Collective Paper Aesthetics

A visualization of Light Lilies—a public artwork selected for the Amsterdam Light Festival 2025, now ready for its first realization.

To illustrate the installation’s core concept, this visualization places Light Lilies within one of the 700 iconic playgrounds designed by Aldo van Eyck across Amsterdam. By situating the work in this familiar urban setting, it shows how light and form can transform public space while echoing Van Eyck’s enduring ideas of imagination, social inclusion, and human-centered urban design.

🌸 Where would you like to see Light Lilies bloom next?

Light Lilies Volume 01 was created in collaboration with Deheerr de Man for Botanica: Contemporary Art Outside (2023), curated by the Museum of Brisbane , with support from the Stimuleringsfonds and Arup Brisbane.

📸 PIXREADY & Aldwin van Krimpen

InstallationArt CreativePlacemaking AldoVanEyck HumanistUrbanism ContemporaryArt

The summer activities at Zuiderparktheater Den Haag return this week, bringing back the modular elements created last year. Stay hydrated, enjoy the sunshine, and most importantly—have fun playing!

Vouw & BouwLAB is a collaborative project that has unfolded across the seasons at Zuiderparktheater with MuseumLAB Zuidwest Museon-Omniversum , and Festival Festival De Betovering . Together, we developed a participatory experience that reimagines a geometric modular system using corrugated plastic, cardboard, and 260 g paper, adapting it across different seasons, formats, and contexts.

This approach has created continuity for young audiences—and the young at heart—in The Hague, while enabling partner organisations to share resources, strengthen collaboration, and extend the programme’s reach.

For Vacantiepark opening hours, visit: https://lnkd.in/eQP53vQX
If you’d like to read more about this cultural collaboration, subscribe to the studio newsletter—or bear with me a little longer while I figure out how to connect Mailchimp and LinkedIn more seamlessly. 🙂

Interested in learning more about the Kunstsilo-kulen module? You can explore its development and the ideas behind it in the Collective Paper Aesthetics feature on the Kunstsilo Channel: https://lnkd.in/erNGxk7H

Christmas came a little early—or perhaps creativity is always in season.

Last summer, I had the pleasure of collaborating with Trish Roberts, Alex Bowie, and Haidee Drew from Young V&A on the Creative Spark installation for Young V&A Christmas 2025.

For this project, we reimagined my HEART Board Pyramid model by transforming its signature heart perforations into a five-pointed star. The cut-outs featured three different cold-foil patterns, adding a festive dimension while demonstrating how a simple design system can be adapted for new contexts.

The colourful prints were created during hands-on workshops where old toys were repurposed as drawing tools—encouraging creativity, play, and sustainability, while inviting visitors to become active participants in the installation.

The project was curated by Alex Newson and Trish Roberts, with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the United Kingdom Many thanks to everyone involved for making this inspiring collaboration possible.

Photography by Peter Kelleher for Victoria and Albert Museum

YoungVA CreativeSpark

🐝 A gallery moment from a summer on the other side of the world.

In the summer of 2023, Collective Paper Aesthetics began designing and developing a custom-made modular system for Be at the Hive, a family program at the Art Gallery NSW . Six months later, it came to life during the Australian summer, welcoming children and families to explore, build, and play together.

📷 Martin Mischkulnig

Looking back on January 2024 with heartfelt gratitude to Victoria Collings, Family Program Manager at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Luis Díaz Rivera for their unwavering support, patience, and care in creating such a welcoming experience for visitors.

Hive Festival was created in collaboration with Claudia Chidiac Makdessi Chidiac and presented as part of Sydney Festival 2024, in partnership with Blacktown Arts with the generous support of Art Gallery of NSW Members.

Some collaborations stay with you. This is one of them.

From August 19–22, I’ll be attending ASPAC Conference 2026: Museum Empowering Futures: Science Engagement in the Age of Uncertainty.

The conference and technology fair will take place at the NSM Thailand Official . I’m looking forward to exchanging ideas with longtime colleagues, meeting new collaborators, discussing future projects, and learning about the latest developments in science engagement and museum innovation.

Conferences like ASPAC are a great opportunity to strengthen existing partnerships, build new connections, and explore how museums can continue to inspire curiosity and serve their communities in a rapidly changing world.
And, of course, I’m also looking forward to experiencing the people, the culture, and the wonderful food.

If you’ll be attending, I’d be delighted to connect—see you in Thailand!

When UEFA Euro 2020 was postponed due to COVID-19, we saw an opportunity to rethink how educational design could reach audiences beyond museums.

As part of our preparation for the 2020 유기농 식품 및 음료 전시상담회 , we transformed the HEART Board Pyramid from a public installation into a home activity kit. Using 20 HEART Board kits in a standard Rotterdam apartment, we demonstrated that meaningful, hands-on learning can happen just as effectively at home.

Rather than simply reducing the scale, the project explored how museum-quality educational experiences can be adapted into accessible products that encourage creativity, problem-solving, and STEM learning through play.
Each kit featured a one-sided PMS print and was packaged in a custom-made box by Labro, turning an exhibition concept into a ready-to-use educational product.

This project reflects our interest in designing playful learning experiences that can move seamlessly between museums, schools, and homes.

Creative Team: & Antonio Saorin
Photography: Aldwin van Krimpen

In the summer of 2021, I spent three weeks working with a curated group of design and art students at the summer craft camp for the Cheongju Craft Biennale 청주공예비엔날레 청주공예비엔날레

The project was inspired by the geometry of traditional Korean windows, which are made of handmade paper attached to wooden frames. These windows often feature intricate subdivisions with lines, waves, checkerboard grids, and other geometric patterns.

The educational kit consists of three octagonal prisms in three sizes (large, medium, and small), two symmetry systems (D8 and P8), and two types of connections. These variations enable the creation of a wide range of geometric structural configurations.

The system was developed for the entrance installation of the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2021, as well as a series of pop-up tables and hands-on educational workshop materials for families.

📸 These photos, taken by Photographer Namsun Lee in November 2021, show part of the structure reconstructed a few months later at Handmade Korea in Suwon Messe.

Did you experience at Museo de la Ciencia CosmoCaixa last summer? ✨

The Macrofractals installation created for Fundación “la Caixa” will return this September—this time in Seville. Stay tuned for more details!

This hands-on installation invites families to discover the beauty of fractals—patterns that repeat across different scales and appear throughout nature, from leaves and coastlines to entire galaxies.

Made from lightweight, durable, and recyclable plastic with a honeycomb core, the Macrofractals form strong, stable 3D structures. Designed for repeated public use, they are robust, easy to clean, and well suited for interactive museum environments.

📷 Juan Alfonso Zapata at CosmoCaixa Barcelona

ExhibitionDesign InteractiveExhibits LearningTogether

Looking back at last summer—with a possible comeback this year! This close-up from the 2025 Vouw & Bouw LAB at Zuiderparktheater Den Haag highlights the many connectors that made the blue pop-up castle possible.

Built in just two days, the structure became the centerpiece of five weeks of free summer activities in the park. It was made from 3 mm polypropylene with a honeycomb core, available in custom colors.

The material combines low weight with high rigidity, making it easy to cut, fold, and shape while providing the structural stability needed for large-scale 3D pop-up installations. It’s a great example of how thoughtful material selection can enable fast assembly, reusability, and creative design.

This project was realized through a collaboration between Zuiderparktheater, Museon-Omniversum and Festival De Betovering .

📸 Photo by Aldwin van Krimpen

Happy 4th of July 🇺🇸

As the United States celebrates Independence Day, we extend our warm wishes to our clients, colleagues, friends, and partners across the country. May this occasion continue to honor freedom, liberty, and the enduring spirit of America.

This photograph was taken by Jason Isolini Isolini at the Design Pavilion during NYCxDESIGN 2017. The pavilion was curated and produced by Ilene Shaw , with support from DutchCultureUSA and the Creative Industries Fund NL ( Creatieve Industrie), and with the invaluable assistance of Luis Díaz Rivera .