This article is an interview with Mieke Meijer for the official launch of the first NewspaperWood collection in Milan, April 2011.
How it all began
Mieke Meijer:
"In the spring of 2003, I began my third module in the direction 'Atelier' at the Design Academy Eindhoven. This course (which, by the way, no longer exists) differed from all other courses: the lessons took place in the middle of the workshop. Students who chose this course were 'makers'. Experimenting with materials was the basis for every assignment."
"The assignment with the theme 'wood' got me thinking. Wood in its smallest form is the basis for paper. Once in the form of paper, however, it does not come back out of the paper recycling cycle: it remains paper. I thought it would be nice to be able to turn paper into wood again."
"I had a stack of newspapers and started with the oldest newspaper. With a roller, I smeared the newspaper with glue and rolled it up as tightly as possible. Every day I spent two hours gluing and rolling up newspapers, and so a paper 'trunk' was created."
"The workshop managers at the academy were less than pleased with me: 'Could I cut the log on the band saw?' I think it cost the school a band saw but the result was beyond expectations: the material seemed strong and it was also very beautiful! I spent the few days left before the assessment experimenting with the new material. It turned out to be surprisingly similar to wood: it warped, you could sand it, make joints in it, etc. I passed my module and ... the project ended up in the closet."
Vij5
Mieke Meijer:
"It wasn't until 2007 that I came into contact with Arjan and Anieke of design label Vij5. While browsing through my portfolio, they came across the NewspaperWood project. They knew of the existence of the material, but not that it was mine. They wanted to work on it right away!"
"In 2008, we presented the material again to the public during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. The response was overwhelming and in 2009 NewspaperWood was even nominated for the 'Doen material award'."
Production
"Meanwhile, behind the scenes, we continued steadily developing the material. Making NewspaperWood producible did not happen overnight. We had to move from a manual process to a less labor-intensive and cost-efficient product. Step by step we made progress, but with each solution we often encountered a new problem. That was sometimes very frustrating and I think it was great that Arjan and Anieke persevered. I think that that is also their strength: picking up projects that are 'gathering dust' in the closet and making them a success at all costs. If it had been up to me I would have given up a long time ago ..."
Mieke Meijer
Collection
Mieke Meijer:
"At some point the step to Design could be made! We already had ideas of our own, but we also thought it would be fun to let other designers work with the material in order to widely explore and show the possibilities with Newspaper Wood. No sooner said than done: Vij5 sent an invitation around resulting in many responses."
"Eventually, a selected group of designers was assembled from this. We met regularly to brainstorm, exchange ideas and discuss Design . The first prototypes will be presented in Milan."
NewspaperWood BV
Due to the growing success of NewspaperWood , Vij5 and Studio Mieke Meijer are now joining forces in a new separate company called NewspaperWood bv. This company is committed to the production and development of the NewspaperWood material to explore new semi-finished products, products and innovative applications.
For more information, please visit our website : www.newspaperwood.com
About Studio
Mieke Meijer
Studio Mieke Meijer maneuvers between the fields of architecture and design, avoiding the traditional constraints of both.
Studio Mieke Meijer was founded by Mieke Meijer and Roy Letterlé. The studio designs, develops and produces unusual objects for the public and private domain. Meijer (Wezep, 1982) graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven. Letterlé (Kerkrade, 1978) graduated as a structural engineer from PTH Eindhoven. Meijer and Letterlé give lectures and workshops at various educational and cultural institutions. They currently teach at Design Academy Eindhoven and HKU Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht. In addition, they are co-founders of NewspaperWood BV.
