In October of each year, Dutch Design Week (DDW) takes place in Eindhoven. The biggest design event in Northern Europe presents work and ideas of more than 2500 designers to more than 275,000 visitors from home and abroad. In more than hundred locations across the city, DDW organises and facilitates exhibitions, lectures, prize ceremonies, networking events, debates and festivities.

DDW is different from other design events, because it concentrates on the designs of the future. Although during the event every imaginable discipline and aspect of design is on offer, the emphasis is on experiment, innovation and cross-overs. Exceptional attention each year goes to work and development of young talent.

Age of Wonderland (AoW) is a knowledge project of DDW in which creatives, the so-called ‘fellows’, from Africa, Asia and South America worked on a number of social themes. Upon invitation of Hivos and Baltan Laboratories six artists and creatives from Indonesia, Tanzania, Chilli, Guatemala and Iran researched and developped ideas and scenarios concerning big & open data during an incubation week in the Netherlands.

One of the six fellows in 2016 is Branly López from Guatemala. who studied the Mayan ancient philosophy and started working as a spiritual leader supporting people in his community. Whereas the industrialised world is collecting information accumulated into big data, López turns this approach 180 degrees around: he considers the ancient knowledge of the Maya as 'big cosmic data' .

This knowledge not only entail codes of information but also guards ancient wisdom about circular time-space data that has to be experienced personally and in communities.