VENICE DESIGN 2017 - Designing Cultures Studies at the Venice Biennale

VENICE DESIGN 2017 is the largest design exhibition running alongside La Biennale di Venezia. During the Art Biennial, from May 13th to November 26th 2017, VENICE DESIGN intends to show a glimpse of the approaches of today’s international designers and is a testimony as well as an evidence of the current design scene. For its second consecutive year, the exhibition will be hosted by the European Cultural Centre in the historical location of Palazzo Michiel, facing the Grand Canal in the very heart of Venice.

Around 50 creators from 25 different countries and of various cultural backgrounds, ages and points in their career are invited to present their concepts and approaches towards design. Palazzo Michiel has become the place where design perspectives confront themselves and VENICE DESIGN takes the shape of an international platform for design investigations, contemporary mutations and innovative creative attitudes.

From an observation of today’s design scene, the vast and precious collection of creations in VENICE DESIGN offers a reflection on its paradoxes and analogies. Inspiring and fascinating, each creation in Palazzo Michiel is here to raise curiosity and interest towards the role of design in our daily life and dreams. Each design represents a keen research to be ultimately accomplished by the creation of an item; this may be a unique piece of furniture, a both beautiful and functional object, a light system, a piece of jewellery, an illustration or a hybrid between any of these.

In addition, VENICE DESIGN has the pleasure to host the exhibition “NO TASTE FOR BAD TASTE so Starck, so Bouroullec …so Le French Design” by the VIA. The exhibition is taking a world tour and will be visiting Palazzo Rossini in Venice this summer. 10 essential values of French design will be highlighted by 40 iconic pieces from the best French designers among them Philippe Starck, Erwan & Ronan Bouroullec and matali crasset. The masterpieces are selected by a prestigious think-tank of 40 internationally renowned figures, with an original scenography by designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.

While Palazzo Michiel has become the platform to host an international vision on design, VENICE DESIGN also intends to show its visitors the design landscape of Venice. A city map has been created enabling our visitors to discover around 40 independent designers all living and working in Venice. This collaboration between VENICE DESIGN and Venetian designers invites visitors to find new inspiration by exploring the singular traditions and original design processes taking place in Venice, sometimes in plain sight, sometimes tucked away in an alley.

VENUE : European Cultural Centre, Palazzo Michiel LOCATION : Venice, Italy ORGANIZER : GAA Foundation CURATOR : Nina Dorigo OPENING PERIOD : 13th of May - 26th of November 2017 (preview: 11th & 12th of May 2017)

Participating designers of VENICE DESIGN are:

Nendo (JPN), Asher Israelow Studio (USA), Kinetura (BEL), Pierre Cardin (FRA), Studio Florentijn Hofman (NLD), DEUTSU (DEU), VIA - “NO TASTE FOR BAD TASTE so Starck, so Bouroullec … so Le French Design” (FRA), Orley Shabahang (USA), JARKEN (THA), Jouni Leino (FIN), Hervet Manufacturier (FRA), Anton Hendrik Denys (BEL), TRUE-TREU (TUR), Steen Higham (DNK), Sang Yoon Kim -Listen Communication (KOR), Alessandro Ciffo (ITA), Jonathan Browning Studios (USA), Merve Kahraman (TUR), Carolin Zeyher (DEU), Gerard Kuijpers (BEL), Wael Farran (LBN), Yi Chen & Muchen Zhang (CHN), Valeria Montaña (COL), Luca Casini (ITA), Isaac Monté (NLD), Hiroki Takada (JPN), LOLO PALAZZO (NLD), Estúdio Ronald Sasson (BRA), Jomo Tariku (USA), Studio Heike Buchfelder (DEU), Designing Cultures Studio-Jesvin Yeo (SGP), Marie-Louise Hellgren (SWE), Barbara Prinčič (SVN), Eckhard Beger - ArteNemus (CHE), Jenny Ritzenhoff (DEU), TOZ design (TUR), Leony van Schalm (NLD), Ekaterina Elizarova (RUS), MS&WOOD (BIH), ATELIER OPA (JPN), Revology (NZL), Studio KBB (DEN), Studio Nina Lieven (DEU), Ari Korolainen (FIN), Pao Hui Kao (TWN), Vedran Erceg (HRV), Daniela Buonvino (ITA), The Cabinet (HKN), Tiago Sá da Costa Design Studio (PRT), Gisela Simas - Original Practical Design Limited (BRA) and Carmadesign (ITA).

Acknowledgement:

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education [AcRF Tier 1]; School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University [ADM Exhibition Fund 2017].