During DDW, Aart van Asseldonk and his ‘boys’ are switching from their workplace just outside Mariaheide, a quiet village in between Uden and Veghel (even so small that Google Streetview never drove by) to the ‘busier’ van Abbemusuem. They build up their shop for the week. For Van Asseldonk and his men it might be hard to get used to work with all those sudden ‘snoopers’ around. “No, not at all, it’s nice. Furthermore we are used to some hubbub. Shows in Milan are hectic too, you know.” Van Asseldonk folds his arms and tries to look strict: “It’s good to feel that pressure, we kind of need that. And at least the boys will work harder.”

People who know the work of Aart van Asseldonk know that he has a preference for the early industrial period. “Back then, designing was something else. The use of material was completely different. Designers were real craftsmen. I try to bring that style of designing back to life, in my own way of course. We are also boys who design from within a workspace. We sketch and make models, later on we combine techniques and materials.”

The tower has a characteristic style and it looks a bit like a previous ‘tower’ which Van Asseldonk made: the Heating Stove. The tower at the van Abbemuseum can have multiple functions. A meeting point or a connection between other points on the Roundabout route. “I’m a real Eindhovenaar, Eindhoven is my home. I definitely love the Eindhoven mentality. It’s all about collaboration, making connections with other disciplines to make things better. Now I’m setting up my office in the tower, but it can also be a hotel room or it could be an expo for another designer.”

Author: E52 Milan Lenters

Photos: Ruud Balk