Design Biennale 'Interieur', Belgium - 2010 edition opens
The 22nd edition (yes, that means it has been running since 1968) of this famous show kicked off yesterday in the provincial town of Kortrijk, West Belgium. Junya Ishigami of SANAA fame and recent Golden Lion Winner at the Venice Architecture Biennale is this year's guest of honour (so an extra large packet of frites for him). This is a bit of a turn up for the books so to speak, as its apparently the first time the organisers of this event have chosen a non-European designer to be their guest of honour.
Anyway, the show has the usual suspects of mega-brand manufacturers - Cassina, Flos, Morosso, et al, as well as a zillion smaller and more 'humble' companies trying to push their own particular niche into the market. The venue is fairy massive so it's impossible to see it all in one day - however it is possible to can get a good sense of the overall range and current direction within the industry - which in this year's event seemed fairly conservative to be honest. Apart from Ishigami's picnic installation which is a by far and away the stand out exhibit, there are a definite lack of people or companies pushing any boundaries - I guess you could say an obvious consequence of the current economic climate (yes, there you go, lets blame it on that AGAIN!). For me it is a pity that the show displays that even the most creative people seem also to nervous about getting radical, questioning past assumptions, or pushing new materials and technologies to the limit. Perhaps the mandate of the show isn't to do this - so what I'm saying is out of order - but there you go, just my thoughts. The few images attached to this article will perhaps give you a sense of the show, and if I have a chance to get back there in the next week whilst it is still running, I will update this post with more.
