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FORUM MESSEVORSCHAU • TRADE FAIR PREVIEW

T he history of the Biennale Interieur started in 1968 with the vacant exhibition
grounds on the edge of Kortrijk, a city in Belgium located close to the French border.
Designed around 1964 by the architects Guy and Francis van Oost, the trade fair halls
were only used sporadically in the first years after their completion. Neither Holiday on
Ice nor Mireille Mathieu managed to attract streams of visitors to the provincial city. So
the idea was developed to address the international design scene with an unprecedented
cultural format. Together with the crème de la crème of contemporary interior design,
lovingly curated and presented, the interested public should be addressed and informed
– but not only on latest trends: in 1968, design was a political issue. Some portrayed it
as a moral yardstick with educational character, while others criticised it as to bourgeois
and still others propagated it as objectified (commercial) art. The initiators wanted to pro-
vide a platform for exactly these debates. The audience, spoiled by Triennale, Salone, Art
Fair, and commerce, should be presented with a truly animated design discourse in a
non-profit exhibition format. Et voilà! The Biennale idea was born, a vision where
“Inspiration” will also be spelled with a capital “I” in the future. And that’s not all!
Kortrijk called and everybody came. The list of carefully selected guests of honour and
curators has resembled a “who is who” of international design from the beginning: There
Der Hallenplan ist von Mondrian-Gemälden inspiriert. • The hall plan is inspired by Mondrian paintings. was an endless coming and going of big names, who made the Biennale what it still is
today: the freestyle event in the middle of the obligatory dates relevant for the industry.

The idea is a “city in the city”

We are proud to have the chance to join these ranks. Working internationally, with a mul-
tidisciplinary orientation and equipped with a portfolio comprising urban projects, archi-
Zudem spielt der Entwurf mit dem strengen, weißen Raster, ... • The layout plays with the strict, white grid, ...
tecture as well as interior design, we managed to convince the organisers of our capabi-
lity. Furthermore, we had been the team of architects behind the refurbishment and
extension of the Kortrijk exhibition grounds in 2009. We know the Biennale location like
the back of our hand. For the 25th anniversary is seemed natural to give the entire design
the overriding (colour) concept of “Silver Lining”. The ambitious aim is the transformati-
on of the entire site into a “city in the city”. This idea was inspired by Piet Mondrian’s
paintings “New York City 1” and “Broadway Boogie Woogie”. With this in mind, we will
turn the exhibition grounds into a geometrical, urban grid, a city layout with avenues and
intersecting boulevards as main axes, accompanying exhibition areas and gastronomic
concepts, squares and relaxation zones. This ought to create an urban interior and exte-
rior space, which acts as a platform for design, art and architecture. The main axes of the
“Design City” shall be marked by panels of light-reflecting silvery fabric, which was ori-
ginally conceived for agriculture. Used for the outdoor grounds and inside the halls, the
textile strips will act as the guidance system of the exhibition and provide orientation for
the visitors. That way, we create an architectural as well as visual framework, which ser-
ves as a central connecting element between the halls as well as interior and exterior
spaces. Cubic exhibition areas are also silver-coloured; here, selected, renowned interna-
tional designers, architects and artists present their “interiors”, their individual furnishing
visions. We like to refer to these strategically positioned rooms as the “heart of the
Biennale”. This year, Swiss curator Moritz Küng, French architect Philippe Rahm, archi-
tectural office Johnston MarkLee and designer Jonathan Olivares from Los Angeles as well
... das die Architekten 2009 über das Messegelände legten. • ... which the architects placed onto the grounds.
as architects and designers Trix and Robert Haussmann together with Studiolo Fredi
Fischli & Niels Olsen will, among others, make this heart leap for joy.

The focus is on integral spatial experiences

Anniversary events tend to be nostalgic – but not the “Silver Edition”, the 25th anniver-
sary of the Biennale Interieur. Here, the focus will be primarily on the future – despite his-
toric digressions. “Continue to Innovate!” is the maxim the organisers keep on invoking
when it comes to the orientation of this year’s exhibition. As a reminiscence of the 1960s,
the event – once again – relies on integral interiors and product presentations. We don’t
want to put the products of exhibitors on a pedestal but provide a contextual room. The
focus shall not be on the individual object but on the integral spatial experience. That
means a “back-to-the-roots”, to which the term “Interiors” in the motto title “Silver Lining
– Interiors” refers to. We conceived concepts connecting the past and the future in close
coordination with the Biennale. As backup we also got Brussels-based artist Richard
Venlet and graphic designer Joris Kritis on board. As always, an international expert com-
mittee supervises the meticulous selection of exhibitors, whom the organisers rather refer
Fotos: Bas Princen to as partners because as a part of the Biennale and together with it, they rather pursue
a common social design mission. So what you will look for in vain in October are end-
less, dark halls with dull lines of trade fair booths and boring system catering. Promise!

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