Beginning of February, inside one of the latest architectural additions to the

skyline of Rotterdam; the new building of Rem Koolhaas, I met Anne van der

Zwaag, initiator and curator of contemporary design fair Object Rotterdam.

A stroll through the exhibition she has set up there on the ground floor was

interesting but the excursion to the apartments high up in the building was

truly a pleasant surprise. Several recently constructed apartments accommodated

works of designers, which stood out perfectly in the rough interiors of the

building. Amongst other Stichting Zetel and young gallery The House of Ababa

filled the domestic spaces, providing scale to the otherwise empty apartments

that were still for sale. In one of them Studio Makkink&Bey installed an

overview of their oeuvre, like visiting a model home visitors entered a

scenography that emphasized possible arrangements in the different rooms of

Koolhaas’ architecture. The scenery was beautifully dramatized by the panoramic

views in the newly built homes.

The Object Rotterdam fair focusses on design, crafts and applied arts and by

doing so counterbalances the Art Rotterdam event and the Raw Art Fair that all

take place in the same week in the city of Rotterdam. As Curator with a refined

sense for colour and tactility, Van der zwaag invited a variety of Dutch

creatives to present themselves. Ranging from recently graduated Peter Hseih

and Maayan Pesach to established names such as Fransje Killaars, Galery Judy

Straten and PROOFF.

On the ground floor I was drawn too Lex Pott’s collaboration with Woes van

Haaften (New Window). Titled ‘Diptych’ their latest project was displayed

while still in development, the duo thoroughly researched the qualities of wood

and started a material experiment in which they partially sandblast thin slices

of wood.

Lex Pott: “The aim of our project is to design and create objects that

show a way of dealing with the inner anatomy of wood. The outcome will be a

step towards the material’s true identity. The annual rings become tangible and

might lead to surprising new functions that result from the material itself.”

The final results of their collaboration will be presented at the Salone del

Mobile in Milan. The cult of the object is under construction.

Jules van den Langenberg

www.annevanderzwaag.nl

www.objectrotterdam.nl

www.studiomakkinkbey.nl

www.newwindow.nl

www.lexpott.nl

Jules van den Langenberg recently graduated at Design Academy Eindhoven. He initiates-, curates- and exhibits projects in which applied art and design are used as a medium to cultivate culture. Jules approaches the world as a library full of potential, with an inexhaustible resource: humans and their skills. Within this wonderland of opportunities the young -Willy Wonka like- artistic industrialist travels to meet people and research the social- and cultural impact of all that is man made.Through associative thinking Jules develops narratives and concepts which form fundaments for publications, exhibitions and self initiated projects as well as commissioned works.

www.julesvandenlangenberg.nl