Linz, International Capital of Design
Thomas Feichtner: Reset
Copyright: Stamm
Once upon a time, Linz was – briefly – the epicenter of the international design scene. 1980 was the year of Forum Design, a seminal exhibition with a now-legendary catalog, “Design is Invisible.” This major undertaking went down in flames amidst a financial scandal. In the Capital of Culture year, Linz is reprising its role as Design City with two projects featuring big-name participants.
In 1980, Helmuth Gsöllpointner, then dean of Linz Art University, had a temporary structure erected on the riverside drive to serve as the venue for a show that would bring together the most influential designers of the day. This exhibition is still considered a milestone in international design history. But what began as a world-class conclave quickly turned very local indeed: there ensued municipal political bickering, cancelled subsidies and sponsors’ withdrawal. The organizers had to declare insolvency and the subsequent legal proceedings resulted in their conviction. So, what actually happened then? What went into the making of this scandal? THE “CASE” OF FORUM DESIGN exhibition at Landesgalerie Linz will deal with this question beginning October 15.Now that 30 years have passed, Linz09 is bringing big-time design back to this city. DESIGNLAND will not only showcase superbly designed objects; the designers themselves will also be on hand in KEPLER SALON to talk about their work. The lineup includes some of the international stars in this field – for instance, Gijs Bakker, one of the gurus of industrial and jewelry design, and Rolf Fehlbaum, head of Swiss furniture producer Vitra. Up-and-coming young talents will be featured at the DESIGNJUNGLE exhibition of about 50 works by young Upper Austrian designers. Plus, there’ll be design workshops for youngsters!
THE “CASE” OF FORUM DESIGN
October 15, 2009 to February 28, 2010
Landesgalerie Linz, Museumstr. 14, 4020 Linz
Free admission for Linz09 Insiders and holders of the Linz09 Card
www.linz09.at/forum-design
DESIGNLAND
DESIGNJUNGLE: Exhibition in Designforum Linz
October 29-November 4, 2009, Pfarrplatz 6, 4020 Linz
Free admission!
DESIGNLAND in KEPLER SALON:
October 5, 2009, 7:30 PM: Helmuth Gsöllpointner
October 27, 2009, 7:30 PM: Volker Albus
October 28, 2009, 7:30 PM: Gijs Bakker
October 30, 2009, 7:30 PM: Rolf Fehlbaum
October 30, 2009, 1-5 PM: Salon Special with Alfredo Häberli, Ineke Hans, Cornel Windlin and Konstantin Grcic
Free admission!
DESIGN MOBIL: Design workshops for kids and young people
October 24 & 25, 2009
Pre-registration at kontakt@designmobil.at
Participation is free of charge!
DESIGN TOUR: A visit to three Linz firms at which high-quality design is business as usual
October 29 & 31, 2009, 5-8:30 PM
Pre-register via e-mail to irene.jaeger@linz09.at.
Participation is free of charge!
Details are available online at www.linz09.at/designland
