BIO 50
24th Biennial of Design, Ljubljana, Slovenia
September 18–December 7, 2014
Museum of Architecture and Design
Biennial of Design
Pot na Fužine 2
SI-1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
www.bio.si
www.mao.si
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Chief Curator: Jan Boelen, Z33
Co-curators: Cvetka Požar, Maja Vardjan, MAO
On 18 September, the results of an unprecedented collaborative effort will take the stage in Ljubljana, as BIO 50, 24th Biennial of Design, opens its doors to the public unveiling of the results of an ambitious six-month work process with 11 teams. A steady course of events will mark the opening of the Biennial on 18 September, including presentation of Award for Best Collaboration by BIO 50 jury comprising industrial designer Konstantin Grcic, design critic Alice Rawsthorn and designer and professor Saša J. Mächtig, talk with Alice Rawsthorn, Justin McGuirk and Jan Boelen, opening of exhibitions at the Museum of Architecture and Design, Jakopič Gallery and Museum of Modern Art and a rich network of events in the city. Join us in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Biennial of Design, which seeks to redefine what a design event can be!
Following the vibrant February kick-off of BIO 50, which reunited more than 120 participants in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the collaborative work has continued at a steady pace, with participants engaging in creative, unexpected ways to communicate, organize, and progress in their design process. “From a constant postcard exchange between the Walking the City team members, to Skype dinners with diverse ingredients organised by the Knowing Food group, the participants have found countless ways to surprise us, displaying an engaging resourcefulness and boundless enthusiasm,” said BIO 50 curator Jan Boelen.
Invited by the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) to curate this jubilee edition of the Biennial, Boelen changed the Biennial’s concept into a new innovative form of design event advancing from international competition toward collaboration and experimentation. “The anniversary of the Biennial is the right moment to review the five decades of BIO and try to understand the wider context. If the Biennial of Industrial Design started and for the past fifty years practiced criticism of the trivial by presenting the outstanding, then BIO 50 is its exact opposite. By utilizing the trivial and the reality, it is criticism of the outstanding and the elite. At the same time, BIO 50 is an attempt to look for and find the outstanding within the routine everyday life. The Biennial is positioned in the role, which should be in the future a lot more research-based and experimental,” explains Matevž Čelik, the director of Museum of Architecture and Design.
During the course of six months, more than 100 multidisciplinary participants from 20 countries are participating in BIO 50, engaging in the themes of Affordable Living, Knowing Food, Public Water Public Space, Walking the City, Hidden Crafts, The Fashion System, Hacking Households, Nanotourism, Engine Blocks, Observing Space and Designing Life. For each team, international and Slovene mentors have elaborated a project brief, guiding and overseeing the process, while team members with diverse experiences, knowledge and motivation are developing one or more projects to present at the Biennial. From 18 September to 7 December in Ljubljana, BIO 50 will present the outcomes of each team’s work in an exhibition at the Museum of Architecture and Design, Jakopič Gallery and in the Museum of Modern Art. Each team’s progress and resulting projects will be published in an accompanying book.
The main show will be accompanied by an exhibition titled The Biennial of (Industrial) Design over Fifty Years, shedding light on the transformation and shifts in the discipline of design, our society, and ultimately everyday life. Alongside these visions of the future and reflections on the past, a lively program of events, exhibits and lectures will animate the city of Ljubljana for the duration of the Biennial.
For this year’s edition, the Biennial has maintained strong connections with the main partners, sponsors and supporters. Their support allow establishing a new, innovative form of the Biennial as a highly relevant international design event. The main partners of the BIO 50 became the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region and its Regional Creative Economy Centre and company Eles, d. o. o., supporting the event’s concept, interdisciplinary approach and some of the themes.
BIO 50 Opening: Thursday, 18 September
10h Press preview and guided tour: Museum of Architecture and Design, Jakopič Gallery, Museum of Modern Art (accreditations only to infobio [at] mao.si).
18h Talk with Alice Rawsthorn, Justin McGuirk and Jan Boelen
20h BIO 50 Official opening at the Museum of Architecture and Design
