In 2016 the exhibitions within the international festival of design and visual culture ONE DESIGN WEEK, taking place in Plovdiv between June 10th and 19th, will present the work of 195 foreign and 132 Bulgarian artists. Among the guests will be some of the most famous names in contemporary design, and Bulgarian design will be worthily represented by both new and well established names.
The exhibitions include a variety of topics and techniques selected to give the audience an up close look at all the facets of modern design (graphic, technology, exhibitions, gaming, product, social, political, textile, poster, print, design of food, etc.), providing the opportunity for a first hand and fresh look at the global trends in the sector.
The festival, organized by the “ONE Foundation for Culture and Arts” with support from the Municipality of Plovdiv, the America for Bulgaria Foundation, Programista; and in support of Plovdiv 2019 – European Capital of Culture, will present the work of designers and artists from four continents and 22 countries within 24 exhibitions located throughout the various areas of Plovdiv – Kapana – a district of creative industries, spaces throughout the primary pedestrian street of Plovdiv, art galleries and cafes, the City Art gallery, Mexican Art, the central city plaza, the old Cinema “Kino Kosmos” and many others. The program of the festival includes the following exhibitions: “- Can I help you?” – An exhibition interpreting the central theme of the festival; “Additions. New Bulgarian Design in a Shop Window.”– A project presenting Bulgarian design, made in the last year curated by Studio Komplekt; HELP US TO HELP YOU BY DESIGN – presented by Tiltan School of Design and Visual Communication of Israel; Exhibition “Jubilee Poster: 50 years from the launch of Bombichka,” – which will present 12 winning graphic design posters in the joint design competition of the Bulgarian beer producer, Shumensko, and ONE DESIGN WEEK 2016; Chergodeiki – a new perspective on the endangered traditional craft – weaving; “Selection of Bulgarian ETSY Artists” prepared by ARTery – digital marketing agency; Posters UVT: With a smile – graphic design poster works by the students of Cyril and Methodius University in Veliko Tarnovo; “Black Bears for White Days / White Bears for Black Days” – a graduation project by the young graphic designer, Maria Nalbantova; Small Change, Big Difference – devoted to the work of the Dutch designer Dave Hakkens; Shuffle – an experiment in which calligraphic letters and printing techniques are combined in an interactive game; Young Package Exhibition 2016 – the results of an annual international competition for packaging design, that is aimed at young designers up to 30 years of age; My City, My Vibe: Stickers Trip Around The World – presented by Viber; Mixed Identities – presenting the work of five designers from Visegrad countries; Materiality Brutality – representing the work processes of four designers from the Nordic countries; Lost in Translation – collaboration of students from Werkplaats Typografie in Arnhem with colleagues from the National Art Academy in Sofia; Live a Little Kinder: IKEA Democratic Design for Sustainable Living; 3D Printing For Every Day; “Enabled For the Disabled” – 60 selected posters from the last edition of the International Poster Competition in Skopje; Connections, a Capsule Exhibition of Irish Design; “Bulgarian Ordinarities | Dutch Oddities”; “Bloctown” – an interactive piece by Revolution Tables; Almost – a new brand of Bulgarian furniture by the architectural team dontDIY; “100 Days of Need and Greed” – the latest project of Swedish designer, Christina Schultz; “Design Bookery by Lidl”.
Among the highlights of the eighth edition of Design Week are:
ONE DESIGN WEEK raises the question “Can I help you?” – Which can be asked both by the designers, and the people they serve. The question is the unpretentious and sincere intention to launch an in-depth dialogue. “- Can I help you?” is an exhibition curated by Raya Stefanova, with the goal of communicating the festival’s theme in relation to its contents. Address: Ul. “Hristo Dyukmedjiev” 10, Plovdiv.
Exhibition showing the results from the project MATERIALITY BRUTALITY, funded by the Nordic Culture Fund, features four designers from the Nordic countries – Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, experimenting in unconventional ways with a material well known to all of us – cement.
Address: Kino Kosmos, Plovdiv.
Exhibition showing the results of the project MIXED IDENTITIES, which takes place courtesy of International Visegrad Fund, presents the work of six designers from Visegrad countries that have experimented with traditional Bulgarian textile machinery in collaboration with a local factory – Predima Express. Address: City Art Gallery – Temporary Exhibition, Ul. “Knyaz Alexander I” 15.
Another highlight is “Additions. New Bulgarian Design in a Shop Window.”– the project presents Bulgarian design, created within the last year curated Studio Komplekt. The unique thing is that the 13 works are exhibited in shop windows along the main pedestrian street of the city.
The exhibition “Small Change, Big Difference” shows the results of ta collaboration of Dutch designer Dave Hakkens and the students from the club “Young constructor” at the Vocational School “Ivan Hadzhienov” in the town of Kazanlak. The exhibition will include demonstrations of the student-built machines and will present the latest project of Hakkens – “Story Hopper”. In it, through a series of videos, the designer presents his regular endeavors, travels and attempts to turn garbage into meaningful new objects for everyday life. His goal is for more people to be inspired by the idea that design is a powerful tool for changing the ways in which we interact with the world. Address: City Art Gallery – Temporary Exhibition, Ul. “Knyaz Alexander I” 15.
The exhibition Live a Little Kinder: IKEA Democratic Design for Sustainable Living presents the new collection of IKEA for greener living at home, that bears the motto Live a Little Kinder. With it, the Swedish company encourages us to adopt environmentally friendly lifestyle as an expression of our personal contribution to saving the planet. Ul. Kozhuharska 1, at the corner of Ul. Zlatarska and Kurtevich.
The exhibition My City, My Vibe: Stickers Trip Around The World – presents the stickers of the top finalists in the competition My City, My Vibe by Viber, along with the most distinctive sticker of Bulgarian participants. The exhibition will be a kind of walk through the world’s cities that inspired the creation of each one of the stickers. There will also be a surprise for a few lucky visitors – the opportunity to earn free and unlimited stickers on Viber.
Einav Roshu, Lead UI designer at Viber is coming specifically for the event, and will be the guest of honor participating with a presentation and a workshop. In the presentation she will talk about good and bad practices in interface design and will share inside information about the processes in the company. Address: Trap Gallery, Ul. Bratya Pulievi.
The exhibition Irish Design 2015 is a curated experience of Ireland created to raise awareness among the general public about the value of design for society, economy and culture. The exhibition, supported by the Government of Ireland, explores, promotes and pays tribute to the discipline for the first time in the country’s history for an entire year. Monthly events in the form of exhibitions, the presentation of 32 projects from various fields of design; discussions, workshops and presentations provided more information on Irish design, its heritage, its present and its future. Address: Our House Studio, str. “Hr. Dyukmedjiev “6.