Lidewij Edelkoort in dialog with Jeroen Lutters

30. September 2014

Insights

As places where design is debated now and will be debated in the future, what is the duty and purpose of museums of applied arts? Which themes are relevant to everyday life? Which objects should be collected? And in what way and for what purpose?

The MAK posed these questions to nine globally renowned design pioneers. They participated in an experiment to investigate the significance of a collection of exemplary objects as a source of inspiration. In the process, each pioneer could have discussions with a person of his or her choosing—so-called “muses”—in the course of which they would shed light on the future of the applied arts, as well as share their perspectives on museums of applied arts. The result was a stimulating dialogue, which looks not only at the past but also tries to imagine the future!

Trend forecaster and former president of the Design Academy Eindhoven, Lidewij Edelkoort is an independent thinker and globetrotter. She met up with Jeroen Lutters, art educator and rector of the Bernard Lievegoed University, to contemplate a “School of Universal Learning”.

 

 

The design models chosen by Lidewij Edelkoort mirror her intuitive antennae for current developments: She juxtaposes the work of talented young designers from around the world, including Rodrigo Almeida from South America, Massoud Hassani from Afghanistan, and Brynjar Sigurðarson from Iceland, with that of established designers like Rai Kawakubo and Issey Miyake. Their aesthetically appealing objects are emblematic of the zeitgeist.