Events
Bologna Design Week, the Cersaie fringe events
The 2018 edition of Bologna Design Week, a series of events conceived and organised by the communication agency Youtool (set up in 2011 to facilitate collaboration between designers and companies) and curated by Elena Vai and Enrico Maria Pastorello, aims to bring together an increasing number of showrooms, companies, design firms, art galleries, museums, universities and designers in an integrated communication platform capable of forging synergies between industry, culture and creativity.
From Tuesday 25 to Saturday 29 September 2018, Bologna Design Week will propose a series of evening events in the city’s historic centre including vernissages, exhibitions, workshops, screenings, guided tours and design talks intended to complement the communication activities and content of the 36th Cersaie.
Like last year, Cersaie has reaffirmed its partnership with BDW by creating a set for The Sound of Design – an exhibition coordinated by Angelo Dall’Aglio and Davide Vercelli – in the Quadrivio of Galleria Cavour, the historic art, fashion and design venue which will function as BDW’s city-centre gateway to Cersaie.
In partnership with the Emilia-Romagna regional government and with the collaboration of the Istituzione Bologna Musei, Bologna Design Week has invited Mario Nanni, a renowned lighting designer and founder of the company Viabizzuno, to present his work in a site-specific exhibition in the unique setting of the Padiglione de l’Esprit Nouveau.
The headquarters and info and press point will once again be housed in Palazzo Isolani, whose eighteenth-century rooms will host a selection of leading Italian and international design firms and their novel and highly original exhibits.
Until midnight on Wednesday 26 September, an event called Design Night will bring the city to life. Organised in collaboration with the business association Confcommercio Ascom Bologna and with the participation of showrooms, art galleries, stores, bars, restaurants and other Ascom-affiliated businesses, the event will offer Cersaie attendees and the general public the opportunity to explore novel itineraries and benefit from a series of special openings that will alter their perception of the historic centre.
BDW Market is a new event aimed specifically at designers and consisting of a temporary exhibition space for displaying and selling products that combine creativity, originality and innovation. It will be held in the foyer of the Teatro Comunale of Bologna for the entire week as part of the longstanding partnership with the theatre foundation.
In an entirely new initiative, Marsala District Bologna offers an immersive spatial and creative experience that transforms locations into thematic islands connecting the ancient Via di Mezzo (the present-day Via Marsala) with the world of university, research and culture (Via Zamboni) and the heart of the city’s shopping and retail neighbourhood (Via Indipendenza). MDBo will throw open the doors of historic buildings and reveal the secrets of photographic archives, libraries and priceless works of art, transforming the city’s squares, streets and arcades into a manifesto of design and social innovation.
The event will also continue its partnership with Dynamo Velostazione with Esprit du Vélo, a series of talks, concerts, circus events, exhibitions and meetings aimed at promoting a sustainable future and a beautiful, clean, bike-friendly city.
The complete programme of Bologna Design Week 2018 is published on the website www.bolognadesignweek.com, where visitors can freely download the BDW18 App complete with an interactive map and calendar of events.
September 2018
