​Stress, burnout, being busy, these are words we hear around us every day. Being busy, or even too busy, seems to have become the norm. But since when? It intrigues us, fascinates us and makes us curious. Curious about its origins and consequences, but above all, searching for a possible way out. The interactive installation The Art of Living | Today will be on display at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven from 16 to 24 October. Curious about how it came about? I’d love to tell you more!

 

Stichting KIP

Earlier this year, I founded Stichting KIP. KIP stands for Kunstzinnige Interactieve Proeven (Artistic Interactive Experiments), and its aim is to raise awareness around a wide range of social issues. We want to offer a broader perspective on the world by creating human interaction focused on the senses. KIP gives artists and designers the opportunity to collaborate and learn from one another.

 

Stress

The first project by Stichting KIP focuses on stress. With the past year still fresh in our memories, this theme is more relevant than ever. In our view, we cannot allow ourselves to return to ‘normal’ only to go through life feeling burnt out and exhausted. That is why we want to raise awareness, offer new perspectives, break taboos and make the subject open for discussion. Together with social designer Willemieke and scenographer Tessa, we created an environment where it is ‘okay’ to be yourself. A place where you feel that you are not alone and are given tools to approach things differently. And so the project The Art of Living | Today was born.

 

Field Research

We started this project with field research, talking to people from all walks of life. How often do people experience stress? Where in the body do we feel it? And how do we deal with all the pressure, whether it comes from within or from the outside? We spoke with people aged between 15 and 75. With great care and genuine interest, we listened to their stories, insights and life lessons. The conversation started with the question: ‘Do you ever experience stress?’ Of those we spoke to, 44.7% answered sometimes, 25.5% often and 19.2% almost always.

 

Dutch Design Week 2021

Our conclusion from this research was that rest and relaxation are what we need most to reduce stress. Easier said than done, of course. So the question becomes: what is valuable to you? Your personal answer to this question points to exactly those things you need, want or can make time for when you often feel stressed.

Another thing we learned from this research is: try to be present in the here and now. Your own foundation needs to be solid (and it’s also okay if you are still searching for what that foundation looks like for you). But how do you stay present in the here and now? To help you with this, we developed an interactive installation that was presented during Dutch Design Week 2021. 

The Art of Living | Today was on display from 16 to 24 October at De Melkfabriek, Kanaaldijk-Zuid 1-01, 5613 LE Eindhoven.

 

We hope to see you at Dutch Design Week!

 

Lotte de Jong – Stichting KIP

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