In the spotlight: Dutch entry at the Milan Triennale ‘I See That I See What You Don’t See’

The Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Ingrid van Engelshoven, commissioned Het Nieuwe Instituut (HNI) to create the Dutch contribution to the XXII Milan Triennale. The theme of the 2019 edition was Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival, which referred to the role that design can play in restoring the relationship between man and his environment.

Design curator Angela Rui, HNI Director of Research Marina Otera Verzier and HNI Head of Agency Francien van Westrenen joined forces to develop a cutting-edge project in which various artists, filmmakers and designers participated. The project was called I See That I See What You Don’t See.

I See That I See What You Don’t See combines research, film, performance, sound and scent-scapes to draw attention to air pollution. The project speculates on design as both a problem and solution, a destructive as well as restorative endeavor. I See... was created for, and frequented by, an international audience at the Milan Triennale.

The project will continue to be in the spotlight at HNI in Rotterdam until the end of December. In an interview with De Groene Amsterdammer, Francien van Westrenen emphasized that the project was shaped with an international group of makers, who were driven by an international team. Internationalisation is at the core of HNI and plays a role in almost all its activities.

When and where to visit I See...?

1 March – 1 Sept at the XXII Milan Triennale

5 Oct – 29 Dec at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam

Participating artists

Ramon Amaro, Danilo Correale, Design Academy Eindhoven, Het Nieuwe Instituut, departments of Research and Heritage, Academy of Urban Astronauts, Melvin Moti, Oscar Pena, Lucy McRae, Bregtje van der Haak, Richard Vijgen, Leanne Wijnsma.

In the spotlight

Are you a Dutch or Netherlands-based artist performing abroad in the (near) future and would you like to be in the spotlight? Send us an email with detailed information and two horizontal high res images. The editing team will make a selection and get back to you.

Check out the complete overview of Dutch cultural activities in Italy in our database.

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