Designers in Residence Kortrijk announces the three designers selected for its 10th anniversary
Since 2014, Designers in Residence Kortrijk, organised by Designregio Kortrijk, has welcomed three recently graduated designers each year from around the world and various creative disciplines for a unique residency program in Kortrijk.
The organization has just announced the three designers selected for its tenth anniversary edition in 2024. They are Eszter Nagy, a Hungarian audiovisual creator and visual artist working in The Hague on the representation of the working class; Julie Merlino, a French interdisciplinary designer focusing on material design, solar energy and storytelling; and Yufei Gao, a multidisciplinary creator and researcher from Eindhoven, who focuses on the relationship between humans, non-humans and technology.
For three months (from 2 September to 29 November), they will have the exceptional opportunity to develop an experimental concept.
For this edition, Designregio is partnering with the Design Museum Gent in Flanders. During the residency period, the designers will be inspired by the communities of Kortrijk and Ghent and will be challenged to experiment, research, exchange knowledge and use their imagination. This will also allow them to connect with the museum's context.
The selected designers will also participate in the LIVING SUMMERSCHOOL, an annual free informal education program that allows young people to conduct multidisciplinary territorial innovation experiments a a response to the urgency for rapid and effective action to tackle socio-environmental problems within realistic social models.
During the WONDER Creativity Festival, from 17 October to 3 November, the artists in residence will also have the opportunity to present their (ongoing) research to the general public.
The composition of the jury is as follows:
- Olivier Van D'huynslager – Curator of Digital Culture & Design, Design Museum Gent
- Hélène Depondt – ELDERS collective
- Petrus Paklons – ELDERS collective
- Tim Roerig – Curator at Z33, House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture
- Designregio Kortrijk
The jury particularly appreciated each of the three designers' unique and creative relationship with the invisible and the hidden.
"The practices of the three selected designers are complementary in their reflections on the hidden and the invisible, and how they can be (re)deployed in contemporary forms of design. Eszter Nagy reveals the ‘invisible’ infrastructure in an attempt to reconcile the small with the large (urban) fabric. Yufei Goa shows us today's almost hermetic production environments and reintroduces ‘nature’ as voice, rhythm and agent in design. Julie Merlino, finally, encourages the viewer, through her work, to re-establish our relationship with the sun on a personal level, and in doing so, reflect on bringing technology, infrastructure and politics back to an (inter-) human scale."
- Olivier Van D'huynslager, Curator of Digital Culture & Design, Design Museum Gent
The three selected Designers in Residence
- Eszter Nagy
Eszter Nagy (1997, Hungary, lives and works in The Hague) is an audiovisual creator and visual artist who works in the field of the representation of the working class and the material culture of everyday life. Her practice is based on interacting with communities and understanding their habits and meeting places. Eszter graduated from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest (BA, Media Design) in 2021 and from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (MA, Non Linear Narrative) in 2023.
- Julie Merlino
Julie Merlino is an interdisciplinary designer from France based in Amsterdam who focuses on material design, solar energy and storytelling. Driven by a desire to implement fresh and inspiring perspectives that encourage people to connect with their environment, Julie is particularly engaged in raising awareness about the tactile and sensory potential of solar energy.
- Yufei Gao
Yufei Gao is a multidisciplinary designer and researcher from Eindhoven. She utilizes mixed media including writing, film, physical objects and more to convey her stories. Since graduating from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2023, she has focused on exploring the relationship between humans, non-humans and technology. Her graduation project, "Gaia, how are you today?", is a series of 3D-printed ceramic pots designed parametrically using meteorological data, with her main motivation being storytelling for environmental awareness.
All the Small Things
In collaboration with the Design Museum Gent, the theme "All the Small Things" was chosen for this anniversary edition. "All the Small Things" aims to highlight the role of small details in creating a sustainable future. The program explores possible relationships and synergies between low-tech and high-tech design, in order to find sustainable solutions for the future.
In the search for sustainable design solutions for the future, this edition continues to explore the possible relationships and synergies between low-tech and high-tech design. Low-tech and high-tech are not opposites, but rather a spectrum where different technologies complement each other; in terms of scale, the size and scope of a technological system are central, but also in terms of understanding. The synergies created by combining low-tech and high-tech can make it possible to exploit the strengths of both approaches.
"All the Small Things" focuses on four interconnected elements:
- Small structures
Small Structures uses the implementation of low-tech strategies to explore different positive directions for a future characterised by a better quality of life and less global dependency. The advantage of small scales is that they are easier for communities and individuals to adapt them in different ways, and they encourage diversity within the community. These design solutions and practices are organised around small structures to act as a counterweight (at regional level) to large technologies.
- Small/humble origins
Regenerative design forms draw inspiration from vernacular strategies like permaculture to generate conceptual solutions. Low-tech approaches critique technology's relationship with the "new," as well as in terms of intelligence. Small organisms, structures and information counterbalance significant data that fuels algorithms in decision-making processes. By revisiting sensory "ancestral technologies" such as smell, taste and sight, and by giving voice to non-human actors, individuals regain centrality in a technology-dominated world.
- Small problems/threads
Urgent large-scale issues like climate change, migration, health and economy often seem insurmountable and abstract. To tackle these, manageable narratives that prompt action are needed. Examining these issues at a smaller, relatable scale, focusing on individual experiences, can help combat feelings of alienation and indifference, enabling people to (re)act.
- Small disruptions
The festival encourages or makes accessible the unveiling of small disruptions that can contribute to positive change. By creating synergistic effects, promoting awareness, stimulating systemic changes, and empowering individuals, small things can integrate into a larger whole and have a positive impact on the planet and society.
Designers in Residence Kortrijk
For more information :
Club Paradis
Albane Paret
+32 (0)476 57 37 82
albane@clubparadis.be