Join here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87145765374

Thursday, 29 February at 17:00 (EET, Tallinn), 16:00 (CET, Amsterdam), 12 pm (EST, New York)  

Switching, pressing, and clicking momentarily connect us to a wider circle than we experience alone and vice versa. Although the sleeping space has become private over time, it is never truly closed to the rest of the world. Today, we may be in the privacy of our bedrooms, but we remain connected via devices and social media, sharing our attention and data to continue participating in the economy. 

Within the exhibition context, two pieces remind us about the beauty of machines and their sleep. We will discuss the work of Eibert Draisma and David Reinfurt by looking back at the recent history of technology. Dutch designer, inventor and artist Eibert Draisma created a speaking coffee machine “Douwe and Egbert” in 1996, and graphic designer David Reinfurt designed a screensaver “Three Minutes of Doing Nothing and Then Everything Goes Black” in 2009. While Draisma’s work is a forerunner of command-driven machines and settings, then Reinfurt’s work is a reference to the first screensaver “SCRNSAVE”, created by software developer John Socha in 1983 to protect the screen. 

Join our discussion about technology, sleep and some exciting reminders that doing nothing and turning yourself on and off can be liberating. The discussion is moderated by curator Sandra Nuut.

Eibert Draisma (b. 1966) is a Dutch designer, inventor, and artist. He graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven in 1991. His creations were part of a new wave in design characterised by the experimental use of materials to satisfy real-world needs. Designers Renny Ramakers and Gijs Bakker noticed that several Dutch designers were working in this way independently, leading to their uniting under the collective name Droog (“dry” in English) in 1993. Their products are often made from recycled mass-produced items and have the feel of industrial design, while, in fact, they are handcrafted in limited quantities. Draisma has his own design studio and teaches at the Design Academy Eindhoven.

David Reinfurt (b. 1971) is a freelance graphic designer based in New York. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1993 and Yale University in 1999. In 2000, Reinfurt founded O-R-G, a small software company characterised by a constantly changing network of collaborators. In 2006, he and designer Stuart Bertolotti-Bailey founded the Dexter Sinister workshop at 38 Ludlow Street in New York. Between 2006 and 2011, under the same name, they published Dot Dot Dot magazine. In 2011, Reinfurt co-founded the Serving Library with Stuart Bertolotti-Bailey and Angie Keefer, a non-profit organisation that has its own art and design library, organises events, and publishes the magazine Bulletins of the Serving Library. Reinfurt teaches at Princeton University. He was a 2010 United States Artists Rockefeller Fellow in Architecture and Design. His works can be found in the collections of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center, and the Whitney Museum.