By Cassandra Pizzey /asdf 28-10-2010

An array of specially commissioned work greets the visitor to FLOW, an exhibition by Raw Color, Keukenconfessies, Franke Elshout, Mander Liefting, Joseph Blersch, Maarten Kolk & Guus Kusters and Dries van Wagenberg. 

Born from an idea in 2008, FLOW is the second venture by these designers to create and curate a group exhibition based on one theme. Inspired by movement, flowing, liquids and other watery associations, the designers made versatile work especially for this show ranging from acid-dipped timber to textile designs and blown sugar. In addition to the designers who helped organize the event, other artists, designers and an architectural historian were invited to exhibit work that suited the theme.

To complement work on show, such as Keukenconfessies' collection of blown sugar bulbs, outside designers were asked to exhibit at FLOW."Maria Roosen was high on our list, because her glass pieces would look great next to the blown sugar," says Guus Kusters. On show is a series of glass amphoras in varying pinkish hues and forms entitled Isabelle, Charlotte, Marlene, Juliette, Georgina, Cecilla. "Even though we were convinced she'd say no, Maria accepted our offer." As did photography artist Katrin Korfmann whose work Timed shows the flow of people on an escalator. Architectural historian Suzanne Fischer investigates the colour history of buildings by scraping away various layers of paint, building up a colour code as she goes along. "Suzanne was here last year to investigate the colour history of the Klokgebouw at Strijp-S (the precinct where Klokgebouw is located). We kept finding her colour strips around the building and decided to invite her to exhibit the research."

Amongst the most eye-catching displays at FLOW is Raw Color's Antiprinter. After some debating over the actual 'ink' used to create the negative image "is it vinegar or lemon juice?", the fluid turned out to be bleach. The work shows a roll of coloured paper, slowly fed through a printer – hooked up with an ‘ink cartridge’ to produce a white, negative pattern on the paper. The pattern of a grid slowly emerges once the bleach is absorbed and dried in the paper.  Maarten Kolk & Guus Kusters' textile studies Waterloop and Vissen (Fish) were instantly recognizable as influenced by the sea. The fabric series showing a progression of the colour blue. Franke Elshout of Keukenconfessies (Kitchen Confessions) showed once again how creativity and food can blend in Flow Glass, Flow Food and Flow Sugar. The smell of dripping chocolate from blown sugar and glass was obviously tantalizing.

A project resembling a high school chemistry project gone wrong is Mander Liefting's Het Probleem van Kelvin (Kelvin's problem) which has the subtitle: pseudo scientific research into the phenomena foam. Assuming the title is what the project shows, here is a intriguing representation of a material study with bottles, petri dishes and a kind of distillery, all containing some form of foam. Liefting is one half of Snodevormgevers whose other half, Joseph Blersch, showed Werkbankkast at FLOW. This cupboard features adjustable shelves which move along tracks by turning the wheels at the side. Another wood-based project is Dries van Wagenberg's stools; a study of various timbers which have been dipped in baths of acid of various strengths and for different amounts of time, producing a series of stools, all the same but with subtle differences.

Click on the images to enlarge

Main image: Mander Liefting
From top to bottom: Raw Color, Joseph Blersch, Maria Roosen, Maarten Kolk & Guus Kusters, Keukenconfessies, Dries van Wagenberg

Add to favorites