Vienna Design Week 2023. Creative potential of the city. Is it still design or is it already art?

Once again, Vienna became the capital of design during the 17. edition of VIENNA DESIGN WEEK (22.-01.10.2023). This year, the organisers focused on the multifaceted and culturally diverse Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district. Appreciated for its juxtaposition of historic and modern architecture, this part of the city is well-known for its abundant greenery, Wiener Prater (the world’s oldest amusement park), and its historic significance in relation to Jewish culture. Despite the extensive destruction by the Nazis, the district still houses many synagogues, Jewish stores, and restaurants. In 1873, Leopoldstadt hosted the International Exhibition, combining state-of-the-art solutions with a promotion of culture, just like the Vienna Design Week does today. Without a doubt, the district is filled with inspiration and demonstrates the creative potential of the city.

“VIENNA DESIGN WEEK has been an integral part and a kick-starter of Viennese cultural life for 17 years now. It combines what makes Vienna attractive to guests from all over the world: art, culture, and design, embedded in a dense international network. The Vienna Tourist Board has been supporting VIENNA DESIGN WEEK for many years because we are convinced that a city’s attraction is closely linked to its creative potential. VIENNA DESIGN WEEK shows every year that Vienna’s artistic, cultural, and social life never stands still, and that there are many reasons to visit this city.” – Norbert Kettner, Managing Director, Vienna Tourist Board.

This year’s festival headquarters are located in the former hotel at the fringes of Wiener Prater. The interiors were transformed into exhibition spaces for the duration of the festival. However, the festival takes place in multiple venues. For ten days, Vienna lived and breathed design, in its most diverse and experimental nature.

Design and art – seeking the extraordinary

At the festival centre, the FOKUS exhibition immediately drew one’s attention. The project, a group show curated by a different person each year, was inaugurated in the previous festival edition and featured local and international pieces engaging with a specific subject. An integral element of the project was the space designed specifically for this event, accentuating the objects on display. 

This year’s edition, titled THE SERIES, was curated by Laura Houseley and challenged the common belief that design relies on the concepts of objects produced in industrial series. Laura Houseley undermined this belief by presenting works that raised thought provoking questions about design: How can we translate the most ingenious and expressive methods of industrial serial production into small-scale processes? How is maintaining originality possible in the face of mass production?

The curator selected designers who produce in small series, allowing them to maintain their independence. Many of them avoid scaling up their products, choosing to emphasise a smaller, more personalised approach to production. Through the medium of design or art, these creators pursue the extraordinary and poetic, going beyond the conventional product cycles.

Undeniably, ‘series’ shape the design market. Designers participating in the exhibition create objects characterised by a repetition of form and material, yet each item remains entirely unique. In this context, the imperfect production process is highlighted rather than concealed. A remarkable display showcased a collection of distinctive objects created by Erika Emerén. Her collection, “THE SHINY LITTLE TREAT,” compromises ceramic objects that seem deceptively edible. This series, named “Shiny Little Treat,”originated as a research project exploring the parallels between baking techniques and ceramic production. The artist employs baking to create her ceramic objects, resulting in sculptural and intricately ornate forms.

‘CHUNK’ is another example of a unique series created by Ward Wijnant. The designer subverts the common production processes and applied materials by crafting unorthodox objects, including candelabras and mirrors. These items, shaped under high pressure and adorned with hand-applied aluminium foil, possess a distinct texture and weight. One is left wondering whether it is still design or perhaps already art. Maybe innovative decorative art is the future of design, or design may well be the future of art.

The festival is structured with several sections, each of which focuses on distinct facets of design. The PLATFORM programme is consistently developed  in close collaboration with the festival team, Austrian and international companies, museums, cultural institutions, universities, galleries, as well as architecture and design studios of varying sizes. The section is renowned for projects created specifically for the festival.

Design and art gallery

Laura Houseley’s curated exhibition centred on the regulations of the design industry, mass production, and the imperative to preserve originality. In contrast, the presentation titled ‘GARTEN at the gallery rauminhalt in Vienna ventured into another interesting facet of this world. The exhibition aimed to bridge the gap between design, art, and everyday objects, presenting its pieces in unconventional settings. Artists Anna Zimmermann, Bettina Willnauer, Lino Gasparitsch, and Klemens Schillinger explored the theme of a garden, offering creative commentary on its symbolism. Their work raised questions about the contemporary meaning of “the Garden of Eden,” which is often reduced to a piece of private property imposing constraints on nature in today’s context.

Hotel experience

The designers were granted access to the rooms of a former hotel, as well as the festival headquarters, where they enjoyed complete creative freedom in interpreting the existing space and showcasing their work. Hotel Room 402 stood out as particularly enthralling. Arranged by industrial design students Liza Sočan and Xaver Kuster, the installation probed the limits of design, as their imagination was stimulated by the somewhat unpleasant and grim interior of a hotel room. Kuster designed elements that intensified a feeling of unease, while Sočan was more interested in ‘edible art’ and prepared a special dessert served to the guests of Room 402. The installation had a performative character, allowing visitors to savour the student-made dessert during two evenings of the festival. This sweet treat, made from jello and chocolate, was an art piece in itself, both in form and taste. Presented on a piece of furniture designed by Kuster, along with the serving dish, it formed a harmonious whole—partly an edible sculpture and partly a work of art.

Design without borders – global dialogue

The international exhibition programmed as part of the PLATFORM, hosted at the Collegium Hungaricum, featured a selection of works from the annual ‘Design without Borders’ (DWB)—a show that has been taking place annually in Budapest since 2004, and has since become one of the most significant exhibitions of art and design. ‘Design without Borders,’ initiated by Szilvia Szigeti, a textile designer, and her husband, Tamás Radnóti, is primarily a platform for international dialogue about design, expanding its definition, interpretations, and emphasising creative approaches and innovation.  Staying true to the founder’s vision, the displayed works and projects brought together diverse disciplines—design, visual arts, fine arts, and performative arts. Form, however, was not the focal point of the exhibition. Notably, many of the participating artists are engaged in social and environmental issues, such as sustainable development and social responsibility. The exhibition in Vienna featured furniture, textiles, glass, and jewellery, made by 82 artists hailing from 14 different countries. 

One of the most fascinating works on display was the “Trabant Sofa” by Regős István, which directly addressed the subject of borders, reflecting the exhibition’s title. While primarily known for his paintings, the artist is also a proponent of design in Hungary. The object, made from an authentic Trabant cat’s backseat, was inspired by the Pan-European Picnic in August 1989, a pivotal event that took place on the Austria-Hungary border. It marked one of the initial and irreversible cracks in the Iron Curtain, ultimately leading to the establishment of a borderless Europe. The absurdity and surprise of that moment were magnified by the sight of Trabant and Wartburg cars parked with their side doors open, pushed to the side of the road. The “Trabant Sofa” serves as a reminder of the past era and a functional element of home interior design.

New perspective on the classics

At the festival centre, visitors could also experience the ‘Mono 4T’ exhibition, organised in collaboration between the Mono brand and German Design Graduates, which serves as further evidence of the diverse nature of initiatives within the PLATFORM section, where the festival organisers joined forces with a private company.

Mono is a German brand specialising in the production of cutlery, teapots, and other kitchen accessories. The brand celebrates simple forms and a minimalist aesthetic, representing the highest standard in design and quality. German Design Graduates, on the other hand, promotes the next generation of industrial designers representing acclaimed German academies. In 2023, Mono extended invitations to ten young designers to participate in the Mono Residency, commemorating  the 40th anniversary of the legendary teapot, Mono Tea, designed by Tassilo von Grolman, which first appeared on the market in 1983. Its trademark is the size of the strainer that is almost as large as the pot itself.

Inspired by the material and design of the cult teapot, young designers created their own projects. The residency organisers were open to a playful approach to the form of a timeless classic, giving the graduates creative freedom to formulate their own response. The exhibition, presenting a dialogue between the contemporary and the traditional, featured ten artistic objects that alluded  in various ways to the Mono Tea product. For example, Matthias Gschwendtner’s work “Dots” transformed the cult classic into an explosion of colour by utilising the properties of borosilicate glass. Coloured glass dots were carefully melted and applied to the Mono glasses, combining a handcrafted finish with the industrially manufactured product to turn this teapot into a one-of-a-kind art piece—a sublime intervention that makes a profound impression. Julian Ribler’s “Bloom,” in contrast, highlighted the components of the Mono Tea, which tend to stay discreet. The combination of stainer trays and teapot plates creates a sculptural bouquet of flower.

PASSIONSWEGE – passion and experiment

Exceptional hats

Since its inception, the PASSIONSWEGE section of the festival has consistently emphasised the dialogue between local and international designers. This section provides a platform for experimentation, fostering the creation of objects and installations within the authentic workshops and headquarters of firms in Vienna. Freed from the commercial pressures, designers often arrive at some of the most unorthodox solutions.

Visiting milliner Eva Siebert’s workshop was an amazing experience. One could gain insight into a hat-making process, understand the selection and treatment of materials, and, most importantly, select the perfect hat for themselves. The philosophy of this young Viennese label centres on sustainability and crafting made-to-measure products designed to last a lifetime.

During the festival, visitors had the opportunity to admire a site-specific art installation ‘GRANDE PAILLE’ by Célia Picard and Hannes Schreckensberger. The piece began with straw braid, which also happens to be one of Eva Siebert’s favourite materials. When the French artists visited the small workshop at the invitation of festival organisers, they immediately chose straw as the foundation for their experiments. In their creative dialogue, the artists returned to the roots of this natural material. While, at first glance, their artistic objects might have seemed far-removed from the delicate straw hat, they remained close to the traditional use of the material. The objects were lightweight and mobile, just like a hat.

Vienna Design Week once again showcased the creative potential of the city. This year’s edition highlighted the connection between design and art, underlining the ongoing expansion of the definition of design through the exchange of experiences and ingenious ideas.