Mini guide: DDW off the grid

Are you an experienced DDW visitor craving that above and beyond experience? Or are you just looking for those special places that not many people know of? We will help you on your way with our DDW off the grid mini guide!

Train your brain @ KEVN

Visitors of Dutch Design Week know: hopping from A to B is practically a full-body workout. You’ll burn plenty of calories, but what about your mind? At KEVN, The Mental Gym workouts has you covered! With mental fitness activities designed to smash taboos—like embracing failure and building connections—you’ll sharpen your mind on the spot. After all, prevention is better than cure!

Vij5, De Fabriek, AtelierNL & more @ Hallenweg

Slightly hidden behind Hoogstraat, you’ll find Hallenweg. With its narrow streets and small-scale industrial halls, it's the perfect spot for an off-grid DDW experience. Over here, the team from Emergence Delft explores the distinction between emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and human knowledge. Sticking with new technologies, at De Fabriek you’ll be transported to sustainable and speculative worlds through XR (extended reality). These immersive experiences will teach you both the pros and cons of technologies on the rise.

Plan-B, Evoluon & Fashion Tech Farm @ West

Who doesn’t like a compliment now and then? Luckily, the installation ‘Honestly, I think you look great’ at Next Nature Museum doesn’t shy away from giving a compliment or two. But the serious note is putting our (digital) beauty standards to the test. A filter here and there wouldn’t hurt, right? Further down the road at Fashion Tech Farm, digital data is transformed into tangible fashion, offering insights into the world of high-tech garments. For even more fashion, cycle over to Hastelweg for recycled, gender-neutral designs.

BioArt Laboratories @ Strijp T + R

Here’s an experience you probably didn’t see coming: burying your own furniture at BioArt Laboratories. Now that’s off grid. Let’s break it down. Normally, when your old wooden chair becomes unusable, it ends up landfill, contributing to pollution. Let’s call this chair Shiloh. Before being part of your living room, Shiloh was originally located in a forest. Now, instead of letting it waste away in a landfill, you can give it back to nature. With a DIY kit by artist Sarah Alix Mann, you can bury your chair in an eco-friendly burial bag, where oyster mushrooms break down the wood. Shiloh even gets a memorial stone, allowing flowers to grow through natural processes. Rest in peace, Shiloh.