‘Arnhemse Nieuwe’ has been a jumpstart since 2006 for newly graduated designers from the ArtEZ Academy of Art & Design. This initiative by Ontwerp Platform Arnhem (OPA) gives young designers a flying start in the creative industry. Meet the Arnhemse Nieuwen 2025!
One of the graduates is Tabitha Skye Anderton, who graduated from ArtEZ Graphic Design. She was born in Livingston, Scotland, emigrated to Nijmegen at the age of five, and has lived there with her family ever since. She now lives in a student room in Arnhem, and will definitely stay in the Rhine city for at least another year.
A passion for graphic design
In upper secondary school she chose the profile Economics & Social Studies, but she was also interested in mathematics and technology. “I often drew abstract figures. From a young age I had a passion for graphic design, which turns out to be a good mix with technology. She describes herself as a thinker: “I love philosophy, research, and writing.” Before starting Graphic Design at ArtEZ, Tabitha followed the preparatory program Design: three classes every Saturday.
Trust the process
For her ArtEZ University of the Arts entrance exam, she chose a poster design, made sketches for Fine Art, and designed a dress made from Nespresso cups. That’s how she discovered her creations don’t necessarily have to be 2D. Today she enjoys working with installations, and Tabitha also makes books. She often stayed late at ArtEZ; she found the beginning of her studies quite difficult: “I had to learn to trust the making process, ‘trust the process,’ as they say. I was still thinking too much in boxes, in my safe zone.”
Looking critically at devices
The theme ‘Texture in the digital’ pulled her out of her comfort zone for good. Let’s fast-forward to her graduation project: Towards The Conscious Contact: Past Folds and Motion. For this, Tabitha created an interactive installation that investigates how we deal with our phones and other screens.
Her research focuses on the physical within the digital domain. “It’s always about content and rarely about how something feels. I wanted to bring the physical back into the digital,” she explains. “We no longer look critically at our devices. We use them every day, but how do they actually feel?” Her work is a paper sculpture nicknamed ‘The Creature.’ This living paper object starts ‘breathing’ when you touch the screen. Tabitha deliberately chose a hand-folded object, in contrast to the digital technology.
Friction
She also built in some obstacles so not everything works super smoothly. “I love friction,” she explains. “The speed of the sculpture’s breathing is influenced by the user’s interaction, for example by scrolling on a keyboard. This makes you feel responsible and you automatically become a kind of caretaker of the artwork. It confronts the user with the consequences of their actions and makes them reflect on their own phone use.” Tabitha first made scale models of randomly folded, origami-like stacks of paper, but her teacher advised her to go bigger instead. In the end, the work was finished exactly two days before the ArtEZ Finals.
Hunten Kunst
Tabitha submitted her graduation project for Hunten Kunst, which will take place next year at the DRU Factory in Ulft. She is now looking for a studio in Arnhem. In the coming period, Tabitha will focus on finding funding and clients, preferably in a mix of commissioned and independent work. She found it an honor to become one of the Arnhemse Nieuwe 2025: “I had a really good exchange with jury member Thijs van Exel. That truly helped me move forward.”
Want to become a member of OPA too?
Ontwerp Platform Arnhem has been offering a program for 20 years that identifies, presents, and discusses important developments within the (design) world. We are here for the individual designer/studio at every stage of their design practice. We are also here for policymakers, companies, innovators, and anyone else who is interested.
This article was originally written in dutch by Nicole Beaujean
