With ‘From Hardware to Software’, Neo Design Collective present an exhibition that can be visited both online and offline and focusses on the question of how the need for tactility can be answered within the real and the virtual space. The exhibition unfolds through three spaces and as many phases. The first space (phase I) opens with the physical textile designs in collaboration with EE Exclusives, created especially for this context. The designs suggest different applications for an interior, such as wall coverings, curtain fabrics or furniture upholstery. The second room (phase II) shows animations of digitised textiles with corresponding application possibilities as in phase I, introducing what could possibly be produced, and maximising an illusion of tactility. Finally, in the third space (phase III), visitors are invited to experiment with the developed tools, such as a textile configurator, in which they can upload their own artwork and compose a textile and add it to the online exhibition. In this way, the processes that are carried out offline can be followed online.
The exhibition is primarily a case study that provides an overview of potential possibilities. It allows Neo Design Collective to test techniques and ideas, engage in conversations with the visitors and aim for new relationships and partners. For shaping the future of the materials industry cannot be done overnight, and the more people that put their weight behind it, the more achievable a possible solution becomes.
From Hardware to Software was realized in collaboration with Neo Design Collective during Paris Design Week 2021. Neo Design Collective is initiated by Nina van Bart and is a future-oriented and multidisciplinary partnership, aiming to let the physical and the digital reinforce each other and working towards an efficient and sustainable material industry for tomorrow. Firmly believing in the power of collaboration and cross-pollination, they connect the insights and possibilities of various disciplines and arrive at co-creative solutions to contemporary problems.
More info at neodesigncollective.com
Creative direction, textile design, video edit – Nina van Bart
Exhibition design – Willem van Doorn
Weaving mill – EE Exclusives
Designer of virtual textile impressions and textile configurator – Roel Deden
Designer of virtual context impressions – Sophie Johanna
Sound design – Mitchel Van Dinther (Jameszoo)
Web development of online exhibition – UPSIDE
Text – Jonas Lescrauwaet
Supported by: Atelier Néerlandais