Open call for young designers from the Balkans: ICI & NOW – Hybrid solutions for contemporary living, working, exchange and play
ABOUT YBD
Young Balkan Designers (YBD) is the regional talent platform of the Mikser organization aimed at discovering, developing and promoting creative talents from the Balkan region in the field of sustainable design. The initiative also aims to unify the regional design scene, bringing it closer to the international audience, strengthening its potential by providing additional training and practice for emerging designers, while at the same time contributing to the restoration of multicultural cooperation in the Balkan region. .
ABOUT NUNC
Nunc (now) is a furniture manufacturer from Slavonia, Croatia. It made its debut on the international design scene in 2019 at the Cologne Furniture Fair in Germany, and since then it has continued to grow and conquer international markets. Nunc’s witty and refreshing approach to designing everyday objects comes from collaborating with emerging designers from across the region, many of whom got their start on the regional and international scene through the Young Balkan Designers platform.
The company’s visionaries and Mikser curators have teamed up to launch a special edition of the Young Balkan Designers competition, creating a unique opportunity for the next generation of Balkan designers to join Nunc in its mission to reinterpret the rich tradition and the culture of the region in an innovative and recognizable contemporary design. some products.
COMPETITION THEME: “HERE AND NOW”
May you live in interesting times. We do. Technological advances open up new possibilities for remote work and flexible work arrangements that also affect the configuration of our personal and shared spaces. On the other hand, the global health crisis has given us time to reflect on our personal values and aspirations, leading to massive self-reflection on how we want to spend the majority of our day – where, when, with who and why. The theme “Here and Now – Hybrid Solutions for Contemporary Living, Working, Trading and Play” calls for sustainable, intelligent and flexible design solutions for the ever-changing environments and circumstances we live in today .
We challenge young designers to explore new furniture and space functions for the in-between and overlapping areas of everyday worlds: home, work, school, public spaces, entertainment areas, intimate and communal, urban and rural environments , static and moving experiences. Submitted projects must be able to offer multiple functions and experiences to their users, support various life scenarios, hybrid and nomadic work models, enable the easy creation of “third spaces”, transform any place in a games room or informal education establishment and much more. more. We encourage young designers to invent new design ideas or revisit their existing design ideas, studying the cross-functional and hybrid functions of furniture, modular systems or other utilitarian objects, from the perspective of diverse users ( adults, children, different sexes, elderly). , disabled people, etc.), varied time scenarios (night, daytime, seasonal, etc.), an alternation of environments and social contexts (outdoor, indoor, private, public), etc.
JURY
Marva Griffin, curator, Salone Satellite, Milan Furniture Fair, Italy
Henriette Waal, industrial designer, professor at the Eindhoven Design Academy, Netherlands / Director of experimental research, Atelier Luma, Experimental Program, France
Nikola Radeljkovic, designer, Numen/For Use, Croatia
Jelena Matic, Product Designer, Professor at the Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Maja Lalic, architects, founder of the Mikser association, Serbia
COMPETITION SUBJECT
Design concepts, products – furniture and systems, lighting, interior elements, everyday objects, exterior elements, toys and tools, accessories and home textiles, innovative design and production scenarios that support and enable mobility, multifunctionality, the transformability and adaptation of spatial elements to various functions, times and usage scenarios.
CRITERIA
Criteria appreciated by the Jury: innovative elements of the project which improve the quality of daily life; ability to meet the needs of various users; multifunctionality; circularity potential of the product or its elements; ergonomics; rational production and transport costs; innovative use of locally available materials; implementation of local knowledge and techniques; environmentally friendly production process, innovative use of recycled materials; relevance to local/global environmental and social challenges.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The competition is open to creators aged under 40, who live or work in the Balkans, are of Balkan origin or appreciate Balkan culture. Applicants may be individuals or groups of authors. Each applicant may submit more than one application.
DEADLINE AND PROJECT SUBMISSION
Applicants can submit their projects until September 27, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. via the online form at https://ybd.mikser.rs/form/
PRICE
The Jury will select the winners of the Competition for:
Winners of the first round: participation in the YBD for the NUNC proposal exhibition in Belgrade (Faculty of Forestry, Belgrade Furniture Fair side program)
Round II Winners: Product Development for NUNC with the Company’s Product Development Team
Successful prototypes: presentation of prototypes at the Milan International Furniture Fair 2024 (Nunc stand) and at the Mikser Festival 2024 in Belgrade
WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT
The winners of the first round for the Exhibition Selection category will be announced on October 2, 2023 online at mikser.rs (jury decision)
The winners of the II round for the Product Development category will be announced on October 11, 2023 during the opening of the YBD for NUNC exhibition in Belgrade, during the Belgrade Furniture Fair (decision of the curatorial and product development teams )
The final selection of the prototypes selected for presentations at the Milan Furniture Fair 2024 and the Mikser Festival 2024 will be made in February 2024.
COMPETITION CALENDAR
September 27, 2023 – Competition deadline for submission of proposals
September 28 – October 1, 2023 – Pre-selection and jury process
October 2, 2023 – Public announcement of the winners of the I Round: exhibition selection category
October 11, 2023 – Opening of the exhibition and public announcement of the winners of the II round: Product Development category during the opening cocktail of the YBD exhibition in Belgrade at the Faculty of Forestry, side program of the Belgrade Furniture Fair
November 2023 – January 2024 – Product development phase
February 2023 – Final selection of successful prototypes for Milan at the Nunc factory in Djakovo, Croatia
February – March 2024 – Preparations for product presentation at the Milan Furniture Fair on the Nunc stand
April 16 – 21, 2024 – Exhibition of new products at the Milan International Furniture Fair
May 2024 – YBD for the NUNC exhibition at the Mikser Festival, Belgrade
IMPORTANT NOTES
By submitting this application, if selected for product development, designers agree to collaborate with the YBD Curatorial and NUNC Product Development team to develop working prototypes for Nunc products that will be featured at the Show International Furniture of Milan. If the company decides to manufacture the selected products for the market, a separate standard commercial agreement (contract) will be signed between the company and the designers.
The organizers will cover all expenses related to the organization and production of the Exhibition in Belgrade (design/printing of exhibition panels, technical equipment, assembly, communication materials, cocktail, etc.), as well as the presentation of the prototypes in Milan. International Furniture Fair (production and photography of prototypes, their transport to Milan, design and construction of the NUNC stand, communication supports and promotional activities on site, etc.)
Travel and accommodation costs for designers wishing to attend the exhibition in Belgrade and the NUNC stand at the Milan International Furniture Fair must be covered by the designers.
The jury’s decisions are final. Any claim relating to the authorship of the design or possible plagiarism thereof will be the responsibility of the designer. In case of non-compliance with any of the rules herein, or in case of insufficient quality of cooperation or final result, the curatorial team and the product development team reserve the right to exclude the prototype of the Nunc presentation in Milan and promotional material.
USEFUL LINKS
The future of shared spaces – Vitra
The hybrid home – At home with children
The new era of hybrid working – Steelcase
Changemakers for the Future of Work – Herman Miller
Reconnect: design strategies for a post-Covid world – Gensler
Innovation Spaces – Brookings
“Third Places” as Community Builders – Brooking
Speculative Design – MIT
ORGANIZERS
Mikser Association
mikser.rs
Nun
nunc.design
COMMISSIONER TEAM
Jelena Matic, professor at the University of Belgrade in Serbia
Nikola Radeljkovic, Product Designer, Numen / ForUse, Croatia
Maja Lalic, founder, Mikser Association, Serbia
INFO & REQUESTS
e-mail: ybd@mikser.rs
ybd.mikser.rs
Application form : https://ybd.mikser.rs/form/
Download the information related to this competition here.
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Title
Open call for young designers from the Balkans: ICI & NOW – Hybrid solutions for contemporary living, working, exchange and play
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Type
Competition announcement (ideas)
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Website
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Organizers
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Submission deadline
September 27, 2023 11:30 p.m.
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Price
Free
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Country restrictions
Albania, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Kosovo