Erika Trnková
The Slovak Centre of Design presented its activity Design Forum 2013 – Harmony and Contrast at the premises of Agrokomplex Nitra from 5 to 10 March 2013. The 16th exhibition explored new approaches designers, architects and design students employ when utilising various materials and how they combine them when it comes to housing. Organisers presented the products, prototypes or functional models of furniture, interior and exterior items and interior accessories as delivered by 50+ professional designers and design students. The exhibition was curated by Katarína Hubová and Adriena Pekárová. The projects that had been selected for the exhibition were the excellent examples how the authors were able to produce harmony or contrast when combining materials and producing daily use products.
The Slovak Centre of Design annually awards at the Design Forum the most interesting item or author or school. This year, architect Dušan Voštenák from the town of Žilina was awarded for his collection Pouffes – funny furniture for every apartment.
This collection of small pouffes revives the interest of Dušan Voštenák in design and refers to what is typical for his larger works. He believes interior is a stage inviting a viewer to join the game and feel the emotions of the space. His pouffes are full of colours and fun and they provoke the attention of and response from the user. They give the space the feeling of uniqueness and fun.
Participants included the Academy of Fine Arts and Design Bratislava, Arts Faculty (Design department) of the University of Technology Košice, Jozef Vydra Secondary School of Applied Arts Bratislava, Secondary School of Applied Arts Ružomberok and several professional designers. Design Forum introduced an interactive game for exhibition visitors for the first time.
Game “Harmonise and contrast…” invited visitors to make their own special collage or mosaic by sticking various materials on wooden boards and borrowing inspiration from the topic of this year´s Design Forum.