18 September, the opening evening event of BIO 50, started with a lecture and talk on Designing everyday life with Alice Rawsthorn, Justin McGuirk and Jan Boelen, followed by the grand opening of BIO 50 and the award ceremony when the BIO 50 jury proudly announced group Nanotourism as the winners of the Best Collaboration Awards of BIO 50.

Among the eleven groups, brought together by the experimental framework that shaped BIO 50 curated by Jan Boelen, the BIO 50 jury, comprised of industrial designer Konstantin Grcic, design critic Alice Rawsthorn and designer and professor Saša J. Mächtig, selected four award-winners. The BIO 50 Award was given to projects by Nanotourism group led by mentors Tina Gregorič and Aljoša Dekleva. “From a collaborative perspective, Nanotourism is both ambitious and highly complex and has dealt with a range of local communities with sensitivity and charm, while demonstrating the ever more eclectic nature of design and its potential to improve the quality of everyday life,” explained the jury in their report.

Groups Designing Life, reinterpreting the relationship between design and science in a provocative and polemical way, Engine Blocks, making an intriguing contribution to the emerging culture community of D.I.Y. makers, and Fashion System that raises awareness of a neglected Slovenian resource, received Honourable Mentions. “In an intensely turbulent era when we face radical, potentially destructive changes on so many fronts, BIO 50 plays an indispensible role in suggesting possible solutions”, also highlighted the BIO 50 jury. The winners and honourees were greeted by the diverse crowd of designers, architects, companies, institutions’ representatives, partners, museum’s visitors and design enthusiasts who attended the opening of the Biennial of Design to celebrate its 50^th anniversary.

The processes and projects developed by each of the eleven BIO 50 groups can be seen at the exhibition  BIO 50: 3, 2, 1 … TEST. The main exhibition is further enhanced by the retrospective exhibition The Biennial of (Industrial) Design over 50 Years, dedicated to the 50^th anniversary of the Biennial of Design in Ljubljana and complemented by BIO 50: NOW, a lively program of various side events during the biennial. BIO 50 exhibition will be displayed until 7 December 2014 at the Museum of Architecture and Design, Jakopič Gallery and Museum of Modern Art in Ljubljana.

For this year’s edition, the Biennial has maintained strong connections with the main partners, sponsors and supporters. Their support allows establishing a new, innovative form of the Biennial as a highly relevant international design event. The main partners of the BIO 50 became the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region and its Regional Creative Economy Centre and company Eles, d. o. o.

The BIO 50 award: Nanotourism

Team mentors: Aljoša Dekleva and Tina Gregorič

Partner: Architectural Association (AA), School of Architecture, Visiting school

Team members: Barbara Nawrocka, Dominika Wilczyńska, Žiga Rošer, Silvia Susanna, Living Courtyards Initiative/ Association House (Katja Beck Kos, Nadja Dodlek, Maša Kresnik, Samo Lorber, Kaja Pogačar, Maja Pegan, Niko Poljanšek, Tajša Perović, Robert Veselko), Maja Jenko, Oaza (Nina Bačun, Ivana Borovnjak, Roberta Bratović, Tina Ivezić, Maja Kolar, Ana-Marija Poljanec), Marjeta Fendre, Alessandro Fonte, Blaž Šef

Honourable mention: Designing Life

Team mentors: Jurij Krpan, William Myers

Partner: Kapelica Gallery

Team members: Dimitrios Stamatis, David Benque, Špela Petrič, Pei-Ying Lin, Jasmina Weiss

Honourable mention: Engine Blocks

Team mentors: Gaspard Tiné-Berès and Tristan Kopp

Partner: Tomos, d. o. o.

Team members: Antoine Monnet, Ricardo Carneiro.

Honourable mention: Fashion System

Team mentors: Tina Hočevar, Eugenia Morpurgo, Evan Frenkel

Partners: Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana; Nataša Peršuh, SQUAT

Team members: Tanja Pađan, Elena Fajt, Clara Vankerschaver, Nina Mlakar, Linda Ogrizek, Martina Obid, Tijana Todorovič, Tjaša Avsec, Nataša Kovač in Katarina Dovč, Olivia de Gouveia, Nika Ravnik, pH15 (Lucija Jankovec, Nika Batista, Katja Grčman, Maruša Kranjc, Karmen Sedeljšak, Ana Jazbec, Elena Fajt)

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CONTACTS & PRESS

Pika Domenis

Museum of Architecture and Design

Public relations

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone number: +386 1 548 42 74, + 386 41 606 436

Group mentors:

Rianne Makkink, Tadej Glažar (Affordable Living), Lucas Mullié, Digna Kosse (Knowing Food), Marko Fatur, Aldo Bakker (Public Water Public Space), Marko Peterlin, Judith Seng (Walking the City), Tulga Beyerle (Hidden Crafts), Tina Hočevar, Eugenia Morpurgo, Evan Frenkel (Fashion System), Tilen Sepič, Jesse Howard (Hacking Households), Tina Gregorič and Aljoša Dekleva (Nanotourism), Gaspard Tiné-Berès and Tristan Kopp (Engine Blocks), Miha Turšič (Observing Space), Jurij Krpan, William Myers (Designing Life).

Team members:

Uroš Babnik, Lee Ivett, Adrian Friend, Dirk Osinga, Staša Dabič Perica, Georg Rafailidis, Maša Mertelj, Brina Vizjak, Lukas Wegwerth, Austin + Mergold (Jason Austin,Aleksandr Mergold), Martina Muzi, Silvia Dini Modigliani, Simon Beckmann, Gregor Bucik, Mika Cimolini, Aleš Ogorevc, Fala Atelier (Ana Luisa Soares, Filipe Magalhães), Gaja Mežnarić Osole, Nuša Jelenec, Leonora Jakovljević, Jan Kikelj, Sergej Kuckir, Fabrico Próprio (Rita João, Pedro Ferreira, Frederico Duarte), Ema Gerovac, Amelia Desnoyers, Katarina Dekleva, René Bosch, Henriëtte Waal, Asnate Bočkis, Matic Vrabič, Vanja Gortnar, John Stanislav Sadar, Bennie Meek, La Jetée (Paolo Patelli, Giuditta Vendrame), Maja Baloh, Ben Landau, Aya Bentur, Mima Suhadolc, Marta Ostajewska, Martin Abbott, Carolien Van den Hole, Sophie Rzepecky, Matthew Collings, Emanuel Gollob, Zaven (Marco Zavagno, Enrica Cavarzan), Beno Ogrin, Klemen Smrtnik, Dejan Kos, Ernest Nograšek, Dea Kaker, Urša Vrhunc, Oloop (Jasminka Ferček, Tjaša Bavcon, Katja Burger), Marko Drpić, Gregor Humar, Alessandro Fonte, Emile De Visscher, Klemen Zupančič, Klara Zalokar, Liene Jãcobsone, Anna Badur, Janez Mesarič, Annika Frye, Mima Suhadolc, David Tavčar, Tanja Pađan, Elena Fajt, Clara Vankerschaver, Nina Mlakar, Linda Ogrizek, Martina Obid, Tijana Todorovič, Tjaša Avsec, Nataša Kovač and Katarina Dovč, Olivia de Gouveia, Nika Ravnik, pH15 (Lucija Jankovec, Nika Batista, Katja Grčman, Maruša Kranjc, Karmen Sedeljšak, Ana Jazbec, Elena Fajt), Thibault Brevet, Leonardo Amico, Jure Martinec, Nataša Muševič, Coralie Gourguechon, Barbara Nawrocka, Dominika Wilczyńska, Žiga Rošer, Silvia Susanna, Living Courtyards Initiative/ Association House (Katja Beck Kos, Nadja Dodlek, Maša Kresnik, Samo Lorber, Kaja Pogačar, Maja Pegan, Niko Poljanšek, Tjaša Perović, Robert Veselko), Maja Jenko, Oaza (Nina Bačun, Ivana Borovnjak, Roberta Bratović, Tina Ivezić, Maja Kolar, Ana-Marija Poljanec), Marjeta Fendre, Alessandro Fonte, Blaž Šef, Antoine Monnet, Ricardo Carneiro, Mats Horbach, Daniela de Paulis, Rogier Arents, Carlos Gendall, Joseph Popper, Andrej Strehovec, Pomme Van Hoof, Tanja Grosman, Dimitrios Stamatis, David Benque, Špela Petrič, Pei-Ying Lin, Jasmina Weiss

Partners:

Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region, Regional Creative Economy Centre • Faculty of Architecture • ProstoRož • JP Vodovod – Kanalizacija • Institute for Spatial policies • Steklarna Hrastnik • Tiporenesansa • Kamena • Petrič • Rokodelski center Ribnica • Interseroh & Consensus & Plastika Skaza • Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering • Squat • Lidija Pritržnik, Gorenje Design Studio, Gorenje • Architectural Association (AA), School of Architecture, Visiting school • Tomos • KSEVT – Cultural Centre of European Space Technologies • Kapelica Gallery 

Curatorial Team:

Jan Boelen, BIO 50 curator

Maja Vardjan, BIO 50 co-curator

Cvetka Požar, BIO 50 co-curator