U-LIGHT and OLIVER selected for Belgium is Design
An exhibition organized by Belgium is Design and curated by Giovanna Massoni. Products, process and technical excellence contribute to a portrait of the mastery of Belgian design. A production of simple and honest objects: ironic and measured, ethical and authentic, just as Henry van de Velde imagined.
‘Belgium is Design’ is a declaration of passion for design, highlighting the unique characteristics of Belgium’s creative production. A joint declaration between the three different regions in the country, it recognizes that Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia are host to various talented designers that transcend cultural, linguistic and sociological differences to form a unique style. It is an approach that qualifies the statement ‘Belgium is Design’.
‘Belgium is Design’ is a common label for the collective actions organized in Belgium and abroad by the following institutions: Wallonie-Bruxelles Design Mode, Design Flanders, and MAD Brussels – Centre of Fashion and Design. And it is also enthusiastically supported by the Flemish, Walloon and Brussels export promoting organizations: Flanders Investment & Trade, AWEX and Brussels Invest & Export.
Each year many Belgian firms attend Milan Design Week, largely at Salone del Mobile’s fairground site. The fair and its expansive off-programme in the city is the most important design event in the world, where producers, buyers, the press, and all those associated with the industry assemble annually. As such, Belgian governmental initiatives support their presence and try to stimulate new talent to connect to an international audience in this setting.
In the Belgian federal system, promotion of export is predominantly a regional concern. Each region, Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia, attends the Milan Design Week through its own initiative and has done so for many years. In this crowded event, however, it is vital to find a way to stand out and get maximum exposure. Since the whole is more than the sum of its parts, the regional agencies for the promotion of design joined forces with those for international entrepreneurship. In the beginning, by communicating jointly on the Belgian presence in Milan, giving an overview of the different public and private initiatives, but since 2011 a common approach has evolved further. The various government initiatives have now been integrated into a single presentation, always under the auspices, of course, of ‘Belgium is Design’. This year, as in 2012, the design of Belgium has chosen the fittingly emblematic location of La Triennale di Milano to showcase its talents. While the SaloneSatellite, the international platform for emerging design promoted by Cosmit at the fairground, continues to be an effective springboard for many Belgian designers that has been supported by the regional institutions for nearly a decade.
DESIGNERS
A+ZDesign | Philippe Allaeys | aM | Alain Berteau | Michaël Bihain | Raphaël Charles | chevalier-masson | Jean-François D’Or | Filip De Coene | Herman De Koninck | Benoît Deneufbourg | Nathalie Dewez | Caroline Dobbs | Damien Gernay | Alain Gilles | Pauline Gorelov | Martine Gyselbrecht | Kaspar Hamacher | Linde Hermans | Norayr Khachatryan | Krizalidstudio | Lhoas & Lhoas | Xavier Lust | Maison Caro | Maison Marie Mees Cathérine Biasino | Hugo Meert | Alain Monnens | Muller Van Severen | Julien Renault | Frédéric Richard | stefan schöning | Diane Steverlynck | Pieter Stockmans & Pierre Marcolini | Studio Segers | Roel Vandebeek | Mathias van de Walle | Sylvain Willenz
DESIGN COMPANIES
ABV | Alfred | Arte International | Buzzispace | Chair me! | Cubex | De Zetel | Durlet | Indera | JOV | Limited Edition | Linadura | Liparus | Moca | Mookum | Oxygène | Reflect+ | Souveraine | Studio Pieter Stockmans | tossB | Vasco | Victor Hunt
MANUFACTURING COMPANIES
AMG Moor | Art Casting | Asp | Ateliers Georis | Bloctex | Clem | Constant Beerden | Cousy | Delhez | E-Max | Europal | Handmade | Houtbuigerij G. Desmet | Metafox | Menuiserie Massart | PPCI | Raes-Constructies | Rubis | SMD | Superdye | Tournerie Ploumen | Triline | Walnutsgroove
SERVICES
Rotor / Opalis project
LOCATION
La Triennale di Milano
Viale Alemagna 6
20121 Milan
Open daily: 10.30am – 10pm
photos by Serge Anton