Set within the expansive, high-ceilinged spaces of Katoenhuis, a series of installations and exhibitions delve into materiality, technology, and production in design. One series of installations and films rethinks material innovation, exploring how resources are repurposed and reimagined, while a show curated by Wumen Ghua examines the role of AI and intelligence in shaping contemporary design. Together, these exhibitions challenge traditional notions of making, pushing the boundaries of both process and possibility. 

Katoenhuis is one of the main venues and host part of the open call applicants that were selected. 

The Right Questions: Rethinking Creation in the age of Technology 

In an era where technology reshapes our creative and industrial landscapes, the right questions may be more vital than the right answers. This exhibition interrogates the evolving nature of manufacturing and design, stretching the boundaries of what collectible design may mean while embracing works that serve a practical purpose and critically engage with modern technological advancements. 

SCAPE Agency’s pioneering micropatterned façades challenge conventional architecture, responding to pressing environmental and societal concerns. Their work suggests a paradigm shift in urban design, where material innovation meets ecological responsibility. 

Johannes Offerhaus’ kinetic textile pavilions, rooted in traditional materials and forms, propose a radical rethinking of spatial intimacy. These fluid structures reconfigure how we inhabit and perceive spaces, blurring the boundaries between movement, materiality, and emotional resonance. 

At the Katoenhuis, technology-driven installations refuse to offer definitive answers. Instead, they expose the underlying assumptions of our existence, confronting us with profound questions about the nature of being, making, and meaning in a world increasingly defined by automation and digital transformation. 

Marga Weimans expands the discourse on identity, materiality, and digital hybridity with The 4c Body, an immersive installation that challenges the limits of fashion and beauty. Centered on the poetic and familial significance of her own afro-textured hair—categorized as 4c—the work honors the unseen narratives and ancestral legacies embedded within Black identity. Female cyborgs, engaged in an intimate ritual of hair-braiding on a spiraling staircase, form a futuristic chain of connectivity and care, weaving together past, present, and speculative futures. 

Through these diverse yet interconnected explorations, the exhibition does not dictate conclusions but rather opens a space for reflection—where the right questions guide us toward new ways of thinking, making, and living.