About Dirk Vander Kooij
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"I was about ten and at every crack of dawn my mother had to listen to all the great plans I had made during the night for the following day. I was quite convinced I would succeed in realizing them. Until today I firmly believe that Mum had full confidence in me, even though I had to disappoint her each time the day came to an end..." Today his plans are no less ambitious, but he gets more done nowadays... Dirk Vander Kooij (The Netherlands, Purmerend, 1983) succeeded in developing new techniques that make him capable of creating distinguished designs. Absorbed in engineering, milling around ideas, moulding and refining methods long enough, have now given him a firm grasp on how to realize what he has in mind. From wood to synthetic materialIn 1997 Dirk made his first steps in the creative field by taking up study at the Wood and Furniture College. After four years of planing and sanding and a straight A for his final project he was ready to discover other materials than wood. His next step was the Design Academy in Eindhoven where he was trained between 2004 and 2010. During this period he designed his first Elephant Skin Stool. The recycled synthetic material that the Elephant Skin Stool is made of, is baked in an oven and as the material cools down, it gets its distinctive thick elephant skin appearance. Ingo Maurer was so impressed by the technique that he offered Dirk an apprenticeship. Dirk Vander Kooij then started producing tables independently, using the Elephant Skin production procedure. The tables were displayed during the Salone Del Mobile at Ingo Maurers exhibition and sold in Rossanna Orlandi's shop in Milan. Graduation Project EndlessIn 2010 it was time to graduate. Says Vander Kooij: "My graduation project was inspired by a shape that was made using an old 3D printer. This principle is 30 years old, but the older machines were not very accurate. By carefully examining that process, one could identify how the shape was being formed: a very thin thread was meticulously moved to and fro, building up the shape very efficiently and without waste. The idea occurred instantly: "I'm going to build a machine specialised in making furniture". Thick threads of plastic that create a honest ornament by clearly showing how the chair is fabricated... Endless." He used an old industrial robot which he programmed in such a way that it would "print" furniture. In a virtually endless movement the robot extrudes recycled refrigerator interiors into chairs. SwampedThis did not go unnoticed by the press: a considerable part of the broadcast of AVRO's Kunstuur was spent on the Endless theme and the professional journals Frame (June 2010) and Items (June 2011) rewarded him with an honourable mention. The Volkskrant even placed him level with classics like Mart Stam and Gijs Bakker: "For 800 euro's you get a one of a kind design object. Precisely what every collector wants. At the art exhibition Art Basel last summer (2011) this chair was sold to international collectors". |
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Curriculum Vitae11 juni 1983Born in Purmerend 1999 - 2004Wood and Furniture College, Amsterdam (NL) 2005 - 2010Design Academy, Eindhoven (NL) 2011Start up Dirk Vander Kooij 2012Launch new website |
