The Vienna Design Week, now at its twelfth edition and directed by Lilli Hollein, focuses on new projects, many of which were commissioned and produced specially for the festival, united by a close relationship to the fabric of the city.

Many of the new projects are the result of first-time collaborations, and here the “Passionswege” format is a shining example. By bringing together, every year, six young designers and six traditional producers who still operate within the city, Passionwege leads to unexpected designs which push the boundaries of their disciplines. This year, the glass manufacturer Lobmeyr worked with the two artists Hanakam & Schuller, the sweets producer Zuckerlwerkstatt collaborated with the food designers Honey & Bunny, the silversmith Jarosinski & Vaugoin joined forces with the Polish duo Studio Rygalik, the passementerie factory M. Maurer got together with the Austrian designer Laurids Gallée, the medal box producer Etui Fialka worked with the Swiss Kueng Caputo, and lastly, the artisan leather workshop Albert Pettermann (founded in 1931) teamed up with the studio Burkart Furtenbach.

Many of these organisations were uncovered by the curator Gabriel Roland in the seventh district Neubau, the quintessential alternative and creative quarter of Vienna, which this year is the location of the festival, with the headquarters in the ex-hospital Sophienspital.

The guest country this year is Poland, with two main exhibitions (supported by a range of satellite initiatives): graphics at the Polish Cultural Institute and the history of Polish design at the festival headquarters.

An interesting theme of the festival is the itinerary of “Urban food design” curated by Hanna Facchinelli: from possibilities and alternatives for food production in the city (Julia Schwartz and Pauline Bouzek, Maureen Kagi), to food used as an instrument for social study (Namuun Zimmermann and Kevin Smeeing), to an examination of the convivial aspects (Andrea Lenardin and Isabel Prade – Stephanie Kneissl).

“Protest” was another theme examined by the twelfth edition of Vienna Design Week, with an itinerary of 11 projects concentrated in a single pavilion curated by Erwin K. Bauer.

But beyond the exhibitions and designs, the strength of Vienna Design Week is the rich programme of debates, discussions and talks which, over a period of 10 days, allows the local design panorama to be elevated to an international level, offering unique opportunities for reciprocal awareness, exchange, encounter and growth.