––––––––––––––––

Seven final-year students and six first-year students in the design department of the Sandberg Institute present their projects. What role do you play as a graphic designer in today’s complex, layered information society? As an image maker, a visual journalist, a cultural analyst, a specialist in representation, an imagologist, and perhaps as an anthropologist of the future; how do you find a meaningful relationship to the world we all make up together?

The graduating designers are experts when it comes to sensing overlooked links and creating meaningful relationships between things. They combine multiple talents, manifests themselves in networks, develop new communities, and consciously place the designer’s position in a social context. With a critical eye on current events, they speculate about the future, and forge links between apparently unconnected phenomena. A traditional exhibition would not be a suitable medium for their research- and interaction-based projects. Therefore, visitors to the graduation show will not see static presentations but a dynamic collection of performances, workshops and interactive installations staged by the designers. They’ll take you to a Chinese massage parlour, tell you about the future of the book, introduce you to the president of the new Chinese-American union, and alert you to the existence of an invisible activist group. And with any luck, they’ll reveal the link between an air raid shelter in the Vondelpark, an ’80s hit song, and their graduation projects.

Michèle Champagne* (CA),  Noor van Eekelen (NL), Lauren Grusenmeyer* (B), Guido Giglio (IT/BR), Anja Groten* (D), Brigiet van den Berg* (NL), Simona Kicurovska* (MKD), Seungyong Moon (KR), Ruben Pater (NL), Janneke de Rooij* (NL), Stefan Schäfer* (D),  Maartje Smits* (NL), Yuri Veerman (NL) — )* graduates

Nina Folkersma (curator, critic, tutor), Rick Poynor* (design critic), Anke van Loon (secretary), Rob Schröder (designer, filmmaker, tutor), Annelies Vaneycken* (designer),  Daniel van der Velden (designer, tutor), Annelys de Vet (designer, head Design Department)  — )* external committee members

— Thursday 7 July, 2–6 pm: Graduation presentations & Diploma Ceremony at Eye Institute (filmmuseum) Vondelpark

— Friday 8 July, 8–11 pm: Public Opening Soirée

— Saturday 9 July, Sunday 10 July, 3–6 pm, 8–11pm: Public Matinée, Public Soirée

— The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades is not an exhibition – it’s a show!

— Admission is free, but doors close five minutes after the program starts

— Places are limited: only 70 people are allowed inside per event

— Book your place now: rsvp@sandberg.nl

Sandberg Instituut Amsterdam Design Department Fred. Roeskestraat 98 NL – 1076 ED Amsterdam Tel. +31 20 588 2404 www.sandberg.nl/design design@sandberg.nl Vondelbunker Vondelpark 8a NL – 1071 AA Amsterdam www.vondelbunker.nl