‘Dutch Invertuals is about challenging the boundaries of design. And about researching not only materials and techniques but also subjects and themes of our times.’ Wendy Plomp is founder, curator and art director of Dutch Invertuals. It started as a small collective, and transformed into a company two years ago. ‘Dutch Invertuals has become a network with a special chemistry and loyalty.’
New insights, concepts and creations
‘It was more or less by chance that Dutch Invertuals was founded in 2009,’ says designer Wendy Plomp. ‘I was invited to curate an exhibition on Dutch design at a venue in the centre of Milan during the Salone del Mobile. It ended up as a group of designers from different disciplines that shared a similar vision, were very much into experimenting and all had the urge to re-define the field of design.’ It was not so much about the work, but about the process, the dialog and the active approach, Wendy explains. ‘We were driving each other to new insights, concepts and creations. We shared and showed our vision on design in order to find deeper understanding of our relation to our physical context, identity and culture. That’s when Dutch Invertuals was born.’
Special chemistry
With the success in Milan it became clear that there had to be a second exhibition in the ‘hometown’ Eindhoven during DDW later that year. From that moment on Wendy Plomp initiated and curated a new exhibition basically twice a year, one in Milan and one in Eindhoven. For each show she invites new, young talents to join, based on their vision, passion and desire to go new roads. Together the participating designers select a theme and discuss the topic and each other’s works, that are all especially created for each show. As Wendy says: ‘Dutch Invertuals has become a network with a special chemistry and loyalty.’
Under construction
As a graduate from Design Academy Eindhoven Wendy Plomp feels very much at home in Eindhoven. ‘I am proud of this city. It feels as if it is still under construction. That provides the space and the freedom to do your own things, to go your own way, to develop your own identity. At the same time it’s central geographical position and excellent connections by road, rail and air make it easy to travel around Europe.’
Two years ago Dutch Invertuals was transformed into a company, that is not only providing research, curating & art direction and exhibition design, but also interior & product design. ‘By now we have an extensive network of talented designers – some very experienced, some young graduates,’ says Wendy. The last few years more and more foreign designers have joined Dutch Invertuals. ‘There are design talents all over the world. We do not want to stick to navel-gazing, it’s good to have the dialogue with other visions, other cultures. We live in one world. Maybe slowly the word ‘Dutch’ will fade out – and we will be just the Invertuals.’
