Design September Brussels 2018 Compact: Buy Now, Pay Later at MAD Brussels

Everything should be Ecodesign, opines the tag line to MAD Brussels’ exhibition Buy Now, Pay Later.

And while we are, arguably, (at least a little) further advanced in terms of ecological, sustainable, design thinking than we were a generation ago, we still have a long way to go.

Buy Now, Pay Later highlights some of the areas where we could do better…….

Design September Brussels 2018 Compact: Marcin Rusak – Nature of Things II at the Horta Museum

While for most locations a design week is sufficient, Brussels takes a whole month. We’ve never asked why, just assume it is because in the bi-lingual Franco-Dutch city where everything has to be repeated twice, thrice when one considers the more or less obligatory English required for the large diplomatic community in the de facto European capital, everyone is just used to things taking a little longer and plan accordingly.

Whatever the reason, throughout September Brussels is playing host to a wide variety of design events, events reflecting various definitions, understandings and degrees of design, and over the next couple of weeks we’ll bring you some of those projects which particularly caught our attention, starting with an exploration of nature that while presenting unmistakable parallels to Brussels’ Art Nouveau heritage, couldn’t be further removed.

Brussels Design September 2017: Nacho Carbonell – Living Organisms @ The Horta Museum

Back in June 2016 we included the Stedelijk Museum ’s-Hertogenbosch’s exhibition Nacho Carbonell – On the Origin of Pieces amongst our five new architecture and design exhibition recommendations, noting that, for us, the exhibition appeared to offer “an excellent opportunity to, finally, get to know the man and his work. And for all to understand his cocoon constructions, works which terrify us as much as they fascinate us.”

We sadly never did make it to On the Origin of Pieces; however, the exhibition Living Organisms at the Horta Museum Brussels offers an equally good, if slightly less fulsome, opportunity to achieve the same.

MAD Brussels presents Belgium is Design: Belgitude & The New Belgians

Whereas other cities get by with a design week, Brussels has a whole month: which shouldn’t be taken as an indication Brussels is four times more design than say Milan, Eindhoven or Vienna.

It isn’t.

It just takes its time. Doesn’t rush. It is Belgium after all ……

For Brussels Design September 2017 MAD Brussels is hosting Belgitude & The New Belgians, two exhibitions of contemporary product design curated by the federal platform Belgium is Design.

smow design spring: Review

Before we start slowing down and head outdoors to enjoy the summer we want to take the opportunity over the