The Arena
The Arena was born in 2016 out of an urge to challenge contemporary design discourse..
At that time, it had become evident that many of the graduates taking part in the Graduation Show were no longer focussed on creating static objects. Investigative methods relating to research, journalism and institutional critique were increasingly visible in projects. Performance was not only being used to communicate the final ideas of some designers, but had also become a key strategic tool to drive ongoing design processes. And it was becoming a strong feature within the Graduation Show.
The Arena, therefore, was started in order to offer a space for emerging designers to not only present their work, but to also engage in conversations about the ins and outs of design. This primarily took place through presentations and performance as well as debates and roundtable conversations.
These discussions and presentations were well attended by visitors to the Graduation Show as well DAE students. Participants on the stage were challenged with critical and insightful questions from the audience as well as the moderators.
When Joseph Grima became Creative Director of DAE in 2017, the Arena was developed further, with a clear strategic position in the curation of the 2018 Graduation Show.
Design Academy Eindhoven’s Graduation Show is much more than an exhibition of objects and installations. In 2019, in addition to the 61 Masters’ and 120 Bachelors’ projects exhibited in the former Campina milk factory, there were nine full days of programming at The Arena.
Currently, The Arena hosts performances, film screenings, presentations and panel discussions staged by graduates, alongside prominent professionals from the field and the extended DAE community. Each year visitors have experienced debates around a variety of topics such as artificial intelligence, design aesthetics, social identities and public space, with curious and critical panels. The Arena also features graduate performances, hosting everything from visions for future cities to conspiracy theories.
As DAE has shifted focus and changed its understanding of design, it has placed a strong importance on the framing of the discourse around design. Stemming from the excellence of our graduates’ work, The Arena is our permanent in-house platform for debate and discussion. It addresses aspects of design practice that underpin and transcend an object or outcome, further contextualising the work that is on display in today’s world.
When Joseph Grima became Creative Director of DAE in 2017, the Arena was developed further, with a clear strategic position in the curation of the 2018 Graduation Show.
Design Academy Eindhoven’s Graduation Show is much more than an exhibition of objects and installations. In 2019, in addition to the 61 Masters’ and 120 Bachelors’ projects exhibited in the former Campina milk factory, there were nine full days of programming at The Arena.
Currently, The Arena hosts performances, film screenings, presentations and panel discussions staged by graduates, alongside prominent professionals from the field and the extended DAE community. Each year visitors have experienced debates around a variety of topics such as artificial intelligence, design aesthetics, social identities and public space, with curious and critical panels. The Arena also features graduate performances, hosting everything from visions for future cities to conspiracy theories.
As DAE has shifted focus and changed its understanding of design, it has placed a strong importance on the framing of the discourse around design. Stemming from the excellence of our graduates’ work, The Arena is our permanent in-house platform for debate and discussion. It addresses aspects of design practice that underpin and transcend an object or outcome, further contextualising the work that is on display in today’s world.
THE ARENA ARCHIVE
Six Arena panel discussions will take place in the Graduation Show. The conversations will invite graduates and guests to explore and investigate themes shared by this year’s graduates.
Join live as an audience member at The Stage, located at Microtuin, or online via the livestream.
The Arena is the live public programme of the Graduation Show 2022. It provides space for the graduating designers to present their work while engaging in conversations about the ins and outs of design. Each panel will feature a musical introduction by Marie Tirard.
With the excellence of Graduates’ work and design research at its heart, The Arena is Design Academy Eindhoven’s (DAE) in-house platform for debate and discussion. As a part of DAE’s annual Graduation Show, The Arena programme is designed to explore and contextualise aspects of the Graduates’ design practice that inform and surpass a final object or outcome.
The Arena live programme will host Panel Discussions and Graduate Talks at the Graduation Show.
With the excellence of Graduates’ work and design research at its heart, The Arena is Design Academy Eindhoven’s (DAE) in-house platform for debate and discussion. As a part of DAE’s annual Graduation Show, The Arena programme is designed to explore and contextualise aspects of the Graduates’ design practice that inform and surpass a final object or outcome.
In 2019, The Arena hosted its most ambitious programme to date. Panel discussions and roundtables took place each day at 15:00 for the entire duration of the Graduation Show, which ran from October 19 until October 27.
In 2018, The Arena found an opportunity for expansion in the Graduation Show’s move out of the confines of the Academy building and into the historic Campina milk factory. With a long, broad stage and an arrangement of benched seating that formed an amphitheatre-like space, visitors often stopped into The Arena while passing through the exhibition to take a seat and watch the performances. The programme was managed by a team that included Olle Lundin, Colin Keys, Gijs de Boer and Tiiu Meiner.
The second edition of The Arena was positioned as a resting space within the Graduation Exhibition, with a coffee bar and resting opportunities for weary visitors. The space was also filled with presentations, performances and debates, with stools and benches forming an unruly and creative atmosphere and a flexible set-up, inviting designers and audience to connect through the topics presented on stage.
The Arena was introduced as part of the Graduation Show in 2016. It had become evident that many of the designers taking part in the Gradation Show were no longer focussed on creating static objects. Investigative methods related to research, journalism and institutional critique were increasingly visible in the graduates’ projects. Performance was being used to communicate the final ideas of some designers, but had also become a key strategic tool to drive ongoing design processes and was becoming a strong feature within the Graduate Show. The Arena was conceived as a space for students to explore alternate forms of expression and of design. Graduates were invited to use the space as a place to communicate the stories behind design using performance, film, debate and presentation.