Designers’ Open Leipzig 2013: Preview

Vienna’s fine, the sun shines most the time
The feeling is “laid back”
Plane trees grow and Herr Gruber’s beer prices are low
But you know we keep thinkin’ about
Making our way back

Well we’re Leipzig City born and raised
But nowadays,
We’re lost between two shores
Vienna’s fine, but it ain’t home
Leipzig’s home,
But it ain’t ours no more………

Which, and with obvious apologies to Niel Diamond, is a somewhat long, involved and frankly unnecessarily depressive way, of saying that the time has come to leave Vienna Design Week and make our way to Leipzig for Designers’ Open 2013.

And also reclaim the city for us?

We are, admittedly, unsure if we really want that. So deep down. But we’re not ruling it out. Not yet.

As already noted Designers’ Open 2013 is not just taking place at a new location, but also under new leadership. The answer in both cases is Leipzig Messe.

Among the innovations brought in by the new organisers include an architecture programme component and an extension of the DO/Spots – the Designers’ Open fringe events as it were – to Halle and Dresden. OK it’s only one event per town so don’t all get too excited. But it is a start. A very welcome positive start at that.

Although it is a bit disappointing that the Halle DO/Spot is only taking place on Tuesday October 22nd – so three days before Designers’ Open officially opens to the public – as it obviously means that only “locals” or those who happen to be in the vicinity, and have time free on a Tuesday afternoon, can attend. Anyone travelling to Designers’ Open from afar can’t.

Yes, we cant.

Yes, that irritates us. Because there a couple of very, very enticing programme elements, enticing programme elements that could surely be left open until the Sunday….. Surely.

Much more visitor friendly is the BDA Forum for Architecture programme which opens with the Vernissage of the BDA’s exhibition “Aus allen Richtungen. Positionen junger Architekten im BDA” on Friday October 25th. Further programme points include two Pecha Kucha events on the Friday and a series of presentations on the Saturday.

One less than innovative change is that the list of exhibitors is only available as a single, unhelpfully structured pdf rather than the user-friendly HTML list of yore – meaning it is all but impossible to get an overview of how the split is between the various sections and so seriously decide who could best benefit from a visit.

Older readers will understand what we really mean is that is is all but impossible to see how many of the exhibitors are fashion, how many are craft and how many are design. From what we can gauge from the list we fear fashion have the upper hand….. We’ll know for sure soon enough.

However what we can say is that among the exhibitors are the adream 2012 award exhibition – something we can highly recommend – Leipzig based porcelain studio Stefan Passig & Claudia Biehne will no doubt be presenting their award 2013 winning  “Lumos” collection at their DO/Spot show and as ever we are thoroughly looking forward to seeing what delights the various colleges present, not least those students from the Angewandte Kunst Schneeberg, an institution that we feel has lost its way a little of late. We’re hoping to find a healthier, more buoyant collection this year.

We make no bones about the fact that for us the last couple of Designers’ Opens were less than inspiring, if not plain disappointing, our hope is that with the injection of new ideas and new perspectives from Leipzig Trade Fair that it can regain lost ground. Can become the modern event that it deserves to be.

We’ll certainly let you known what we think.

And of course if it inspired us enough to encourage us to retake control of the Leipzig Critical Cathedral…..

Designers’ Open Leipzig 2013 runs from Friday October 25th until Sunday October 27th at the Leipzig Messe, and at various locations throughout the city.

Full details, including ticket prices and opening times, can be found at http://designersopen.de/

Designers' Open 2013 in the Leipzig Messe Glass Hall. But will it be a truly illuminating experience?