Repositoire Printemps is an dynamic art and design label by Dennis de Bel. Launched in the Fall of 2010, the label focuses on ‘design-interventions’, exploring the possible and impossible in both the physical and virtual world.
Dennis graduated in June’07 as an Interactive Media designer at the Willem de Kooning Art Academy, in Rotterdam. In June’09 he completed the master-course Media Design at the Piet Zwart Institute, also in Rotterdam. Currently he is the curator for the art program at the Rotterdam based Triphouse record store, working for Net.art pioneers JODI, chairman of the Institute for Applied Theory and form a duo with Veredeld Behang. His work is inspired by everyday life. Associations made between everyday objects and media result in hybrid forms and ‘new media’. Recognizable but subtle and clever. His work focusses on: consuming design/design interventions/questionable design.
Statement
In everyday life we consume not only images and sound, we also consume objects, tangible things, design if you like. Everything in our lives is designed, one way or another. This is sometimes hard to realize, whenever it is just good design or inevitable bad design. Everyday I challenge myself to look at our created world from a different perspective. By introducing subtle ‘design-interventions’ I want to challenge my audience to change their perspective, even for a short while. I want to encourage people to think about their everyday surroundings, and the objects they live and work with. I want to question design although it is not about solving problems. One only notices or questions something when there is something wrong with it. What happens to the object and it’s consumer when you alter the function and,or form? In my work I try to question previously made design decisions, decisions consumers take for granted. Therefore my work does not bear a message but rather asks a question.
Media
“Dennis de Bel’s work is designed so well, it doesn’t look designed” Ingeborg van Lieshout, Bright #18, vol. 3, Okt/Nov 2007.
“The work of Dennis de Bel particularly stands out from the pack. Not because of one of his work in particular but because most of his projects are extremely well- designed, witty and playful.” we-make-money-not-art.com
