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Eindhoven takes its turn in hosting a design festival, this one being the Dutch Design Week this month.

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Words by Emily Martin

Dutch Design Week
17 - 22 October
Eindhoven

The 14Th edition of the Dutch Design Week (DDW) opens this month, with the event following the theme 'What if...'. Celebrating and highlighting designers' power of imagination, concepts, products and design experiments will be on display at venues across the city adopting the festival theme.

This year, show organisers are expecting some 2,400 exhibitors to take part, who will be presenting their latest work spread across 80 locations. Among the highlights include event regulars, the Eindhoven design academy's Graduation Show and the presentation of the annual Dutch Design Awards.

This year's Volvo Design Challenge features young designers Borre Akkersdijk, Lilian Van Daal, Brit Van Nerven, Bob Schiller and Jólan Van Der Wiel responding to the rapid technological developments of the car and our perception of this in the future. Additionally, the exhibition Mind the Step (by the Eindhoven, Delft and Twente universities of technology) shows design and technology of the future.

New features to the show include the exhibition Thing Nothing at the Van Abbemuseum (curated by Thomas Widdershoven, Jan Konings, Ina Hollmann and Agata Jaworska) showing the role of design in a dematerialising world. The festival feel is being reinforced this year by the introduction of DDW Music, with live performances at various venues.

For tickets and more information, head to the DDW website.