The Graphic Design Festival in Breda (AKA Graphic Matters)
Between October 12th-16th 2015, I was invited to visit the city of Breda to speak at The Graphic Design Festival Breda: Current Characters Convention. The convention offers unique insight into leading design practices involving lectures that focus on the crossover between current issues and professional design outcomes. This year I was honored to speak alongside Artur Beifuss, Mr. Bingo, Ken Garland, Nicholas Felton and Teun Castelein. During my talk, I discussed my book Walls of Freedom in relation to my design practice and how the expanded artist or designer must move beyond a commercial practice by challenging established institutional limitations. A reflexive designer becomes a producer and mediator rather than service provider defining the medium in which they produce, providing a new framework for his/her role in society.
About the Festival: GDFB 2015: 25 September – 25 October 2015. The festival explores the latest developments in graphic visual culture by presenting international projects with an inspiring connection between technological development and social context. The festival expects about 15,000 visitors and confronts over 75,000 passersby with the impact of graphic design on their behavior and opinions. Visitors can experience how contemporary designers deal with graphic design, illustration, motion graphics, data visualization, typography and visual storytelling. In public spaces, institutions, and temporary locations the festival shows the inspiring work of over 100 international designers. Altogether the interventions, exhibitions, workshops and lectures create awareness about the role of graphic design in today’s society.
https://graphicmatters.nl
In addition to my talk, I was also chosen to be part of the Temporary Experts Exhibition, alongside five other designers. The exhibition included the production of a limited edition copyzine, designed by Thomas & Jurgen, which gives insight into the motives and discoveries of the designers.
