Milan Design Week 2024 - Call for applications
Belgium is Design
Belgium is Design launches an open call for Belgian designers, companies and studios for its collective exhibition during Milan Design Week 2024. The selected projects will be presented as part of the Fuorisalone (in the city) from 15 to 21 April 2024 in an exhibition called Belgium is Design, curated by Baroness O. Candidates must submit a product or project that fits into the concept described below. The product must be less than 2 years old or, in the case of a new project, already finished.
ABOUT Belgium is design
The Belgium is Design project promotes Belgian design around the world and is an initiative of 3 institutions: Flanders DC, MAD – Home of Creators and Wallonie-Bruxelles Design Mode.
This joined-up approach has been active since 2011, stimulating and developing initiatives to showcase Belgium’s designers, manufacturers and producers on foreign markets.
Belgium is Design' strategy takes shape through recurring presences at key events, such as the Milan Design Week or the Maison&Objet fair in Paris. It is enriched by occasional participations in other events that allow the designers to approach new markets or that give promising opportunities for the international development of Belgian companies.
The curators FOR MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2024
The Baroness O. creative studio, founded by Kim Vandeloo and Anne Van Assche, forges links between design and other disciplines. Their multidisciplinary vision embraces history, politics and languages, and combines fashion, gastronomy and art.
Exhibition theme
For this exhibition, Belgium is Design celebrates the singular and ambiguous identity of Belgian design. Diversified country in many ways, its designers are unclassifiable, adaptative and humble.
The exhibition will show how Belgian design moves, connects and adapts to its environment and landscape, how it stimulates and questions the industry and its ability to stay within boundaries or transgress them, catalogue or defy them, or use them for marketing or communication purposes.
For this call, we are looking for objects developed by designers or companies with a vision, a sense of experimentation and a desire to redefine design beyond the boundaries of design disciplines.
Conditions
Belgium is Design is responsible for:
— The organisation and production of the exhibition, including scenography and logistics.
— Promotion of the exhibition to a professional audience and B2B prospecting.
— Communication (press kit, social media with a dedicated social media manager).
— Relations with the Belgian and international press.
Participants commit to:
— Deliver the material needed to set up the exhibition.
— Deliver information for communication (texts and visuals) to the press and industry professionals within the required deadlines.
— Have the selected project, fully finished, available for a photo shoot in January (date to be confirmed).
— Participate in 2 or 3 preparatory meetings.
— Be present at the press conference in Brussels.
— Be present in Milan at the opening of the exhibition (at least the first 2 days and at all organised events).
— Pay a participation fee of €300 excluding VAT (if less than 20 employees) - €600 excluding VAT (if more than 20 employees)
APPLICATION FORM
Apply before 15 October 2023 (23:59) by completing the application form.
It includes the following:
— Presentation of your studio/company/CV (general approach).
— Presentation of the project proposed for the exhibition (select a maximum of 3 projects) The products/projects proposed must be completed and less than 2 years old. Please note: the material for the communication will be requested from November 2023.
— Explanatory note justifying the suitability of your project to the exhibition concept.