The Venice Design Week was created in 2010 by Lisa Balass, who wished to connect Venice’s tradition of craftsmanship with the best of contemporary design from all around the world. For one whole week in October, the festival allows designers, artisans, architects, and the public to engage with one another and discover design through its exhibitions, workshops, competitions, and guided tours.
True to Balass’ dream, Venice lends its beautiful galleries, museums, private spaces, and historic buildings to the festival, making this a festival where discovering art, architecture, and jewelry is as important as exploring the city itself.
This year’s Venice Design Week will be held from October 12th to the 20th and will focus on the theme “Out of Context.” As always, visitors can expect a variety of interesting exhibitions, guided tours, talking sessions, and workshops that explore how design can break traditional boundaries.
One of the main exhibitions at this year’s festival is the Jewellery Selection, hosted at Galleria Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro. Visitors can lose themselves among international jewelry designers and their pieces. The designers will share their works with the world and participate in a contest, with the winners celebrated at an awards ceremony held at Palazzo Contarini Polignac.
Another highlight is the Design Market, hosted at Combo Venezia, which showcases a series of unique objects crafted from materials such as ceramics, wood, and recycled textiles. Here, guests can not only meet the designers but also purchase pieces directly from them, creating a feedback loop that helps designers see how their creations connect with the public and in what ways.
Key talks are some of the most looked-forward-to events of the festival, as guests will be able to get their food for thought in sessions like “Designing the Ephemeral”, where scenography will be explored as an art form, and “Innovative Textiles“, which will focus on sustainability and the future of textile design. Workshops such as “Layers of Value: Textiles” and “Creating Your Own Perfume” are also widely awaited, as these will provide hands-on experiences for guests and give curators a peek into what visitors are thinking.
