budapest design week: 17 open studios offer a window into the workshops of local creatives

the 2017 edition of budapest design week is presented this year from october 6 -15, offering a wide range of programs, events, workshops, conferences, and exhibitions that highlight the importance of a design-conscious way of life. the event’s opening exhibition intends to offer small and medium-sized studios the chance to introduce themselves to the world.

‘the world of design is undergoing a major paradigm shift,’ says project leader judit osvárt. ‘digitization, technological development and the transformation of communication devices today call for a radically different approach from designers, manufacturers, sellers and consumers, in comparison with the past decades.’ responding to the theme of ‘START’, makers and creatives from across the country are invited to share their ideas and innovations on an international stage.

iamart magyar cementlap manufaktúra (iamart hungarian cement tile manufacture), also main image
all images by milán rácmolnár

one of the most engaging and participatory programs presented as part of budapest design week 2017 is ‘open studios’, where seventeen workshops will open their doors to the public. ranging from industrial, architectural, and fashion design, to food, service and social interaction, each of the practices is offering visitors an otherwise unseen glimpse at the design and manufacturing processes it engages in. furthermore, visitors can become actively involved in the demonstration of the studio’s methods of making, communicating their marketing tools, providing creative brochures and leaflets to visitors, and testing their latest ideas to their audience.

details from iamart’s tile-making studio 

‘looking at the participants of open studios and the programmes offered by them, as well as the events of the whole week, we can state that the actors in the design scene and the representatives of brands are increasingly conscious in putting the opportunity to appear in design week on their respective annual agendas,’ says dr. viktor łuszcz, president of the hungarian intellectual property office.

fablab budapest

the ‘open studios’ program allows visitors a window into the architecture and design worlds of BORD studio and 81font architecture & design. the budapest-based creatives will reveal plans and ideas otherwise unseen to the public, and speak about the creation process of their architecture interior projects. a unique experience will be available for visitors at hello wood’s studio — a collaborative famous for its wooden installations — as well as at the contemporary architecture centre, which hosts a number of emerging designers in its community offices.

a look at the 3D printing work inside fablab’s budapest office

visitors keen on exploring heavier industrial operations can visit a car and motorcycle exhibition, as well as a presentation of bike building hosted in the factory yard of interior and installation design studio, industreal. guests to budapest’s fablab office will similarly be greeted by the bustling noise of tools and machines, where 3D printers and CNC machines are busy working away at a variety of forms. further production processes can be witnessed at iamart, where mosaic and cement tiles are being carefully hand and machine made.

paper up!

this year, multiple recycling workshops will be open to visitors, spotlighting creatives who explore environment-aware design, such as printa or paper up!. similarly, designer erika rejka applies an innovative way of using natural materials, demonstrated through her ceramic-made works. visitors interested in stationery and writing utensils can investigate the various phases of how notebooks are traditionally crafted at DOT for you, while vlmi produktív provides a look at the world of book binding. visitors can also engage directly with the creative experiences offered by cellux group, who organize workshops in product and service design.

paper up! explores the use of recycled materials 

finally, fashion-focused guests can experience interactive presentations from OST, a streetwear designer who draws from eastern european identity, lucky shepherd, a studio proficient in compiling multi-brand shop selections, pici and the city, a firm known for designing and producing children’s clothing, and zsófi hidasi, a designer who evokes a sense of the summertime on her bags.

printa

discover the workshops, exhibitions, conferences and more program highlights from budapest design week 2017 here. 

printa investigates environment-aware design

81font architecture & design

a cabinet of curiosities at 81font architecture & design 

BORD építész stúdió (BORD architectural studio)

architectural models abound at BORD stúdió

lucky shepherd

fashion-focused visitors can discover the work of lucky shepherd

industreal

manufacturing processes on display at industreal

zsófi hidasi

zsófi hidasi evokes summertime style on her bags

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launched in 2004, budapest design week was initiated by the hungarian design council with the objective of raising social awareness of the economic and social role of design, enhancing trust in design and facilitating communication between the actors of this field. budapest design week 2017 — running from october 6 – 15 — is a 10-day festival that offers more than 120 programs, each with an aim to place an emphasis on the economic role of design. this series of events takes place every autumn by focusing on a theme or introducing an honorary guest country.