Take on me (take me on)

An alternative production factory

17 Oct 2009
8 Nov 2009

During the Dutch Design Week 2009, from 17 to 25 October, the Van
Abbemuseum presents Take on me (take me on), a live-exhibition project
curated by Freek Lomme and Hadas Zemer. It features four groups of “artistic
designers”, individuals or agencies whose ways of working fall outside the
usual, conservative definitions of “art” and “design”. Each group will create
their own production line in one of the four corners of the original part of the
museum and gradually extend their working process throughout the building.
Together with visitors, they will each work on the development of a product
that seeks to respond to certain urgent questions today: ‘What kind of wealth
would we like to acquire? What is it that we see when we look deep into our
own personal value system? What are our authentic desires and how much do
consumer products satisfy us?’ The live exhibition will also accommodate
various other activities during the week that will mix with these production
centres. These include public discussions, lectures, film screenings, debates, and
the production of a daily newspaper. The aftermath of the project, together
with all relevant documentation in word and image, will remain on display
until 8 November 2009.

Enlarge

Vetruvian-Paint-Machine - Conditional Design

With:
Freek Lomme, Conditional Design

Take on me (take me on)

Governments often tell us: ‘Society, that’s you!’ But how is our society created? Sometimes our culture and our
perception of the world seem only constructed out of the imperatives of commerce, sales and turnover: 'I shop,
therefore I am' becomes our motto. At the same time, this materialistic equation appears to lack meaning and we
can experience a sudden gap between our own idea of our urgent needs and the values or solutions that are
presented to us.

The credit crunch has anyway begun to discredit the mechanism of supply and demand, though no one is yet
offering an alternative. As a result, we are forced to think about our material as well as our immaterial situation
almost from scratch: What is it that we really want? What is true wealth? Can we answer these questions,
fundamentally for ourselves as individuals? And how do we keep our spirits up when our finances are down? In
fact, how do we define the meaning of life? Take on me (take me on) investigates the ways in which
we relate an idea of our deepest authenticity – our true self as defined by the standards and values we feel to be
our own – to society’s principles of supply and demand. What values do we value the most in all this? Economic
value? Cultural value? Personal satisfaction? Individual uplifting? Peace and quiet?

Vitruvian Paint

Conditional Design, will exhibit the new work Vitruvian Paint Machine in the exhibition TAKE ON ME (TAKE ME ON) An alternative production factory. Vitruvian Paint Machine invites visitors to use the designers as a vehicle for wall paintings, in accordance with several specific rules.