saved by droog

100 blue containers ceramic, metal or wood container + flock coating lot: #3294 (90 flower pots), #1593-90/97 (6 grey wooden trays), #PH09-378 (4 metal trays)

every month about 500 companies in the netherlands go bankrupt, but where do all their products go? for the last several months, dutch design company droog has been bidding on liquidation auction items from these companies, ranging from ceramic dish ware and water coolers to handkerchiefs and matches. over this period, they have accumulated 5135 items: 1 water cooler, 1 dining table, 2 bar stools, 4 metal trays, 6 wooden trays, 8 mirrors, 10 small bowl sets, 11 cups, 14 dog baskets, 20 dish towels, 40 glass vases, 50 safety vests, 60 sets of cutlery, 80 folding chairs, 90 flower pots, 100 candy pots, 102 wooden spoons, 168 plates of glass, 200 saltshakers, 448 wallets, 500 matchboxes, 720 cola glasses and 2500 handkerchiefs.

for their showcase at milan design week 2010, droog has invited 14 designers to reconsider these items as raw material for some creative intervention. the result is a collection of products, celebrating the re-use potential of leftovers as a valid approach to product design and development. during the course of the event, the ‘new’ products will be auctioned off, and people who purchase them will be photographed. in a way from anonymous bankruptcies, droog treats the saved inventory as raw material for creative re-interpretation and documents to which new owner the products go.

the 14 revivers are: atelier remy & veenhuizen, atelier ted noten, ed annink, eric klarenbeek, erna einarsdóttir, luc d’hanis & sofie lachaert, maison martin margiela, marian bantjes, marije vogelzang, mieke gerritzen, minale-maeda, roelof mulder, stefan sagmeister, studio makkink & bey.

here’s a preview of the ‘raw’ objects before creative intervention takes place, along with the corresponding designers and their plans to revive them back to life… :

100 blue containers ceramic, metal or wood container + flock coating lot: #3294 (90 flower pots), #1593-90/97 (6 grey wooden trays), #PH09-378 (4 metal trays)

a special treatment to the items that were not selected by any designer.

‘happy wallet’ – reinvented by stefan sagmeister wallet and gold imprint lot: #283 (448 wallets)

graphic designer stefan sagmeister reminds us that the joy of instant credit can turn to sorrow.

‘moustache guard’ maison martin margiela ceramic cups and silver lot: #PH09-378 (11 cups)

care for some victorian elegance with your cup of coffee? maison martin margiela’s ‘moustache guard’ is a cup addition influenced by the original 19th century moustache guard invented by englishman harvey adams. a call for the return of the moustache!

‘moustache guard’ maison martin margiela ceramic cups and silver lot: #PH09-378 (11 cups)

‘daily handkerchief’ studio makkink & bey handkerchiefs and digital print, thread, needle lot: #4217 (1000 handkerchiefs)

studio makkink & bey prepares 1000 handkerchiefs ready to be embroidered with selected articles from 30 days of news from around the world. pick the news you want and keep it in your pocket.

‘read before you eat’ marian bantjes dining table and laser cut, varnish lot: #1593-759 (1 dining table)

graphic designer marian bantjes sends you a personal message from your table…

‘maniucured chair’ marian bantjes wooden folding chair and nail polish, varnish lot: #1512-2682 (80 folding chairs)

folding chairs have been manicured by nail artists bring their delicacy, precision and care to a new purpose.

‘beware of software’ mieke gerritzen with text by geert lovink polyester safety vest and transfer print lot: #2914 (50 safety vests)

with these vests, mieke gerritzen and geert lovink warn the wearer of an environment increasingly composed of information. the danger in a media-centric environment is a failure to distinguish fact from fiction, objects from media, software from culture.

‘sad hanky’ luc d’hanis & sofie lachaert handkerchief and silkscreen print lot: #4224 (1500 handkerchiefs)

luc d’hanis and sofie lachaert produce ‘sad hanky’ – innocence is lost as peaceful scenes are hit with a sombre reality.

‘XX chair’ luc d’hannis and sofie lachaert bar stools and paint lot: #1593-783 (2 bar stools)

two stools are brought together just to make things a little easier…

‘fun-for-dogs trolley’ ed annink dog basket and steel frame, wheels, leather straps lot: #2967 / #2968 / #2956 (14 dog baskets)

designer ed annink asks: ‘dogs are there to serve us? sled dogs, guard dogs, hunting dogs, dogs for the blind… but what happens when our functional friends need a little help from us?’ annink utilizes dog baskets and develops them into trolleys to help all kinds of dogs – tired ones, old ones, disabled ones, blind or deaf ones. roll one behind you and let him watch the rabbits. arf!

‘onno, ed, ms. teaspoon and the king of gold’ ed annink stainless steel cutlery, 24 karat gold plating, cotton cord lot: #1588-34 / #1588-36 / #1588-37 (60 sets of cutlery)

‘onno, ed, ms. teaspoon and the king of gold’ are part of a fairy tale, in which onno, the spoon sometimes becomes a candle holder. ed, the knife transforms into a little mirror for the eyes. ms. teaspoon, the little spoon becomes an icon for tools, and king of gold, the fork with gold teeth. here, annink poses the question ‘who says you shouldn’t play at the table?’

‘three stars bomb!’ atelier ted noten matches and wax, wick, bronze lot: #2439 (500 matchboxes)

in true atelier ted noten fashion, get ready for a three-star-performance! ignite this bomb (don’t worry, it’s safe) and watch three bronze stars appear. a piece of democratic jewellery, anyone can become a general.

‘glass arrangement’ atelier remy & veenhuizen various glassware and glue lot: #1588-803/808 (168 plates of glass), #6357 (100 candy pots) , #5500 (40 glass vases)

‘glass arrangement’ is a still life centre piece ready to host your edibles.

‘knotted scarf’ erna einarsdóttirdish towels and dye lot: #5064 (20 dish towels)

erna einarsdóttir has dyed dish towels and knotted them into a scarf.

‘mouth-watering spoon’ marije vogelzang wooden spoon + silicone lot: #2442 (102 wooden spoons)

a wooden spoon which has been coated to look like it’s covered in cake batter. this utensil is for stirring, not eating! created by eating designer marije vogelzang.

‘thirsty glasses’ roelof mulder glass, jewels, transfer lot: #2768 (720 cola glasses)

roelof mulder applies special ornamentation and real piercings to these three thirsty couples, transforming them into jewels for drinking.

‘roll-on scent’ eric klarenbeek saltshaker, glass ball and shrink wrap, natural perfume (alcohol, all natural oils from plants, herbs and seeds) masculine: sandalwood, patchouli, nutmeg, bergamot, angelica, cinnamon feminine: tuberose, lemon mint, rosewood, benzoin, mandarin, orange, honey lot: #2447 (200 salt shakers)

eric klarenbeek’s ‘honest’ perfume bottle is for synthetic-free masculine, feminine and ‘the odd one out’ perfume. roll the marble over your skin.

‘scent dispenser’ eric klarenbeek water cooler, glass containers, natural perfume (alcohol, all natural oils from plants, herbs, seeds) lot: #1593-750 (1 water cooler)

continuing with the theme of scent and perfume, karenbeek transforms a water cooler into a dispenser of synthetic-free perfumes.