Lonneke Gordijn

Why you should listen

Lonneke Gordijn takes artistic inspiration from how humans encounter nature and the world around us: birds swarming, plants proliferating, clouds moving. She founded DRIFT with Ralph Nauta in 2007, aspiring to use technology and art to raise fundamental questions about life and to explore positive scenarios for the future. Their exhibits and performances have pioneered the experiential art movement and beautifully illuminated parallels between man-made and natural structures. Their installation Franchise Freedom includes a fleet of lit drones that mimic the flight behavior of starlings as they soar through the night sky. Fragile Future, a sculpture made of real dandelions glued to LED lights, offers a critical yet utopian vision of the future.

Based in Amsterdam, DRIFT has exhibited around the world, in venues such as The Shed in New York, the Garage Museum in Moscow and Burning Man in the Nevada desert. Their work is featured in the permanent collections of institutions including LACMA, the Rijksmuseum, SFMOMA, the Stedelijk Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. They were recognized with the Dezeen Award for designer of the year in 2019 and the Arte Laguna Prize in 2014.