De voorkamer- where cultures meet
Personal stories inlaid in wood
De Voorkamer in Utrecht is a place to meet other cultures: a safe place to belong and to gain new experiences. By nurturing the creativity and talent of our diverse community, we create a collaborative space that connects people from diverse backgrounds.
Here we present a part of De Voorkamer: two wood-encrusted tables where the community gathers around every day to exchange thoughts and ideas. With these tables we send the soul and stories of de Voorkamer to Eindhoven.
The tables are part of a series of five designed by Pim van der Mijl, Sapin Makengele, Maher Sobhea, Alaa Khweis and Shurooq Al-Qasemi. During co-creation workshops, personal stories and memories were collected and subsequently turned into patterns that were inlaid in the tables. The visual language of the tables invites interaction and the sharing of personal stories.
About de Voorkamer
The tables were commissioned by Wat We Doen for their theater production “How I Got Talent For Life”, based on the book by Rodaan Al Galidi.
Design of the co-creation framework: Pim van der Mijl.
Table designers: Sapin Makengele, Maher Sobhea, Alaa Khweis, Shurooq Al-Qasemi and Pim van der Mijl.
De Voorkamer is an initiative of social designers and researchers Pim van der Mijl and Shay Raviv and was realized by the Collective Nouns Foundation. Collective Nouns operates at the intersection of design and society and uses design tools to investigate and answer social issues.
