Design Map · Eindhoven
My Cocoon
Graduation project by Jip van Someren at Design Academy Eindhoven, 2026. Shown during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven on Design Map, location F5.
A towering steel structure offers a physical response to emotional overload. Formed from roughly 200 metres of bent, cut and welded concrete reinforcing rods, it rises as a pointed, creature-like shell that feels both aggressive and protective. The project grows from a sense of helplessness in Jip van Someren. Brought on by constant news about conflict and crisis, where action feels futile and silence feels complicit. Out of this tension came the need for a space that could hold intense emotions.
Although the exterior appears closed and imposing, perforations offer brief views of the outside world while keeping the person inside hidden. Its heavy steel door requires outside help to open. Working mostly at night, when the world is quiet, Jip van Someren shaped the cocoon through slow, repetitive labour that provided a temporary escape. The result offers a healthier daytime alternative that holds a fragile balance between retreat and care.