As part of the on-site research, the designer participated in an avalanche safety training which included being buried under 1,5m of snowpack for 15 minutes. During an avalanche accident, the buried victim is sonically isolated – which means they can hear almost all activity from the outside – while the rescue team is incapable of hearing any sounds from the person under the snow. The project draws from this phenomenon of sonic isolation and provokes the boundaries of our often distant relationship to the climate. The installation seeks to interpret individual aspects of an avalanche experience by activating a body-space discourse via an experimental encounter. It strives to break down the rigidity of observing from afar while excluding the body by immersing the visitor, thus questioning the ambivalence of the outside and the inside.
[Do You Hear Me?] is an immersive installation inspired by an on-site design research experience in the Austrian alps, as well as an experimental extension of the thesis “The Ontic Tonic” on embedded design through situated empirical research.
Design in collaboration with Paul Mielke
Concept in collaboration with Paul Mielke, Jan Johan Draaistra, Jeroen van de Bogaert and Daan Veerman
Content in collaboration with fellow students at KABK
Hosted on a digital collective platform initially named “XENO*SPECULATIVE ANARCHIST QUARANTINE COOKBOOK”, The Cookbook began in the Pirate Pad, an online collaborative writing tool. Here, we proposed that classes consist of various segments where students could take charge, introducing their own interventions or project ideas. Each student would experiment with their unique “recipe for pedagogy,” creating a diverse and interactive learning environment. A crucial aspect of our approach is the reflection process that follows each session. By maintaining a non-hierarchical structure and documenting the entire process within the pads, we ensure a continuous, open-ended exploration of educational practices. This method fosters a collaborative and egalitarian atmosphere, encouraging creativity and critical thinking among all participants.
[The Cookbook] critically examines the traditional structure of classrooms within institutional settings, exploring alternative modes of learning and teaching. The goal was to develop innovative ideas and interventions that challenge conventional educational practices, leading to new and dynamic ways of engaging with knowledge.
In collaboration with Tony Brook and Claudia Klat at SPIN
Available at Unit Editions
The book also looks at Letraset’s present-day revival amongst a new set of admirers who recognise the typographic excellence of the system’s typefaces. Enhanced with a gatefold timeline of Letraset’s history, the book features an introduction by Malcolm Garrett and in-depth interviews with Mr Bingo, Erik Brandt, Aaron Marcus, David Quay, Dan Rhatigan, Freda Sack, Andy Stevens, and Jon Wozencroft. Essays by Colin Brignall, Dave Farey, and Mike Daines – all key members of the original Letraset team – provide expert insights into the rise of Letraset as both a typographic and commercial powerhouse. Adrian Shaughnessy’s central essay examines the system's profound typographic and cultural impact. The book’s design showcases many rare specimens from Letraset’s past, including catalogues, press ads, mailers, storage units, and classic sheets of Letraset typefaces.
[Letraset: The DIY Typography Revolution] is the first comprehensive history of Letraset, the revolutionary rubdown lettering system that transformed typographic expression. This book chronicles the journey of Letraset from its challenging beginnings as a wet system to its golden era as the first truly democratic alternative to professional typesetting.
By examining the psychogeographical contours of The Hague, I consciously avoided entering with a predefined design problem or solution. This approach prevents preoccupation with the process and allows for unexpected discoveries. What if we reinterpret maps through an inverted design approach, where the method comes first and informs the problem? Drawing on Guy Debord’s “Introduction to a Critique of Urban Geography” and the concept of the “Dérive” as tools for psychogeography and autoethnography, I sought to break free from the predictable layers of digital research. Instead, I focused on the surprises within The Hague’s actual geographical environment and the metaphysical impressions it leaves. Zand en Veen is an experiment to reactivate a more embodied and empirical approach in design research, encouraging a deeper connection to physical spaces and their emotional impacts.
[Zand en Veen] explores how we can defy conventional design processes and embrace a more embodied approach to research through walking. Maps are culturally encoded constructs, but the pandemic’s shift to a digital realm has made individual and emotional experiences passive, replacing genuine activity with subsidiary knowledge.
In collaboration with Annina Schepping
or offers creatives from various fields a platform for their work and promotes interdisciplinary exchange. It targets young creatives with an avant-garde mindset, aiming to provide readers with insights into different creative fields and serve as a source of inspiration for their own work. In addition to feature stories, graphic and written commentaries, portraits, and photo series, the Etcetera section experiments across disciplines with the theme of each issue. Following the concept of “Chinese whispers,” creative minds from different fields and nationalities are invited to create something new based on their predecessor’s work. This develops a creative cycle where, unaware of the final outcome, participants inspire themselves and others. The idea is to show that where one might expect an end, there is actually none.
[or-magazine] is a biannual, bilingual art and culture magazine. Each year, it explores two opposing themes, presenting them in contrasting ways both in content and design. For the final project, the first two issues of the magazine were curated and designed, with Issue #1 focusing on the theme of “Kitsch” and Issue #2 examining “Normcore”.
