september2014
46
ow in itsninthyear, the
DesignSeptember festival
infiltratesall cornersof
Brussels, spotlightinga
wholegenerationof young
style talentsacross 100
events. These includeexhibitions, lectures,
openstudiosand installations, aswell as
vintageandcreators’ fairs, design
‘happenings’, a leatherworkshopanda few
moreoffbeat pop-upgalleriesand
restaurantssuchasEatcolor,where
monochrome-colouredmealswill
challengeperception.
DesignSeptember standsout from
otherEuropeandesigneventsbecause it is
firmlyaimedat thegeneral public. “Part of
theaim is tobeopen toaverywidepublic,
includingchildren. Everybodycan find
something that
interests
them; it’s
about showing that design
isaccessible, that you live
with it anduse it every
day,” saysartistic
directorDelphineVercauteren.
The festival isalsowilfullymulti-
disciplinary, in the imageof theLaCambre
art, designand fashionschool in thesouth
of thecity,wherenumerousBelgian
designers trained. “Iwant toshow that
design involvesdifferent disciplines, not
just furnitureand lighting, but graphicsand
textiles,” saysVercauteren, herself
agraphicand interior designer. “Thisyear
I’veaddedsome jewellerybecause that too
isdesign. It issomethingwomenuse, that
hasautility, a function, in that it
complementsour personal style.”
Asasignof thegrowing interest in the
event,more than700projectswere
entered thisyear, not just fromBelgium
but fromas far afieldasCostaRica, Latvia
and Japan, givingVercauteren thedifficult
– “but anice
difficult”–
taskof
whittlingdown thenumber
of projects to 100,
meeting thedesigners
wherepossible, finding
Top: LucieKoldová’sCapsula lights.
Left: PascalBreucker’sSimilitudes
lamp.Below left: Jean-François
d’Or’s table forCruso
