How should designers respond to the existential threat of climate change? Christien Meindertsma has an answer: research. In her hands, design is an investigative tool, a means of understanding global distribution flows and production systems. Working from her base in the Netherlands, she has traced all the many products made from a single pig; purchased an entire field of flax, to understand how it can be transmuted into commodities; and devised novel means to disaggregate used clothing and linoleum, giving waste materials new life. In our interview, Meindertsma shared her insights from this rigorous practice, and speak about her latest and upcoming projects.
Watch the conversation here:
Inaugurated on April 1, 2020, Design in Dialogue is a series of online interviews hosted alternately by curator and historian Glenn Adamson and designer Stephen Burks. Conversations are held on Zoom every Wednesdays for 1 hour, beginning at 11am Eastern Time, including a participatory Q&A. Please join leading voices from the field — designers, makers, critics, and curators — as they discuss their work and ideas.
