In the conceptual room ‘HuisRaad’ ('household goods'), Studio Makkink & Bey imagines a nomadic future in which people travel light but live comfortably. In the TextielLab, Makkink & Bey developed a series of interior objects that are not attached to any single physical space. One of these objects is 'VouwPlaats', a chair that becomes a sleeping mat. When rolled up, the circular knitted mat can be carried on a wooden frame like a backpack.
The series consists of a chair, window, bed and table – a homely quartet that nevertheless references the traditional travel items of backpack, walking stick and carrying basket. This vision of the interior of the future utilises the basic lightweight and foldable properties of textiles. The starting point of ‘VouwPlaats’ (‘fold place’) was the careful collection of angora wool – from Dutch hobbyists – to knit the soft, lightweight sleeping mat. The design was supplemented with silk and mohair. In the tradition of the period room, a spatial utopia that is presented as reality, ‘HuisRaad’ examines hospitality, the use of raw materials and the meaning of household items.
Different materials were used for the prototypes developed in the TextielLab. Although it was due to be part of the final design, angora wool – which has unfortunately become associated with the brutal way in which angora rabbits are plucked on farms in China – was not used in the prototypes. In ‘Huisraad’, accompanying films show a cruelty-free way of shearing angora rabbits used by hobbyists. Studio Makkink & Bey rejects all animal cruelty related to angora rabbits.
Studio Makkink & Bey was founded in 2002 by architect Rianne Makkink and designer Jurgen Bey. The studio’s work spans several domains, including public space projects, product design, architecture, exhibition design and applied arts. The studio’s ambition is to see the role of the designer expanded to the most strategic position possible. To this end, the team consists of professionals from various fields of expertise who collaborate with designers, architects and experts.
Yearbook TextielLab, 2014
