Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Belgian by design

From Milan to Brussels, Guy Dittrich tracks down the best of Belgium’s design talent showing at Design September, which takes over the capital this month

Images Established & Sons, Peter Guenzel, E. Anthierens

The Belgians were among the stars of the show,” says Henrietta Thompson, senior design editor at the acknowledged style bible Wallpaper*, of the Belgian invasion at this year’s Milan Salone Internazionale del Mobile. In the design world, the fair is known simply as “the Salone” (pronounced phonetically, with an emphasis on every syllable).

The Salone is the grandaddy of all furniture fairs and the pilgrimage to Milan each April is a sign that spring is here and summer beckons. Brussels prolongs the summer sunshine with a celebration of its own home-grown talent – and an awful lot more besides – at Design September, a critiqued collection of design-related events across the city from 10 September to 2 October.

Design September includes design tours, exhibitions, open door events, pecha kucha evenings, international awards, a presentation by Tom Dixon and the Brussels Design Forum (17 September; Flagey, Place Sainte-Croix; www.flagey.be) and a discussion platform featuring design luminary Karim Rashid (2 October; Flagey, details as above).

“Design September provides content about design in its broadest sense,” says its founder Jean de Gheldere, from the all-white interiors of his publishing business studio just around the corner from Flagey, a beautifully restored auditorium arena where many of the festival’s talks will take place.

From textiles to architecture, lighting to ceramics, local emerging talent to established international stars, Design September is more than just a huge product display. Brussels has long been a hotbed of creativity, but as the city has only a limited amount of exhibition space and is no longer a centre of furniture production, a commercial fair like the Salone isn’t appropriate, according to De Gheldere. “Design September isn’t about stimulating shopping,” he says. “We aren’t selling anything, which means we can retain our independence.”

It’s an independence that curator Marie Pok is hoping to exploit. “Shops and galleries aren’t included in the event unless they’re doing something special for Design September,” she says. Take a look at English Design, Isn’t It? by Daniel Perahia (10 September – 2 October; 63 Quai au Bois à Brûler; www.danielperahia.be), or the ceramics and furniture of Lucile Soufflet on display at The Gallery (12-27 September; 17 Rue de l’Ecole Moderne; www.lucile.be).

The design event’s international remit includes an extensive contribution from Scandinavia and several other countries, but its emphasis is definitely on local design talent. Many of these designers have already exhibited at this year’s Salone, but Design September gives them the chance to be seen in a calmer light.

Exhibiting at the Salone may be the dream of every designer, but the scale of the event makes it easy to get lost among the crowds.

At Fiera Rho, Milan’s new trade fairground, a curvaceous glass-covered walkway by architect Massimiliano Fuksas links the enormous halls, offering 150,000m² of exhibition space for international interior brands such as Moroso, Foscarini, Flos and Driade. But it’s also home to Salone Satellite, where the work of selected young designers is exhibited.

The Belgians were here in force this year, at a stand sponsored by the collective 101% Designed in Brussels (www.101pr100designed.be). Among the exhibits was Malus Communis, a tree-like shelving unit reminiscent of Ron Arad’s spiralling Bookworm shelf “but a lot easier to install”, according to its designer David Richiuso, who will be holding an open studio at deFact as part of Design September (26-27 September; 43 Allée du Cloître; www.defact.com). Nicolas Bovesse, who exhibited his portmanteau Mikado coat stand at Salone Satellite, will also deliver a video projection of his work for Brussels event (12 September; Gare du Congres, Boulevard Pacheco; www.nicolasbovesse.com).

More than 300,000 visitors attended the fairground alone in Milan this year to see the 1,300-plus exhibitors on display. In an effort to stand out from the crowd and attract a more select audience, the Belgian design collective A1 Atelier – which includes Nathalie Dewez (www.n-d.be), Sylvain Willenz (www.sylvainwillenz.com) and Benoît Deneufbourg (www.benoitdnb.com) – set up a beautifully edited exhibition in downtown Milan. “[Their] show really stood out,” says Thompson.

For many visitors to Milan, this fuori (outside) Salone element of galleries and studios is more interesting than the trade fair itself. It’s here that real creatives can be found in unusual spaces offering conceptual design. That the city morphs into an “aperitivo wave”, with cocktail event after cocktail event every evening, might have something to do with its popularity for those with the right invitations.

This concept has been picked up by the organisers of the Brussels event. “It’s the off-show concept of Design September that makes it so appealing,” says Pok, alluding to the pop-up design spots that appear all over the Belgian capital during the event.

For a taste of A1 Atelier’s work including products now in production – such as the Prism light and Stella table for Habitat by Nathalie Dewez, the Torch Light and Landmark series for Established & Sons by Sylvain Willenz, and the Shelf for Vange and La Liseuse lamp for Macrolux by Benoît Deneufbourg – it will be holding an open studio on 18 September (14 Rue Raphael; www.ateliera1.be).

Belgians were also seen in two other ‘off shows’ in Milan – the Wallonie-Bruxelles Design/Mode (WBDM) exhibition and the Authentic Belgian Creativity (ABC) event that represented Flemish interests. Collectively known as “Le Belz” in an effort to overcome the regional nature of Belgian politics and the related sponsorship, there were a number of designers in Milan from both camps who will be involved in Design September or currently have their work on display in the capital.

Architects Voet Theuns (Caroline Voet and Jeroen Theuns) were invited to show their magical green table Philink as part of the ABC show. It can be seen near Brussels at Ahrend Furniture (9b Romboutsstraat, Sint-Stevens-Woluwe; www.ahrend.com). The home accessories range of ceramics and crystal by Christophe Coppens displayed at the ABC show can also be seen this month at his atelier (23 Place du Nouveau Marché aux Grains; www.christophecoppens.com).

The WBDM exhibition included the pixellated imagery and dematerialised patterning of the carpets of Charlotte Lancelot, who holds an open studio during Design September (26-27 September; 43 Allée du Cloître; www.charlottelancelot.com). Luc Druez of LcD presents his translucent weaves of copper and other synthetic materials in Metamorphosis, an exhibition at the Kreon Creative Space (15 September – 31 October; 19 Rue de la Chancellerie; www.lcd-textile-edition.com).

Also presenting in the Kreon Creative Space will be Pol Quadens, the creative behind the super-comfortable Stack chair presented at the Salone and made from a single piece of flexible Corian by OVO Editions (11 September; details as above; www.promateria.be).

Design September may not be about stimulating shopping, but for those who want to take a little bit of Belgian design home with them, a trip to the no-nonsense boutique Septante Sept (77 Rue du Page, www.septantesept.be) is the answer. Here you can find one-off and pre-release items by Belgian designers that have yet to hit mass production, such as the 120° CoatHook by Deneufbourg and the neoprene Housse iPhone purse by Marina Bautier, the Pictolight from Gauthier Poulain, the Shirt cushion from Christiane Högner, the Playtime rack by Dust Deluxe and the Le Carré light by Mathias van de Walle – all exhibitors at the Salone this year.

FR La Belgique à l’heure du design

Guy Dittrich part à la recherche des designers belges les plus talentueux, représentés au festival Design September à Bruxelles

Ce mois-ci, Bruxelles prolonge la chaleur de l’été en prônant un large éventail de talents nationaux et internationaux au festival Design September. De nombreux événements seront organisés pour l’occasion autour du design : expositions, visites d’ateliers, soirées pecha kucha, circuits urbains, prix international et le Brussels Design Forum. “Design September propose de nombreux contenus sur le design au sens large,” confie son fondateur Jean de Gheldere.

Et en effet, Design September est plus qu’un simple étalage de produits. “L’idée n’est pas d’être un stimulant à l’achat,” précise De Gheldere. “Nous ne vendons rien, ce qui garantit notre indépendance.” La direction artistique, indépendante elle aussi, est assurée par Marie Pok. “Les magasins et les galeries ne sont pas inclus dans l’événement à moins de créer une manifestation spécialement pour Design September,” confirme-t-elle. Prenez par exemple l’exposition English Design, Isn’t It? dans l’espace de Daniel Perahia ou les céramiques et le mobilier de Lucile Soufflet dans le lieu d’exposition The Gallery.

“C’est le concept ‘off’ de Design September qui rend le parcours si attrayant,” explique Pok, en faisant référence notamment aux actions de pop-up design qui vont éclore un peu partout dans Bruxelles durant la manifestation. À ce propos, on notera le collectif de jeunes designers de l’Atelier A1 qui ouvrira ses portes le 18 septembre.

L’objectif du festival n’est peut-être pas de “stimuler l’achat”, mais si vous souhaitez quand même rapporter un petit échantillon du design bruxellois, une visite à la boutique originale Septante Sept s’impose. Vous y trouverez des pièces uniques ou à tirages limités de designers belges, comme le CoatHook 120° (porte-manteaux) de Benoît Deneufbourg ou la Housse d’iPhone en néoprène de Marina Bautier (tous deux issus de l’Atelier A1) et la lampe Le Carré, signée Mathias van de Walle.

NL Een Belgisch ontwerp

Guy Dittrich volgt het grote Belgische designtalent op Design September in Brussel

Deze maand breit Brussel een vervolg aan de zonnige zomer door nationaal en internationaal talent in de kijker te zetten tijdens Design September. Er worden tentoonstellingen georganiseerd, maar ook open studio events, pecha kucha avonden, design tours, de uitreiking van internationale awards en het Brussels Design Forum. “Design September heeft aandacht voor ontwerpen in de breedste zin van het woord”, zegt initiatiefnemer Jean de Gheldere.

Maar Design September is veel meer dan producten tentoonstellen. “We willen de mensen niet aanzetten tot shoppen,” zegt De Gheldere. “We proberen geen waren aan de man te brengen zodat we volledig onafhankelijk kunnen blijven werken.” Marie Pok, een onafhankelijke curator, geeft een woordje uitleg.

“Winkels en galerijen worden niet bij dit evenement betrokken tenzij ze iets speciaals brengen voor Design September,” zegt ze. Kijk maar naar de tentoonstelling English Design, Isn’t It? van de studio’s van Daniel Perahia of het keramiek en de meubels van Lucile Soufflet in de living design space van The Gallery.

“Het ‘off-show’ concept maakt Design September net zo aantrekkelijk,” vertelt Pok. Ze verwijst daarbij naar de pop-up design spots die overal in Brussel opduiken tijdens het event. Het ontwerperscollectief A1 Atelier, bijvoorbeeld, organiseert een open studio op 18 september.

Het festival mag dan niet meteen bedoeld zijn om ‘aan te zetten tot winkelen’, maar als je desondanks graag een stukje Brussels design mee naar huis wilt nemen, vind je je gading ongetwijfeld bij de recht-voor-de-raap-boetiek Septante Sept. Je vindt er unieke en exclusieve ontwerpen van Belgische designers, zoals de 120° CoatHook van Benoît Deneufbourg of de neoprene Housse iPhone tas van Marina Bautier (beide maken deel uit van A1 Atelier) en de Le Carré lamp van Mathias van de Walle.

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