The 27th of September marked an important date for Materialise. Our exhibition, Making a Difference/A Difference in Making, finally opened at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen. This is the second leg of its tour, after a successful debut at the BOZAR in Brussels during the spring of 2015.
I remember the excitement of seeing all those months of hard work displayed in BOZAR for the first time, and the wonder hadn’t diminished with the second exhibition. The Red Dot Design Museum is one of the most important centers of contemporary design in the world – and the architecture of the impressive Zollverein Coal Mine industrial complex in which the collection is housed is the perfect setting for an exhibition which focuses on a different way of manufacturing.
Yesterday morning, together with members of the press, I was able to once more immerse myself in the exhibition; reacquainting myself with the fantastic projects involved, and enjoying the new additions as well. The press visit began with presentations from Vito Oražem, Managing Director Red Dot Design Museum, Marcus Joppe, Managing Director Materialise Germany and Curator Marta Malé-Alemany – and together they were able to share the story of how both 3D Printing and the exhibition have evolved, and the role they play in our society today. And really, what better place to tell that story than in a space that provides such insight into the many products and objects that have changed our lives over the years? The day was capped off with an in-depth tour of the exhibition itself, led by its Curator, Marta Malé-Alemany, and gave the journalists in attendance a wealth of stories and applications to share with their readers.
According to the Red Dot, design is something which “helps us to cope with our life, to make our working environment safer or to spend our free time in a more comfortable way.” After seeing the exhibition again, I was once again struck by how well 3D Printing fit the bill.
