally, with local partners, consulting experts, and known and unknown designers.The aim is to generate outcomes that have relevance on a global level.” In other words, they believe the next generation of global design will focus on responding to contemporary issues, investigated locally, but then translated to an outcome that has value for contemporary society in general. They believe that one way to understand what’s happening around us and to gain new inspiration for design is to visit foreign places with an outsider’s perspective, be present, engage with others and collaborate.
Two projects that I found particularly interesting was Luxury of the North and Droog al Arab, projects which speak directly to what we have been sharing with you at Vidafine about Back to Basics and Community.
Droog al Arab
As of late, you may have come to realize Dubai has developed into a hub for innovation, luxury design and architecture. Ambitious to gain global recognition, their rapid growth in development seems to have slowed down, and their stability for the future may be at risk as detailed in Arabian Business. In partnership with design gallery Traffic, Droog stepped in to see how they can learn and gain inspiration from Dubai to create a new model for future developments, not only for Dubai but for elsewhere as well. Taking their ambitions as a design company, combined with social intelligence gained from their visit to Dubai and the idea of collaborative creation, a plan was born. Having started the project in May of 2009, it took one full year for the investigation to be complete. The result? An online platform of collaborative content where leading designers can invite emerging designers to contribute their ideas and skills and ultimately work together. You can read more details of the project results here.
Luxury of the North
The second project is definitely near and dear but still in progress. Luxury of the North is a project that took place in Canada’s Pond Inlet in partnership with the University of Alberta’s Principal Investigator Tim Antoniuk, who spoke at TEDxEdmonton recently. With travel becoming more of a commodity rather than a luxury in the Western world, the North, just doesn’t seem too far out of reach anymore. Further studies about the North also remind us about issues of global warming happening right before our eyes. Most dramatically affecting the North, melting ice has hindered on the lives of many including humans and animals up north, but it also has opened up trade routes to the North that never used to exist. Through this Lab project, the team at Droog is looking at how Canada’s Northern ‘extreme conditions’ and intense negotiation with change can inspire a new way of living in contemporary cities elsewhere. They are investigating how the North deals with its resources and how it deals with its ancestry might inspire our future. Spending about 10-12 days on site this past June, speaking with locals and the Nunavut government as well as interacting with wildlife and the majestic surroundings of the North, results of their findings will be presented in Toronto in early 2011. You can learn more about the progression of the project here.
Droog has truly demonstrated their ideas for change and their plans for execution. I’m excited to hear about their findings and their strategies of introducing their discoveries to the world! I hope Droog can keep us up to date! If you are from the European Union area, and are interested in what they do, I’m happy to say that they are currently looking for interns for September 2010. Perhaps you can send your application in and who knows, you may be involved in their next big project!
Fresh new packaging for the Sucker
The Sucker, the handy hook that sucks itself onto any smooth surface, now comes in fresh new packaging.
It is available online and at Droog Amsterdam, and soon at Droog New York and resellers worldwide.
Our trip to the Canadian North
Our Luxury of the North team recently returned from an unforgettable trip to the Canadian Arctic. Here are some impressions of our trip.
Leading designers Winy Maas and Cynthia Hathaway.
Just in time before the ice melts!
A taste of seal.
Here’s the rest of the team. You can read more about the project here.
Interview with Renny Ramakers by Yatzer
Interview and text by Apostolos Mitsios for Yatzer.
What can we say about Droog design, a company that since 1993 opens new paths to creativity and has produced some of the most iconic design pieces of the last decades? Some weeks ago Workshop-Dionisis Sotovikis and Mariolopoulos-Kanaginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences presented at the Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece, a retrospective Droog exhibition called “Greek green greet” (June 4th – July 25th 2010), being the largest Droog exhibition in the world since 2007. Athens came closer to the design world and Renny Ramakers, the heart and soul of Droog, of course could not miss the event. Yatzer was there, eager to know all those little stories hidden behind a successful company that make the difference. Renny Ramakers talked to us in the most sincere way, offering one of the most interesting encounters we have ever had. Get ready to get inside the headquarters of one of the most significant design companies of all times!
First of all, Mrs. Ramakers, did you like the exhibition at the Benaki Museum?
It is fantastic the fact that you have made everything by yourselves, I only delivered some items, it is awesome! The organizers wanted more and more products, initially they had the fear that there would not be enough products to fill the space, but finally everything went perfect. It is always very interesting to see the way other people interpret your work. Sometimes I take a look at a certain piece and I say to myself “look, I hadn’t realized it looked so nice!”. It was also so pleasant to see prototypes that I hadn’t seen for a lot of time, for years, like the Cosy chair by SMAG that we had showed at Milan many years ago and I didn’t have the chance to see it again since then.
If Droog was a child, back in 93, which would be the references that would define you? Who would be your parents, who would be your brothers and who would be your heroes?
The father and mother of my company are me and my partner Gijs Bakker, who left us recently, so I would say we are divorced (laughs)! I do not think we have many brothers and sisters because we are quite unique. The source of inspiration is the designers themselves, the children of the company. As soon as we like something, we ask directly the designer to collaborate with us. The way the designers react to an original idea of ours often makes the project much bigger. We are inspired by the designers, but the designers are also inspired by us. It is all about collaboration! There is a retro alimentation open to surprises. If you have good designers, they bring the whole project to another level.
Who was the first designer that you have collaborated with?
Jurgen Bey is very inspiring for us, he has been with us since the beginning, before we even started. He and his partner Rianne Makkink in 1992, when I was organizing small exhibitions at that time, were designing our exhibitions, but the first product was of Marcel Wanders. In 1988, after Wanders graduation from the School of the Arts Arnhem, I bought a prototype of him and this became the first product of the company. His breakthrough to fame was a chair he made for us, the Knotted Chair (1996).
Could you say you are Marcel Wanders’ design mama?
Yes (laughs), but do not tell him!
Having in mind that we often define ourselves against something, against what did you define yourself at that time? Continue reading “Interview with Renny Ramakers by Yatzer”
Q&A with Rami Farook
Rami Farook, Jurgen Bey, Ahmad Angawi, Omran Al Owais
Rami Farook of traffic is our local partner for Droog al Arab, which we presented in Dubai on May 30th. We asked him a few questions after the presentation.
What motivated you to do this project?
I see design and art as social tools. I always aim to do something with design that is socially progressive, that brings about change.
What was it like to have the team visit you in Dubai?
This trip stood out because we were on a mission. We wanted to encounter as many different kinds of people as we could to try to understand Dubai. I don’t get a chance to meet these people normally.
Take for example the labour camp – the beauty of that situation is that we went to a normal camp and then a five star camp across the street, and we liked the normal one so much more. The five star camp was cleaner and had a television, but it felt corporate, as if it was cut out and pasted, giving it a similar identity crisis that Dubai is having now. The other one was run by the people, it was so much dirtier but they seemed happy.
It was also beautiful the way we ended the trip in the desert—to reflect, to make jokes. Went to a place that was so serene, we were so tired, but had also so much adrenaline.
Nadine Sterk and Saskia van Drimmelen
What kind of potential do you think the platform has?
For us to come out of Dubai with a digital hub is the legacy. The products all came out of collaboration, and then the platform makes it virtual.
What do you think of the on-line bartering concept?
The creative class can exchange ideas. Why should I pay for photography when I can pay for it with graphic design? We should let designers deal with whatever feels more comfortable and exchange with skills and knowledge.
Mark Blaisse considered the platform a metaphor for Dubai’s future. What do you think of this?
Exactly! But, it’s not even the future, it’s the present, the past in Dubai. Dubai has open eyes, they embrace everyone.
Do you think this project says something about the next generation of design?
For me, this is the next generation—the virtual trading of a design process. I see how my generation is different than my father’s. My father’s generation worked to survive and there was a lot of competition. And now we see smaller companies collaborating with one another.
We will miss you Tobias
We are very sorry to hear the news of the passing away of 35 year old New York based designer, Tobias Wong. We had the fortune of having him join our kick-off brainstorm at DS+R’s office on May 17th, as a member of the Serving NY project team.
More information on New York Times, core77 and designboom.
Tonight at Droog New York
Tonight we welcome the addition of Cleanup to our collection.
Thursday, June 3rd
6:00 – 9:00 pm
Droog New York
Cleanup is a soap formed in the shape of landmines to raise money for landmine removal and survivor assistance. 25% of the purchase price is donated to nonprofit organizations throughout the world that engage in removing landmines and assisting survivors. As the soap disappears, so do the landmines!
More images and info available here.
green greek greet by droog
We’re coming to Athens. The exhibition opening is tomorrow and a lecture by Renny Ramakers follows on Saturday.
June 4th – July 25th, 2010
Opening: Thursday June 3rd, 20:00
Benaki Museum, Building at 138 Pireos St., Athens, Greece
Workshop Dionisis Sotovikis and Mariolopoulos Kanaginis Foundation for the environmental sciences, in collaboration with the Benaki Museum, present the exhibition ‘greek green greet by droog’ at the Benaki Museum, Pireos St. Annexe, Athens, Greece, from June 4th until July 25th, 2010, with an opening event on Thursday, June 3rd at 20:00.
The exhibition ‘greek green greet by droog’ is the largest retrospective Droog exhibition in the world since 2007 and it will present Droog by exploring, investigating and discussing the concepts of recycle, re-use, recreate, reinvent, clarity of concept, memory and nostalgia. Our Greek partner since 2007, workshop’s purpose is to draw the attention of the general public in Greece, providing information about contemporary design with environmental concerns worldwide.
Design, Architecture and Sustainability Conference
featuring lecture by Renny Ramakers
Benaki Museum amphitheatre
Saturday, June 5th
Within the framework of the exhibition and on the occasion of the World Environment Day, Mariolopoulos-Kanaginis Foundation in collaboration with the Benaki Museum, organises a scientific one-day conference on ‘Design, Architecture and Sustainability’, which will take place at the amphitheatre of the Benaki Museum, Pireos Annexe, with invited speakers from academia and practice, from the fields of architecture and environmental design. There will be two sessions: ‘Sustainability in Architecture and the Built Environment’ and ‘Environmental Design in Architecture’. The event will begin at 10.30 on Saturday morning and will end at 15.00, with a closing speech and presentation of the exhibition ‘greek green greet by droog’ by Renny Ramakers, co-founder and director of Droog. The conference will be conducted in English.
Information for the one-day conference
+ 30 210 610.0.610
+ 30 210 362.3.861
About workshop
workshop is an animated entity, a vessel exploring the intersecting trajectories of architecture, art, design and construction that emerge from the dialectics of ideas and the processes leading to creation.
www.workshop-s.com
About the Mariolopoulos-Kanaginis Foundation
Mariolopoulos-Kanaginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences was established in 1993 with the objective to develop and promote the sciences relative to the environment, as well as the study of human’s interaction with the environment and the cultural heritage of Greece.
www.mariolopoulosfoundation.gr
About The Hellenic Institute of Architecture
The Hellenic Institute of Architecture pursues the development of architecture in Greece and is also interested in improving the legal framework of production, in protecting the environment and its relation to new building construction, as well as in preserving Greek architectural heritage, old as well as new.
www.heliarch.gr
Museum Opening Hours
Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday 10:00 – 18:00
Friday & Saturday 10:00 – 22:00
Monday & Tuesday CLOSED
Curated by: DIONISIS + KIRKI
Consultant: D.art
New Friends in our Webshop
In our webshop you will find products with the label ‘Friends of Droog’. These products are from other brands that we really like here at Droog…and we’ve just added two more brands: beautiful items for cooking and dining by Royal VKB and the sturdy and stylish umbrellas by Senz.
We will be adding more in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on our store!
(Products not available in USA & Canada.)
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Q&A with Aldo Bakker
What drives your form-giving as a designer? How do you make decisions about the form you give to an object?
The first question – to reach a more sensorial and independent physical statement. And the second question – every ingredient should fulfill its value due to the overall meaning.
Does it matter where and by who it is used?
Not at all.
It seems to me that you think aesthetics are underrated. Is this true?
Yes, aesthetics mean for everybody something else, they are abstract. But they’re the very reason why we create and buy things. In every approach you’ll take as a designer you can’t escape from the fact that in the end a physical result is there. That’s why I choose to embrace aesthetics and to question them until I understand their meaning and how to make use of them. Only then I believe you’ll create a situation where they have a chance to define their own existence, place and surrounding, instead of having them lost in space.
In your opinion, how does the time spent on the making of an object relate to the value for a new owner?
It would be ideal when investment and result are in balance but this is almost never the case. When the thing is complete or good, it will reflect the energy, effort and materials that are invested, after that it becomes a matter of time.
We read in one of your press releases, “…the mood of silence provokes necessary care and attention.” Fascinating words, can you tell us more about this?
Silence creates space and therefore confronts. In the ideal situation it means that the object has the quality to grab your attention and to create this moment silence.
How do you think your work relates or does not relate to Droog?
I believe my work is the opposite. In my opinion, the approach of Droog is a theoretical one, everything is explained from the story or concept that drives it. Mine starts and ends through visual matter. Concept, material, colour, weight, execution… all these elements are tools for me, when I’m finished these tools are the property of the object, when the object is ready it should shine, and not explain.
We asked Renny Ramakers why she selected Aldo’s Copper collection for Droog:
Renny: I like the Copper collection in the first place because it is very beautiful but certainly because of the new vision on the use and rituals associated with these objects. They are also made in an unusual technique, which was also a reason.
I do not see Droog as being theoretical. We are interested in creation, innovation and debate and that can be very broad. True, that our products have stories whatever they may be, but I also see stories behind Aldo’s Copper collection.
Aldo’s Copper collection is available in New York exclusively through Droog New York. See the collection here.