MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission
Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma has been awarded the 2024 MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission—a major series inviting globally renowned female designers to create groundbreaking new work for the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) Collection.
Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Negin Zendegani, Marc de Groot, Maartje van Berkel, Mathijs Labadie & Roel van Tour
Christien Merindertsma with the Tools for Technology Wobot. Photo: Maartje van Berkel. Main hero photo: Negin Zendegani
Fibre Market, 2016. Photo: Mathijs Labadie & Roel van Tour
‘I feel very honoured to have been awarded this commission and am very much looking forward to making a new work,’ says Christien Merindertsma. Photo: Marc de Groot
“This opportunity will allow me to explore and push the possibilities of wool as a strong and at the same time soft material, in directions it has not gone before.”
The MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission is a major series inviting globally renowned female designers to create groundbreaking new work for the NGV Collection.
The annual commission series is the first (and only) of its kind in Australia, creating a platform to present topical, world-premiere works of international significance to highlight the contributions and practices of female designers to the world.
This year’s recipient, Netherlands-based designer and innovator, Christien Merindertsma, is the third recipient of the annual, five-year commission series, which has been made possible by a significant contribution from MECCA’s social change movement titled, M-POWER.
‘We are delighted to announce Christien Meindertsma as the latest recipient of the MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission; an inspiring designer who is developing groundbreaking methods of production to revolutionise the global wool industry. The NGV is incredibly grateful to MECCA for their support of this design series which provides a vital platform to profile female designers,’ says Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV.
Christien’s approach to material innovation is not only incredibly invaluable, it’s also game-changing. The designer believes that there’s no such thing as waste and hopes to highlight a brand new material era. Her process explores the production and application of everyday materials, such as flax, porcelain and wool, focusing on ways materials can be rethought—looking at waste through a new lens so that it’s treated as a valuable design resource.
Jo Horgan AM, Founder & Co-CEO MECCA says, ‘Christien Meindertsma is not only reshaping industries but also inspiring women to redefine the boundaries of design. She invites us to explore, question and even reinvent the world around us. An ethos we share at MECCA M-POWER, our social change initiative that seeks to make the world over, by dismantling the systems and narratives that hold women and girls back from being their best.’
The new commission is set to be revealed in October 2024, and will take the form of a large-scale installation, allowing Christien to produce her most ambitious project to date—a large-scale form made from European wool that would be otherwise disposed of. She will be using a cutting-edge new 3D printing technology developed in partnership with Netherlands-based start-up company, Tools for Technology, her structure will reimagine wool, creating a new dynamic, 3D-printable super-material.
‘I feel very honoured to have been awarded this commission and am very much looking forward to making a new work. This opportunity will allow me to explore and push the possibilities of wool as a strong and at the same time soft material, in directions it has not gone before,’ says Christien.
Celebrating the MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission and 2024 designer Christien Meindertsma, NGV will host a day of free programs on Saturday 9 March, including insightful conversations, a drop-by workshop, and more.
The 2024 MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission will be on display from 4 October 2024 – February 2025 at NGV International.