Designer Interview

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Interview with Marcel Eekhout at Tuesday 12th of March 2013

FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
ME: I am a landscape architect and fascinated bij landscapes and outdoorspace. I want people te enjoy themselves and recreate in the landscape. Thats why I chose for this profession.

FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
ME: Parklaan landscape architects is specialised in landscaping cultural heritage. We translate the past to the present and future.

FS: What is "design" for you?
ME: Design is for me making outdoorspaces that function well and have a own character; 'form follows identity and function'

FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
ME: translate the story of essence of history into the landscape of today and tomorrow

FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
ME: woolandparks and nature areas in the Urban Metropool of Holland with surface measures of 200- 1000 acres.

FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
ME: The material depends on the concept but i like working with plantings, soil, relief, water vegitation, wood and concrete

FS: What makes a design successful?
ME: that people feel at home when they use it, and enjoy it and when it functions well.

FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
ME: site specific and functioning well

FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
ME: make designs that last for a very long time and have a certain flexibility. C2C

FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
ME: I am inspired by natural landschapes but also by good designed places. I like to see modern ballet and art.

FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
ME: i live in the Netherlands. I am influenced a lot by cultural heritage of Europe and the watersystem of Holland.

FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
ME: communication and inpiration

FS: Who are some of your clients?
ME: gouvernemental organisatons, and (cooperations of) privat clients

FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
ME: I work in a network of specialist. The kind of specialists depends on the question we have to solve

FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
ME: We just designed a klimate dike for the Westerschelde near Breskens- Vlissingen. We combined technological aspects for protecting peolpe against the water of a super strom and the history of the fortification Frederik Hendrik

FS: How can people contact you?
ME: mail to post@parklaan.nl

FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.

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