Objects For A New Kind Of Society
In collaboration with London-based futures consultancy The Future Laboratory – Dutch Invertuals reflected on the growth of cities and how it’s impacting wellbeing. With supply chain disruption, stark inequalities between citizens, and a lack of green spaces – the pandemic has shown how fragile cities are. Through ‘Objects for a New Kind of Society’ Invertuals explored how to pivot towards an environment that focuses on a city’s flexible living, collective ownership, evolving identities, and nature-focussed initiatives.
Exhibition
Project Management
Dutch Invertuals
The exhibition was a reflection on how urban living can be reimagined, and that echoes in the exhibition design with the use of grid urban infrastructure forms, framing the designers' work above and below with a contrasting terracotta colour. The trellis frames pitch up like scaffolding or market-stall roofs, while the terracotta floor breaks into separate plots, cut apart by strips of bare concrete like streets
Johanna Seelemann — Hortulanus. Combined local materials with ancient wisdom, collaborating with local craftswomen to revive old reed-working techniques as a way of reimagining the city's built environment.
Elly Feldstein — Come Together. A table made in collaboration with citizens, with personal stories crafted into the piece, aimed at combating loneliness.
Christoph Dichmann — The Seed Fountain. Used digital strategies to boost urban engagement and biodiversity, including a gamified "Butterfly Bridge" that disperses seeds and encourages urban butterfly populations.
Dae Uk Kim — described in the text as the Elektra project (the accompanying image is captioned SIRI), highlighting intersectional urban spaces and objects that challenge heteronormative architecture. Quoted: "In the future we will see a continuous blurring of gender codes, putting into question what we perceive to be masculine or feminine."
Anna Resei — Tele-nomadic Sheltering Unit. Focused on nomadic lifestyles — a shelter designed to support travel, be easy to repair, and stay globally connected.
Moonseop Seo — Bit-Scape. A Design Academy Eindhoven alumnus, Seo explored the possibilities of ceramic casting, creating a unique "skyline" that translates pixels into ceramic form — moving from virtual to physical.
Sander Hagelaar — Fluid Current. A dynamic installation in which water droplets complete an electric circuit, triggering lights to switch on.
Delphine Lejeune — Blossoming Garden. A sculpture made of 3D-printed mirrors, exploring how identity can lie hidden within nature — turning the piece into a tool for self-reflection.
Sorrel Madley — My Toothbrush. Framed around the question "What would you choose to own in a future where you don't have to own anything?", the piece imagines a post-ownership world where everything can be rented, leaving only a handful of deeply sentimental objects still owned outright. It questions the ethical trade-offs — freedoms gained and lost — of a consumer society without ownership.
Steeven Macal — Water No Get Enemy. Made from a mixture of molasses and charcoal (the same material Macal uses in his broader "Mas a Kongo" material research), the piece takes the form of water containers symbolizing physiological equality. It reflects on Caribbean cultural heritage and the need to confront trauma tied to racial discrimination and colorism, using history as a tool to build a more resilient future — the title nods to Fela Kuti's song of the same name. Macal (b. Guadeloupe, 1991) is a product designer whose practice draws on Caribbean cultural heritage.
