Finding Dao in the nexus of fun and functional.

After traveling half-way around the world, hitting major world capitals on the way, Droogs have arrived in Beijing and no one is quite sure what they want.

Droog design (“Droog” is Dutch for “dry” as in “dry wit”) from the Netherlands is one of most talked-about new design collectives on the international scene, creating provocative, household objects, often described as gutsy, cheeky and so very Dada. Often funny in a ha-ha way, the Droog label challenges received notions of functionality, without falling into the pit of self-immolating artistic indulgence.

Of the 125 pieces culled from the Droog collection currently on display in Beijing under the rubric “A Human Touch,” most indicative of the Droogian design philosophy is the Chest of Drawers, created by Tejo Remy in 1991. It is basically a bunch of drawers bound together with a big jute strap. “The designer reacted to the overproduction and consumption as well as the tendency to make things more complex,” says Renny Ramakers who co-founded Droog in 1993. “The statement still holds, it’s even more relevant in our times.”

Droog design has been lauded for its commitment to idiosyncrasy (“Walking Mat”—a terry cloth bath mat with built-in slippers to beat the cold bathroom tile floor—is a great example) and use of recycled materials (Remy’s 1991 “Rag Chair”—a bulky lounge chair made form used fabrics strapped together with metal tape—is the classic example), but has drawn fire for its questionable take on functionality. “Only a collector with four houses and a valet could consider this half-found, half-customized, semifunctional, quasi-sculptural ensemble a bureau,” snapped one New York Times reviewer. But what is really at issue is mass producibility. Droog pieces may be artisan at heart, but the event horizon is always usability.

“Many products are functional,” Ramakers maintains, “like the straps by NL Architects. This product gives the ordinary bike strap a new function in the home. Books, magazines, toys and other objects can be stored by rubber belts. Or the High Chair: as the child grows the chair becomes smaller. The notches on the legs indicate each stage of the chair. So when you feel it’s time, you can saw off what is not needed anymore.”

This exhibit, which has previously toured Australia, Indonesia, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Taipei, organizes classic Droog products by categories emphasizing emotional factors like “interaction,” “experience,” “imperfection,” “familiarity” and “ornament.” On the macro-level, the exhibit itself is a Droogian double-take featuring rooms staged like film sets. Tables, chairs, cupboards, lamps and other house wares subtly re-position the archetypal suburban landscape: Dick van Dyke with coat hanger for a head.

Despite the decidedly Western-centric pomo navel gazing of the exhibit, Michelle Huang, a designer from Singapore, tips her hat to the Chinese tradition with a piece entitled “Bowls Plus” where each bowl is composed of two concave parts fused together. “The shape originates from the Chinese ritual not to eat all the food that the host is offering, as if to say, ‘you gave me plenty,’” Ramakers explains. Ramakers sees nascent signs of Droogian wit in local design. “I very much like the concept of the Mima Café [near Qinghua University in Beijing] with the aquarium in the ceiling of the toilet,” Ramakers gushes. “Superb!”

But these successes are few and far between and implicit in the exhibition is a powerful critique of the state of hip in China where spaces Lanify toward excess rather than simplify into tongue-in-cheek humor. "Droog's design is dry and conceptually sophisticated," remarks Chinese designer James Zhang who viewed the exhibition during its Shanghai debut earlier this year. "Design in Beijing appealing to Chinese usually incorporates traditional elements or is very ostentatious like what is at Lan … the high-profile, 'dry' design is for a mature society, not a developing country with such a young design scene, not yet anyway."

The Details:

A Human Touch: The Droog Design Experience from Holland runs through December 9 at the Yong He Art Museum, 13/F, Ge Hua Tower, 1 Qing Long Hu Tong, Dong Cheng District, Beijing (500 m east of Yong He Palace Subway Station, Exit B) Tel: 8418-6821/0 or check: www.droogdesign.nl

by Katherine Don