Every year, Dutch Design Awards (DDA) celebrates the best of Dutch design. This year during Dutch Design Week (DDW), we will announce a new DDA winner on DDW TV every afternoon for 8 days. And the winner for the category Design Research is Good Neighbours!
GOOD NEIGHBOURS | AFFECT LAB
Good Neighbours researches how surveillance technology like WhatsApp neighbourhood watch groups and doorbell cameras can give rise to connectedness or alienation within a neighbourhood. Good Neighbours, initiated by Klasien van de Zandschulp and Natalie Dixon, brings two worlds together: artistic practices and cultural studies. Via an immersive performance in a neighbourhood, actors confront visitors with ethical choices. Conversations also take place and workshops are given. The results form part of a large research programme involving town planners, knowledge institutes and students studying design for social impact. Good Neighbours has already taken place in York and Amsterdam and will soon start in Utrecht.
— ‘Good Neighbours by Affect Lab raises urgent questions, in a very localised and positive way, about inclusive community building in a time of heightened fear and paranoia.’
Expert panel
When it comes to surveillance technology, we often think of things at national or city level. Good Neighbours provides insight into the micropolitics of surveillance culture on a neighbourhood scale. As such, this research project raises urgent questions about inclusive community building in a time of heightened fear and paranoia. The research is widely supported, can be applied everywhere and is human and accessible in its implementation. It opens discussions about assumptions and (pre)judgements in a non-judgemental way and looks at how surveillance technology can be positively used. An extremely relevant and well-executed project, perfectly timed and with critical impact.
Design Research
Scenarios and concepts that are based on thorough research. From speculative to applied, from research to design and from ideas to solutions, with the emphasis on the research phase.
Expert jury: Angelique Spaninks (chair), Tanja Koning, Daniëlle Arets, Jop Japenga and Eric Klarenbeek.
DDA21 on DDW TV
Dutch Design Awards are rewarded in the daily talk show DDW TV, presented by Brecht van Hulten. DDW TV is from 16-24 October, 7 pm at ddw.nl.