Call for Applications

In 2014, the Biennial of Design in Ljubljana, Slovenia, reinvents itself and launches an ambitious call for applications. Entering the realm of collaboration, where design is a tool to rethink everyday life, the Biennial is looking for individuals to shape possible futures for design.

On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the 24th Biennial of Design in Ljubljana (BIO) builds on the event’s tradition and history, advancing into an experimental, collaborative territory where design is employed as a tool to question and transform ideas about industrial production, public and private space, and pre-established systems and networks. Organized by MAO, the Museum of Architecture and Design, BIO 50 is curated by Belgian critic and curator Jan Boelen, director of Z33 – House for Contemporary Art, Head of the Master department Social Design at the Design Academy in Eindhoven (NL), and chairman of the Flemish Committee for Architecture and Design.

The 2014 edition of BIO breaks with the traditional system of awards, choosing instead to award collaboration, its process and outcomes. Recognizing the idea that design is a discipline that permeates all layers of contemporary life, BIO launches an unprecedented effort to engage designers and agents from Slovenia and abroad in a collaborative approach that will address themes that affect everyday life.

Under a series of multidisciplinary mentors, twelve teams will tackle the themes of Affordable Living, Knowing Food, Public Water Public Space, Walking the City, Hidden Crafts, The Fashion System, Hacking Households, Nanotourism, Engine Blocks, Observing Space, Designing Life and an Open Category, creating specific projects that will be developed and implemented during the Biennial.

We are looking for team members to devise possible futures for design, integrating and contributing to the outcome of each group. We are looking for team members with diverse backgrounds and a multidisciplinary approach, students and professionals alike; for team members who are self-motivated and unafraid to experiment; and for team members who can bring their expertise to the table and simultaneously learn from their peers.

We are looking for team members who wish to take part in a long-term transformative effort to strengthen local and international design networks, search for alternatives to implemented systems where design can play a role, and create bases for resilient structures that can develop through time, beyond the duration of the Biennial.

From 18 September to 7 December 2014 in Ljubljana, BIO 50 will present the outcomes of each team’s work in an exhibition, and projects will be published in an accompanying catalogue. An international jury will grant an Award for Best Collaboration, and a compelling series of events will enrich the Biennial’s core program and serve to explore ways in which collaborations can continue beyond the event.