Other Field Open Call
For the past two years, Design Academy Eindhoven has designated a space within its annual Graduation Show for student initiatives to function as a site for research and generative laboratory to test their ideas with a wider audience. In 2024 for example, we saw workshops, lectures, communal lunches and zine making, activated by four collaborative student initiatives - Elevator Radio, Lecture Series, Material Bank, and Sound Design Lab.
Returning this year, DAE would like to open up this public facing opportunity through an open call for any already-existing or yet-to-exist-new student collectives to propose how you might want to use this space.
The Other Field is looking for proposals from two student collectives to be realised at the Graduation Show 2025. A production budget of €1000 will be granted to support each of the two proposals. Do you have an open research question you have for visitors, graduates and design experts? Perhaps you want to interview the graduates who have sustainable practices to establish an ecological design curriculum? Facilitate a collective reading of the graduation show and Dutch Design Week at large? Or use the exhibition space as a studio for a participatory making workshop with the public?
You must apply as a collective of no less than 3 students. Existing initiatives can also apply. From previous experience, we know that this is a lot of work and we want you to have support for your collaboration. Furthermore, we want you to have time to enjoy the rest of DDW as well!
Submission is open from now until 21 September 2025. Please find details of what’s required and selection criteria below. Your two-page proposal should be sent directly to community@designacademy.nl. Selected applicants will be notified by 22 September 2025.
Budget:
Up to 1000 euro will be granted to each of the two selected applicants for their production, install,
and/or invitation fee in the cases of hiring external guests for interviews, workshops and other
related purposes.
Space:
Designated space is still to be determined at the time of writing this open call. More information will
come during the selection process and our first meetings. For the purpose of your application, you
can us what we had from last year, which is a room of around 15m^2 shared between the
two proposed projects.
Timeline:
1 September Application opens
21September (23:00) Application closes
22 September Selected applicants will be notified
23-26 September First meeting with the curatorial team
1-12 October Production
13-17 October Transportation and Installation
18-26 October Dutch Design Week activation
Application:
Please prepare a two-page A4 proposal outlining the following and send it directly to
community@designacademy.nl
→ Project name
→ Students names, years, departments/studios
→ Project summary and program outline (500words max)
→ Intended audience and outcome
→ Visuals of how the space is imagined and any other support materials (by the student collective)
→ Itemised budget outline
→ Contact phone number and email(s)
Criteria:
→ While some transportation, communication support could be coordinated, we will prioritise
proposals that are self-sufficient.
→ We will prioritise communal and collaborative proposals.
→ We will prioritise activations over static exhibitions or displays of work.
→ We will prioritise proposals that engage with or respond to the Graduation Show and this year’s
graduates.
→ We will prioritise proposals that are a cross-departments/studios/BA/MA collaboration.
→ We will prioritise proposals that will benefit other students and/or lasting impact beyond the
duration of the Graduation Show. For example, will there be a zine produced and distributed
afterwards, or a podcast series that will be shared at a later time.
→ We will prioritise groups and topics that are structurally or historically underrepresented and
favours proposals aimed at these subjects and groups.
Selection process:
Applications will be reviewed by the curatorial team of GS25, Head of CPPR and community
organiser of DAE based on the aforementioned criteria as well as practical considerations. Please
be clear and realistic in your application about what you like to do and how you might be able to
realise it.
Submission and questions
Application can be sent directly to community@designacademy.nl . Questions can also be directed
to the same address
We look forward to reading all your proposals!
