106 minutes w/ thomas michaël van der lee

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Could you introduce yourself?

My name is Thomas Michaël van der Lee. I’m 25 years old. I’m a graphic designer now.

Well, at least I have my certificate.

Its been a while, but how did you experience the whole ‘GDA graduation’ thing?

At the start you have to come up with a good subject. There isn’t any assignment so the opportunities are endless. I’ve tried many different subjects for my graduation project, it was not immediately going well… It made me feel a bit desperate at some point, but when I finally found my subject I did the project in just a few weeks. When you have a good idea, it will make you confident, and than you can work very hard.

Could you tell me a little bit about your research project?

It started with a very large collection of photo’s, about 3000 pieces, all made by my grandfather on all his travells he did after his retirement. He traveled for about 20 years, to France, Jordan, South Africa and many more other places. I’ve got the photos after he died and it was a strange collection, because all the portraits were taken out by my family. They thought they had to keep the family pictures and all the other pictures, like buildings and nature, were not interesting to store. But I couldn’t throw them away.

What were some important influences for the creation of your project the way it’s constructed currently? Did you take any inspiration out of certain designers or artworks?

Most of the decisions I’ve made, where inspired by my grandfather. I didn’t wanted to make it too personal, but I have made some decisions that have a clear connection to my grandfather. For example, there are a lot of ways to presents the photos, but I choose to make a book. My grandfather had his own book store and printing office. He actually was a bookmaker too.

Does this project, to you, feel as like it’s the ‘Mona Lisa’ of all of your work so far?

I’m very happy with the result. But is Mona Lisa the best of Leonardo da Vinci? I think it is a bit overrated…

Could you briefly inform us on the subject of your thesis?

My thesis is about colors. I talk about colors in public space. About what we know about colors and also how colors are used by artists and designers. For me color is very interesting, and very mysterious too. That’s what I lika about it. We give them some names, but it is very difficult to describe a color. What is the difference between red and green, for example?

Did the subject of your thesis had an influence on deciding on the subject of your research assignment? or are they not connected at all?

They are not really connected, no.

How would you like your research project, and it’s methodology, to correspond to your practice after graduation?

For the research project I did a lot of work by myself. All the pages are cut out by hand and I also printed everything at home. It is really a hand made book and that’s also very visible. That’s what makes it special and I certainly want to keep that hand made aspect in my work. If possible…

Where did you do your internship?

I did an internship at EGBG, the studio of Martijn Engelbregt.

In what way has the experience of doing an internship changed you of your (design)beliefs or (work)habits?

Martijn works very independently. He is doing his own projects or he is trying at least to have a lot of space for his ideas when he is asked by someone else to do a project. One of the things I’ve learned, is that if you have an idea or you want to do something, you just have to go for it. Just give it a try. Sometimes an idea have not the results you were expecting, but sometimes it ends up with a very cool project.

Did they serve avocado during lunch? :)

Yes! …from the organic shop!

Could you inform us on your partner, client and type of assignment for the practical assignment?

I was asked to design a new stamp for PostNL. It had to be a new design for the ‘zakenzegel’. This meant it should become an interesting, but kind of neutral stamp for use by companies. The shapes I used in the design are based on the shape of an envelop.

Five years from now, you’ll be doing what?

Five years, I actually never look that far ahead. For now I have some ideas to make an other book, this time I have a collection of thousands of postcards from France. And… I think I’m going to register at KvK, and try to find some things I can do to earn some money. Then focus on my own projects and just see how far I can get.

Any tips for upcoming graduate students? Or for new students?

Never trust no teachers. (But of course try to learn from them!)

328 minutes w/ corine van der wal

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Could you briefly introduce yourself?

So i’am Corine 26, working at te moment in a coffee bar, where there is often also exhibitions. I omschrijf myself a little bit perfectionist, like to work with printed matter and have a passion for my plants. Maybe you should leave the last this out. Before i started graphic design in Arnhem i did a more practical study in photography 4 year. After that i did the pre–study on ArtEZ and started to know graphic design. During the last four year, i got interested in typography, and specially in the detail, micro–typography. I love to work for hours in a indesign book file and zink in the details of all the glyph. I find it really interesting to find a way to make traditional book design modern.

How are you liking graduation so far?

That’s a tricky question, because i got orange whit the frist green light presentation, and i did not see that coming. But i will be honest. The way i am working the last four months are great, i have so much fun, i think it is because the past three year you get a assignment, so there is already a topic for your project, and you have to switch every day to another assignment, almost 6 times a week. And after three years you can develop your own topic. The way you working constantly on one project, works really good, i like it. It almost feels like a real job.

Maybe now would be a good time to introduce your research project?

‘2nd seven year plan program of iran’. It starts with a personal archive from my grandfather. My grandparents moved for 7 years to Teheran (Persia). It was the era of the Sjah at that time (1956–1962). During that time my grandfather kept an amazing archive with photo dia’s, letters, maps, etc. At the end of the 2nd year of mine study i was already thinking to use this archive for my graduation project. I only had to find a way to make not only interesting for me and mine family but also for more people. It was hard to find more information about this period in Persia, that is because it was for the revolution, so i had not so many background information. Will i was going through the photo’s, more then 2000, there was one photo of a road sign. (the one i gave you) that says “PLAN ORGANISATION OF IRAN, WORK ON 2ND SEVEN YEAR PLAN, PLAN ORGANISATION PROJECT”. I found out that there was a book about the project, after help from the openbare bibliotheek, the found one edition in the university library in Rotterdam and the got it for me. Then i found out that these seven year plan where exactly the same years that mine grandparent lives in Tehran. And while i was reading the text there was a lot similarity with the archive of mine grandfather. So the reason the moved to Tehran was that mine grandfather worked on the development of the infrastructure. So plan is to re–publish the book, but also tell a story of a western family by using the archive.

What were some important references during your research project?

http://www.titreprovisoire.de/arbeiten/unfinished–business.html. This is a really important inspiration. There was this problem in the beginning that the project became to personal. So i found this project, and what the did, the made a movie with personal data of people of Germany who also lived and worked in Iran. But the used these data to tell the story how Germany worked on nuclear program in Iran. This was the solution for me, i had to find a another story for the personal archive than the family story. And then i found the book.

 

 

Does this project also feel like it’s your mona lisa of work so far?

No. I made in the third year a book about hacked passwords of Yahoo and transferred into a medical plants encyclopaedia. I found it interesting how you can make actually boring data in something news

Could you maybe talk a little on the topic of your thesis?

I love printed matter. Now we are living in a digital revolution. newspapers are slowly disappearing, and most of the novel you can read on a device. My question was, how printed matter changed in design trough the digitalisation.

Did writing your thesis in any way influence the way you think about design?

Ofcourse, in my thesis i am trying to explain how important is, not only for our history, but also the way how people read. Designing a text for a printed book, get must more attention the for a digital design. But because people read more en more digital i found it really interesting to see also how design of text changed trough digital media.

Would you like to continue working like you did now, in the future?

Yes, maybe in the way of thinking about digital design, to improve it. But also working with printed matter, how you have to think in practice, how you have to design in a way that people will read it.

Where did you do your internship, and could you introduce the studio?

at e o t Berlin (essays on typograhic), a small studio founded by Lilla Hinrichs and Anna Sartorius. They are primarily concerned with book and exhibition design and collaborate with museums, publishers, curators, artists, authors and scientists.

Could you tell me a little how this experience of doing an internship in your case abroad changed the way you view design?

So there they are working a lot with book typography, which is good for me. The German have so many more rules in typography the we dutch designers, so i learned a lot. also the printing part, like how you have to manage your PMS colours for the off set printer. Also the way how the develop a concept, and sketch, it takes time to work with clients and try to convince them with your design, because some of these people don’t have a idea about design. It is really different then how it works at the academy.

Did they serve avocado during lunch?

No. Keine Advocado. Most of the time we had patatos for lunch, germans.

So, tell me about your practical assignment?

Yes the practical assignment, me and suzanne are working on a system how you can publish in a digital environment. Valiz is a publishing house based in Amsterdam. The are doing already research on digital publishing trough ePub. Know had to task to also think and develop a digital distribution method for the ‘Antennae serie’ books. After the research on distribution method we are designing the books for a digital platform.

Five years from now you’ll be doing what?

maybe the plan is to work at the TAPE and meanwhile starting a own studio. But i also want to start a little shop, where you can buy, advocate trees and cacti. maybe sell small publications, and meanwhile have a desk in the shop to work.

I just hope to have my own studio, but it would be also great to work for a bigger graphic design studio. I am hoping that i get to know people from different disciplines so we can help each other.

Do you have any tips, or strokes of wisdom for upcoming graduate students?

Stick with your own in interests, do not try to make develop something you don’t know the technical specifications of.

119 minutes w/ wouter ebben

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Hi, could you briefly introduce yourself?

Hi, my name is Wouter Ebben and I am graduating at the department of interaction design.

How is the whole graduation experience doing it for you?

It has been pretty gruesome. But I’ve learnt a lot from it, more than I thought I would actually.

Could you tell us about your research project?

No, I’m afraid that’s classified. But I can say this: with my research project I am proposing a system that can be utilized to create physical (3D) objects based on data. So a system to create data visualisation objects. Data as a subject is getting more and more attention, and as a designer I am mostly concerned about the way we visualise this data. Although this project focuses on the visualisation of data (by physical means), the added value of spatiality is in my opinion of a more elementary nature. In other words, apart from the added value specifically to the data visualisation part of the objects, the physical form in itself is already an added value.

What were some important influences for the creation of your project the way it’s constructed currently? maybe certain artists or artworks you’ve looked at for inspiration?

Well, I looked a lot at existing data visualisation methods, as well as existing spatial data sculptures. And also geometry in maths. But not any specific artist or something.

Does your this project, to you, feel as like it’s the ‘Mona Lisa’ of your work so far?

No, it doesn’t. Actually, finding a good subject for my research project wasn’t working out very well for me. So eventually, after about six failed attempts, the department assigned me this topic. This doesn’t mean however, that I don’t like it. Personally, I feel quite strongly that physicality, materiality and tactility add a lot of value to the experience of many things. In a world where our lives are spent more and more in the digital realm, I want to advocate the use of physical media. So that’s partially what drove me for this project (also, I want to graduate). The same goes for my thesis, whose topic is closely related to my research project.

Could you tell me about your thesis then?

Certainly! My thesis is about data sculptures, which are physical representations of data. There isn’t one set definition, but usually data sculptures are direct externalisations of the data. Which basically means as much as form follows data. But there is of course always some aesthetic expression by the artist. Contrary to what you might think, more often than not they are difficult to read at first sight. You have to learn how to read them.

In what way are the subjects of your thesis and your research project related?

In my thesis I look at the properties of data sculptures and how they differ from two dimensional visualisations. Because it is quite a niche subject, I also studied some product design, art theory and psychology literature. My main goal was trying to paint a picture of the subject and see what data sculptures could bring us.

To what sense would you like your these projects, and their methodology, to correspond to your practice after graduation?

Hmmm… I feel quite strongly that the integration of the digital realm and analog/physical world is going to be a very big part of our lives, and I think a lot of great things can be done there. I wouldn’t mind being a part of that, but at the moment I haven’t got the foggiest about what I want to do after I graduate to be honest. I might become a designer, but I might just as well become a butcher. But I think at first I will venture more into front–end web design. I enjoy it and would like to get better at it, and it’s also a good field of work to make some cash.

Another subject: Where did you do your internship?

My internship was at Kossmann.dejong (kossmanndejong.nl) in Amsterdam. They call themselves exhibition architects and I think that’s a fitting description. They design exhibitions for museums. I had a wonderful time there.

In what way has the experience of doing an internship changed you, or, your (design) beliefs or (work)habits?

I can’t say it actually changed my beliefs, or even my work habits, but one of the things I learnt a lot about was how to make good presentations. This will probably baffle my teachers if they read it, but that’s because I never have the time for the proper preparations haha. Also, it made me change my mind about working in a team/company as apposed to being my own boss.

Did they serve avocado during lunch?

They sure did! The lunches were great! All organic as well, and always gezellig (you just can’t translate gezellig…). Perhaps sociable if you must.

Could you inform us on your partner, (if you had one), client and type of assignment for the practical assignment?

I worked for, and with the design innovation department of Philips design. My assignment was to design an object that would provide information to the parents of premature born babies. These babies are living in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and are very fragile. The object is supposed to be placed at home so the parents can stay informed, because they can’t be at the hospital all the time. The object had to look friendly and not like a (medical) machine. The object – I named it Vigilo – communicates by means of light and movement. A heat map (of colored light) shows the position the baby is in at the top of the object, where the darker the color, the more weight presses down at that point, while at the bottom of the object, different colored lights indicate when the baby is being fed. Meanwhile the object moves up and down based on the rhythm of the breathing.

There is also a “neutral” state that gets activated when the baby is asleep, or when the hospital staff has to do something with the baby. In this state, no information is provided.

The object is shaped like an egg, to refer to the fragility of the baby and also the baby in the incubator. The movement of the object makes it appear to be a living object, symbolizing the new life that has joined the family. The heat map is pink because this color is associated with babies in many cultures, but even more so because it has the psychological effect of easing the mind. The light that indicates the feeding of the baby is colored orange. The idea behind this being that the color orange stimulates the appetite, hopefully moving the parents to eat at the same time, to give them an even more in synch feeling.

What will you be doing in 5 years from now?

Pffffwoooeee, I have no idea! But I hope I’m hiking in a beautiful country, or climbing the most beautiful rock face I ever had the privilege to climb. But maybe, just maybe, I’m working my ass off. One can always dream though. Maybe I can even combine the two.

Do you have tips or advice for upcoming graduate students or new students?

A bit cliché, but in my experience the most important thing is to work with subjects you really enjoy, and keep enjoying in the longer run. Also: using your hands can be very helpful. Sometimes just go and build something with paper or what not, designing with your hands and not with your head can produce completely different insights and results. Furthermore, the most important lesson I had to learn is to make decisions, even if they’re bad, at least you can move on and you have something to work with. If you have to you can always make changes later, so don’t let indecision hold you up too long. Oh, if I can, I would like to add a link to a video on youtube that I find inspiring and good advice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmY4–RMB0YY. It’s really worth the entire 36 minutes, or for the short version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijtQP9nwrQA

58 minutes w/ iris ijsvelt

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Could you briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Iris IJsvelt, I’m 22 years old and I live in Arnhem.

How is the whole graduation experience doing it for you?

It’s a periode where you really have to make choices for yourself and stay close to what you want to do. This was sometimes a bit difficult but also a good learning process.

Could you tell us about your research project?

My research project is about plastic objects which I found on the streets or in secondhand stores. The objects are left behind and I want to show these because a lot of people don’t seem to notice them anymore. In the project I am giving the objects a new function by using them again in a visual game of ordening, typology and structure. It’s about my view at the stuff we leave behind.

What was the urgency for you to start this project?

I have always been interested in using material that already exists. This is also what I am doing in this project. I want to show people something that I found very interesting and beautiful. I want to show people what is already there and what people walk by, and what they don’t see anymore.

What were some important influences for the creation of your project the way it’s constructed currently? Like, did you look at a certain designer or artwork, which inspired you?

I started to research the method of using existing materials in my thesis. Examples like Erik Kessels, Harmen Liemburg and Jon Rafman inspired me to use material which is already there. And now that I am making a video I’ve also looked at more video performances. But the most importend influence was the stuff that I could find in the streets, they made me think about a good way to show them, which eventually became video.

Does your this project, to you, feel as like it’s your Mona Lisa of your work so far?

I think / I hope that I will make a lot of these projects in the future. But for now it is definitely my ‘Mona Lisa’.

Could you briefly inform us on the subject of your thesis?

My thesis is about the collector in the digital age. It’s about designers and artists who make a choice nowadays to use the internet as a collecting source or they make the choice to use analog methods to collect.

Has your thesis had a certain influence on deciding on the subject of your research assignment? if yes, in what way?

Yes it had a big influence on my research project. It made me look at collections of existing material and this is also what I am doing in my project, but then in my own way. And it also made me realize that there is a lot to find in ‘the analog world’.

To what sense would you like this project, and it’s methodology, to correspond to your practice after graduation?

I really like the way I am working with something that I have found and than use it in a formal study of color, shape, size etc. These kind of studies I would love to keep doing after graduation.

Where did you do your internship?

I did my internship at Raw Color in Eindhoven.

In what way has the experience of doing an internship changed you of your (design)beliefs or (work)habits?

It did not really change it. But it did make me realize even more that graphic design can be used really good in combination with photography, film, textile etc. So it made me open up more to these different ways of working.

Did they serve avocado during lunch?

Hahaha yes they did! And now I am addicted to avocado’s.

Could you inform us on your partner, client and type of assignment for the practical assignment?

I worked together with Kimberley Rutjes on a project for the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. We worked with Carolien Glazenburg of the Stedelijk Museum. We were asked to make a catalog of the posters made for the Stedelijk Museum. It was an overview of the posters made from 1900 till now. The collaboration went really well! We both have our own qualities and we used them. And we made a book which we are both really happy with!

Five years from now, you’ll be doing what?

I hope I have a nice place where I can work for myself and make things that make me happy and hopefully other people too!

Any tips for upcoming graduate students? Or for new students?

Wellll if you become a new student at ArtEZ, really I guess it’s being true to yourself! Make things that you want to make and don’t let other people distract you. Listen to everything everybody has to say but then really make your own choices! AND…. try to relax once in a while. AND ROCK ON!

 

53 minutes w/ ruby bouwmeester

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Could you briefly introduce yourself?

Hi I’m Ruby, 23 and I live in Arnhem with my two cats and boyfriend.

How is the whole graduation experience doing it for you?

I graduated this January, so it’s a bit different for me. But I’m glad all the chaos is over now and I can go to this exhibition stress–free. But the last year was definitely the best of all, you have developed a sense of style that works for you as a graphic designer and you know better in which direction you want to work.

Could you tell us about your research project?

My research project is about The Language of Flowers, also sometimes called Floriography. It is a means of cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers. At it’s highest point in 19th century Victorian England it was used to send a coded or secret message allowing the sender to express feeling that could not be spoken aloud. Every emotion or feeling could be translated back to a plant or flower. For example oak leaves means bravery, or a yellow rose means jealousy. To translate this subject into graphic design I looked at a technique where only natural elements are used, and where the plants themselves are part of the printing technique. That is why I decided to experiment with eco dyeing. Eco dyeing is a very old printing technique where the dyes or colorants are derived from plants or flowers. These plants leave an imprint of their outlines and / or colors on a surface.

In Floriography every emotion is related to a certain flower. So with that in mind I designed silk scarves and created my own ink that could literally carry out the heaviness of the sentiments in percentage (momentary/long–lasting).

What were some important influences for the creation of your project the way it’s constructed currently?

My interest in Dead Media, communication forms and print design.

Does your graduation, to you, feel as like it’s your Mona Lisa of work so far?

I think with the graduation project you really get the chance to show who you are as a graphic designer because you have been given a long time to work on one project with a subject that you came up with yourself.

Could you briefly inform us on the subject of your thesis?

It’s about social–political mapping.

Has your thesis had a certain influence on deciding on the research assignment?If yes, in what way?

No not really, but I’ve described a lot of 19th century maps in my thesis so I must really like things from the past.

To what sense would you like this project, and its methodology, to correspond to your practice after graduation?

I would like to work as a print designer, to combine graphic design with textile and fashion.

Where did you do your internship?

Mainstudio, Amsterdam

In what way has the experience of doing an internship changed you of your (design)beliefs or (work)habits?

I liked working in a nice environment. It was sort of a confirmation for yourself to see that you had chosen the right study.

Did they serve avocado during lunch?

Haha yes.

Could you inform us on your partner, client and type of assigment for the practical assignment?

Together with Lynn van Gijzel I’ve made a publication for 1001 publishers, called Meesterwerken en Meesterzetten by Frank Reijnders.

Five years from now, you’ll be doing what?

Work some place nice hopefully and maybe I’ll be living in Belgium.

Any tips for upcoming graduate students?

Don’t hesitate to long with the subject you want to choose for your graduation project. Find something that you really can relate to in all aspects and make sure you have enough time for sketches and tests.

79 minutes w/ vincent hammingh

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Could you briefly introduce yourself?

I am Vincent.

24 years old.

(more?)

That’s it I guess.

How is the whole graduation experience doing it for you?

Well my practical assignment and thesis were going really fast, really straight forward. Only with my research project it was a bumpy road. I wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go with this project, but eventually I got back to one of my first ideas.

Could you tell us a little more about you research project?

The project is about internet media taking more and more place into our daily lives. So I’ve made an installation of a supermarket (which I visit daily) where the packs are reacting on my online behaviour, as if you are walking around in this supermarket wearing an Oculus Rift or the Google Glass.

What were some important influences for the creation of your project the way it’s constructed currently? where or from who did you get your inspiration?

Well I noticed that I’m spending a lot of time online and on Facebook I saw a lot of articles on blogs I’m following about the Oculus Rift and articles about Facebook being these kinds of technologies and apps to keep track of us.. I guess..And of course a lot of talking with teachers and other people. I think the last one is maybe the most important one.

Does this project, to you, feel as like it’s your ‘Mona Lisa’ of all of your work so far?

More like a sketch for a Mona Lisa. I can explore many more roads of this project and that’s what I like about it.

Could you tell us a little about your thesis?

My thesis is about the issues of copyright in art and design, and how we could use this as subject of our work. I’m writing about the issues but also about solutions like crowdsourcing and open source.

Has your thesis had a certain influence on deciding on the subject of the research assignment?

I think so. Most of the issues of copyright are because of the internet culture. Copyright was made for printing books and publicing in a physical environment, it doesn’t work that well in a digital environment. So it’s also about the combination of physical culture and internet culture.

How would you like this project, and it’s methodology, to correspond to your practice after graduation?

Well in order to show the effect of packaging that can be projected with different content, I made a monitor that you can slide from left to right and back in front of a physical shelf with products. On this monitor I can project anything I want on those products/packaging. But there are many more things that I can do with this moving monitor and I really like to explore this furter in the future, could be visuals or whole streets projected with different content.

 

 

onto Another subject: where did you do your internship?

I did my internship at Machine in Amsterdam. They design a lot for the music business. Record sleeves, festival promotion.

so, In what way has the experience of doing an internship changed you, or your (design)beliefs or (work)habits?

Well I did a lot of animation work at their studio. And I was always convinced that as a graphic designer you should be busy with printed matter as much as you can. But a lot of graphic design will move to the screen, apps and websites getting more popular, so it could be a good thing I learned a lot about animation and design for digital media.

Did they serve avocado during lunch?

YES! hahaha!

Could you inform us on your partner, client and type of assignment for the practical assignment?

I did my practical assignment together with Maartje de Goede. Our client was IABR in Rotterdam. We were asked to design the report they wrote on a concept called Carbon Added Taks Tax.

The collaboration went really well, we are two really different kind of designers. The choices we individually usually make on design and concept came together perfectly and this has brought us to a place where we never would have ended up without each other. Very interesting experience.

What will you be doing in 5 years from now?

Pfhiew difficult one. Whatever the fuck I want I guess.

Any advice or tips for upcoming or new students?

Eehhmmm… Well maybe something that was written on the wall at my internship; BECOME WHAT YOU ARE.

58 minutes w/ karlijn rasing

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Could you briefly introduce yourself?

Hi, my name is Karlijn Rasing and I recently graduated in graphic design at ArtEZ in Arnhem and I hope to become very busy with my own graphic design studio which I am starting right now.

How is the whole graduation experience doing it for you?

Challenging, and in the end it gave a lot of satisfaction, especially when i finally saw the end result before me.

Could you tell us about your research project?

I designed a book in which I described the apple by the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. By describing the senses and characteristics of an apple – on which the consumer bases his opinion / taste – and then to reconstruct en represent that in a book, you get aware of that the apple is reconstructed by influence of the consumers.

My book consists of different parts where you can experience the senses one by one, by example an eatable chapter of the book where I used eatable apple ink and paper.

What were some important influences for the creation of your project the way it’s constructed currently?

I was very inspired by the project ‘Pig 05049’ by Christien Meindertsma in which she researched all the products made from one single pig.

Does your graduation, to you, feel as like it’s your Mona Lisa of work so far?

No, it feels more like the very beginning of a larger project with food–related subjects.

Could you briefly inform us on the subject of your thesis?

It’s about the designer as an activist.

Has your thesis had a certain influence on deciding on the research assignment?if yes, in what way?

It absolutely has. I love the combination of graphic design & social issues. Researching different designers and artists for writing the thesis inspired me a lot.

To what sense would you like this project, and it’s methodology, to correspond to your practice after graduation?

I hope to keep designing social inspired work because I get the most fun and satisfaction out of it.

Where did you do your internship?

At Studio Duel in The Hague

In what way has the experience of doing an internship changed you of your (design)beliefs or (work)habits?

The guys of Studio Duel are both very social– and environmentally involved and take that with them in there design process. They showed me that you can combine that attitude with more commercial work.

Did they serve avocado during lunch?

Haha, yes! The organic ones.

Five years from now, you’ll be doing what?

Design, design, design..

Any tips for upcoming graduate students?

I don’t have any tips because you have to make all the famous mistakes for yourself and be happy about the experience you get in the end.

84 minutes w/ kevin kuijpers

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Could you briefly introduce yourself?

I’m Kevin Kuijpers, turning 26 next week, studying Interaction Design

How is the whole graduation experience doing it for you?

t feels like stepping away from the typical school assignments I have had for years and finally getting to a more professional level. The last months I notice I’m making decisions faster and more consequent and I’m not too depended about what the teachers say.

Could you tell us about your research project?

I’m basically making my own life–size hologram. I made a smaller holographic cinema for an earlier assignment and saw there was more potential. Back then I wanted to walk through this holographic cinema and now I’m actually achieving that. Originally I wanted to bring Aaliyah, my R&B idol, back to life. A hologram is a technique that makes this sort of possible and it has been done before, with 2pac for example and recently Michael Jackson. During that project I noticed if you have multiple holograms behind each other, the colours would mix. Now I’m not using a hologram to recreate a singer but the make an immersive installation, based on the properties of a hologram.

What were some important influences for starting this project?

2pac’s concert at Coachella is definitely an inspiration, that’s what started the whole project. Works of LAb[au] and Mike Reinierse about color synthesis also made me wanna go into that direction.

Math is my current guidance, the forms I’m projecting in my hologram are based on geometry.

Does your this project, to you, feel as like it’s your ‘Mona Lisa’ of your work so far?

Almost. Most of the time a get inspired by some scientific phenomenon, that’s what the hologram is. My thesis is a critique on how software companies work, that’s also an interest of mine. But there are no information design in my ‘Mona Lisa’. But that’s just how it is. There is no information design in my ‘Mona Lisa’. So where normally my projects are about internet politics, science and big data, big data is not represented in my graduation work.

Could you tell a little more about your thesis?

My thesis is about how and why a designer or artist should loosing him– or herself from the restricting rules mighty companies, such as Google, Apple, Microsoft and Adobe, lay upon him/her. Though we think that software gives us endless freedom, it’s still designed by someone else. Someone else decided what things you can do with the software and what not. Designers should know their tools by heart to use them to the fullest. They should know how these companies work and what influence they have on a designer.

Has your thesis had a any influence on deciding on the subject for the research assignment or not at all?

Short: no.

To what sense would you like your research project, and it’s methodology, to correspond to your practice after graduation?

I’m considering using open source software only for my own work. As a coder I regularly visit sites of the open source community and I see that people are really helping each other out. And I may even read the whole license agreements of app. So I know what they can do with my data, and also for laughs, some agreements are linguistically funny.

Where did you do your internship?

At the artist collective LAb[au], in Brussels. They make a lot of audiovisual sometimes kinetic installations. Their work is more about computer generated processes and the art of it. I co–build a work called m0za1que and did a lot of practical stuff like soldering, which I needed. I was spending too much time designing behind my 13” laptop and I needed a break from that. Though I didn’t only learn practical stuff there, I also experienced how a international artist collective works in the capital of the EU.

In what way has the experience of doing an internship changed you, or, your (design) beliefs or (work)habits?

Knowing how much time a single thing cost is pretty important when you’re doing repetitive work. That way you have a more realistic planning. And speaking multiple languages opens doors. Especially in Brussels.

Did they serve avocado during lunch?

YES! haha. And humus and quinoa. Funny story, I actually brought my own food to Brussels, how Dutch of me. They called me Snelle Jelle because I ate those for the first several weeks during breaks. Now I ditched Snelle Jelle for humus.

Could you inform us on your partner, client and type of assignment for the practical assignment?

The head of the master Architecture of ArtEZ Gerard van Heel asked me and Jorian Bekker to make the site for the finals of 2013. There has never been a site, only a printed catalog. The collaboration did not go so well, I ended up doing most of the coding, though now I finally understand javascript.

What will you be doing in 5 years from now?

Hopefully doing small design projects regularly and doing my own research and projects aside, in a large city, preferably abroad.

Any tips for upcoming graduate, or new students?

Do what you always wanted to do in your last year, since it’s a long project and you have to keep yourself motivated even if the critique is harsh.