Dutch Design Awards 2017

Title Dutch Design Awards 2017Winner category COMMUNICATION:Vlisco Un à Un Exhibition, Michiel SchuurmanClient: Vlisco In collaboration with: Studio Harm Rensink, Simone Post, Studio Lust and members of the Vlisco team: Erwin Thomasse, Teun van den Wittenboer and Zara Atelj





WINNER DUTCH DESIGN AWARDS 2017 :)

The international jury, comprising Bart Ahsmann (BEDA), Saskia van Stein (bureau Europa), Carolien Ligtenberg (Bureau Zwirt), Rosa Bertoli (Wallpaper), Deyan Sudjic (Design Museum London), Beatrice Leanza (Beijing Design Week), Joost Alferink (Product Designer, Design Consultancy), Roosje Klap (Graphic Designer) and Marco Coello (Design Week Mexico), selected the winners, who were announced on Saturday 28 October during Dutch Design Week.

Winner category COMMUNICATION:
Vlisco Un à Un Exhibition
Michiel Schuurman
Client: Vlisco


In collaboration with: Studio Harm Rensink, Simone Post, Studio Lust and members of the Vlisco team: Erwin Thomasse, Teun van den Wittenboer and Zara Atelj

The survey exhibition Vlisco 1:1 offers visitors fascinating narratives, in a presentation that Vlisco devised to explore the company’s history and heritage. The exhibit includes unique items from Vlisco’s vibrant 170-year-old history. In a hypnotising fusion of black and white, colour (contrasts) and patterns, Schuurman’s gigantic Vlisco patterns take visitors on a journey: from discovering the manufacturing process to stepping into a world of lush colour. For the floor, a swirling pattern of lines was created. At first sight, the pattern seems to repeat itself, but the floorcovering was designed using a mathematical formula; the pattern changes with each sweep, but it’s impossible to tell where the motif starts and ends. The sheer scale of the piece sucks the viewer entirely into the design. The exhibition is Schuurman’s farewell to Vlisco, after an four-year association.

Jury statement:

A majestic oeuvre exhibition staged at a time when this industry is facing challenging times. Vlisco’s colonial history and the story behind the Helmond-based brand that is world famous in West Africa is brought into incredible, vibrant focus. The content and presentation cannot be faulted. As a former fabric designer at Vlisco, Michiel Schuurman developed the concept, which resulted in a poetic, mesmerising and unexpected routing. Strolling through the exhibition, visitors are plunged into an explosion of hues and patterns. The numerous collaborations with other designers made the presentation at this small museum an unmissable experience – especially for a relatively modest, regional institution as Museum Helmond – that justified the enormous number of visitors.


A in depth article on the exhibition design can be found here