Quick Guide to Dutch Design Week 2024

Dutch Design Week (DDW) – this year from 19 to 27 October – is the leading event for lovers of contemporary and experimental design in Europe, and the 2024 edition promises to be an unmissable event, during which the city of Eindhoven transforms into an epicentre of cutting-edge design thinking.


Arthur Heinz, Buoy - ph. ©RonaldSmits

This year’s theme is REAL UNREAL, which addresses how we move between all the different realities that make up our world. What is real and what is not, and where do all our perspectives meet? By focusing on the design of the future and the future of design, DDW places emphasis on experimentation, innovation and interdisciplinarity. As the design profession increasingly focuses on social issues and other relevant global themes, Dutch Design Week is committed to developing and exchanging skills and talents, explicitly embracing different perspectives. 


DDW23, Strijp-S, Ketelhuisplein by Max Kneefel

The boundaries between design disciplines are blurred and range from inspiration to questioning, from aesthetic quality to future scenarios and from research to the design of tangible products. What they have in common are the founding ideas of designers, capable of shaping a positive future and strengthening the position and impact of designers. “Designers explore, question and challenge what we perceive as true. They help us imagine the unimaginable and make it more tangible. They find countless ways to use their imagination in combination with collective knowledge and varied experiences.” - we read in the statement by DDW.

But what are the unmissable spots of DDW 2024? Here is everything you need to know to best experience this event and absorb the news coming from cutting-edge Dutch design.


Ella Wanendeya, Instruments Of Power - ph. ©RonaldSmits

DESIGN ACADEMY EINDHOVEN GRADUATION SHOW 2024: Designing in an Age of Radical Change
Recent graduates from one of the world’s most prestigious design schools are ready to step into an increasingly complex and uncertain world through unique, diverse and responsive approaches to design. This year’s Graduation Show is curated to celebrate the diverse forms and techniques used to open up new possibilities in the face of this uncertainty, with spaces that reflect the many ways in which designers engage with a world where environments, social practices and identities are undergoing radical change.
To accommodate this bold array of projects and presentations, the Graduation Show 2024 takes place at Microstad, a 23,000 square foot space near Eindhoven Central Station used to create open and shared areas for audience engagement, including video and narrative works in the garage, more traditional design projects in the gallery and a library for thesis books and written work.


Camille Maze, Tigsi Stool - ph. © Carlfried Verwaayen

LIVING ENVIRONMENT
Teunland 2.0, Teun Zwets | Piet Hein Eek, Strijp-R
Teun Zwets exhibits furniture and installations made from reused waste materials, offering a new interpretation of sustainable product design.
Secrid Talent Podium | Klokgebouw
This exhibition spotlights talented product designers using creativity to drive sustainable industry change. 

THRIVING PLANET
Cooling down the city, NRE Terrain | Canal
An innovative collaboration between designers and nature to tackle urban heat stress. With immersive speculative installations, including a green spa surrounding a revived oak tree. 
Designing Society | Ketelhuisplein
Designing Society blends creativity, scientific insight, and corporate responsibility to envision a sustainable, just future. 


Aiden Zacarias Kaltenbom, Gear Dulcis - ph. © Ronald Smits

DIGITAL FUTURE
Poetics of Prompting | MU Hybrid Art House, Strijp-S
Through interactive projects and workshops, Poetics of Prompting explores the emerging "language" of AI-human collaboration, blurring the lines between engineering and creative writing. 
Pokka: An Extraordinary Creature Made of Chrome | Koelhuis
Dive into Pokka’s world and reflect on the evolving nature of human connection in our digital age—a digital story about genuine empathy and connection.

HEALTH & WELLBEING
Processing the Unprocessed | Sectie-C
This speculative installation invites visitors to experience the healing journey through interactive, sensory experiences, encouraging deep self-reflection and emotional engagement.
Sharing Bloemfontein | Other
A social design walking exhibition about people, memories and microclimates in Doornakkers.


Piet Schmidt, Towards Matter, Particularly - ph. © Carlfried Verwaayen

EQUAL SOCIETY
Trilix Bamboo Pavilion | Ketelhuisplein
The Trilix Bamboo Pavilion is an eco-friendly architectural marvel demonstrating bamboo's potential in sustainable urban design.
Temple of Peace | Ketelhuisplein
A powerful artistic installation that brings together 80 unique flags designed by teams of design graduates, artists and refugees, symbolising new narratives of peace. 


Yan Qing Xu, The Shape Of Time - ph. © Femke Reijerman

MISSION DAYS
New for 2024, DDW’s Mission Days aim to facilitate encounters between designers and professional visitors. From Monday 21 to Friday 25 October, DDW and partners are hosting five themed days on “missions” related to creating a better society and a healthier planet.