An idea back in 2007 by three design enthusiasts called Lilli Hollein, Tulga Beyerle and Thomas Geisler, who together form the Neigungsgruppe Design, is one of Europe’s most exciting design festivals today. The Vienna Design Week is taking place for the 11th time. Director Lilli Hollein is presenting an extensive programme: visitors will be able to go to 190 events featuring architectural, graphic, product, furniture, industrial, experimental and social design. In addition to its broad understanding of design, the Vienna Design Week also stands apart for its clear structure: in addition to workshops, the festival owes its success to a new Focus District, which is the Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus this year. It’s also popular for its collaboration with a guest country, which is Romania in 2017, as well as exciting formats such as the Passionswege, where manufacturers and designers get together on an informal basis to sound out collaboration opportunities.
This year’s Design Week has two festival centres: all the festival talks are taking place at the Süd festival headquarters on Sparkassaplatz 4, a building by Johan Georg Gesteu from the period of Germany’s industrial revolution with its distinctive porthole windows on the two ground floors. The Blaue Haus on Europaplatz 1 is the festival’s Nord headquarters with an info desk, lots of things to look at and a pop-up café.
The Liebes Kreta social lab is also part of the Design Week. The lab sprung up in the Kreta neighbourhood around the former Ankerbrot factory in the 10th district in 2016 and its goal is long-term collaboration with the residents. The Ankerbrotfabrik cultural centre, where the Wilkhahn showroom is also situated, isn’t one of the festival’s venues because of its location to the east of the Focus District, but is definitely worth going to see due to all its galleries and art spaces.
Vienna Design Week: 29.9.-8.10.2017
Click here for the full programme of events at the Vienna Design Week: www.viennadesignweek.at
Click here for the Wilkhahn showroom in Vienna: www.wilkhahn.com/en/service/dealers