About.
Colin Keays (1994) is a spatial designer based between the Netherlands and the UK. His work sits at the intersection of research, curation and critical spatial practice, with a sharp focus on social and political factors that shape the built environment.
He holds an MA in Contextual Design from the Design Academy Eindhoven (2019), and a BA from the Manchester School of Architecture (2016) with First Class Hons. His graduation project from the Design Academy, “Soon All This Will Be Picturesque Ruins”, which explored the relationship between gentrification and queer space, was nominated for the Gijs Bakker Award for excellence in design research, and was displayed as a solo exhibition at TAC in July 2020. He developed the project Crisis/Utopia in 2020 for a special online edition of the GEO–DESIGN exhibition platform, examining the long-term spatial and political consequences of the covid-19 pandemic.
Colin is currently based in Rotterdam. In addition to his design practice, he frequently collaborates on a number of different design, research and curatorial projects. He has been a founding member of the Editorial Team at Design Academy Eindhoven since November 2020, and has recently collaborated on a number of projects with Cookies in Rotterdam.
Selected Writing
‘But what if all the August work ends up being about coronavirus?’ Editorial Concept for DAE Graduation Catalogue[in collaboration with Anastasia Kubrak], October 2020
After the Gay Bar, The Uncertain Future of Queer Space, Failed Architecture, July 2020
Learning from Efteling: Contemporary Public Space as a Theme Park, Perspectives from C Magazine, Eindhoven [Print] 2019; Available upon request
A Little About Us, Eindhoven Footnotes: Criticism in the City, Onomatopee, March 2019
A Re-Orientation Towards The Digital, PNYX, October 2018
Exhibitions, Talks & Events
Rainbow’s End – [Online Exhibition] Creative Coding Utrecht, April 2021
GEO–DESIGN: Covid 19 – [Online Exhibition] September 2020
‘A Nostalgia For the Mud?’ Queering the Smooth City –[Lecture] Independet School for the City, Rotterdam, August 2020
“Soon All This Will Be Picturesque Ruins”, [Solo Exhibition] at TAC, Eindhoven, June 2020
Designers Dialogues, [Conversation] RaRaRadio, July 2020
DAE Graduation Show, Curatorial Team, Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven, 2019
Press Coverage
GEO–DESIGN: Covid-19. Travelling without Moving, Damn Magazine, November 2020
GEO–DESIGN, e-flux Architecture, October 2020
Best Of: Social Design at Dutch Design Week 2019, FRAME, October 2019
![]()
Colin Keays (1994) is a spatial designer based between the Netherlands and the UK. His work sits at the intersection of research, curation and critical spatial practice, with a sharp focus on social and political factors that shape the built environment.
He holds an MA in Contextual Design from the Design Academy Eindhoven (2019), and a BA from the Manchester School of Architecture (2016) with First Class Hons. His graduation project from the Design Academy, “Soon All This Will Be Picturesque Ruins”, which explored the relationship between gentrification and queer space, was nominated for the Gijs Bakker Award for excellence in design research, and was displayed as a solo exhibition at TAC in July 2020. He developed the project Crisis/Utopia in 2020 for a special online edition of the GEO–DESIGN exhibition platform, examining the long-term spatial and political consequences of the covid-19 pandemic.
Colin is currently based in Rotterdam. In addition to his design practice, he frequently collaborates on a number of different design, research and curatorial projects. He has been a founding member of the Editorial Team at Design Academy Eindhoven since November 2020, and has recently collaborated on a number of projects with Cookies in Rotterdam.
Selected Writing
‘But what if all the August work ends up being about coronavirus?’ Editorial Concept for DAE Graduation Catalogue[in collaboration with Anastasia Kubrak], October 2020
After the Gay Bar, The Uncertain Future of Queer Space, Failed Architecture, July 2020
Learning from Efteling: Contemporary Public Space as a Theme Park, Perspectives from C Magazine, Eindhoven [Print] 2019; Available upon request
A Little About Us, Eindhoven Footnotes: Criticism in the City, Onomatopee, March 2019
A Re-Orientation Towards The Digital, PNYX, October 2018
Exhibitions, Talks & Events
Rainbow’s End – [Online Exhibition] Creative Coding Utrecht, April 2021
GEO–DESIGN: Covid 19 – [Online Exhibition] September 2020
‘A Nostalgia For the Mud?’ Queering the Smooth City –[Lecture] Independet School for the City, Rotterdam, August 2020
“Soon All This Will Be Picturesque Ruins”, [Solo Exhibition] at TAC, Eindhoven, June 2020
Designers Dialogues, [Conversation] RaRaRadio, July 2020
DAE Graduation Show, Curatorial Team, Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven, 2019
Press Coverage
GEO–DESIGN: Covid-19. Travelling without Moving, Damn Magazine, November 2020
GEO–DESIGN, e-flux Architecture, October 2020
Best Of: Social Design at Dutch Design Week 2019, FRAME, October 2019
