Sandberg instituut, design department
think tank for visual strategies, 2009–2019
With a selfless, committed, curious, serious, humorous, and above all hazardous mentality plus a wide diversity of tools, the Design Department of the Sandberg Instituut finds out what matters through design. Moving between reality and fantasy, chaos and systems, data and dreams; the course addresses the contradictions of our time. It responds through design to world issues and questions the connection between practice and politics. Design itself is presented as a tool to organize the relationship with the outside world.
Global challenges are approached from a personal and human point of view, where the different perspectives within the department are articulated; identities, stories and visual strategies merge throughout the practices in personal, specific and committed manners. Forms become relations, disciplines turn into mentalities and internet is used as a continuous common canvas for trying new things. The self-initiated projects that are developed present new disciplinary frameworks, start movements, construct collectives and invest in alternative models of living.
With a trust based educational model the department stimulates people to feel both free and passionate about engaging in the things that they love or care about, through making and collaborating. They welcome students who embrace the vulnerability, doubt and unpredictability of where design can lead them. Those are investigative designers, critical optimists, generous collaborators, storytellers, eternal students, friends, lovers, fighters, or sensitive guides for our precarious future.
As the postgraduate programme of he Gerrit Rietveld Academie Amsterdam, the Sandberg Instituut offers Master Programmes in Art and Design. The Design department was founded in 1996 and headed by Rob Schröder (1996–2000), Mieke Gerritsen (2000–2008), Annelys de Vet (2009–2019) and Anja Groten (2019, ongoing).
Department head: Annelys de Vet (2009–2019)
Team: Charlotte Corstanje, Tina M. Bastaijan, Anja Groten, Agata Jaworska, Rogier Klomp, Rob Schröder, Daniel van der Velden
Guest-tutors include: Rana Ghavami, Astrid Vorstermans, Petra van Brabandt, Pascal Gielen, Pillippine Hoegen, Max Bruinsma, Dyab Abou Jahja, Filip De Boeck, Nikki Brörmann, Jesse Darling, Femke Herregraven, Jannah Ulrich, Francisco Laranjo, Silvio Lorusso, Ruben Pater, Brigitte Herremans, Pinar & Viola, Teyosh, Aced, Ikenna Azuike, Hannes Bernard, Michael Tedja
MASTERS 2017—2019
Lucie de Bréchard, Rowena Buur, Miquel Hervás Gómez, Sascha Krischock, Tessa Meeus, Samuli Saarinen, Andreas Trenker, Alex Walker, Karina Zavidova
‘Not too close to the walls or the corners’, graduation 2019, 13–16 June 2019, Studio Spijkerkade, Amsterdam
MASTERS 2016—2018
Mateo Broillet, Julia Carvalho de Aguiar, Asja Keeman, Anastasia Kubrak, Sherida Kuffour, Heikki Lotvonen, Stefanie Luchtenberg, Juan Pablo Mejia, Tereza Rullerova
‘Celestial Services’, graduation 2018, 15—18 June 2018, De School, Amsterdam
MASTERS 2015–2017
Ruben Baart, Floris van Driel, Rebekka Fries, Roos Groothuizen, Cyanne van den Houten, Andrea Karch, Nazanin Karimi, Lien van Leemput, Gui Machiavelli, Derk Over, Mary Ponomareva, Joao Roxo, Daniel Seemayer, BiYi Zhu
‘Wait for cue’, graduation 2017, 15–18 June 2017, Shelter, Amsterdam
MASTERS 2014–2016
Yu Minhong, Monika Gruzite, Juliette Lizotte, Arthur Röing Baer, Birte Veenkamp, Florian Mecklenburg, Agnieszka Zimolag
Graduation 2016, 16–19 June, Looiersgracht 60, Amsterdam
MASTERS 2013–2015
Janna Ullrich, Gilles de Brock, Isaura San, Sofia Stankooi, Teodora Stojkovic, Marthe Prins, Mirte van Duppen, David Ortiz Juan, Asieh Dehghani, Benedikt Weinhaupt, Benedikt Wöppel, Marleen van der Zanden
‘Somewhere between cat and run’, Graduation 2015, 18–21 June, Burgerweeshuis, Amsterdam
MASTERS 2012–2014
Mark-Jan van Tellingen, Polina Medvedeva, Tessel Brühl, Jaroslav Toussaint, Rasmus Svensson, Anja Kaiser, Tommi Vasko, Giada Florindi
‘Dialetheia’, Graduation 2014, 26–29 June, Framer Framed, Amsterdam
masters 2011—2013
Aiwen Yin, Hannes Bernard, Kevin Bray, Simone Niquille, Martina Petrelli, Belle Phromchanya, Donna Verheijden, Leanne Wijnsma
‘Underbelly’, Graduation 2013, 5–7 July, Toren Overhoeks, Amsterdam
MASTERS 2010–2012
Noortje van Eekelen, Guido Giglio, Seungyong Moon, Ruben Pater, Stefan Schäfer, Yuri Veerman
‘Who you gonna call?’ Graduation 2012, 11–15 July, Former Filmmuseum Amsterdam
MASTERS 2009–2011
Michèle Champagne, Anja Groten, Maartje Smits, Lauren Grusenmeyer, Simona Kicurovska, Janneke de Rooij, Brigiet van den Berg
‘The future’s so bright, I gonna wear shades’, Graduation 2011, 7–10 July, Vondelbunker, Amsterdam
MASTERS 2008–2010
Femke Herregraven, Henrik van Leeuwen, Pinar Demirdag, Viola Renate, Krimo Benlaloua, Katja Novitskova, Camila Bustamante, Annelou van Griensven, Mike Oustamanolakis, Chris Lee, Matthias Schreiber
‘The next Big Thing’, Graduation 2010, 15–19 September 2010, De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam