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New Material Award 2016 at the Dutch Design Week

During the opening of the Dutch Design Week on 22 October, two awards for innovative materials have been handed out. The New Material Award 2016 of €15,000 went to Olivier van Herpt for his Functional 3D Printed Ceramics. The New Material Fellow 2016 went to Diana Scherer with InterWoven, a textile-like material made with plant roots.

Van Herpt’s 3D printer is capable of printing normal clay without added water. The machine can print clay in thin layers and with fine details. It can print a clay object of 80 cm with a diameter of 42 cm in three hours. It combines craftsmanship with the latest technology. Van Herpt’s work is open source, so that everyone can make use of it. Currently, Van Herpt is building a larger printer for the printing of ceramic construction elements.

Scherer lets plant roots grow into a strong and sustainable material using subterranean templates as moulds. Thanks to the moulds, the roots conform to the pattern, growing into special patterns. Along with the Radboud University (Nijmegen, NL), she researches amongst other things if it is possible to grow a dress under the ground. Scherer receives half a year of supervision from Het Nieuwe Instituut to develop her idea.

The New Material Award is a collaboration between Stichting DOEN, Fonds Kwadraat and Het Nieuwe Instituut. The award aims to challenge participants to look over the boundaries of their own disciple and search for solutions of the future in which functionality, aesthetics and sustainability are combined.

The ideas of the winners and other participants of the award can be viewed during the Dutch Design Week (23 to 30 October).

Photos: oliviervanherpt.com / dianascherer.nl

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