Hello Holland!

14
| Culture & Education
Handy in town
The qugo is a clever piece of brand new Dutch design.
Small and compact, and driven by an electric motor,
handy for getting around town and quite unique. With its
three wheels, this vehicle is dynamic, manoeuvrable, yet
stable. The qugo, designed by the founder of Spyker Cars,
has a top speed of 25 km per hour
Amazing bulb
This amazing lamp doesn’t bring forth a genie, but it
does produce a wackily-shaped bulb. Or ‘light blub’ as
young designer Pieke Bergmans calls them: lightbulbs
in all kinds of unexpected shapes and sizes. This
Dutch-grown miracle bulb is on show at art gallery
Dilmos in Milan.
1900
People & Society | 15
The Netherlands introduced
compulsory education in 1900: all children
aged 6 to 12 had to attend school. 85 years
later, primary school as we now know it was
introduced. Children have to start school at
the age of 5. The school-leaving age is 16.
What international
students say about
the Netherlands
Alessia Cadamuro (29),
Italy ‘Once I arrived here I
noticed straightaway that
people are friendly, and
speak English. But I made
most of my friends here –
Dutch and foreign students
– through my course.’
Garance Echazarreta (25),
France ‘I think you have to
do your best to fit in. So I
invited my neighbours round,
I go to small shops and I like
to try Dutch food.’
Rony Chan (27), Hong
Kong ‘Dutch design
inspires me more than
Chinese design. It’s
creative, innovative and a
bit crazy here.’
Find out more about studying
in the Netherlands at:
www.nuffic.nl
Indira Nurtanti (34),
Indonesia ‘I’m used to
there being people
everywhere, like in Jakarta,
but it’s not like that in
Holland. Except when
there’s a market, it’s always
busy then.’
Dayo Oladunjoye (26),
Nigeria ‘The thing that
struck me from the plane
when I arrived in winter
2007 was the flat landscape.
I had been warned about the
cold, but it was freezing! I
hadn’t expected it to be
so cold!’
Kristun Thors (28), Iceland
‘I like the food – herring,
stroopwafels (toffee
waffles) and stamppot
(potatoes mashed with
vegetables). But what I notice
most are the tall men with
curly hair. You don’t get them
in Iceland.’
Henry Wilson (27),
Australia ‘I came to
Holland to study design. But
by studying with students
from other countries and
travelling around Europe I
learned more about myself
and other cultures.’
Sources: Design Academy Eindhoven,
Silvestris, TU Eindhoven, Centraal
museum Utrecht, Hella Jongerius,
Frank Willems, Pieke Bergmans
55,000 The Lowlands
festival attracts some 55,000 visitors
every summer. It has a wide audience,
interested not only in pop music but also
in alternative music, video art and other
forms of entertainment.
Rubenesque comfort
Ever thought your old mattress deserved
a second life? And what a life! Designer
Frank Willems devised and produced this
‘Madame Rubens’ concept, transforming
an old mattress into an elegant designer
chair. Willems (31) is a promising graduate
of Design Academy Eindhoven. The
water- and airtight polyurethane coating
keeps Madame Rubens fresh and clean – a
thoroughly modern lady.
Porcelain, glass and plastic tape
Long Neck Bottles by Dutch designer Hella Jongerius (1963) are
special vases that are both artworks and useful objects at the
same time. This is typical of Jongerius’ work. One of the most
important industrial designers of her generation, she became
known for her innovative ideas, introducing imperfections into
her designs and deliberately producing misfits.
High-tech for
tiny tots
Less stress for premature babies
thanks to the Smart Jacket. It is soft,
with integrated textile sensors so
that electrodes no longer need to
be attached directly to the baby’s
sensitive skin. Babies wear the jacket
either in the incubator or outside,
so their parents can hold and cuddle
them. A clever piece of technology
from Eindhoven University of
Technology.