Went to the open day yesterday of Strijp-S, with my mother. It might mean little to you, but Strijp-S has always been the heart of the Philips industry. Yes, this multinational has its humble origin in Eindhoven, my birth town.
Strijp-S used to be a huge complex of factories in the center of Eindhoven. But all of the factories are closed now, and a few years ago they put a plan in motion to turn the old factory grounds into a modern living complex, with little companies, shops, appartments. All with the radiating aureola of ‘Design’, and the intention to house the talent of the Design Academy.
Yesterday was open day, and I was curious to see what wonders were hiding in the construction area. But it rather turned out to be a muddy nightmare, combining the incomprehensibility of the thought behind ‘Design’ with the unfinished chaos of a construction area.
The shop was quite interesting, with alot of lovely and intelligent pieces of art. I was really impressed by the delicate fashion item design of Marlous de Roode.
After that we staggered through monstertruck tracks past a factory hall with children’s activities to a next gallery: Joost & Kiki . They displayed pieces of furniture and room decoration, like candleholders looking like a mixture of the Eiffel tower and the Empire State Building, and an intimate sofa which was something of an alcove.
We walked past old skeleton buildings (an expierence in itself) to the coffee corner, in a hall with all sorts of colourful indoor climbing walls and after that walked towards another building. There, alot of small companies would be showing their work.
What really happened was that we climbed five stairs to end up in a hallway. On the left and right were very modernly fitted cubicle offices with people behind computers. You could sign up for a workshop, but it meant we would have to wait for over an hour, so we went downstairs and, discouraged by the lack of things to see, we went home.
The thing is, if there had been more explanations, if the route had been a little clearer, the whole day would probably have been awesome. But I felt something like I was wandering through an unfamiliar country, where I didn’t know the language and didn’t know the ettiquette.
It was impressive to walk around the old grounds. So, all in all, it was time well spent.
Strijp-S, the creative city
