Tactile Pureness
Curated by Elien Haentjens
BRUSSELS
Journalist and Belgian curator Elien Haentjen’s latest collection – which includes sustainable use of material wastes, tactile approaches to textile, and experimental jewellery – speaks to the variety of narratives and identities in the Belgian contemporary design scene as well as the sensual tactility that each piece evokes. Haentjens describes that these “creations are an invitation to slow down and to emotionally connect” and that, with this moment of connection, “their subtle beauty evokes quietness in our turbulent, often digitally driven world”.
Photo: “Knit” Pendant Light
by Joachim Froment / FUTUREWAVE
The premier destination to discover curated collectible design during the London Design Festival, 12-20 September featuring more than one-hundred independent designers from fourteen countries. Learn More & visit the online exhibitions at virtualdesigndestination.com.
New Traditions
Curated by William Bagnoli
GERMANY
As a collection, NEW TRADITIONS explores the uncomfortable, odd, and peculiar side of contemporary German design. It encourages audiences to reconsider their understanding of such an influential design scene and encounter the diverse, experimental, and undefinable contemporary collectible design scene of today.
Collective Memory / Self-Expression
Curated by Ana Dominguez Siemens
SPAIN
illuminating a design scene infused with multidisciplinary craft traditions and characterised by energetic and open-minded makers, “Collective Memory/Self-Expression” offers a view into a creative community seeking to share their individual artistic perspectives and reinvigorate Spanish design heritage in the present.
Featured Designer Showrooms
An Undertaken Eclecticism
Curated by Francois Leblanc Di Cicilia
FRANCE
From experiments with alternative materials to new approaches applied to familiar forms, each piece in this collection speaks to a sense of diversity and desire to explore the field of design.
Adorno Editorial
Wearable Art: Where Jewellery & Fashion Design Meet Crafts & Collectible Design
Wearable art finds itself at the intersection of jewellery and fashion design and collectible design. First developing in the 1930s and growing throughout the 1960s and 1970s as the “wearable art movement”, it has featured avant garde clothing, jewellery, headwear, and footwear and champions strong artistic statements. Most often handmade, these pieces emphasise the craftsmanship…
The Vase Edit: 7 Vases Perfect for the Material Enthusiast
From ceramic to glass, traditional shapes to new forms, discover a wide range of textural, colourful, and functional vases by makers from around the world. This edit explores the Adorno archives to bring together a curated selection of vases which portray ingenuity in their use of material. Woven rattan, textured rubber, blown glass, and innovative…
Best of Contemporary Design Market 2020: Top 10 Collectible Pieces from Curator Elien Haentjens
Over the past three weeks and continuing into next week, Brussels Design September 2020 has hosted cultural and commercial events for design enthusiasts across the city. This years theme, as described by Design September and in line with the ongoing uncertainty of the world, is change, with a “focus … on responsible consumption, keeping our…
“BACK TO BASICS”: Spain at Virtual Design Destination 2020
“The ‘back to basics’ mood was something that occurred naturally, it was a feeling of running away from anything artificial or ‘fantastic’, I felt the need to look at more human, more down to earth work.” – Ana Domínguez Siemens, curator of the Spanish collection, “BACK TO BASICS” “BACK TO BASICS” is part of the…
“Classic Nowness”: France at Virtual Design Destination 2020
“All influences show a great sense of freedom in this collection. Art is everywhere, as an approach or as references, and that would speak against this French heritage that loves to set up strict limitations for all fields. This collection of French design is free and joyful.” – François Leblanc Di Cicilia, curator of the…
“Ceci N’est Pas…”: Belgium at Virtual Design Destination 2020
“The collection started very intuitively from some pieces, which are made out of unconventional materials such as salt, eggshells, stone coal, or discarded marble. I like how these designers turn – at first sight – simple, commonplace materials into high-quality, exclusive products, and how they play with the conventions around value and whether something is…
“The Healing Collection”: The Netherlands at Virtual Design Desintation 2020
“The common thread is that all of the designers selected are working with different materials in new and unexpected ways. Either through taking traditional processes and techniques and re-thinking the way that they work with those techniques or by completely inventing new materials and techniques in unexpected ways either through technology or by hand.” –…
“LIVING OBJECTS”: Poland at Virtual Design Destination 2020
“The ‘New Reality’ for design means a juxtaposition of craft and technology, serial and individual, customised and mass-produced – all of those you can see in the selected items.” – Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka, curator of “LIVING OBJECTS” “LIVING OBJECTS” is part of the Virtual Design Destination presented by Adorno at London Design Festival, 12 – 20…
“Race with Nature”: Lithuania at Virtual Design Destination 2020
“…I wanted to select objects that could bring some peace to minds, restore a connection with nature and history, even if some of us are locked inside of our homes because of the virus, not knowing how the nearest future will look.” – Audronė Drungilaitė, curator of the Lithuanian collection, “Race with Nature” “Race with…
“Near and Far – Be Dazzled!”: Latvia at Virtual Design Destination 2020
“By choosing works for the collection, I was looking to designers of various disciplines and generations, united by the passion to discover new dimensions of material, as a result of endless experiments.” – Dita Danosa, curator of the Latvian collection, “Near and Far – Be Dazzled!” “Near and Far – Be Dazzled!” is part of…
“Can You Feel It?”: Estonia at Virtual Design Destination 2020
“The pieces in the collection all are in tune with the new reality we live in; [the] designers explore new possibilities and ways of being, but also refuse to not look back to the past.” – Kai Lobjakas & Anne Vetik, curator of the Estonian collection, “Can You Feel It?” “Can You Feel It?” is…
“Against the Burn”: Finland at Virtual Design Destination 2020
“It was like pieces of a puzzle that fell into place when drafting the underwater thematics. These works came immediately to my mind due to their visual and formal connection with the subaquatic theme.” – Suvi Salonemi, curator of the Finnish collection, “Against the Burn” “Against the Burn” is part of the Virtual Design Destination…
As seen on
“The Online Design Gallery Redefining ‘Nordic'”
JILL SINGER
