28 July – 09 August 2014
The annual design conference Open Set – Graphic Design Summer School takes place in Rotterdam this year, from the 28th of July till the 9th of August. Open Set was invited by Kunstblock, a Rotterdam based foundation, set up by five cultural institutions that reside on the Witte de Withstraat. The different workshops and presentations that are part of the Summer School take place in the different Kunstblock affiliated locations.
Workshop Participants of Open Set are invited to participate in the full program, or in one-day or three-day workshops, which take place at the different Kunstblock locations, and are hosted by Dutch and international designers. This year’s theme ‘Social Game’ zooms in on the role that graphic designers play when it comes to public social engagement within cultural production and distribution processes. Workshop leaders and contributors to the program are Andy Altmann, Felix Janssens (Total Identity), Jan van Toorn, Jeanne van Heeswijk, Trapped in Suburbia, Annelys de Vet, Karel van der Waarde, Andreas Gysin, Richard Vijgen, Latitudes and Max Bruinsma.
As a result of social changes such as economic and creative decentralization, multi-disciplinary collaborations and the ever growing list of societal demands, modern designers are forced to be more and more flexible in order to meet the challenges they face. They are expected to constantly broaden their horizon and develop new ways in which to combine visual culture, social needs and economic demands. Open Set examines this development during a two week program by focusing on graphic designers who are socially engaged and, as a result, create participatory and interactive experiences.
Participants can apply to join the full Open Set program, or the one-day and three-day workshops. Kunstblock is now giving away forty free tickets to the one-day workshop. You can apply for a free ticket by sending a motivation letter to [email protected] before 15 July 2014.
Kunstblock is also offering a discount rate on the full workshop program and the three-day workshop: Full Workshop: 2 weeks, 28 July – 9 August € 900,-
Three-day Workshop: € 350,- regular / € 200,- Kunstblockrate
One-day Workshop € 120,- regular / € 40,- Kunstblockrate
Kunstblock is collaboration between the cultural institutions that are situated in and around the Witte de Withstraat: Showroom MAMA, TENT, V2_, Centrum Beeldende Kunst Rotterdam, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art and WORM. Kunstblock aims to enhance the capacity and impact of art and culture on the city of Rotterdam via the commissioning of sustainable interventions in street, art and education projects (including Open Set Graphic Design Summer School) that contribute to the future and the continuity of the Witte de Withstraat, it’s institutions, entrepeneurs, inhabitants and visitors.