Graphic Design Fair
A recap of the design fair at the Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam.
At the end of last year I was invited to participate in the Graphic Design fair at the Nieuwe Instituut here in Rotterdam.
The museum is dedicated to design and architecture and one that I have visited many times since my move to Rotterdam, so I was excited to have an opportunity to share my work in their space. As a cultural hub in Rotterdam their concept was to invite the participants to sell final products but also to share a little about our practice, inspiration and process.
In the days leading up to the fair the candle was burning towards the middle; with planning classes for the coming semester and unexpected freelance projects running parallel with fair prep. But I managed to put together a new series of prints on paper, as well as hand printed silk scarves, and at the last minute put together a risoprint book of sketch compositions.
I’ve taken part in similar events in the past, but never one that was so well visited and populated by interested and engaged people. To be honest I didn’t sell many products, but the interactions and connections made throughout the day made it more than worthwhile.
This was one of the first times I have presented much of the development of printed textiles and personal work that has been my studio focus for the last few years and getting feedback on this aspect of my work was invaluable.
Towards the end of the fair I was the final speaker in the series of Pecha Kucha talks that had been taking place through the day. As a teacher I feel much more comfortable at the front of a class but talking purely about your own work still tweaks the nerves.
Many thanks to Mila and Yasmine of NAI Booksellers (the Nieuwe Instituut bookshop) for the invitation, as well as Cara for moderating the talk. Thanks also to everyone who dropped by my table and made it such an enjoyable day.
One last thing to mention is that I will soon be launching an online shop with products including the scarves and prints I presented at the fair so please make sure to subscribe to be kept informed about dates and product releases.
Thanks for reading,
Mark