Designblok Cosmos at the Brussels Design September festival
8. 9. 2024
Designblok Cosmos is touching down in a unique metallic capsule mounted on a space-age six-wheeler. Bringing ten original glass works made by ten foremost contemporary Czech designers, this unique exhibition offers an immersive audiovisual show. The exhibited objects present personal design approaches, fine craftsmanship and the Czech master glassworkers’ unique know-how, as well as presenting diverse technologies and the most cutting-edge production methods used in Czech factories and workshops. After its premiere in Prague, its pioneer international mission to Milan and its first regional presentation in Liberec, it plans to make an impact at the Brussels Design September festival. With the support of PPF Foundation, this proud emissary of Czech design is coming to the heart of Europe for the grandest design festival in the Benelux countries, bringing opportunities to establish international collaboration and share inspiration. Designblok Cosmos will be on view 13–19 September 2024 for free at the Place de la Musique in the Tour & Taxis cultural space. The exhibition will be officially launched during a ceremonial event on Thursday, 12 September from 7PM.
The exhibition was first presented to the public in October 2023 as part of the 25th Designblok festival at the Royal Garden of Prague Castle where over the span of two weeks it drew tens of thousands of visitors. In April 2024, Designblok Cosmos parked itself at the prestigious location of Superstudio Piú as part of the Superdesign Show in Milan where over the span of seven days it wowed some 80 000 design lovers from all over the world. Then in June 2024, the exhibition opened its doors to the people of north Bohemia in the Regional Gallery in Liberec. These glass masterpieces thus came back to the place where the master glassworkers originally gave them life. The fourth stop on its journey is the Brussels Design September festival where Designblok Cosmos will provide ample opportunity to establish international collaboration and share inspiration.
“We consider the Designblok Cosmos exhibition as an imaginary gateway through which you can experience a close encounter with the best of contemporary Czech glass design and feel the magic of Designblok festival anywhere in the world, if only for a moment. And thanks to the support of PPF Foundation, we’ve managed to build this portal at numerous places around the world. In the Royal Garden of Prague Castle, the world design capital of Milan, as well as in the gardens of the Regional Gallery in Liberec. And everywhere we saw the wonder and enchantment in the eyes of hundreds of thousands of visitors. I am immensely glad that the exhibition is now heading to Brussels, the political center of Europe which is, in a way, similar to Designblok: both are trying to open the world to new ideas and actively make them a reality. We are happy that the Designblok Cosmos exhibition will temporarily become part of the local design and art scene and we hope this will open new paths to collaboration, inspiration and to the simple joy which contemporary design and craft can bring. And I, of course, look forward to welcoming many of the visitors from Brussels to the 26th Designblok – the Prague International Design Festival,” says Jiří Macek, Designblok festival creative director and co-curator of the Designblok Cosmos exhibition.
For twenty-five years, Designblok has been developing the Czech design scene, collaborating with renowned designers, supporting young artists, connecting creators and industry, spreading awareness among the general public and representing Czech design abroad. This entire journey is contained in one unique exterior exhibition – a cosmic capsule, a movable gallery which presents ten original glass works made by ten top-notch Czech designers. The curatorial selection made by Designblok director Jana Zielinski and creative director Jiří Macek features designers who have been intimately connected with the festival – Jakub Berdych Karpelis, DECHEM studio, Lucie Koldová, Václav Mlynář, Lukáš Novák, Jiří Pelcl, Rony Plesl, Tadeáš Podracký, Maxim Velčovský and Jan Plecháč who is also the mastermind behind the exhibition’s innovative architectural presentation.
“The Designblok Cosmos travelling exhibition will travel the world and carry the banner of Czech glass abroad. It was this nomadic character which inspired me the most when designing the exhibition architecture. My aim was to design a unique show, a traveling circus which would introduce the visitors to design in a slightly different light than they might be used to, offering them a once-in-a-lifetime audiovisual experience. It was also necessary to fulfill all requirements for the technical specifications. It is, after all, a mobile object which must allow for simple installation and de-installation while functioning in tandem with a truck as a classic freight trailer during transport,” explains Jan Plecháč, the exhibition’s architect. A freight trailer was custom fitted for the exhibition and, once parked in the intended location, it provides an exhibition space of 65m2. The interior is covered with 170 mirrors and the capsule’s outside is draped in a silver reflexive casing. The audiovisual effects were co-created by Lunchmeat Studio and the original sound design accompanying the exhibition was composed by Aid Kid.
The common theme of the exhibited works can be found in the material used: glass. This is a traditional material for Czech craft and the works presented at this spectacular installation symbolize our endless cosmic journey. The exhibition also celebrates the past 25 years of Designblok and the long road which Czech design and society have walked hand in hand over the past quarter century. The original objects deftly work with luminescence and express the artists’ free-hand approach to design, the material and their craft while showing their very diverse production technologies and the traditions they draw on. They also present the diverse know-how of Czech companies and manufacturers, showing their taste for experimentation and their use of the most cutting-edge approaches available.
The interest of Czech diplomats in Brussels also shows the significance of this Czech project on the international scene. Ambassador Edita Hrdá from the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU says the following about the exhibition: “Czech glass has always held an iconic position in the world and we are glad to be able to present the best contemporary designers such as Rony Plesl or Jan Plecháč. Cultural diplomacy is a soft power which plays a central role in diplomatic relations.” The exhibition’s presence at the festival is also supported by the Czech Center in Brussels. “The Brussels Design September festival is a huge, bustling event which supports the interconnection between the design scene in Belgium and the wider world, and it is wonderful that Designblok Cosmos has become a part of that,” adds Kristýna Halounová, director of the Czech Center in Brussels.
The exhibition’s launch commemorates the 25th anniversary of Designblok festival. The original concept for this exceptional exhibition developed from the discussions between the Designblok team and the PPF Foundation about the ways of presenting Czech design to the world. “Designblok Cosmos fits perfectly with the principles and values we honor at the PPF Foundation. It builds on centuries of tradition of the Czech glassmaking craft, the recognition it has achieved in the world, and presents some of the most eminent figures of contemporary Czech design. It also presents the works in a very unconventional form which is an artistic gesture in itself. I am very happy that, following its premiere at last year’s Designblok and its immensely successful arrival at the iconic Milan Design Week, Designblok Cosmos will now touch down in Brussels at the Brussels Design September, one of the world’s most prestigious showcases of contemporary design, where it is furthermore featured as one of the three main event highlights. I am very happy that with its participation in Brussels, Designblok Cosmos is helping to fulfill the mission of the PPF Foundation, which is to support Czech talent on its journey abroad,” says Jana Tomas Sedláčková, director of the PPF group’s non-profit activities. The exhibition’s partner is AGC Glass Europe which has equipped the interior with a series of Mirox 4Green+ lead-free mirrors made in a water-based, ecological manner.
The Designblok Cosmos exhibition is accompanied by a voluminous catalog featuring interviews with authors and original photographs by leading Czech photographer Václav Jirásek. The Brussels event will also feature a brochure with detailed information about the works, guided tours and will see the designers and curators meet the public.
The Designblok Cosmos exhibition will be open to the public for free in the Place de la Musique in the Tour & Taxis cultural space, 13–19 September 2024. The exhibition’s ceremonial opening will take place on Thursday, 12 September from 7PM. Learn more about the exhibits.
