This hands-on workbook playfully explores the tension between originality, imitation and individual taste by delving into Gerrit Rietveld's design legacy through a selection of five do-it-yourself-copies of his iconic chair designs. Who are the people behind these chairs? What motivated them to 'improve' the original design by Rietveld?
Gerrit Rietveld was a Dutch architect and designer who produced a wide range of iconic chairs throughout his lifetime, including the Zig-Zag chair, the Red and Blue chair and the Steltman chair. He was an advocate for 'the universal' in design and blamed individualism for all the bad things happening in the world at the time. Rietveld by the People shows how individualism today is reflected within the remakes / personal interpretations / DIY versions of Gerrit Rietveld's designs. The Rietveld by the People project is part of the Residency for the People project led and initiated by
Lucas Maassen, an independent designer, educator and curator based in Eindhoven.
