The online platform RE-source.info is a living archive. It archives the designerly research performed by the designers, categorizes it and breaks it down. You can navigate the growing collection of designs, interventions, reflections and conversations through the use of labels.

RE-source.info is dived into two worlds, a practice oriented part (Practice and Design) and a more theoretical part (Theory & Reflection). On the one side, a collection of moments from the design process is taking shape, visualizations, blogs and video’s. On the other side a theoretical reflection on the project is taking shape. By positioning these worlds next to eachother, theory and practice, they feed into each other; the abstract and the particular. The collections of related moments from the practice side, selections based on overlapping labels, are juxtaposed by theoretical reflections on the left side underneath the heading ‘Artikelen’. The amount of overlapping labels determines the order. RE-source.info inspires and invokes further reflection as unanticipated and unexpected connections show themselves. The platform helps make the multiformity of the design process insightful and experiential. It brings new possibilities to the fore; RE-source.info as ‘serendipity machine’.

By selecting your own labels, you can build collections and groupings, making RE-source.info into a research tool. The complexity of the RE-source project is made workable by offering the possibility of selecting and navigating based on type of residual flow and name of the designer. As well as an archival, communicative and research function, the online platform offers possibilities for education. By collecting and catagorizing various design and research strategies RE-source.info gives valuable insights in the design practice in relation to circularity for both professionals and students.

Every investigation into a residual flow within RE-source is introduced by a synopsis in text and images. From this introductory page you can further explore the residual flow through the most relevant labels listed on that page.

www.re-source.info

In June 2019, RE-Source was awarded with a Dutch Design Award in the category Design Research. A few lines from the jury report: “Extensive, high-quality research that has resulted in a layered website, on which a wide variety of design language, moving image, material and experts are skilfully interwoven. RE-source is exactly right and succeeds in approaching a complicated theme with a pleasant playfulness. The project has a richness that does justice to the complexity of the topic, from accessible projects to academic applications.”

This is the facade of our very own studio complex in the inland harbour of The Hague. In fact, our studio is situated at the end of the big hall where you can see inside in photo shown.

The studio complex has a rich history of housing artists – from being a dependance of the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in the ’90’s, to temporary use for a group of artists (including the founders of ‘De Besturing’), to being the self-owned ‘breeding ground’ it is today. To become the latter was quite a process, and took the effort of a lot of people who have their studio in De Besturing and also perform its management tasks. But in the end ‘we’ succeeded; we bought the building!

It was time for a new and fresh identity to mark this succes and face the future. It was an open call to all the tenants, so we teamed up with Typeish (Michel van Soest) to take on the challenge.

After a lot of brainstorming we decided to design a blackletter typeface, finding the constructed characteristics and craft of a blackletter a really good match with the ideas, character and image of De Besturing and its tenants.
Starting out sketching the individual letters through calligraphy, we later digitalised and finalised the typeface.

As a statement of the clear and worry-free future that was now laying before us after the purchase of the building, we painted the line ‘It’s all smooth sailing from here on out’ on the facade, also welcoming the ships still using the industrial harbour.

“In Situ” is a 180 page photo documentary by photographer Bertus Gerssen Riso-printed in black and white. It features loads of photos from the Hague’s underground musical scene from 2013 to 2015, and is a hommage to now mostly defunct DIY stages, squatted art spaces and tough-as-nails artists and crowds.

The book features an in depth prologue on the Hague’s once vibrant underground scene by one of it’s main protagonists, Guy Tavares and beautiful black on black printing by Bertus’ own risograph.

You can order the hand-printed book (limited to 300 pcs.) on www.bertusgerssen.nl/boek-in-situ-bestellen

On september 31st 2018, the book made the student selection of the ‘Best Dutch Book Designs / Best Verzorgde Boeken 2017’ and was on display at the accompanying exhibition at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.

A comment from the Panel Report: “This book is about the underground music scene of The Hague. You could think of a lot of shapes that such a book should have, but none would be the one that is chosen here. This makes it a interesting book. At first glance it has an expensive appearance, but when you look closer the rawness seeps through. In contrast to the almost-velvet paper, the booklet is bound together in one fold and is left uncut. At first it feels heavy and important but the ink and paper that are used leave your hands feeling a bit grimy at the end – a great metaphor for the photos that are shown in the book.”

Impact Startup Fest 2018 was held the Fokker Terminal in The Hague, a big hall with a high ceiling where they used to build planes. The program focussed mainly on talks and discussions – between just starting entrepreneurs and startups, startups moving up to scaleups and experienced entrepreneurs – in which they could learn from each other, sitting at tables in the center of the main hall.

These talks and sharing of information between experts reminded us of the old ‘salon’ talks that experts, artists and scientists used to have on old Italian squares (or so we imagined). For the design of the hall, we wanted to create the feeling of a square surrounded by pillars, for which we used 8 meter long banners. In the background of the banners we incorporated an interpretation of the columns. The information stated on the banners are the 5 ‘pillars’ that were the main focus and mission of the talks.

These 5 statements were also the subject of the online / social media campaign, leading up to the event.