October 2011
Commerce Design Day & Public Prize
On Monday September 26, 2011 the Commerce Design Day took place in Flagey in Brussels! 10 keynote speakers, ranging from architects/designers, researchers and brand representatives, presented the latest tendencies in the field of retail design. Contact jasmijn@promateria.be to receive the presentations via email!
The congress opened with the announcement of the Public Prize. The majority of visitors of www.commercedesignbrussels.be thought Aude Gribomont & Niels Radtke of Hunting and Collecting deserved the Public Prize, designed by Tamawa. Congratulations!
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Get in touch with us via info@commercedesignbrussels.be in case you’re interested in becoming partner of the Commerce Design Brussels Award edition 2012-2013!
June 2011
Commerce Design Day: September 26, 2011
On Monday September 26, 2011 the Commerce Design Day will take place in Flagey in Brussels! 10 keynote speakers, ranging from architects/designers, researchers and brand representatives, will present the latest tendencies in the field of retail design. The Commerce Design Day is part of the Design September program.
Speakers:
Hugues Lefèvre, AGC Glass Europe
Patrick Castelain, Scents
Ann Petermans, PhD Provinciale Hogeschool Limburg
Audrey Lavielle & Alexandre Anzo, Alchimie Studio
Alain Friant, Delacroix & Friant & Cedric Legein, Cook & Book
Sara Pieters
Michel Penneman
Etc.
Download the register form in Dutch or French and send it back to Pro Materia by mail, email or fax.
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Commerce Design Brussels is organised by Pro Materia and Design September with the support of the Brussels Region, the City of Montreal, Atrium, Brussels Louise and private/public partners.
March 2011
Commerce Design Brussels 2010 – 2011: finalists
The Commerce Design Brussels laureates have been announced on May 10 in the Aquamass showroom! Discover the 10 winners on the website and vote for your favourite!
Hubert Verstraeten from Brussels-based design studio TAMAWA designed the multifunctional trophee.
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Commerce Design Brussels is organised by Pro Materia and Design September with the support of the Brussels Region, the City of Montreal, Atrium, Brussels Louise and private/public partners.
© Emmanuel Crooÿ
February 2011
SPAGAT! Istanbul Design/ Istanbul Tasarimi
Last chance to visit SPAGAT! Istanbul Design/ Istanbul Tasarimi in the Marta Herford Museum in Germany, until 21 February 2011. Travel to the creative and human-scaled Istanbul and get to know the Human Cities project!
February 2011
Belgium is Design - visit for family and friends at Grand-Hornu
The exhibition ‘Belgium is Design. Design for Mankind’ will be prolongued to 13 March 2011!
Visit the exhibitions on the Grand-Hornu site on Sunday 27 February with family or friends from 12pm to 5pm. Places limited to 50 persons, kids very welcome. Enroll now via lise@promateria.be or 02/768 25 10!
At MAC’s: guided tour of the exhibition ‘Balthasar Burkhard’ with an art historian, at 2pm and 3.30pm
At Grand-Hornu Images: guided tour by Lise Coirier, curator of the exhibition ‘Belgium is Design’, at 2pm and 3.30pm
December 2010
Season's greetings - Happy holidays!
The whole Pro Materia team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope to welcome you in 2011 for a whole lot of new inspiring projects!
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PS: We would like to welcome an intern in graphic design in our team for two or three days a week (speaking FR (+NL)/ for a period of at least three months/ possibility to work from home occasionally)! Interested? Send us your cv and cover letter: info@promateria.be!
October 2010
My Favourite Brussels Sound - 25, 26, 28 Oct
One of the highlights of the Human Cities Brussels-Istanbul 2010 edition, My Favourite Istanbul Sound, will be restaged in Brussels on October 25, 26 and 28.
As was the case in Istanbul, inhabitants of Brussels are asked to send in their favorite sound associated to the city. All these sound recordings are collected in a database, which will be used as a starting point by students of RITS and Belgian composers Guy De Bièvre and martiensgohome for a new composition. This will be performed live alongside an open class and performance by Chris Watson (Cabaret Voltaire, Touch Records, BBC, etc.), a lecture by Carsten Stabenow and a sound walk throughout the capital with Guy De Bièvre. Join us!
For more information, visit www.myfbs.be en www.myfis.web.tr!
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The Myfbs project is a student project imbedded in an artistic academic research program. It is inspired by Peter Cusacks Your Favourite London Sound project and a collaboration between RITS, Recyclart, BNA-BBOT and Websaus.
September 2010
Human Cities Brussels-Istanbul 2010
Human Cities Brussels-Istanbul 2010: Designing Public Space
www.humancities.eu www.istanbuldesignweek.eu
Chosen as the European Capital of Culture in 2010, Istanbul is a unique place to be for Human Cities when you take into account the geographical location and cultural heritage. The creative energy generated by the young population has helped to create one of the most dynamic cities in the world. Into this stimulating context “Human Cities Brussels-Istanbul 2010: Designing Public Space” is organized.
Human Cities Festival is held during Istanbul Design Week at the Old Galata Bridge. The project aims at encouraging an interdisciplinary exchange between Istanbul and Brussels, as well as the other cities participating in Human Cities projects concerned with urban design and culture and their interactions with public spaces. Building on the theme of ‘Designing Public Space’, the partners will explore the subject through various public events, lectures, installations and exhibitions. Highlights include celebrated designers and guest speakers Satyendra Pakhalé and Sanjit Manku, and sound artist Guy De Bièvre who, on behalf of Recyclart will be promoting Brussels with a joint interactive project ‘My Favorite Istanbul Sound’ in collaboration with Alper Turkkan from Yildiz Technical University Istanbul.
Submit your favorite sound of Istanbul and discover TL Special Edition Human Cities!
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Human Cities Festival is implemented by Pro Materia (Brussels, BE) as leading partner, in collaboration with ISTAV – İstanbul Sanat Ve Tanıtım Araştırma Vakfı (Istanbul, TR) and Recyclart (Brussels, BE). The EU supports this initiative with a grant scheme programme which is implemented under the coordination of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency and CFCU as the contracting authority, in order to promote Civil Society Dialogue between Turkey and the EU in culture and the arts.
July 2010
Commerce Design Brussels 2010 – 2011: call for entries
Wondering whether your retail space qualifies for participation in the Commerce Design Brussels award-scheme? Check the competition specs on the flyer! Four times yes? APPLY ONLINE on the Commerce Design Brussels website and send in the necessary visuals by mail before 28 February 2011.
Following the first successful edition of the competition, Commerce Design Brussels once again invites retailers from the capital region to participate to the award-scheme. The competition rewards the quality of the interior and exterior design of shops and promotes the talent of designers and architects in Brussels.
Commerce Design Brussels will also be showcasing interesting retail concepts from Brussels all year round on its blog.
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Commerce Design Brussels is organised by Pro Materia and Design September with the support of the Brussels Region, the City of Montreal, Atrium, Brussels Louise and private/public partners.
June 2010
Belgium is Design — starting 21 Nov
The countdown to the 6th Design Triennial “Belgium is Design. Design for Mankind” is about to begin. The exhibition, organised by Design Vlaanderen and Grand-Hornu Images, celebrates the bicentenary of the site of Grand Hornu and the Belgian Presidency at the European Union and will take place from 21 November 2010 till 27 February 2011. It will show a selection of one hundred projects with Belgian roots—curated by Lise Coirier, Pro Materia—all grouped around ten values that typify human-centered design.
As is the usual matter, this Triennial will be accompanied by a reference book, published by Stichting Kunstboek.
For more information visit the Design Vlaanderen website and the Grand-Hornu Images portal!
Exhibition
21.11.2010 – 27.02.2011
Grand-Hornu Images
Rue Sainte-Louise, 82
B-7301 Hornu
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“Belgium is Design. Design for Mankind” is organised by Johan Valcke, Director of Design Vlaanderen in association with Françoise Foulon, Director of Grand-Hornu Images. The exhibition is curated by Lise Coirier, Pro Materia.
June 2010
Pro Materia has moved
New address:
Rue Notre-Dame-du-Sommeil 2, B- 1000 Bruxelles / Brussels
Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-van-Vaakstraat 2, B-1000 Brussel
At the corner of place du Jardin aux fleurs / Bloemenhofplein,
right in the Dansaert designers’ district.
May 2010
Human Cities Festival, 6 to 16 May 2010
Brussels will host the first Human Cities Festival in early May, a biannual event dedicated to public space. With BOZAR as its main venue, where a symposium, conferences, exhibitions and happenings will be organized, the festival will also offer a wide roster of events around town; mostly in the public space.
06.05.2010
Opening Night / Pecha Kucha / Exhibition
07–08.05.2010
Symposium / Conferences
Program & booking :
http://festival.humancities.eu
April 2010
Je suis Dada : Between dream and reality
During Milan design week, ABC from Flanders presents “Je suis dada : Between dream and reality”, a touring exhibition about Surrealism and design. An exhibition by Design Flanders, curated by Inge Vranken.
14–19.04.2010
Spazio Herno,
Via Savona 19A,
20144 Milano
Press preview
13.04.2010, 3–6 pm
For more Belgian events in Milan, visit www.lesbelges.org
April 2010
Protecting packaging design ? — 3 Jun
What makes good packaging design — and how can it be protected on the Belgian and international market? In this seminar, experienced consultants specialised in branding and packaging and legal advisors will share advise to young designers and entrepreneurs.
Download the invitation.
Booking: info@promateria.be
Free entry – maximum 40 people
Thursday 3 June 2010
16:30 — 19:30
Creative Space
19, Rue de la Chancellerie
B- 1000 Brussels
January 2010
Craft Wood, 29 Jan — 12 Mar
Creative Space presents an encounter between Kaspar Hamacher & Norayr Khachatryan.
Opening
28.01.2010, 6pm
Exhibition
29.01.2010 — 12.03.2010
Mon to Sun, 11 am – 5 pm
Creative Space
19, Rue de la Chancellerie
B- 1000 Brussels
January 2010
How to start my Own Brand ? — 14 Jan
How to create and build up a brand in the fashion and accessories sector — and protect it on the Belgian and international market? In this seminar, legal experts, renown designers (Hubert Verstraeten, Olivier Strelli, Marie-Laurence Stevigny) and experimented consultants specialised into branding and visual identity will share advise to aspiring and young designers and entrepreneurs.
Download the invitation.
Online booking required (maximum capacity of 40 people)
Thursday 14 January
16:30 — 19:30
Creative Space
19, Rue de la Chancellerie
B- 1000 Brussels
December 2009
Thalen & Thalen Mandarin Balls, 21 Dec — 23 Jan
Creative Space presents a window-installation by Thalen & Thalen.
Exhibition
21.12.2009 — 23.01.2010
Creative Space
19, Rue de la Chancellerie
B- 1000 Brussels
December 2009
Designr.rdv, 11—13 December
Fashion, design, jewellery and contemporary accessories… About fifty designers will be at Thewhitehotel, selling their latest creations.
The theme of this year is ‘Spicy imperial’, making for the most exotic Christmas shopping experience.
December 2009
Designer.rdv Hong Kong, 3—5 December
Brandequity, agent for RougeDesign/TL Magazine and Pro Materia in Hong Kong / Asia, is organising two events during the Business of Design Week in Hong Kong, 3-5/12/2009, on the French pavilion as well as in the ‘off’ events Détour organised by the Ambassadors of Design in HK.
September 2009
Luc Druez : Metamorphosis, 16 Sept—31 Oct
In the framework of Design September 2009, Creative Space hosts Luc Druez’s textile creations, a limited edition of fabrics made from “hijacked” technical fibers, mixing textile and copper. With the support of Detrois.
Learn more (pdf)
Creative Space
19, Rue de la Chancellerie
B- 1000 Brussels
Opening
Tuesday 15/09/2009, 6 pm
Exhibition
16/9/2009 — 31/10/2009
Daily open (except on Sunday)
from 11 am – 5 pm
Workshop : Sustainable Copper for Living
Workshop on the beneficial effects of copper and its applications in the LcD textile collection, with Luc Druez, Benoît Dôme (EU Building Wire Manager / European Copper Institute) and Lise Coirier (Pro Materia).
Tuesday 22/09/2009, from 6 to 7.30 pm
Please register in advance (free entry) by writing to claude@promateria.be (maximum capacity of 40 people)
September 2009
Commerce Design Brussels
Commerce Design Brussels 2009 is a competition that rewards the quality of the interior and exterior design of shops in Brussels and promotes the talent of the city’s best designers and architects.
Discover the winners on www.commercedesignbrussels.be
Workshop : Invest in Retail Design
With Ann De Kelver and Gwenaël Hanquet, followed by the launch cocktail of Commerce Design Brussels 2010.
Tuesday 29/9/2009, From 3 until 8 pm.
June 2009
OVO editions / Pol Quadens, 25 June—12 Sept
OVO Editions is the label for the design furniture collection by Pol Quadens. Produced in Corian® and carbon fiber in his Brussels workshop, this collection reflects the search for beauty, balance and purity of the Belgian designer. Go and see also his public design installation “Les Portes Louise” on the Pro Winko site bd de Waterloo in Brussels.
Learn more (pdf)
Exhibition
25/6/2009 – 12/9/2009
Creative Space
19, Rue de la Chancellerie
B- 1000 Brussels
Finissage conference : Drawings and materials
Friday 11/9/2009, 6 pm.
Presented by Pol Quadens in French with English slides.
Please register in advance (free entry) by writing to claude@promateria.be (maximum capacity of 40 people)
June 2009
Charlotte Walry : Jeu
An encounter between Charlotte Walry, a graduate from the textile design studio of the Brussels Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the fashion designer Chrystl Fischer. For the past two years (the two years of her Master’s degree) Charlotte Walry has been developing a highly innovative technique within textile creation. The result obtained is a range of subtle up-market materials involving an elaborate play of depth and graphic effects within the fabric. The aim was then to apply that research to the fashion making process.
Exhibition
15/06/2009 – 19/06/2009
Daily open (except on Sunday)
from 10 am – 6 pm , until 9 pm on June 16
Creative Space
19, Rue de la Chancellerie
B- 1000 Brussels
May 2009
Living Silver
From 20 March 2009 to 10 June 2009, contemporary silverware designers Thalen & Thalen and Mei Lee present a selection of their work at the Creative Space in Brussels.
Creative Space
19, Rue de la Chancellerie
B- 1000 Brussels
Cha Tao (Special tea ceremony)
30 April 2009 – 16:00
Plesase book by writing to claude@promateria.be
May 2009
How can a Designer Protect his Work ?
What are the best practices to optimize the protection and value of your design products ? In this workshop, experts and reknown furniture designers will share advise to aspiring and young designers.
Download the invitation.
Online booking required (maximum capacity of 40 people)
Thursday 7 May 2009
16:30 — 19:30
Creative Space
19, Rue de la Chancellerie
B- 1000 Brussels
April 2009
Authentic Belgian Creativity in Milan
For the third year in a row Pro Materia helps putting together the Authentic Belgian Creativity exhibition during the Milan design week. ABC is an initiative of Design Flanders and Flanders Investment and Trade. This year, 11 designers are on show, in the Zona Tortona and on Salone Satellite.
Zona Tortona
Spazio Herno — Via Savona 19a
April 22nd to 27th 2009
11 am – 10 pm
Press preview
21 April from 3 to 6 pm
ABC Party (on invitation)
23 April from 7 to 10 pm
March 2009
Fashion Management & Fashion Design studies in Paris
The Institut Français de la Mode presents its different learning programs in fashion management and fashion design during an exclusive workshop in Brussels.
Thursday 26 March 2009
18:00 — 21:00
Creative Space
19, rue de la Chancellerie
B- 1000 Brussels
January 2009
TL Magazine
We launch the first issue of Textile & Living, the Belgian quarterly magazine for fashion, design and retail professionals published by RougeDesign. In this first issue, published both in French and Dutch, we focus on the invasion of technical textiles in the worlds of fashion, design and architecture, on the rise of the cradle to cradle movement and we dissect the history and the future of feminine underwear.
January 2009
Anna Torfs
From 13 December 2008 to 28th February 2009, contemporary glassware designer Anna Torfs presents a selection of her work at the brand new Creative Space in Brussels.
Creative Space
Rue de la Chancellerie – Kanselarijstraat 19
B- 1000 Brussels
November 2008
Public Design with Tôlerie Forézienne
Pro Materia helps Tôlerie Forézienne make cities more human. By organizing a contest amongst Belgian and French designers, six prototypes of urban furniture have been produced and were exhibited at the “International Design Biennial of Saint-Etienne in November 2008.
Most of the pieces are made from thermo lacquered stainless steel and finished with ecological paint. Designboom has a beautiful article about it.
The initiative is also nominated for the Index Award Denmark 2009, Section Community. The results for these prizes will be known in June 2009.
August 2008
Oeverture 2008
During Oeverture, in September 2008, Pro Materia presented the textile design section of the ACA-ESA from Brussels and two installations by Els Jacobs (pictured above) and Adeline Beaudry, both textile designers and winners of the Vitrine pour un designer prize in the MIAT in Ghent.
May 2008
Intérieur/extérieur
From January to May 2008, we were asked by Iselp (Brussels, B) to organize a cycle of design conversations, on Thursday nights. Lise Coirier intimatly led the discussions with top creatives and actors of the design field.
17 Jan. 08 – Marie-Laurence Stevigny, belgian fashion accessories designer
21 Feb. 08 – Michel Penneman, interior architect and pioneer in the Belgian field of architectural 3D imagery
13 Mar. 08 – Thierry Belenger, collector of historical Belgian and international design pieces and curator of modern design exhibitions at the Atomium and Fondation pour l’Architecture, Brussels
24 Apr. 08 – Piet Stockmans, master of contemporary porcelain
15 May 08 – Anne Derasse, interior architect
More info (pdf)
May 2008
Tw!st
Tw!st – une conférence, en français, sur les tendances art de vivre 09-10 présentées par l’agence parisienne NellyRodi, suivie d’une visite guidée de l’exposition Pierre Paulin au Grand-Hornu Images.
November 2007
Parckdesign 2007
Parckdesign is a call for entries for the design of urban furniture initiated by Brussels Environment, the public institution responsible for Brussels’ parks. Pro Materia assisted in the organisation of the edition that took place in 2007, bringing the competition to a new height thanks to a public vote and the edition of a worldwide-distributed book.
December 2006
Thewhitehotel Belgian Designer Rooms
In 2006, Pro Materia started a collaboration with TheWhiteHotel, which has been lasting ever since. Before the opening of the hotel in November 2006, we selected one designer for each one of the 60 rooms of the hotel, under the “Belgian Designers Rooms” moto. Each of them exhibits one of his designs, often in a “limited” white edition. The selection of designers is frequently updated, and can be consulted on a dedicated website.
Some of the pieces can also be bought by customers and other design-addicts on the award-winning thewhitehotelselection.com shop.
Thewhitehotel soon grew to become Brussels’ most famous design hotel, while maintaining accessible prices, nurturing the local design scene and having a record-braking occupancy rate.
June 2006
Instant
Within the Year of Fashion and Design 2006, Designed in Brussels and Pro Materia organised Instant, an exhibition featuring, in parallel to the work of three contemporary belgian designers, the history of the Design Centre 1964-1986. Posters designed by Michel Olyff, an exhibition timeline and all kinds of unique documents were exhibited in the Ravenstein Gallery in Brussels, the former location of the Design Center, which used to attract around 90.000 visitors per year in the 60s and 70s and was part of the international design scene.
May 2006
Materia.lise.design online design magazine
During a brief period from May 2006 to January 2007, Pro Materia held an online magazine called materia.lise.design. A premise, if you like, of the later TL magazine (on paper this time).
The archives of this e-magazine are still online.
October 2005
Label-design.be
From 16 October 2005 to 16 February 2006, Grand-Hornu Images hosted the exhibition “Label-Design.be – Design in Belgium after 2000”. In the framework of the 175th anniversary of Belgium, this joint initiative of Pro Materia, Design Flanders and Grand-Hornu Images showed the recent works of 135 Belgian designers. The exhibition was accompanied with a book, that most notably questioned the existence of a “Belgian design” or “design from Belgium”.