Dutch Design Week kicks off in Eindhoven with 400 different events

The Dutch Design Week (DDW) starts again in Eindhoven on Saturday. For nine days, the work and ideas of several thousand designers and inventors from different countries will be presented at numerous locations in the city. It includes nearly 400 different large and small events: Exhibitions, installations, demonstrations, lectures, networking meetings, and debates in the fields of art, design, as well as technology.

The event offers an optimistic exploration of every imaginable design discipline, with a clear emphasis on innovation, experimentation, and the development of young talented designers, as stated on their website.

Design is increasingly about social and other relevant issues. The organization promises an "international hub full of innovative visions and much-needed transitions to a better future."

The Next Nature organization, for example, announces that it will come to Evoluon with "the world's first scoop of vanilla ice cream made from plastic waste." Designer Eleonora Ortolani created it using digestive enzymes and bacteria. For now, there is no thought of tasting it: "The ice cream is under lock and key and still has to undergo rigorous food safety tests."

"Designers are tasked with finding concrete solutions to complex challenges," DDW said. Based on current events, DDW has designated a series of missions or program lines. Each participating project and some exhibitions now fall under one such mission. Themes include improving quality of life and health, exploring artificial intelligence, and (re)designing the living environment.

Dutch Design Week, now an international phenomenon, has its origins in the Day of Design, first held in 1998.