Dutch Design Week 2022 is the largest design event in Northern Europe, taking place Oct. 22–30 in Eindhoven. Each year more than 2,600 designers take part and roughly 355,000 visitors from across Europe and beyond attend. Nearly 500 events span every design discipline, emphasizing experimentation, innovation and the development of emerging talent.
© Britt Roelse
Miriam van der Lubbe, who helped found the original Dutch Design Week two decades ago and served as creative lead for DDW22, announced the theme Get Set. The theme signals a shift from preparation to action, reflecting a readiness to engage, create and implement. That direction emerged from conversations with members of the active Dutch design community.
“DDW wouldn’t be DDW without all the designers, studios, universities, academies, locations and partners who organize exhibitions across the city each year,” said van der Lubbe. Spread across nine districts in Eindhoven, the program highlights the work of both emerging and established designers and invites visitors to explore the city’s neighborhoods and creative venues.
© Max Kneefel
Key locations include the Design Academy Eindhoven Graduation Show, one of the most influential presentations of emerging design talent. This year the graduation exhibition is staged at the Microtuin meeting and event center near Eindhoven train station. The Design Academy remains among the world’s leading design schools, showcasing cutting-edge student work.
The Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven’s museum for contemporary art, presents around 50 works from a recent design collection acquired from Lidewij Edelkoort. During DDW the exhibition Delinking and Relinking is accessible with a DDW wristband. Several exhibitions at the museum are free to visit, including shows by Temitayo Ogunbiyi, 1m2 Collective and Feel the Vibe.
© Max Kneefel
Next Nature presents RetroFuture, an exhibition exploring visions of the future from past decades, staged inside the iconic Evoluon. Commissioned by Philips and completed in 1966, the Evoluon’s distinctive, UFO-like architecture has become a symbol of Eindhoven and a fitting setting for a show about historical futures.
The Solar Biennale, which opened Sept. 9 in Rotterdam and runs through Oct. 30, culminates at DDW with The Solar Pavilion. Designed by V8 Architects in collaboration with Marjan van Aubel Studio, the pavilion celebrates solar power and demonstrates innovative approaches to harnessing the sun.
© Max Kneefel
World Design Embassies, a program from the Dutch Design Foundation, uses eight thematic embassies to examine how design contributes to solutions for complex social challenges—climate change, the energy transition, aging populations, housing shortages and more. Each embassy presents projects and perspectives that explore design’s role in systemic change.
During DDW, Design Rides circulate through Eindhoven as a practical and playful transport option. These small vehicles ferry visitors between venues and each carries a specially designed rooftop object created by DDW participants. Visible across the city, the Design Rides and their rooftop pieces add mobility and visual interest throughout the nine-day festival.