
The building or chair – but also a lamp, a complete interior or even a park – transcends its initial function and becomes a generator of ideas. It makes you aware of new possibilities, and perhaps even of a new ethic. So here is a much more interesting question: Why shouldn’t a chair be able to say something about political issues, such as poverty? And why couldn’t a building throw new light on the world food problem?
This critical stance on the part of the designer has emerged in recent decades as a defining characteristic of Dutch architecture and design. It has become accepted that design is not just about making pretty things, but also contributes to the quality of our society by expressing criticism or provoking debate. Of course, complex issues such as environmental pollution, globalisation and an aging population cannot be solved by a single chair. But a chair can certainly raise awareness – and the fact that you can still sit on it afterwards is a bonus.
Fragment from our upcoming book Think Dutch, scheduled to be released this fall in co-operation with DAAB Publishers and written by Jeroen Junte and David Keuning. The text and images in this article are a preview of the chapter Make Conscious.
Think Dutch presents over 450 architectural projects and product designs devised by the most creative contemporary minds. They afford impressive proof of cutting-edge thinking, and show that future-oriented visions are arising out of crisis in the Netherlands.
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