Design Academy Eindhoven has announced that Joseph Grima will be a new Creative Director of the school. The move about Grima's appointment to his new position has been spoken for over a month, but it has never been confirmed by the school. Joseph Grima will take his role from Thomas Widdershoven, who resigned last year. His role starts as of September 1st, 2017 as Chair Executive Board / Creative Director. 

Grima, 40, graduated from the Architectural Association in 2003. He is the founder of Space Caviar  - a Genova-based multidisciplinary studio, focusing on design research and it operates at the intersection of architecture, technology, politics and the public realm. He has extensive international experience as curator, editor and writer in the fields of design and architecture. 

Joseph Grima is currently the director of the Ideas City festival at New York's New Museum. Previously, he was the artistic director of the 2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial with Sarah Herda and he curated the Biennale Interieur in Kortrijk in 2014 and Istanbul Design Biennial in 2012.

Joseph Grima was the editor-in-chief of Domus magazine from 2011 to 2013. Grima runs Space Caviar with Tamar Shafrir and one of innovative projects that his studio developed is the FOMObile- an algorithmic journalism machine transcribes speeches, noises, conversations and news information that happens around it by using scripting extremely quickly and lays out it on a different structure, being completely different from a conventional magazines format. 

"Despite the extraordinary proliferation of design schools in recent years, there is still an acute shortage of places that actually question what design is," said Joseph Grima.

"Design Academy Eindhoven isn’t a school where students simply learn design—they design design, and each day rethink the parameters through which it shapes society. I look forward to working with the Academy’s exceptional staff to help them build a place in which the future is born."

The position of Creative Director is considered essential to Design Academy Eindhoven. The Supervisory Board of the Design Academy consulted (former) students and professionals both inside and outside the Academy before starting the search. Both the Works Council and the Student Council were involved in the process. 

"We looked for someone with an international perspective on design and a heartfelt interest in education. Joseph Grima fits those criteria: his views on design and society and his international experience will benefit the students and the Academy," said Gitta Luiten, chair of the Supervisory Board.

Grima will share his board responsibilities with current board member Jurriënne Ossewold, Director Education, Research and Organisation. 

Top image courtesy of Design Academy Eindhoven

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