In Search for Mops

Today landscape artist and urban landscape designer Ernst van der Hoeven needed to go to the flower market in search for mops, the ones to clean the floor with. His project for SALON/BJ will be made with the most pretty ones he could find, all of them used. Walking through the Dashilar area he noticed that every house has one or two, and they come in many variations: Self made of re-used t-shirts, factory made with all kinds of colors, textile, ropes etc. At first he traded with the locals, new ones for used ones. But he needed to up the speed of his collecting, you can imagine that it takes a while to explain in Mandarin that you want to have a used, dirty mop. So, later on he also bought some used ones from the Chinese. Well, the flower market seemed a good place for his final search. Yours truly, Mimi Berlin, came along to see how that worked out….

Ernst also found this used gem for his fellow participant of SALON/BJ Frank Bruggeman, who works with this kind of color blue AND plants (putting it in a tiny nutshell)

 

Ernst and Greg are presenting: The mop collection. (Photo by © JW Kaldenbach)

Work in Progress at Dashilar

Work in Progress, some of the designers arrived a couple of days ago and already started working on their project. They are preparing and creating their work inside the exhibition spaces.

Effie and Seline are marking up bamboo sticks for the color scheme that NOMAN will place throughout one of the larger (office) buildings in Dashilar

Sander Wassink bought several sneakers (KO's) in Beijing. His idea is to create new designer shoes with them.

Viola and Nico are taking the shoes apart for re-use: The newly designed pair of shoes will be an assembly of several fake shoes later on. We'll keep you posted on the results...

Lanterns by Mail

Designers Klaas Kuiken and Dieter Volkers ordered twenty paper lanterns, these are handmade at a local factory and always come in red. Today they arrived by post.

What are the designers are going to do with them? …..will keep you posted

Visiting the Dashilar Spaces

Manon Schaap is introducing the Dashilar area and the exhibition spaces to the last group of designers who have arrived.

Conny Groenewegen and Femke de Vries are looking for options on how to use the room.

SALON/BJ participants in Sanjing Hutong at the Dashilar area

(Photo's by © JW Kaldenbach)

SALON/BJ: Designer Arrival

Finally, the Designers have arrived in Beiijng. Some arrived earlier this week and started working already. Others just arrived today. First thing to do was visit their exhibition spaces, in the Dashilar area of Beijing, together with the Chinese students whom they will be working with.

Desiree will be working together with Lily, she studies at CAFA, during her stay in Beijing. Like all designers, they will also create their work in the exhibition space. This one has a small courtyard. Manon Schaap takes all newcomers on a tour around the Dashilar area, showing and explaining the ins and outs on BJDW. She also teams up the Dutch participating designers and the Chinese students. Fifteen teams in total.

Desiree Hammen locking up her exhibition space.

No keys available yet for Borre Akkersdijk’s space (at Sanjing Huton number 12). Checking out fabrics he might need for his project instead.


Interacting with the locals first thing on arrival: Getting inspired by cute shoes made by Grandmother.

(Photo's by © Mimi Berlin)