Take Part

Driving social change through inclusive design partnerships

Dutch designer Iris Nijenhuis, known for her modular wearable objects, is expanding her innovative assemblage techniques into new applications with a socially responsible focus. Her research project, TAKE PART, set to debut at the Kazerne in Eindhoven during Dutch Design Week, challenges conventional design practices by showcasing the value of local, socially responsible production and inviting audiences to engage in a collaborative modular artwork that brings these social issues to the forefront.

Innovative modular textiles
Amsterdam-based designer Iris Nijenhuis has made a name for herself with modular wearable objects crafted with her distinctive Puzzle assemblage technique. Her pieces, marked by richly textured surfaces and soft, sculptural aesthetics, are made from laser-cut textile forms that interlock like puzzle pieces, without the need for stitches or adhesives. The collection traveled to the prestigious stores of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the Kunstmuseum in The Hague, the Künsthalle in Munich, among other cultural institutions. Her work is also stocked by an array of distinguished design retailers, stretching from her native Netherlands to Japan and beyond.

Meaningful design-partnerships
Over the past year, she has worked closely with local care centre Abrona and social enterprises I-did and OPNIEUW! to explore socially responsible, local production methods for her accessory collection. Through conducting sheltered workshops for participants with intellectual disabilities and discussions with supervisors who oversee these workshops, Nijenhuis, along with interns from the Engineering Product Design course, identified a need to expand her current collections with the development of new, high-quality applications that leverage the specific ‘talents and tools’ available at these centres.

The project is deeply personal for Nijenhuis and reflects her commitment to meaningful design collaborations. “As an independent designer, I often face isolation in my work process,” she says. “Collaborating and organising socially responsible production has added significant value and meaning to my work.” Nijenhuis finds inspiration in how participants’ unique perspectives and creativity enrich her design process, highlighting the pride and self-worth that meaningful work can instil.

“It allows me to infuse my creations with greater meaning while offering people with intellectual disabilities a valuable role in society. For consumers, it means choosing products with a story and a conscience, enhancing the value of their purchase.”

Understanding social and local production
A crucial question arising from this project is whether society fully understands and values social and local production. Specifically, are consumers willing to pay more for products made locally and socially? There’s also a need to explore if people grasp what’s involved in producing items in sheltered workshops, the impact of offering meaningful work to people with intellectual disabilities, and how local production supports sustainability by reducing transport distances and bolstering the local economy.

Interactive artwork as visual statistics
These questions will be addressed through the interactive TAKE PART presentation at the Kazerne during Dutch Design Week. Visitors will have the opportunity to participate in creating a collaborative modular artwork that visually represents these social issues. The piece consists of 2,500 modular components in four colours, each linked to a specific proposition about social and local production. Visitors are invited to physically contribute to the artwork, making their voices heard on this important topic.

Nijenhuis has worked in close collaboration with two social enterprises. The modular components are made from discarded company clothing, which are transformed into a felt-like material by I-did, and CNC-cut into pieces by OPNIEUW!. Prior to Dutch Design Week, 500 of these components will be manually assembled at a sheltered workshop for an initial display. Over the nine days of Dutch Design Week, over 200 visitors each day will be able to engage with the project at the Kazerne venue in Eindhoven, turning the collaborative artwork into valuable visual statistics.

Driving Dutch Design group exhibition
Alongside the interactive artwork, Nijenhuis presents additional TAKE PART research in the Driving Dutch Design group exhibition. This presentation demonstrates the transformative potential of inclusive, community-based design partnerships, revealing how modular design can be adapted on the basis of the unique ‘tools and talents’ found in sheltered workshops. The exciting first result of this process is a new modular Puzzle component, which will be presented at KEVN.

TAKE PART by Atelier Iris Nijenhuis will be presented at Dutch Design Week at Kazerne and KEVN in Eindhoven from 19 – 27 October 2024.