Winners announced for 2024 Gijs Bakker, René Smeets & Melkweg Awards
The jury was impressed by the quality of all projects and selected the following winners:
- Benze De Ream (MA Geo-Design) as the winner of the Gijs Bakker Award 2024
- Katharina Ammann as the winner of the Melkweg Award 2024
- Lilou Angelrath and Réiltín O’Hagan as the winners of the René Smeets Award 2024
The winning projects received € 2,000 each and a trophy designed by DAE alumna Olga Flor in cooperation with EE Labels.
Photography Angeline Swinkels
GIJS BAKKER AWARD 2024
Winner Gijs Bakker Award 2024:
Benze De Ream, The Blue Flower Syndrome
This powerful project tackles a very relevant issue, from its historical origins to current manifestations in social media. The jury was incredibly impressed with the designer’s commitment and effort, which is visible in every detail, both conceptually and physically. Aided by humour, the project departs from its personal starting point, creating an accessible, relatable experience that will stick with its audience.
“How do algorithmic systems shape and confine social, cultural, and political interactions? A clue might be in the iris dataset, collected in 1934 by British eugenicist Ronald Fisher to develop an algorithm that discriminated and classified the physical characteristics of three different types of flowers. He intended to subsequently use the algorithm on humans, developing a scientifically verified white supremacy. This algorithm remains foundational in machine learning, which relies on the classification and discrimination of data and operates the backend of today’s digital platforms.
Referencing the performance of online influencers and the aesthetics of scientific dissection theatres, The Blue Flower Syndrome is a narrative display that warns against ignoring the political infrastructure rendered invisible by the complexity of computational systems. At a time when right-wing politics have a stronghold, it is important to recognise how the hidden values of these systems are shaping our lives.”
Nominees
A total of ten projects were nominated from the five Masters Departments. The other nominees were Canvas Wan with Into the Digital Cartographic Void, Ella Wanendeya with Instruments of Power, Hans Zhang with Cloud of Polyphony, Daniel Holler with Escape the Dutch, Miriam Daxl with Within Contaminated Circuits, Gioele Prette with Concrete Data, Daniel Elkayam with Still-Death, Niki Maria Lore Pielsticker with Dark Siren, and Doris Sisková with New Weird Hope.
RENÉ SMEETS AND MELKWEG AWARDS 2024 (BACHELOR)
Winner René Smeets Award 2024:
Lilou Angelrath and Réiltín O’Hagan, mnemotope magazine - (re)organising publishing
“The publishing world can be intimidating for writers at all stages. ‘Mnemotope’ is a community magazine that operates on a broad, unthemed open call, allowing submissions ranging from essays and poetry to transcribed voice notes. This project delves into the current climate of independent publishing and the transformative potential of collectivity. Through its development, Lilou Angelrath and Réiltín O’Hagan examine outreach, distribution, design and engagement, supported by interviews with industry professionals and theoretical study.
Their collective approach to publishing fosters a more dynamic and inclusive industry. Accompanying this is an interactive installation that documents mnemotope’s development. It features detailed research on mnemotope and the wider publishing landscape, which visitors can compile into their own booklets, embodying the collective ethos at the heart of the project.“
The jury commended Lilou and Reiltin for their adept understanding and effective utilisation of tools to cultivate engagement and enthusiasm within a nascent community. They tackled a delicate subject admirably, offering an inspiring and pragmatic solution within the domain of printed languages and publishing, notably amplifying lesser-heard voices. The jury was captivated by their eloquent presentation, disciplined and professional approach, and sincere efforts in sustaining a community, while supporting a vulnerable discourse.
Nominees
The five other nominated projects for the René Smeets Award were Lee Ehrat and Valentin Klauss with Host and Commensal, Lara van der Poel with Krijg de Klere, Dora Heller Russell with Flock, Kiki Astner with Tonne für Tonne, and Nelly Kleijer with DigiCore.
Winner Melkweg Award 2024:
Katharina Ammann, The Solar Share (Horizontal photobioreactor prototype)
Katharina’s articulation and depth of subject knowledge captivated the jury’s attention. Her eloquent and comprehensive responses to complex issues encompassing a wide range of contemporary global problems, coupled with the thoroughness of her design research, made a significant impression on the jury. In recognition of her outstanding presentation, cohesive overarching composition, and well-founded and disruptive proposition, the jury deemed Katharina highly competent and fully prepared to share her project and its intrinsic values with the world.
“Every hour, the Earth receives more solar energy than the world uses in a year. ‘The Solar Share’ is a post-growth economic model centred around the intrinsic value of sunlight harvested by photosynthetic organisms. It highlights how solar energy fuels processes that form the basis of our economic and ecological existence. The project examines and visualises the potential of solar energy through Spirulina algae, featuring a production laboratory with a 1-square-metre Spirulina farm at its centre.
Daily harvests represent the solar share—a speculative accounting unit and consumable energy source. Targeted at professionals in ecosystem sciences, bioeconomy, energy and policymaking, the project invites rethinking the utilisation and valuation of solar energy. It aims to spark dialogue about renewable energy, sustainability and alternative forms of currency.”
Nominees
The six other nominated projects for the Melkweg Award were Mai Rodtnes with A Ceremonial Space for Funerals, Luana Soto Aguerrevere with Clay Bodies, Céleste Muir with Precious Little Rocks, Laura Viltoft Overgaard with Nightfall, Matti Paffen with Tear to Wear, and Solveig Weimar and Antonia Schreiber with Local Shit.
AWARD DESIGN BY OLGA FLÓR
The DAE awards were designed by DAE alumna Olga Flór in cooperation with EE Labels. Inspired by the enactment of putting on a garment to signify graduation, Olga Flór developed a shoulder piece that is both a cape and a contemplative window to hang on the wall. The awards encapsulate two moments: the one when the award is received, and the one soon after, when it becomes a memory piece. Each award draws an abstract landscape suggesting a movement, an escape and a connection.
