Droog Exhibit Makes Sole U.S. Stop
Products and prototypes on view show off both playfulness and social meaning.
Meaghan O'Neill -- Interior Design, 8/22/2006 12:00:00 AM
Dutch collective Droog Design burst onto the scene more than a decade ago, and hasn’t settled down since. Established in 1993 by designer Gijs Bakker and art historian Renny Ramakers as a platform for contemporary Dutch design, “droog” (which means “dry” in Dutch) refers to both the dry sense of humor that the collective’s pieces exhibit, as well as the practicality and simplicity the objects embrace. Today, the group’s work includes an international network of contemporary designers who produce innovative designs for everyday objects, using low-cost, industrial, or recycled materials.
Now, a special exhibit brings the best of Droog together. Comprised of more than 160 iconic designs, “Simply Droog, 10 + 3 Years of Creating Innovation and Discussion” shows off the playfulness and social meaning behind the designs. The exhibition, which has already toured throughout Europe and South America since 2004, is now making its way to its sole North American stop, the Museum of Arts & Design in Manhattan, where it will be on display from September 21 through January 14, 2007. The show will feature products and prototypes from 1993 through 2005.
Organized by Droog with exhibition design by Studio Jurgen Bey, “Simply Droog” reflects the collective’s design philosophy and belief in reuse and recycling. A section dedicated to the history of Droog’s projects and commissions will include photographs, videos, drawings, models, prototypes, and finished products, all of which are mounted and displayed on the crates in which they were shipped. The rest of the exhibition will integrate the designs thematically into eight different interior settings, with gray tape and black rubber silhouettes on the gallery floor used to replicate the floor plans of a summer house and a student residence. Objects on display will include pieces such as Tejo Remy’s Rag chair (1991), made from used strips of fabric; Rody Graumans’s 85 Lamps chandelier (1993); Chris Kabel’s Shady Lace parasol (2004); and Front’s Wallpaper Designed by Animals (2004), which features patterns made by gnawing rats.
The Museum of Arts & Design, located at 40 West 53rd Street, collects and exhibits contemporary objects created in a wide range of media. In 2008, the museum will move to a new, 54,000-square-foot building designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture in collaboration with Handel & Associates.
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