In a recent online gathering, this year’s Creative Talents of Distributed Design Platform (DDP) came together for an engaging conversation with artist and social entrepreneur, Angelina Kumar, who is renowned for her commitment to sustainability in the arts and presented some of her projects. The session consisted of a presentation and an exchange of ideas, during which Angelina shared not only her journey but also insights into how emerging designers can integrate sustainability into their creative practices.
Here you can read more about this year’s Distributed Design talents and their projects.
Angelina Kumar: Circularity in Art
Angelina Kumar, originally from India and now based in the Netherlands, founded Lucrative Dumpster Dives (LDD) in 2016. This foundation aims to transform the art and cultural sectors into sustainable, circular economies by connecting and inspiring organizations and artists. Through LDD, Angelina has curated educational art programmes and facilitated the creation of artworks that address waste issues within the arts.
One of her notable initiatives is ‘The Creative Playground’, a collaborative public art programme in Utrecht. Launched in 2020, this ongoing project encourages artists to experiment and engage with the local community, fostering social and sustainable values through art and culture.
© Angelina Kumar
The meeting provided an opportunity for Creative Talents to ask questions and get advice on their own design approaches. Rather than formal presentations, the session allowed participants to share their experiences and challenges, with Angelina offering insights drawn from her own journey. This online meeting facilitated meaningful discussions on the challenges and opportunities in distributed design. Lastly, participants exchanged insights on balancing sustainability with scalability, and improving community networks to drive positive change.
Looking Ahead
The event highlighted the importance of collaboration and shared learning in advancing the principles of distributed design: Open, Collaborative, Regenerative, and Ecosystemic. By bringing together creative minds, DDP continues to improve the future of desing.
For more information on the Distributed Design Platform and its initiatives, visit distributeddesign.eu.
On Tuesday, November 12th, Pakhuis de Zwijger organized an evening in collaboration with Distributed Design Designers and experts in the field where they presented their projects and discussed how to better design for tomorrow! You can watch back the programme here!
