Tallinn Design Night starts September 25th 21.09.2014
DISCOVER GOOD DESIGN! The times when the value of design was measured purely based on appearance and beauty are over. Contemporary design consists of integrated dynamic processes which give rise to functional, long-lasting, approachable and adjustable smart products which are comfortable to use, make our lives easier, create emotions and look great. In addition to this, improving our environment and existent services, creating new ones and combining them with products play an important role in creating well-being – this is what service design sets out to achieve.
In the ever-changing world, those who are innovative stand out – those who learn from their mistakes, who can turn the values created by design into business and export and integrate design with other disciplines. All this, in turn, helps to expand the economy and develop Estonian design culture.
IX Design Night festival which takes place on September 25-28, offers local design lovers yet another invigorating dose of international design and introduces good Estonian design. It is the year of design awards – the BRUNO product design award is given out and the best graphic designers, service designers and young designers are rewarded at the Estonian Design Awards gala. The award exhibition takes place in the NO99 theatre and the festive awards gala is held in the Lilleküla football hall.
The meatier part of the programme consists of a design seminar and workshops. This year, the international seminar "Design Misstakes and Lessons Learned" concentrates on the mistakes, challenges and lessons learned. Among others, the accessories designer Elissa Bloom (USA), industrial designer Paolo Favaretto (Italy), design strategist Steinar Valade-Amland (Denmark), journalist Michael Dumiak(USA), designers Tania De Bruycker (Belgium) and Martin Pärn (Estonia) are giving presentations.
In order to be able to distinguish between good and bad design, we are organising a campaign where we collect examples of user-hostile design with possible solutions for improvement. Design students, professionals and everyone who wants to make the world a better place are welcome to take part. The results are displayed at the exhibition "Design Misstakes".
This year’s festival programme includes several design education workshops and exhibitions. The younger design fans can visit the former Helios cinema where an exhibition of works from design schools is displayed. Young students can also take part of the festival – the presentation of Polish author Ewa Solarzi children book "D.I.S.A.I.N." and Aleksandra and Daniel Mizieliński’s exhibition of illustrations and Polish designers display. Furthermore, the children’s product development project Real Design which started in May, where carpets and lights are industrially manufactured based on the designs of year 7 students, will also take the form of an exhibition. In cooperation with the Estonian Research Council, a nationalcompetition for student inventors is introduced which gives students the opportunity to improve our environment and life. Different museums and universities which are associated with the built environment– Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, Museum of Estonian Architecture, Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn University - take part in the Design Night education programme.
The Estonian Academy of Arts celebrates its 100th jubilee in 2014. The programme of Design Night festival reflects on the diverse creative endeavors of the textile department and other achievements of the Estonian Academy of Arts. The Designers’ Face Book series continues.
As has become customary, the festival brings design from around the world to Estonia. "Tales of Heroes"is a non-traditional, conceptual Flemish design exhibition which introduces design objects through a unique display and simple stories. The exhibition remains open in the Design and Architecture Gallery until October. The young French designer Fabien Carrero Carsenat introduces his resin product collection with a Nordic touch. MdSt exhibition "Bodyworks" works oscillate on the border of industrial art and design. Finnish industrial artists and designers are planning to redesign the human-unfriendly environment at Lasnamäe as part of the urban art event Suur-Lasnamäe. In cooperation with Portuguese designers alight installation will be at the gate of Kultuurikatla Aed. Furthermore, the results of the bus stop pavilion project Generation 2.0 in cooperation between Italian and Estonian students are displayed.
Several other traditional events are included in the programme such as the PechaKucha Night lightning talks with international speakers, a charity auction, lighting displays and of course fashion show"Design Is in Fashion" which includes the quality textiles by the textile designer Mare Kelpmann and the new collection by the sustainable fashion designer Reet Aus.
Year by year, the interest among creative professionals to take part in the festival as a satellite and organise mini events and presentations has been increasing. For several years in a row, designers, interior architects and manufacturers have been brought together at a contact night. An overview exhibition ofindustrial textile design and poster exhibition "Made in Poland" is displayed at the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design.
Design Night window and pop-up shop will be opened at Departement Store. Estonian Design Houseshares design information.
Design Night festival is organised by NPO Disainiöö in cooperation with the Estonian Association of Designers. Estonian Design Centre, several embassies and others are involved in the festival. The Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the city of Tallinn support the festival.
