Short biography
Sophie Krier was born in 1976 in Belgium and has the Luxembourg nationality. She lives and works in Rotterdam since her graduation from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 1999. Her desired work field is in the periphery of the design profession. This includes teaching, writing and researching. Her projects always try to investigate the space (for innovation, playfulness, reflection) within a given assignment. At the core of each concept is the wish to generate meaningful relationships - between vision and object, between object and environment or in-between visions.
Since 2005 Sophie Krier is head of Design Lab at the Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam where she has been teaching since 2002. Next to her activities in design education Sophie Krier regularly initiates projects about the social side of design, such as networking (nuitsblanches) and collaboration (5050). Sophie Krier also designs exhibitions (e.g. the Simply Droog retrospective exhibition), produces short films (e.g. for the Armour show in Asperen) and writes columns and essays (e.g. for the Premsela Foundation of design).
Current activities include: designing public furniture commissioned by Jurgen Bey for the city of Zaanstad; editing a short story about dreamed encounters during Nuits Blanches 2006; starting up research around the mechanisms of collaboration processes for the Professorship of Art and Public Space of the Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam; planning and implementing the 2006-2007 curriculum of Design Lab.
Studies
- 1999 - Cum Laude Graduation at Design Academy Eindhoven, department Man and Identity (led by Ülf Moritz)
- 1994 - International Baccalaureate (I.B.), International School of The Hague
- 1990 - Lycée Français Vincent van Gogh, The Hague
Internships
- 1998 - internship at Studio Edelkoort , Paris
- 1998 - internship with Peter Greenaways' '8 1/2 woman' feature film, Luxemburg
- 1998 - internship with Hella Jongerius, Rotterdam
Courses
- 2005 - NRC / HAN Masterclass 'Competings on feelings' with Kjell Nördström
- 2001 - Artist-in-residence at FABRICA, Italy. (three month residency)
- 2001 - APT Performance workshop, Rotterdam (three month course)
- 2000 - Scenario writing, 't Colofon', Amsterdam (two month course)
Projects / environments
- 2006 - 'Simply Droog 10+3'
- Context Retrospective of Droog Design, in collaboration with Jurgen Bey and Ester van de Wiel
- Project Travelling exhibition design, custom-made for six different locations during two years
- 2005 - 'Champs Libre'
- Context Commission by the MUDAM of Luxembourg for 'Sous les ponts, le long de la rivi?re II'
- Project Wooden installation that deviates elements of military architecture in a public park
- 2005 - 'De Leeskamer'
- Context Commission of the GABK Apeldoorn cq Lia Gieling
- Project Outdoor literary event as a form of social sculpture in the space of one summer
- 2004 - 'Nuits Blanches'
- Context Co-initiative with Sacha Winkel, pilot presented at 100% Design Rotterdam in 2004
- Project Temporary, site-specific accommodation for durable networking in the creative sector
- 2003 - 'Gedachtengang'
- Context Commission by MK Architecten cq ?het Apostolisch Genootschap?, Groningen
- Project Mural made up of archive photographs, witnesses of the evolution of the community
- 2000 - 'Kleine trouwzaal'
- Context Commission for Centraal Museum Utrecht in collaboration with Jurgen Bey
- Project Wedding room in which artefacts from the museum co-habit with second hand objects
- 2001 - 'Alles wat staat hangt'
- Context Commission by the Rotterdamse Schouwburg and CBK Rotterdam
- Project Giant furniture puzzle creates over time a half dozen foyers for the city theatre
- 2001 - 'Kinderuitmarkt'
- Context Commission by Stichting Palaver and CBK Rotterdam
- Project Outdoor cultural event for children as a three dimensional collage of cultural icons
- 2000 - 'Just Fake it Better!'
- Context Commission by Witte de With for the 'Play-Use' exhibit, Rotterdam
- Project (slice of a) Two-storey house staging eighteen objects related to the theme 'fake'
Projects / visions
- 2005 - 'Lieve,'
- Context Dutch Mountains, Dutch Design Week, MU Witte Dame Eindhoven
- Project Personal hommage to the art of writing as a means to create indirect dialogue
- 2004 - 'Nuits Blanches'
- Context Nuits Blanches in the Van Nelle Fabriek during 100% Design Rotterdam
- Project Visualisation of the wish of Nuits Blanches: connecting alike minds
- 2003 - 'En Garde!'
- Context Armour, Fort Asperen, curated by Li Edelkoort
- Project Don Quichotte's windmills in a fencing adventure illustrating the paradox of every fight
- 2001 - 'Happy of Losing Head'
- Context APT Performance workshop, Rotterdam
- Project Cardboard intrusion into the city theatre as a metaphor for a succesful process of failure
- 1999 - 'Fake!'
- Context Graduation project
- Project Performance with set and props (lamp, bed, view, stairs) shaping a personal fairy-tale
Projects / design education
- 2006 - 'Dutch habitat re-visited'
- Context Wintergarden @ Design Lab, Rietveld Academie
- Project Cultural exchange project with ESAA Boulle, Paris, around the theme of co-habitat
- 2005 - 'School maken'
- Context Design Lab, Rietveld Academie meets Follydock competition, Rotterdam
- Project Summercamp with Jurgen Bey, designing a new school of thought for the Heijplaat area
- 2004 - 'Chance'
- Context Crasy week @ ESAD, Reims, France
- Project Workshop about chance as a design principle
Side activities
- 2005 - Jury member for PRESENT BNO exhibit for the Rai Woonbeurs 2005
- 2005 - Jury member for NEST exhibition, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
- 2005 - Curator for the 'Best of' show at Loods 6 during Inside Design
- 2005 - Concept for series of 6 lectures about the Design Paradigm @ Rietveld Academie
- 03-05 - Member of council board of the BNO (Association of Dutch Designers)
Selected essays
- 2004 - Article about Marije Vogelzang (food designer, www.proefrotterdam.nl)
- 2004 - Essay about the future of the food industry in Zaanstad the Premsela foundation
- 2003 - Essay on the future of design for the Premsela foundation 'Helikoptervlucht'
- 2001 - Twelve essays about entrepreneurship for Vormberichten / BNO
Selected publications
- Sous les ponts, le long de la rivière II, 2005, Mudam, pages 87-92 (Champs Libre)
- View on Colour 24, 2003, United Publishers, page 67 (En Garde)
- Trans-Hàbitos, 2003, Morgen, page 13 (War is everything but me)
- De Agenda, 2003, Premsela, pages 20-25 (Verslag van een helikoptervlucht)
- Addict! #18, 2002, Addict, pages 227-235 (Fake it for real)
- XYZ New dimensions on furniture, 2001, Fabrica, pages Q,R,S (Goodmorning Sunshine)
- Big Biennale d'arte emergenze, 2000, Edizione Lindau, pages 200,201 (Just Fake it)
Selected press reviews
- Items, 2004, pages ?? (Nuits Blanches)
- Intramuros no 108, 2003, pages 58-61 (En Garde)
- Elle Wonen 78, 2003, pages 118-120 (No candy for me I'm an adult)
- Elle Wonen 86, 2003, pages 51,52 (5050)
- Frame 34, 2003, pages 154, 155 (5050)
- Intramuros no 109, 2003, pages 20 (5050)
- Art-NL 6, 2002, pages 18,19 (No candy for me I'm an adult)