{"id":18364,"date":"2024-07-25T19:36:49","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T16:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dizainosavaite.lt\/?p=18364"},"modified":"2024-08-12T18:17:23","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T15:17:23","slug":"lithuanian-design-week-2024-impressions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dizainosavaite.lt\/en\/lithuanian-design-week-2024-impressions\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuanian Design Week 2024 – impressions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lithuanian Design Week 2024 – impressions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photos by Darius Gumbrevi\u010dius, Ieva Stankut\u0117, Pauslius Gasi\u016bnas, Rusn\u0117 \u0160imulynait\u0117 and designers’ archives<\/p>\n

Traditionally, the 19th Lithuanian Design Week took place at the beginning of June. The main theme of the festival – KISMAS – conceptually united the exhibitions and events of the participants into a seamless chain. Much to the delight of the art community, it was the biggest festival in all the years of its existence. More than one hundred and thirty events and exhibitions invited people to explore design ideas and trends in seven cities. A variety of exhibitions, lectures and other events invited people to explore the most diverse forms of design, from the most common interior design elements and furniture to glass and scent design. The festival was partly funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and supported by Fakto autocentras and Citroen. The loyal partners for the second time were the VDA with the impressive Graduating show and the municipalities of Kaunas and Tel\u0161iai, while the information partners were LRT and the magazine “Centras” and the portal interjeras.lt. Here are the highlights from the Lithuanian Design Week.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sustainability in exhibitions and designovacija.lt showcases<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vilnius Academy of Arts, a partner of the Design Week, presented the final works of its students in the exhibition halls of Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaip\u0117da and Tel\u0161iai. This year, the younger generation spoke even louder about sustainability and recycled materials. Other festival participants were also full of nature-friendly ideas.<\/p>\n

Nunoko presented mushroom mushroom lamps at the Treat It Green pharmacy on Vokie\u010di\u0173 Street in Vilnius. These products were born with funding from the Lithuanian Council for Culture. Designer Ineta Gruzdyt\u0117 exhibited the Cortice coffee table made of bark in one of the Vaga bookstores on Gediminas Avenue. Tukas EV presented the HR Bank, an electric bicycle, at the Museum of Energy and Technology. This fitness tracker not only helps to maintain good physical and emotional health, but also allows charging of any electrical appliance. Donatas \u0160opis, a member of the Lithuanian Design Forum, who works under the ArtbySopis label, held an exhibition “Refleksija” at the Gulb\u0117 Gallery in Kaunas, where he presented his latest works – coffee tables made from recycled stumps.<\/p>\n

Festival sponsors and partners also got people thinking about a more sustainable and smarter future. Gretes, the fashion label that hosted the festival organisers throughout the Design Week, introduced the natural possibilities of dyeing fabrics with chestnuts and mushrooms. And the Citro\u00ebn \u00eb-C4, the Design Week touring electric car provided by the Fakto Autocentre, introduced the latest technologies to make parking even easier. This new car’s screen shows the surrounding puddles on rainy days, helping to avoid door dings and over-parking.<\/p>\n

Events for interior designers<\/strong><\/p>\n

“A lecture on fashion by Ieva Baltr\u0117nait\u0117-Markevi\u010d\u0117, Doctor of Arts, entitled “Secrets of the (Un)Assembled Collection”, took place at the Midcentury showroom in Naujamiest. And after the lecture, Monika, the founder of the perfume boutique NOSY.lt, took the guests back in time to the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. It was a unique experience with fragrances that evoked the era of the leatherworker’s workshop, opium intoxication and Grace Kelly’s elegance.<\/p>\n

Unminimal on 23 June Street invited visitors to discover the new salon, its range of products and the artworks of Algis Kri\u0161\u010di\u016bnas and Jonas Krivicks. The high-end outdoor furniture and audio equipment showroom offered guests the opportunity to listen to vinyl records and live music, from electronica to classical, throughout Design Week. There was also the opportunity to hear Rokas Mik\u0161i\u016bnas’ lecture “The Transformation of Lithuanian Design at the Turn of the 20th Century”.<\/p>\n

“At Lonas salon in Ogmios, interior designers were given training on how to spruce up a space before an interior photo shoot and how to use effective advertising to attract new clients. The salon also hosted another relaxing event – the exhibition of paintings by Egl\u0117 Kurlianskait\u0117, “Synthesis of Dreams and Colours”. In this exhibition, which invited visitors to take a dreamy journey through the artist’s creative world, dreams were fused with reality, as each of the painter’s works was specially adapted to the interior of a bedroom.<\/p>\n

The latest trends in wardrobes and wardrobe were presented to interior designers at the Vesida – Spint\u0173 pasaulis showroom in Vilnius Domus galerija shopping centre. The showroom’s specialists talked about the aesthetic changes that have taken place over thirty years. They highlighted the absolute change in the perception of the use of light. Each lighting function can nowadays have a different expression, so that LED lighting in wardrobes and closets has started to be used only as an aesthetic element, framing the lines and shapes of the walls, partitions and giving a sense of elegance to the space.<\/p>\n

In another Domus Gallery showroom, Retroforma, its founder Lina Kalinauskait\u0117 presented the latest spring-summer 2024 wallpaper and fabric design trends (Designers Guild, Osborne&Little, Sanderson, Harlequin, Morris&Co). The El Mar tableware collection with its subtlety was also on show throughout the festival. This is the aesthetics of the table in the rituals of everyday life.<\/p>\n

New furniture, lamps and interior decor were presented<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also at Domus Gallery during the Design Week, the exhibition “6 Rooms”, an exhibition of objects created by the 3rd year students of the Vilnius Academy of Arts Design Programme, was opened. The students, working with Dupont and Artstone, explored the possibilities of using Corian Solid Surface material to create design objects. Each of the participants chose a room in a private apartment – hallway, kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom or children’s room – and explored the historical development, functionality, ergonomics and usage scenarios of the chosen room, and created design solutions tailored to the respective context.<\/p>\n

In one of the designovacija.lt showcases, Irina Ges Art presented textured interior paintings. These modern paintings add a distinctive and unique touch to the spaces. They are not ordinary works of art – they are interior details that create a sense of completeness. They add vitality, cosiness and an aesthetic function to the rooms.<\/p>\n

“At the Michelin-starred restaurant Demoloftas, Simonas Tarvydas, designer of the Indi brand and member of the Lithuanian Design Forum, presented his signature chandeliers made from recycled paper. The ultra-light, concrete-like light fixtures come in a variety of shapes, making it easy to find a light fixture to suit every collection. And in the Demoloft courtyard, Slowdown (the new name of Pushku Pushku) invited visitors to try out the latest outdoor seating models.<\/p>\n

Throughout the weekend, an open-air exhibition of furniture for offices and public spaces was on display in the Bernardine Garden. Ruksa presented the Botanique collection of sustainable sofas by designer Lukas Av\u0117nas. The dynamic, changing furniture system is designed for public space seating areas. This collection, with its various configurations, is like a garden for your thoughts. A wealth of accessories allows everyone to create a different “garden”.<\/p>\n

Karolina \u010cernevi\u010dien\u0117, a ceramic artist who creates objects that are submissive to nature, presented the dizainovacija.lt showcase in Kaunas. Among the many ceramic interior elements, there were vases made of clay, created as a ground for plants. The result of a pure, textural and minimalist aesthetic, it brings a piece of nature into every space.<\/p>\n

Decorator services<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Egl\u0117 Bu\u010dien\u0117, designer of Artinterior, is an interior designer and decorator who creates complete interiors, atmospheric scenographies and art and design objects. During the Design Week, the designer presented one of her three original book sculpture series “Verbos”. These are design objects combining Lithuanian identity, popular culture and the ideology of sustainability, created for the festival from product catalogues. Verba – a symbol of Lithuanian folk culture – is used as a tool to discuss with the viewer a global problem: the excess and fate of books and other printed publications in a constantly renewing society and a very rich archival heritage.<\/p>\n

“\u017died\u0173 bit\u0117s and Gediminas Endriekus presented the exposition “Long Moment” in the Optikoriai showcase. “\u017died\u0173 bit\u0117s are florists and decorators Rasa and Milda, who have been working and creating together for many years. The florists, who decorate shop windows and facades, create Christmas and Easter wreaths and subscribe to flower subscriptions for weddings, christenings, anniversaries, corporate and other celebrations, and who are famous for their floral subscriptions, have this time covered the work of the sculptor Gediminas Endriekus with flowers. The result of the sculptor’s spontaneous sketching is standing and sitting abstracted human figures, sometimes creatures resembling animals or plants, as well as soft, angular, dynamic or frozen in motion figures, which transform into geometric forms. The question of the origin of man and the meaning of his existence are central themes for Gediminas. His work is therefore often philosophical, reflecting emotions and dilemmas of existence, and always bringing interiors to life.<\/p>\n

Lithuanian design hotels<\/strong><\/p>\n

This year, the festival’s participants were joined by two design hotels – Kaunas B\u014dheme House Boutique and Klaip\u0117da Michaelson Boutique Hotel. In the latter hotel, glass artists Remigijus Kriukas and Indr\u0117 Stulgait\u0117-Kriukien\u0117 organised an exhibition of glass works entitled “Dating”. And at the B\u014dheme House boutique hotel in Kaunas, Aust\u0117ja Plat\u016bkyt\u0117 presented an exhibition of biomaterials and biodiesel objects called Biomaterials. This exhibition was infused into the spectacular interior of the hotel owner Vaiva Ma\u017eone.<\/p>\n

“Biomaterials is the result of research into hybrid living materials and aims to rethink the relationship between humans and nature. Designer Aust\u0117ja Platukyt\u0117 explores nature-oriented materiality and creates alternative relationships between grown and manufactured matter. The library of biomaterials is constantly expanded and updated. It is the first and only collection of new and innovative materials freely accessible to everyone in Lithuania and the Baltic States, reflecting the current trends in design and production – sustainability and ecology.<\/p>\n

Exclusive project of the Embassy of Sweden<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the Swedish Embassy in Vilnius, Per Ahld\u00e9n (Svenskt Tenn) and Simon Anund (Verk) and the Lithuanian panellists Skandinavi\u0161ki interiors and Strato Group delved into Swedish design at the Swedish Design Movement – Leading The Way. The virtual Swedish Design Movement exhibition, which gave the event its name, was also presented. The exhibition can still be visited on the website swedishdesignmovement.com.<\/p>\n

New Design Week discoveries<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unda Prisca, a glass and scent studio in Vilnius Old Town, is an interactive space for those interested in design, art and fashion, founded by Laima Ki\u0161k\u016bne, the pioneer of scent art and natural perfumery in Lithuania. In this space, you can always get to know the perfumer’s organ, find out what olfactory art is all about, what scent design consists of and learn about the traditional art of glassblowing, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Every working day, it was possible to try out the glass perfumer’s tools created by the artist and designer Alg\u0117 Julija for professional and amateur perfumers. And during the Design Week, guests had the opportunity to hear Alg\u0117 Julija lecture on the art and craft of glass.<\/p>\n

“Akmenstata and Cosentino invited people to visit the natural stone gallery. It showcased the works presented at the 2024 Milan Design Week Material District, created with product designer Agne from natural stone remnants. In addition to seeing the objects from Stone Waste Is Bliss and Earthic, guests had the opportunity to touch them and get up close to the textures and shapes they produced.<\/p>\n

“RIC Creative introduced festival guests to the vast possibilities of 3D modelling and design. The only large-size 3D printer in the Baltics, which is able to quickly and accurately print a wide range of plastic shapes, was presented at the event. Guests not only had the opportunity to learn more about the solutions for a wide range of exterior and interior design objects, volumetric advertising and other forms of design, but also to see the printing process in action.<\/p>\n

Chisels Play, a workshop in Kaunas, invited creators to visit. It offers excellent conditions for working with wood, metal and other materials. During the open days, the founders of the workshop showed the tools and the work, as well as the possibilities of designing products. And everyone had the opportunity to experiment and create something new in a creative atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Another discovery in Kaunas was the new game “Bloomerang”. This entertainment cultivates creativity, entrepreneurship and a deeper bond between friends or colleagues through play. The game is perfect for teams that want to improve, brand builders who want to grow and creative people who are still looking for themselves.<\/p>\n

Furniture factory tours<\/strong><\/p>\n

As every year, Finu Medis invited you to the traditional tours of the furniture production floor. Dmitrij \u0160pitaliov, furniture maker and Finu’s company manager, gave an overview of the production processes and the possibilities of material processing, introducing the guests to the materials – table tops, laminates and panels. He also talked more about the subtleties of material processing, the important details that determine the quality of the future furniture, and introduced the brands represented and the sustainability standards they uphold.<\/p>\n

In the 21st century wood workshop “Growing in the Woods” near Kernav\u0117, designers were invited to learn about the modern possibilities of woodworking. In order to attract inspiring design projects, the company’s specialists presented the guests with realised ideas and spectacular forms of wood products. They also shared insights into wood production and outlined the basics of creative philosophy.<\/p>\n

From Anyk\u0161\u010diai to Klaip\u0117da, Panev\u0117\u017eys and Alytus<\/strong><\/p>\n

This year, as in previous years, the big hall of the Anyk\u0161\u010diai Arts Incubator hosted the Ease Furniture exhibition. Visitors had the opportunity to buy furniture at manufacturer’s prices. Guests could also visit several art exhibitions and events organised on the occasion of Design Week. The organisers of the social project “Kisses” and the photographer Remis \u0160\u010derbauskas gave guests the opportunity to take part in a kisses-on-glass photo session. The Anyk\u0161\u010diai Art Studio welcomed visitors to the artist’s exposition “Untold Stories”.<\/p>\n

Anyk\u0161\u010diai residents and guests still have the opportunity to visit the tropical butterfly exhibition “Papilio Marabilis”, which opened during the festival. This is a temporary butterfly oasis in Anyk\u0161\u010diai, where you can see live butterflies from distant lands and their stages of development.<\/p>\n

For the first time, the Panev\u0117\u017eys design community presented both the usual and one quite unexpected form of design – food design. Two chefs – Evaldas \u017daliukas and Remigijus \u017di\u017eys – brought together a large number of gourmets for a “Food Mystery”. The event took place in the flower salon “\u017dalioji zona”. In an unconventional location, food was theatrically prepared in front of the audience. During the event, guests could not only taste dishes made from traditional ingredients for the Lithuanian table, but also hear stories about the origin of Lithuanian food.<\/p>\n

Miden\u0117, a company renowned for the largest ceramics symposium, set up a dizainovacija.lt showcase in the Panev\u0117\u017eys RYO shopping centre. It featured ceramics decorated with crystalline glazes reminiscent of the patterns of frosted windows, the surface of a frozen lake, or the configurations of constellations in the vaults of the August sky.<\/p>\n

In Tel\u0161iai, during the Design Week, as every year, the festival visitors had the opportunity to visit the exhibitions of the final works of the Vilnius Academy of Arts. The new Tel\u0161iai MAJ gallery was also opened during the festival days.<\/p>\n

In Klaip\u0117da, by the seaside, visitors to the festival could visit several interior design salons. “Isto, Veneks Boutique, Frevini, Stella Design Store, Oaky Oak, MadamW and Martens invited visitors to take a look at their latest collections. And the young generation’s representative, designer Emilija Globyt\u0117, presented a copper object “Kismas” in Klaip\u0117da’s Old Town.<\/p>\n

The Alytus branch of the Kaunas School of Applied Arts hosted an exhibition of ceramics and photography works “Earth. Fire”. The exhibition “Through the Keyhole” at the Alytus Museum of Regional History invited guests to learn about the history of locks dating back to 4000 BC.<\/p>\n

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