Design Academy Eindhoven alumni studios look at the myriad consequences of junk in a globalised world in an exhibition at the Van Abbemuseum and across the city for Dutch Design Week.
Geo-Design: Junk ? All That Is Solid Melts Into Trash presents responses to the idea of junk from 18 design studios led by alumni of the Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE).
These vary from a research project looking at the export of second-hand clothing from China to Zambia, and satellite images that shed light on e-waste dumping grounds, to a series of hand-drawn maps and interviews about waste collection in the Gaza Strip.
The Unchecked Chain by Tellurico examines rubbish dumping in Naples
Nine of the projects are displayed in the galleries of the Van Abbemuseum, with a further nine in site-specific locations around the city. Curated by Martina Muzi, the exhibition explores the "complex, contemporary networks" that grow up around global production and trade.
It also examines the role that designers play in creating it, and ultimately using junk as a resource if we are to move towards a circular economic system that designs out waste, whilst restoring natural habitats.
Studiolow's Modern Aviaries is three sculptures representing the ecosystems of landfills
"Junk is not an accident, something unplanned or unexpected ? it is a substance that has been designed," said the exhibition notes. "Junk is the trail that is left in the wake of growth and global trade, a product of in...