In case the new IKEA catalogue – which just dropped – doesn’t satisfy all your aesthetic needs, Design September is god-sent.
Since 2006, the entire city of Brussels has bathed in a design-themed atmosphere for three weeks during September. Nearly 80 events are planned at 100 different locations, making for an action-packed programme. Design September not only acknowledges that “design” is a broad denominator, it addresses it quite creatively. Everything from furniture, objects and industrial products to graphic design and architecture is well represented. Those who want a taste of everything, better clear their schedules.
Design September bears a close resemblance to a festival. Design fans celebrate their shared love of artfully constructed objects and products, in a manner much more fun than any given art or design fair. While going from one location to another, visitors also get an eyeful of a Brussels they probably haven’t seen before.
Exhibitions are held at museums, galleries and in the Brussels Royal Academy of Fine Art, so, by visiting any number of the events, you’ll get a unique view on the different places where design feels at home. To make things easy, the arts centre-cum-club Recyclart offers visitors a handy map, which takes you on a walk through Brussels, passing through public events Recyclart has coordinated, among other entertainments.
Of the many choices, I suggest you don’t skip the Young Belgian Lighting Designers exhibition at Septante-Sept, which is your chance to discover home-grown talent and the beautiful boutique where they tend to find their first support.
More Belgian design can be found at the Architecture Museum La Loge, where the nominees of the Dynamo Belgian Young Design Awards showcase their inspired creations.
For Belgian design with an Italian touch, head over to the Espace Bizarre to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Arne Quinze’s Primary Pouf 01. Two Italian architects living and working in Belgium, Susanna Campogrande and Anna Termite, have designed an installation dedicated to Quinze and to Milan.
Finally, we wouldn’t want you to miss the guided tour of the Plasticarium on 26 September. Though the contents of this museum may not be 100% Belgian, its owner most definitely is. Philippe Decelle has collected thousands of plastic pieces over the years, from various decades, designers and brands. Belgians are mostly unaware of this museum, and unjustly so. The collection offers a broad overview of the potential of plastic, and its owner is downright plastic passionate.
But wait, there’s more. One very popular aspect of Design September is the designer open doors – where designers open up their studios to the public. Getting a tour by a local designer lets you get beyond the objects to the process and the person.
This year, architects are also opening their ateliers, thus successfully blurring the lines of a more rigorous definition of design.
That definition didn’t work for POParchitects to begin with. Their offices fit within the structure of the multidisciplinary SNAPstudio, which lends a framework to different projects in art and design. “Architecture can’t limit itself to its own area of expertise; it has to be a combination of activities,” explains Nicolas Coets of POP.
In September in Brussels, design even spreads to your plate. The Food & Wine Academy invited several restaurants to offer special menus, inspired by Belgian glass manufacturer Durobor’s industrial design for verrines – savoury foods or desserts served layered in a glass.
Obviously, Design September is not just about looking (or eating) but also learning. Belgian designer Charles Kaisin, for instance, guides visitors through the exhibition on his work from the last 10 years, focusing on two themes: movement and recycling. New York-based Karim Rashid holds a conference at the end of the month, which will pull in design freaks of all types. His work, though young and modern, is legendary. With more than 3,000 furniture and object designs, plus landmark interior designs, he’s raked in about 300 awards and still finds time to dabble in music, art and fashion. His views will surely give an idea of how creative design can cross any border.
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