Foreign guests of 20th year!
12. 10. 2018
Celebrating its 20th year, Designblok announce Jaime Hayon as its star attraction alongside a host of renowned designers from abroad
Designblok, Prague’s annual design and fashion festival, will host a wide range of guests from abroad this year. The star attraction is Jaime Hayon, who will present his signature work at the Manifesto exhibition in Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace. Among the many international guests are Austrian design studio chmara.rosinke and Dutch designer Ineke Hans, while Matteo Cibic, Marcin Rusak and Philippe Cramer will showcase their latest projects at Art House. In addition to installations, the designers will present their work at various lectures and moderated debates. Designblok runs from October 25th to October 29th, 2018.
Jaime Hayon is one of the world’s leading and most respected designers, with clients including Cassina, Moooi, and Lladró. Hayon’s work is marked by a characteristic ease and playfulness, as the designer himself explains: “Design means bringing quality, but also ‘serious fun’, into each of my designs. So what do I mean by that exactly? I’m not talking about humour for humour’s sake. It’s more that I simply want to bring pleasure into the lives of people who use my designs. I also love the moment of discovery, which has two forms. Firstly, it’s discovering new manufacturing methods and the possibilities that the materials I’m working with offer and, secondly, the new cultures and ideas that I come across when I travel, which is something I do quite a lot. The best thing I can hope for is for some of the users of my designs to discover something about themselves through my pieces.” For this, Designblok’s 20th year, Hayon has designed a birthday cake, which forms part of Cosmocake, an installation featuring highlights of his most essential work.
Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace will also host Dutch designer Ineke Hans who is renowned for her folk-inspired creations. At Manifesto, she will launch her latest design made for Czech brand Křehký with which she has collaborated before. Inspired by insects and their lifecycles, French designer Marlène Huissoud – whose own studio celebrates 5 years this year – will present a collection of clay objects that express her unique approach to design. Other exhibiting designers include Austrian duo chmara.rosinke and Spanish designer Jorge Penadés, a previous winner of the Designblok Diploma Selection competition.
Located at the National Museum’s Lapidarium building, Art House continues its exploration of design as artform and its overlap with the contemporary art scene. Selected by guest curator Danica Kovářová, Editor-in-Chief of Dolce Vita, and Designblok curators Jana Zielinski and Jiří Macek, several generations of designers from the Czech Republic and Europe will present their creative approaches and methods. Matteo Cibice, Philipp Cramera and Marcin Rusak – new stars on the international design scene – will display their latest work side by side with the upcoming generation of designers. Anna Bera presents her new dining concept, Aneta Dvořáková her textile paintings, and GlassBrothers their lavish glassmaking homage to biking. Visitors to the Lapidarium will also get the chance to see projects by well-established Czech designers Jiří Pelcl, Liběna Rochová, Rony Plesl and Jiří Šuhájek in interaction with sculptures and architectural fragments.
Jana Zielinski, Director of Designblok, says: “This year, Designblok boasts a stellar line-up of leading designers from abroad. Thanks to the support from our partners, we’re celebrating our 20th year in the best way possible by showcasing the best of Czech design in an international context. The leading attractions this year include Jaime Hayon, Ineke Hans and Jacopo Foggini. But we’re also just as excited to see the upcoming generation of designers emerging, and equally delighted to be showcasing past winners of the Diploma Selection competition who are all now respected figures on the international scene.”
Featuring the best graduation work in product and fashion design, the Designblok Diploma Selection competition has been an integral part of the festival for many years. Fifteen finalists in each of two categories are shortlisted by an international jury, comprising prominent figures from the art and gallery scene from Europe and the USA. Diploma Selection design products will be displayed at Openstudio, with fashion projects presented at various fashion shows.
