The 14th Design Night will take place from 16.09.2019 to 22.09.2019. The main venues are Noblessner, Telliskivi, and EAA, In addition, the DN satellites will carry out their own events and exhibitions in different parts of the city, and we will also move from Tallinn to Tartu.
The Festival will be called "Future Materials." The choice of the topic was due to the fact that designers and architects know relatively little about new modern materials and their effects. The choice of the topic was also helped by the fact that all plastic utensils, bags, and several other plastic items will soon be banned. There is an urgent need to respond by finding alternative natural materials, and this is an area where designers are increasingly collaborating with researchers.
In recent years, EAA has also focused on new materials, mainly bio-based. In terms of background, it is worth mentioning that there are many new materials invented and made from local algae (not directly using only algae but from different species, such as synthesizing furcellaran and alginate), which are of increasing interest to businesses. In addition, materials have been grown using a mushroom mycelium and keeping a bacterial pulp farm.
The Design Night Festival program includes educational presentations within the framework of the conference, workshops and an educational exhibition on materials and novel products that use eco-friendly materials. In Estonia, the keynote speaker of the topic is Ph.D. Kärt Ojavee with her team. Reet Aus, also holds a Ph.D. in Design, introducing, in addition to the upcycling method, also the products made of yarns making use of recycled garments. The international dimension and experience are shared by Zoe Powell and Riina Õun from London; Simone de Waart from Eindhoven. She is also the curator of the exhibition Material Sense and, under her guidance, material enthusiasts can make tangible products in the workshop. The exhibition The Future Begins Now from Hungary also focuses on environmental conservation. The conference of Experiential Knowledge Special Interest Group (EKSIG) brings to Tallinn 80 design research experts. The two-day conference will be held in EAA and will be chaired by Kristi Kuusk, the head of the new textile department.
However, there is no need to fear that the Design Night Festival will only focus too much on science. We continue to pay attention to the different areas of design, the entertainment program, and certainly to the creative people. For the first time, the Design Night program includes a separate children's workshop Oh, what a paper mess?!, led by Eva Liisa Kubinyi, the Master of Children's Design. In addition, ways to bring design thinking to schools will be sought.
The magnet for the younger audience of the Festival is the display of design schools in Telliskivi. Short lectures like PechaKucha and Me, Designer are popular among professionals in the area as well as cultural enthusiasts who want to improve their knowledge.
Different events are planned for socialization and entertainment. The Fashion show is dedicated to the topic of material related to the main topic of the festival.
The new format in the framework of the Design Night Festival is Growth Bar, the purpose of which is to bring together designers and investors. Designers will make a brief introduction (a pitch) of their products and business model, which will be presented to parties interested in investment.
The international recognition of the Festival is confirmed by the great interest of different countries for participation, which is growing as the festival approaches. Exhibits from the Netherlands, Hungary, France, UK, Poland and Ukraine are expected.
We will also introduce the top creation of the last two years of domestic poster artists from different generations and schools, giving an overview of the current exciting state of Estonian poster art. A professional international jury will select works from the competition-exhibition "ESTONIAN CULTURAL POSTER 2019" organized by the Haapsalu Graphic Design Festival.
Different installations will be placed in the Noblessner territory to revitalize the urban space. Light art and multimedia exhibition Dark Matter/White Noise will engage the brand new urban space in Noblessner and, at the same time, interfaces with the still undiscovered corners of the quarter. The festival is diversified by a dense satellite program; museums are also involved. Most events are free for guests. Design trade is gaining popularity. This year’s Design Street and Fashion Lane take place at Noblessner Shipyard, where one can purchase domestic designs.
