2011#10 PI Magazine

Monthly Column Studio Lawrence

Models stride along the catwalk wearing dresses constructed from composite and contrasting parts, these juxtaposing pieces are skillfully married to create striking compositions. A lilac jersey dress is combined with a short cream jacquard skirt, the top is layered with one draped sleeve in blue and emerald crepe and the other in black boucle: this is one of the creations from the graphic and tactile Autumn/Winter Collection 2009 by Michael van der Ham which was first shown in London and launched him into the international spotlight. For the last few years Van der Ham has continued to develop and work away at his fascinations for asymmetry and use of rich fabrics. It is this perseverance with his fascinations that has led to his later stunning creations, as seen in the most recent S/S12 Collection, holding far greater subtlety and richness than exhibited in his debut collection. This is Dutch Design seen at its best.
In order to keep our feet dry here in Holland, we imposed our will on the Dutch landscape; ”God created the Earth, the Dutch created Holland”. Polders have come to define the Dutch landscape; man’s order and engineering enforced on nature.  Our famous polders reveal a bold approach to achieving solutions and the technology developed to create them led the way for much of the engineering and industry that was to follow. The stark pragmatism and very shape of the polders also highlights the mentality that necessity is put before form, an approach now deeply entrenched within Dutch design. In many cases this dry juxtaposition of nature and man’s strict geometry resulted in arresting landscapes, the Beemster polder is one of the best examples; an orthogonal system of canals, roads and rectangular plots of land are contained within a foil of the existing natural and unordered landscape.
Living with the anxiety of catastrophic flooding made the Dutch people sensitive to a rigid doctrine in which the Lord's purpose prevails and tragedy can be explained away. Calvinism was the state religion in the Dutch Republic. With the Bible as the written word of God and the sole religion, the foundation was laid for a society who thought, lived, worked and by the book. Centuries later, this ardent adherence to a concept and the power of an idea can be seen in the way the Dutch approach design. 
Unlike the splendor and pursuit of beauty and hedonism seen in other European courts, the Dutch were far more humble in the display of their wealth. At the peak of our prosperity, during the Dutch Golden Age (roughly spanning the 17th century), Rembrandt painted the kings of the Amsterdam Canals dressed in sober black robes with lace collars. This simple uniform masked the expensive black silk and exquisite Flemish lace used. This democratic approach and shying away from extravagance didn’t lead to a rich visual language as seen in Italy or France, but instead to discreet quality. Dutch design has inherited this quiet refinement.
With this heritage in mind, a pure and graphic approach is visible in many Dutch designs, including interior design and architecture. This style of design is sober, embellishment only allowed as long as it serves a function; enough is as good as a feast. The Dutch will readily impose an idea on a form for their starting point for a design. There are the known similarities between Mondrian’s paintings and polder-patterns and lesser known resemblances between MVRDV’s architecture, Viktor & Rolf’s collections and the EarChair of Jurgen Bey.
There is but one shortcoming with this conceptual and severe Dutch approach to design; meagerness. As can currently be seen, if a design is led by this approach but lacks refinement, or created with a lazy arrogance then the central idea can remain stuck at conception, the final result appearing undeveloped and vulgar: Designers preoccupied playing the part of a philosopher; a society’s critic rather than designing. A chair made wholeheartedly by one designer and merely set alight by another, a plastic remake in block colours of a gothic chair and barren interiors in one colour; white. Designers jump from one gimmick to the next without taking time to foster their concepts to a mature design. These designs have failed to grasp and exploit their full Dutch heritage of necessity, a powerful concept and discreet quality. It is strange that exactly these meager and immature designs now travel the world with the stamp of Dutch Design.