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Dion Soethoudt

tekenen , performance , Objecten , Design , Conceptueel , Artistiek onderzoek

I am Dion Soethoudt, a conceptual designer. In my work I combine multi-disciplinary design methods such as illustration, installation and speculative research. I often explore new techniques or materials.

My bi-racial upbringing opened up a freedom to express and create things that might be considered unorthodox, but I can get away with it. It has shaped a unique and deviant way of thinking which often results in humour. Humour is like a tickling. It can function as an agent to push boundaries and challenges the idea of norms and values. My work dwells within the tension field between comedy and tragedy. Within this spectrum nothing is sacred.

‘Living productivity’ is the working title for everything I do. I strive to make the simple ‘act of being’ a full-time usable product. Therefore I search for productivity in the absurd, illogic and bizarre details of the mundane.

United Colors of Dionetton - Serie: 0 - A color study which started as a way to find productivity at times I felt stuck. Overwhelmed by my own self-pity and other nonsense, this labor-intensive process forced me to focus my energy and attention into creating something that nobody was waiting for. I made it anyway. Hours and hours of sanding, pouring, polishing and sanding again, allowed me to procrastinate my daily choirs while remaining productive. This collage later evolved into a commissioned wall-piece.
Soda Pop Shop - The Soda Pop Shop serves sodas, infused drinks and cocktails, taking its cue from the American soda fountains of the 1930s. Our palette ranges from the well-known classics to the curiously experimental. When bars closed their doors in the days of Prohibition, soda shops became a cornerstone of social activity, elevating non-alcoholic beverages to a high art form, providing a wonderland of flavors for adults and kids alike. This experimentation laid the groundwork for a whole new range of cocktails when Prohibition ended. We handcraft and preserve our unique flavors in our external kitchen to guarantee high quality, consistent products. Secure in the knowledge that we are pouring a streamlined drink every time, we make hospitality and presentation our main focus at the bar, giving all our attention to the details required to create the perfect serve. The nerdy historical approach is mostly behind-the-scenes; the experience at the bar should be one of simple joy: happiness in a glass with a twist. This is an ongoing project; the flavors will be rotated and will continue to evolve over time. We plan to organize workshops and events, inviting chefs and bartenders to inspire us with new creations and concoctions. All the magic takes place at the Fenix Food Factory, a collective of culinary entrepreneurs that has captivated the hearts of Rotterdammers with its offering of delicious, locally sourced and locally produced products. • Founded by Sietze Kalkwijk • Concept, Design execution by Rare Fruits Council • Co-curation by Dion Soethoudt
Sleeping Productivity - Can I translate my sub-conscious body movement during my sleep into a (functional) object? Wake up to a new idea. While our lives today revolve around packed schedules, we still need to spend a third of our lifetime sleeping. Being a restless sleeper myself I came up with ideas to turn the energy spent on resting into productive energy. Physical night-time activity, your tossing and turning, can be translated into sculptural physical objects using Dion’s installation ‘Sleeping Productivity’. At the current chapter, the production method is a (self-)created mechanism, which translates my body movement to a layer of polyurethane and depending on my sleeping activity shapes a unique object. Every movement is equal to an amount of A and B component polyurethane being poured down a trail and ending into a mold. Each color symbolises a new night. Every piece is different, a reflection of my sleep.
Fugazi Fugazi - Fugazi Fugazi* is a terrazzo brand created by Studio Soethoudt in collaboration with the Portuguese manufacturer RMC. In its origin terrazzo was created as a cheap, fake alternative to marble. With Fugazi Fugazi Studio Soethoudt strives to place terrazzo outside of the shadow of its pristine and high-class cousin. It’s not the goal to reinvent the wheel but to add motion to the cycle of terrazzo’s identity and possibilities. Next to a tile collection, furniture pieces will be created that focus on ‘sustainability in sentiment’ which goes against the notion of planned obsolescence but instead focusses on multi-generational ownership. Design becomes a family piece, an heirloom, part of a household’s identity. • Concept & Design by Dion Soethoudt • Manufacturing by RMC • Photography by Francisco Stoffel • Co-funded by: WORTH partnership program & European Commision
Temporary Logic - Karoshi (death or suicide by overworking) is a huge problem in Tokyo. One of the main places to witness the seriousness of Karoshi is the subway. A popular place for salary(wo)men get some extra sleep, but also to commit suicide, a common consequence of Karoshi. Their daily commute is scattered with a distinctive communicative tool: tape. This improvised 'design solution' is used for practically any form of mending. Sometimes practical and logical, but mostly non-sensical and extremely clumsy. A 'temporary fix' which lasts decades. Unconsciously travelers are in dialogue with the tape, blindly accepting that whatever it communicates is true. Temporary Logic implements the same reasoning and methodology by ‘improving’ the archetypical Japanese office desk.
Stealing From Myself - Should artist recalibrate their ego within their work? The ego can destroy anything, especially in the creative industry. This not likely to change, looking at the increasing responsibilities put on designers as they are baptised as the problem-solvers of the world. Next, to fixing the world, we are often faced with a hunger for recognition, since it’s an industry where the recognition of your work or yourself has a direct effect on the numbers. Struggling with my own levels of creativity induced anxieties. I started exploring ways of recalibrating my ego within my work. Being an imaginative dreamer I took the drawings of my dreams seriously, during 10 months of illustrating the narratives of my sleep, I came across an intriguing character who would keep on reoccurring in my dreams. This character, who, oppositely, he would be named ‘Apollo’, was constantly creating ‘things’, using extraordinary methods that seemed as surprising and convincing as the highly original ideas he would come up with. The Romans believed that creativity was this divine attendant spirit that came to human beings from some distant and unknowable source, a genius. Apollo takes away the ego from the equation. They are not my idea’s they are his, I just steal them. This perspective on creativity limits the pursuit of self-preservation in my works. This project can be seen as a first attempt to develop an ego-free and design method. ‘Stealing From Myself’ became a 320 page book. A limited print of 200 copies, each and every copy signed by Dion Soethoudt. • Language: English / Height: 24cm / Width 17,5cm • Preface by Prof. Catelijne van Middelkoop • Concept, design & illustrations by Dion Soethoudt • Printed by Baltoprint
To Yayoi Kusama, from Studio Soethoudt - If it were not for art, I would have killed myself a long time ago. - Yayoi Kusama Dion’s fascination with polka dots started as a way to find productivity at times he felt stuck. Overwhelmed by his own bullshit, self-pity and other nonsense, this labor-intensive process forced him to focus his energy and attention into creating something that nobody was waiting for. He made it anyway. Hours and hours of drilling, pouring, sanding and polishing allowed him to procrastinate his daily choirs while remaining productive, pushing his self-hatred aside. Dion’s struggles are not unique. We collectively share inner doubts but still, we mostly deal with these issues in solitude. The act of doing whatever the fuck Dion wants is a luxury he allows himself from time to time. So far his procrastination finished two rare pieces. Yayoi Kusama was regularly hospitalised from overwork during her life. Many men artists copied her creativity, which made the men famous, but not Kusama. Thus, she was not able to make the money she believed she deserved. This frustration became so extreme that she attempted suicide.
Interaction Footprint - Consciously or sub-consciously every object that your senses interact with leave a mark. Electrodes fuse and find there home in the Prefrontal cortex. The same uncontrollable marks are being taken an given by this manifest. Every form of interaction translates into a mark on the manifest and a mark on the one who touches it. The collective of marks creates the contour that draws its territory, history, and interaction. Het Nieuw Instituut Rotterdam established the ”Vedute” project in 1991. ”Vedute” is a library that holds a continuously growing collection of manifests made by various invited contemporary artists. All manifests fall under the same restrictions. The interior & exterior and objects within my childhood home, drawn from memory in 2014.
I Like You And You Like I Chapter 01: Personal Space - Dutch Design Week, October 2019 A performance where two autonomous entities spend seven days confined in a room of solitude. The project is inspired by (and an adaptation of) the 1974 Joseph Beuys performance in New York in which Beuys locked himself up with a wild coyote. Soethoudt chooses a different ‘spirit animal' in the form of an autonomous robot, capable of exploring and mapping its surroundings. With one dynamic element however: a 31-year-old designer. For seven consecutive days, living with only each other and themselves. The seclusion takes place in hexagon-shaped room of 44m2 and has a 24H live stream. No windows and only one door equipped with a one-way mirror where DDW visitors can witness the event live and in person. The A.I. and robotics revolution is causing a new status quo, as the industrial revolution did in the 19th century, railroading our conscious and subconscious decision-making. The digital to physical evolution of A.I. forces us have a tangible relation to it, and forces us - or it - to design its migration. I Like You And You Like I is an inquiry into artificial intelligence, human intelligence, autonomous thinking and the building of relationships. www.ilyayli.com

Driving Dutch Design 2020

Datum:
In samenwerking met: BNO

Dion Soethoudt got selected as one of the lucky few to participate in the 2020 Driving Dutch Design business masterclass program! Initiated by ABN AMRO , BNO, and the Dutch Design Foundation.

https://drivingdutchdesign.nl

DDW x VPRO Ambassadeur Talks: Koert van Mensvoort + Lonneke Gordijn, Niels ’t Hooft en Dion Soethoudt

Datum:
Locatie: Klokgebouw, Dutch Design Week 2020
In samenwerking met: Dutch Design Foundation, VPRO

DDW en VPRO maken tijdens Dutch Design Week drie talks waarin de ambassadeurs, makers en ontwerpers de toekomst verkennen. In de tweede aflevering gaat Koert van Mensvoort in gesprek over The New Intimacy – het thema van DDW20 – met kunstenaar en oud-DDW-ambassadeur Lonneke Gordijn, schrijver Nielt ’t Hooft en ontwerper Dion Soethoudt.

Ze zijn alle vier gefascineerd door kunstmatige intelligentie en werken daar allemaal op hun eigen manier mee samen.

https://www.vpro.nl/festivals/ddw/kijk/overzicht/2020/ambassadeur-talks-2.html

The Art Department 2020 - a hybrid experiment

Datum:
Locatie: Klokgebouw
In samenwerking met: Playgrounds Festival

Confusing times, exciting formats. In The Netherlands the pandemic is at this moment under control and the COVID-19-regulations are loosened. This meant The Art Department 2020 will be Playgrounds first hybrid festival.

And so we dived into yet another adventure, creating an online festival that was partially streamed from a live stage at Klokgebouw, Eindhoven. With Dion Soethoudt as our host.

https://weareplaygrounds.nl/the-art-department/

Is this the time for activism and rebellion? - Driving Dutch Design Re-value rebel podcast

Datum:
Locatie: Wijkpaleis

These insecure times give way to change. A rebel resists the ruling authority. An activist tries to set a political or social movement in motion. In what way can a designer be of value in rebellion or activism? And in what way is rebellion or activism of value to design?

In the first studio session, social designer and design researcher Myrthe Krepel (SMELT) speaks with graphic designers Sophie Balch and Tijn Kok (ST-DUO), and conceptual designer Dion Soethoudt.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6CCEFfe6r0iVKNCitBClcd?si=peMI9n4nThOuDDM3w97lcg

Interview - Dutch designers Magazine 0: A Lonely Planet - 2020

Datum:
Locatie: Dutch designers Magazine #0
In samenwerking met: BNO

During the stay-at-home lockdown I was asked to do a short interview for the BNO Dutch designers Magazine #0: A Lonely Planet. We talked about how I manage and adjust as a designer in a pandemic time frame.

Soda Pop Shop

Datum:
Locatie: Fenix Food Factory
In samenwerking met: Sietze Kalkwijk - Rare Fruit Council

In the summer of 2020 I co-curated Soda Pop Shop (www.sodapopshop.nl), a creative soda fountain / cocktail bar, based in the Fenix Food Factory, together with Rotterdam’s finest Kaapse Brouwers and Jordy’s Bakery.

The Soda Pop Shop serves sodas, infused drinks and cocktails, taking its cue from the American soda fountains of the 1930s. Our palette ranges from the well-known classics to the curiously experimental.

http://sodapopshop.nl

Colour : Exists

Datum:
Locatie: De Bouwput
In samenwerking met: Moona Saul, Sarah Stone

From 13 March till 15 March 2020 at the De Bouwput.

Three visual artists will showcase their work in a group exhibition transforming the white space of into a field of colour giving a kickstart to 2020 Spring!

https://www.debouwput.com/past

ILYAYLI - chapter: 01, completed

Datum:
Locatie: The Art Center
In samenwerking met: Playgrounds, TAC

One hour past noon on Saturday, the 26th of October, Dion Soethoudt literally burst out of his 7 day voluntary confinement, concluding the first of 7 chapters of his inquiry into Machine Learning, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. In this initial chapter, entitled ‘personal space’, Dion explored the mechanism and effects of sharing his surroundings in solitude with a self-operating entity of a new era.

www.ILYAYLI.com

ILYAYLI - VPRO, De toekomstbouwers 2019 extra

Datum:
Locatie: TAC
In samenwerking met: VPRO

De toekomstbouwers 2019 extra - VPRO selection of Future Builders, during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven, Up-and-coming and high-profile design talents with ideas and solutions for the world of tomorrow. Who are these future builders? And how will their design also influence and change our daily lives?

I Like You And You Like I

Datum:

I Like You And You Like I is an inquiry into artificial intelligence, human intelligence, autonomous thinking and the building of relationships. The A.I. and robotics revolution is causing a new status quo, as the industrial revolution did in the 19th century, railroading our conscious and subconscious decision-making. The digital to physical evolution of A.I. forces us to have a tangible relation to it, and forces us - or it - to design its migration.

http://www.ilyayli.com

WORTH Weekend - Valencia, Spain

Datum:
Locatie: Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias

Dion Soethoudt got shortlisted after the pre-selection for the WORTH partnership program. Past weekend we went on invitation to Valencia, Spain to present the project proposal Fugazi Fugazi (working title) for the final assessment round.

The WORTH weekend was furthermore filled with lectures and workshops that where centered around design and business development.

Among the impressive speakers where Julia Körner and Natsai A. Chieza.

'Stealing from myself' showcased at WE ARE NEXT - NEXT TALENTS EXPOSED

Datum:
Locatie: Cultuurnacht Breda
In samenwerking met: Playgrounds

At Cultuurnacht Breda Playgrounds presents the exhibition 'We are Next - Next talents exposed'. Five super talented filmmakers, designers and animators present their latest work. Work by Jelle van Meerendonk, Marleine van der Werf, Iris Frankhuizen, Loeks Vugs en Dion Soethoudt.

During the exposition Dion oozes you with a brand new way to experience his work ‘Stealing from myself’. Literally lay back and wonder yourselves!

YOUNG ART NIGHT #11 - Van Abbemuseum

Datum:
Locatie: Van Abbe Museum

Dion Soethoudt's project Sleeping Productivity will be displayed during the eleventh edition of the Young Art Night shoots in the Van Abbemuseum, pops and cracks from the speakers, through the museum spaces into the city during the and weekend of Saturday September 22nd.

Temporary Logic

Datum:

During the exhibition of "Temporary logic” Dion Soethoudt will showcase a reenactment of the same material, methodology, and reasoning the government uses to fix-things in the subways of Tokyo, implementing it onto an archetypical office object(s).

https://www.studiosoethoudt.com/project-tl.html

Ongoing AIR residency

Datum:
Locatie: Ongoing AIR
In samenwerking met: Nederlandse ambassade Tokio

Ongoing AIR is a residency program launched by Art Center Ongoing in April, 2013. Domestic / overseas artists and curators are all welcome to join the 2-month residency program where the Art Center offers an accommodation and an exhibition opportunity at Art Center Ongoing.

http://www.ongoing.jp/en/artcenter/residence/index.php

Hoogtij Kunstnacht - The Hague

Datum:
Locatie: Hoogtij Kunstnacht
In samenwerking met: De Correspondent

A pop-up exhibition about visual images and experiments in media , Sue das Lab.

Exhibition: Framing the news - storytelling in journalism

Vilnius Action

Datum:
Locatie: The synagogue on Gėlių street
In samenwerking met: Lithuanian Council for Culture, Lithuanian Jewish Community, Performative design association, Lithuanian Professional Boxing Federation.

Collaboration with Agne Kucerenkaite during the Vilnius Action Workshop resulted in a project about Vilnius Jewish Boxing Community. Many champions and Olympic contenders were Jewish, and so is the current vice-president of the Lithuanian Professional Boxing Federation. As elsewhere in the world, boxing was (and is) a way for young men to escape from the ghettoes of the big cities. Boxing was (and is) a way to struggle against prejudice, deprivation, and poverty, and prevail.

https://www.studiosoethoudt.com/project-va.html

MADE LABS Educational Program

Datum:
Locatie: Accademia di Belle Arti

MADE LABS is the new educational initiative conceived by MADE Program (www.madeprogram.it), the brand new project of the "Rosario Gagliardi” Academy of Fine Arts, Syracuse (Sicily). This first edition of MADE LABS, curated by Studio Formafantasma and Moncada Rangel Architects, includes eight days of 4-day workshops and lectures, led by world-renowned creative Professionals and addressed to designers, architects and artists who are curious about new developments in their fields.

https://www.studiosoethoudt.com/project-ml.html

Basalt Design Residency

Datum:
Locatie: Pico do Refúgio – Casas de Campo
In samenwerking met: Instituto Cultural de Ponta Delgada

The initial focus of the residency went through a process of research that was transversal to the different properties of Basalt and divided itself between visual features and the geological characteristics of the different types of local stones.
The work done within the residency had an approach of several panoramas, from both plastic experiments as well as functional ones.

https://vimeo.com/133778026
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