Prooff Lab

Studio Makkink & Bey undertook a study into mobility and work for Prooff, manufacturers of furniture for the ‘progressive office’. This resulted not only in new furniture concepts but also in a vision of a new flexible work landscape. The pieces of furniture in the Prooff collection are materialisations of this other world. The wall drawing is a representation of this envisioned world. It proposes the workplace as a meeting place for the exchange of knowledge, in contrast to the economy of profit: a landscape in which the office becomes a campus and living and working are blurred. The landscape is populated with furniture designs, such as the Ear-chair – a design icon by Jurgen Bey – and the Slowcar, a rideable office chair. Or is it a car that contains a workstation? It places the problem of the traffic jam in a very different light.

In the initial period after his graduation from the Design Academy, Jurgen Bey (1965) was frequently asked to explain the meaning of his designs. That is no longer the case and he is now one of the Netherlands’ most famous product designers. His extraordinary way of thinking and working has possibly been more influential than his products. For Bey the solution is not always to be found in a straightforward view of things. ‘Looking at the world from another angle – from behind – offers enormous beauty…’ Through observation and contemplation he finds the inspiration to sketch an alternative view of the world. His work is innovative, but he does not believe in the necessity of redesigning things from scratch. Everything has been thought of already; according to Bey every product has its predecessor and therefore a tradition and history. His installations and products encourage contemplation and debate about the values of the contemporary production machine. As a philosophical designer and through his position as a teacher he contributes to the international discussion about the role of design in a sustainable world. He lectures at the Royal College of Art in London.

Rianne Makkink (1964) studied architecture at the Delft University of Technology and then worked as an architect and urban planner for various practices. She considers research, theory and education as important areas of her professional activity. Her frequent contributions to various professional journals question the practice of architecture and the role of the architect. In 2002 she and Jurgen Bey established Studio Makkink & Bey in Rotterdam.
The practice is based in Rotterdam and has approximately twelve permanent staff. The practice works for a variety of clients.