One of our highlights at Dutch Design Week 2010 was Made Out Portugal #1, and so logically we were keen to see how the project had developed over the past 12 months. At the most obvious level, in comparison to their first show the project has expanded and now includes Portuguese designers who aren't based in Holland. Which was of course one of the aims of the project, to create a network of exiled Portuguese designers. And so in that sense the project certainly appears to be moving in the
read more
Among the most innovative exhibition concepts we saw at DMY 2011 was that from the Holland based Portuguese design platform Made out Portugal. They showed their works in the back of a truck. Or at least they did at the beginning - the combination of location and weather meaning that they did eventually have move indoors. But that's not to distract from the concept itself. Beloved by governments and state institutions looking to increase "participation", or indeed health service providers
read more
We first saw Spore Vase by Paulo Sellmayer at Made out Portugal on Dutch Design Week Sunday, and it didn't leave us in peace the whole day. And so we went back on the Monday morning and spoke to Paulo. Born in Oberhausen, Germany Paul studied Industrial Design at ESAD in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal and is currently on an internship with Julien Carretero in Eindhoven, Holland. So just the sort of cosmopolitan pedigree we like. Spore vase is - in short - a vase in which fungi grow. A hole
read more
The good news for Rui Alves is that he remains our favourite Portuguese furniture designer..... ..... but the competition is out there. Made Out Portugal is a show from 6 young Portuguese designers who all live, work and study in Holland. During our conversation with some of the participants it turned out that the Portuguese government offers it's design students extremely generous grants to go and study overseas. Which of course they all then do. As a consequence a network of Portuguese
read more
