Consume By

As concern about climate change, conservation and pollution grows among the Dutch population, the consequences of environmental degradation are already becoming painfully visible in many parts of the world. This raises an urgent question: How long can humanity continue to inhabit our planet? Many artists are concerned with this challenge. The exhibition Tenminste Houdbaar Tot (May 13, 2022 - January 29, 2023) features artworks with a connection to or representation of nature, from the 17th century to the present. With more than 200 works, the exhibition challenges the exploitation of land and its inhabitants-both past and present-while also depicting a sustainable future for all life on Earth. Can art change our relationship with the earth?
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Graphic Design
Dana Dijkgraaf
Exhibition design
Paul Toornend
Exhibition building
Studio met met
Text production
Promosign
Exhibition photography
Eva Broekema

Concept
We had the privilege of creating the graphic design for At Least Last Until. The minimalist approach to the exhibition allows the emotionally charged artworks to take center stage and provides a blank canvas on which to fully display them. To add an extra layer of depth -both substantive and visual- we developed handmade typography out of sand. This sand, carefully selected to evoke the warm tones of the Sahara, is a central element in the design. It symbolizes the fragility of our planet. “Our earth is a beautiful and impressive organism, but at the same time we must be vigilant in protecting this fragile and complex being.” Each thematic title in the exhibition is handmade in this sand typography, a delicate and time-consuming technique that requires days of work in the photo studio and workshop.

What did we create?
The titles, placed directly above the reading texts, are clearly legible. Higher up in the exhibition, they are larger but fainter, so they seem to fade away. This visual metaphor fits seamlessly with the theme of the exhibition: the earth, as we know it, could slip away between our fingers, just like sand. In addition, we designed a large wall print that reinforces this ephemeral idea – the title gradually fades away, as if the letters disappear before your eyes. Upon entering, visitors can read the title in full, but within seconds it is blown away and lost, as it were, a concept we also translated into a promotional video for the exhibition.

Sparkles
The exhibition design received an honorable mention at the European Design Awards 2023. Despite the heavy, central theme, the graphic design adds an authentic and subtle layer that poetically enhances the artworks. Each title in the exhibition is handmade and photographed, giving the design a unique, artisanal quality.

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