Design in Motion at Amsterdam Centraal

The Beginnings of the Demo Festival

On 7 November 2019, the usual flow of commuters at Amsterdam Centraal Station was joined by conspicuous clusters of young people, many of them filming on their iPhones. Design enthusiasts from across Europe had gathered for Design in Motion, a festival initiated by Studio Dumbar. It marked the inception of what has since grown into the world’s largest festival dedicated to motion design.

For twenty-four hours, all eighty digital screens throughout the bustling station were transformed into a public, advertisement-free exhibition space, showcasing contemporary currents in motion design through a curated selection of works by international artists. A visual feast.

A total of 2,738 animations were submitted; the team at Studio Dumbar selected and presented the works in carefully curated thematic sequences.

At the time, however, the festival had evidently not yet reached the attention of the authorities of the Dutch national railways: at seven o’clock in the morning, station staff attempted to prevent me from filming, even threatening to confiscate my pass. I was thus left with no option but to continue recording on my iPhone.