Planet + People + Play = Tom Klinkowstein
The name Tom Klinkowstein stands for many things – and at the same time something quite singular. For decades, he has worked at the intersection of design, art and future thinking. His work is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He has taught generations of designers at Hofstra University and Pratt Institute, consistently insisting that design does not merely solve problems, but also asks questions about the world we inhabit.
Kolding School of Design and Klinkowstein have collaborated for many years around ideas of future-oriented design. In mid-March, that relationship takes on a new form as Not All Whens Are Time goes on display in Kolding.
At first glance, the piece resembles a large diagram. But rather than explaining a finished process from A to B, it invites viewers to look more closely and discover new connections. Klinkowstein describes it as a speculative narrative that encourages reflection: not a text to be read and understood, but a surface to move around in – a landscape from which individuals can draw their own stories.
The starting point is a simple observation: our sense of “when” is not always the same as the clock on the wall. Nor is it the same for you and me. Some moments feel like waiting; others like pressure, care, or repetition. The work gathers these experiences and organises them around three key concepts: differences, events and possibilities. Klinkowstein renders these ideas visible within a visual landscape.
Placed in the context of our present moment, the work feels strikingly concrete. We are preparing to vote in a general election, following alarming conflicts in the Middle East in the news, and many are experiencing shifts in social norms – as though our global society were in the midst of a polar reversal. For some, it feels as though something fundamental is constantly at stake. For others, it signals necessary changes long in the making.
The piece reflects this subjective experience: that the time we live in is at once political, conflict-ridden and deeply personal. It can be difficult to fit all these impressions and shifts into the straight timeline through which time is often understood.
Planet + People + Play points to three threads also present in Tom Klinkowstein’s practice: the planet as the framework for our actions, people as those who live with the consequences, and play as an open, exploratory way of engaging with it all. The exhibition offers an opportunity to experience how a piece of graphic design can function as a space for contemplation – not solemn, but curious – and with room for the viewer to help complete the narrative.
The exhibition opens on Tuesday 17 March at 3-4PM, where visitors will have the opportunity to meet Tom Klinkowstein and experience the work.
Kolding School of Design, Ågade 10, 6000 Kolding, Denmark
