There are tens of witty maxims of Albert Einstein. It’s impossible to pick out one, but his statement on the ability to create is quite appropriate: ‘Creativity is intelligence having fun’. When discussing his profession and passion with Roel Vandebeek (52), you immediately get the impression that for him those three concepts – creativity, intelligence and fun – are inextricably linked. “Each day, I enjoy the cross-pollination that takes place here”, he emphasises.
His ‘Depot des Arts’ employs around thirty people. He himself is responsible for product design, his wife Ingrid for interior design, and his brother-in-law Frank Jaspers – together with two other partners – for architecture. “It started with the three of us. It was never the intention to become as large as possible, but only to satisfy as many clients as possible. That requires a lot of know-how. Not just for the creative process, but also for the draughting work, permits and other administrative obligations.”
Roel Vandebeek studied product design at the former SHIVKV Academy in Genk. “I was taught there by icons such as Piet Stockmans and Hugo Duchateau, lecturers to whom I owe a lot. They all made me who I am now. In fact, I still keep in touch with them.”
Five years ago, you published a book entitled ‘It’s a Roel’, which is also the name of your product label. A remarkable choice.
“I was regularly asked: so are you a product designer or an artist? I was never able to answer. Sometimes I make an installation, sometimes an industrial product. But often there’s a fine line between a usable item and an artistic object. So I thought: no more labels, I’ll simply tell the user or viewer that it is a creation by me. It’s not the maker who determines whether or not something is art, the outside world decides that. Hence my standard response: Is it art? Or is it design? It doesn’t matter, it’s a Roel.”
What do you consider the difference between art and design?
“I’m inclined to say that design is about products made in a series, and that art has to do with uniqueness, but perhaps that’s too simplistic. Well, a lithograph is made in a series, and that still counts as a form of art. That’s why I shall base the answer to your question on my own situation: an artist bases his work on his view of life. I base my work on the request and identity of the order or the client, I mean, on a challenge which I can solve or translate through design.”
You base your work on the request and identity of the client, you say?
“A while ago, I collaborated with electronics and nursing students from UCLL Polytechnic to develop a dementia harp for residents of the Toermalien retirement home in Genk. That’s an object with thick strings, which when touched – for instance - produces music or bird sounds. This involved a lot of preliminary research, but often nothing much happens with the results of such research. In this case, I was the translator of all of the facets studied and worked out on paper by the students. A simpler example: years ago, I observed that my son often had difficulty putting his socks on properly at his first attempt. So, what did I do? I designed a sock with a line in the middle, so he could see at once whether or not he was wearing them properly.”
Can we define design as having a function, and art as not having a function?
“Art can also be functional. Not in the sense of being suitable for every-day use, but as food for the soul. I consider that just as important as food and drink. You draw inspiration and strength from it.”
Where does sustainability lie in your professional pecking order?
“To us that is the absolute minimum. It is only logical to use ecological materials as much as possible, or to try to create something using the waste from a manufacturing process. The Danish design brand WOUD recently gave me an recycling job, but I proposed a system of precycling, a different take on sustainability. It boils down to reducing waste by using raw materials more efficiently. A
simple example: if I make a cylindrical-shaped occasional table, I remove a circle from the side wall and use it as the table top. Then you actually have zero waste.”
When you think of sustainability, you nearly automatically think of natural materials. Does nature inspire you?
“Are you familiar with the term biomimicry? That’s the application of ideas which come to you in nature. It can relate to materials, constructions, colours, shapes. My wife and I live next to our offices, but within half a minute we can be in the nature of Maasmechelen. We can enjoy that immensely. We jump on our bikes, and during our bike rides we are amazed by the beauty of the Meuse and everything related to it. Through those impressions, I have built up a kind of library in my head. It can be a plant growing over another, or a broken tree, simple things. Sooner or later those details or elements serve as inspiration for a new design.”
In the Rivierpark Maasvallei, part of which lies in the territory of Maasmechelen, a public space art project is being developed. Are you in favour of land art? It’s sometimes overlooked or missed due to the grandeur of nature.
“Yes, but I still consider landscape art very worthwhile. If you want to see it, you will see it. Art in public spaces must have a surprising effect, make you think, and be installed with respect for the environment.”