China Portrait: Daan Roosegaarde

As a warm up to Creative Industries Update Januari 31st in Amsterdam, DutchDFA interviewed designers that participated at Canton Fair and Beijing Design Week last fall. First portrait: Daan Roosegaarde (Studio Roosegaarde).

Trained as a sculptor, Roosegaarde quickly realised that the sense of movement captured in his early, static works wasn't enough. And so the artist began experimenting with automotive technology, creating architectures such as ‘Liquid Space’ and ‘Dune’ that were both visually striking and responsive to human interactions. And what better place to continue than in a city as Shanghai, with its fascination for LEDs and innovation.

Why were you interested in doing business in China? What were your initial expectations before going? Roosegaarde: "In a time where tech is so important we should be reinventing what reality looks like. Can we make sustainable highways that generate electricity when cars drive over it? What would Facebook Square look like? These are the questions that need to be asked and answered. I feel that is not happening – and that's the roles of artists, designers and architects". Put like this, opening a studio in the sometimes futuristic metropolis of Shanghai seems an obvious choice for young Dutch artist, Daan Roosegaarde.

In what way are your expectations now different from before visiting?
For me, Europe is good for research and in-depth development. Yet applying these projects asked for partners willing to invest more ‘hands-on’ in the future of the city. This mix of research and practice we balance by working in Europe and Asia.

Something astonishing you learned or experienced? 

When people like our projects during a lecture of Roosegaarde they shout ‘How much, how much!?’.
 

What cliché is not true?
That Europe has a moral superiority. China has issues but is willing to deal with them.

What advice can you give Dutch colleagues who have ambitions in China? Tips? Lessons?

One needs to find a balance between the encredible speed and your own creative process. Creating this momentum creates unique value.

What are your plans for China in 2012?

Studio Roosegaarde is working on new interactive light projects for public parcs in Shanghai, in collaboration with Philips and Tongji University.

What is needed for Dutch professionals to successfully start in China?

Invest in your dreams.