A few weeks ago we featured the Romanian Design Week in this article, the largest event dedicated to the creative-cultural industries in the country whose 11th edition has just come to an end. Now, after having travelled to Bucharest to get to know first-hand about the project of The Institute, powered by UniCredit Bank, with the support of Bucharest City Hall, through ARCUB – the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Bucharest, it’s time to share our impressions, what has caught our attention the most and draw conclusions from a call that has achieved a record number of visitors with more than eighty-five thousand people admiring the exhibition in Piața Amzei and exploring more than a hundred of related events.
“We continue to wish that, by consolidating all the forces surrounding such a large festival as Romanian Design Week has become, we will contribute to the development of partnerships – between the public sector, the private sector, civil society and entrepreneurs – that will lead to change for the better of the Capital City, to increasing people's attachment to the city and, finally, to a better quality of life for each of us,” explained Andrei Gavrilă Borțun, CEO of The Institute, when asked about the ultimate goal of the Romanian Design Week and their plans for the near future. This is precisely the role that this interesting project plays and that we’ve been able to see in its last edition held from May 12 to 28, turning the city into a creative hub that attracts leaders in the national and international design sector, amplifying interest in the different disciplines that make up this important industry.
Of course, we must mention the RDW Exhibition in Piața Amzei, the fundamental axis of this initiative where more than one hundred and fifty works of design and architecture were presented to the public, bringing the project closer to the street and generating fantastic synergies between creatives, curious people and design lovers. We also should mention the interactive installation Echoes of Presence, developed by Alina Rizescu, Bogdan Ștefănescu, Alin Tatu and Denis Fluerar, one of the main attractions that brought a peak of visitors. But what has really impressed us have been the social events in which you could feel the desire of the artistic community to change things, to make the system a better place that looks to the future, making collaborations and dialogues some of its fundamental elements.
Design, architecture and fashion embrace each other in the centre of a city that still has a lot of untapped potential and for which connections with other countries are essential for its growth. This is what the Romanian Design Week pursues, not only to be a reference event locally but to position itself on the international map. And after having travelled to Bucharest, we can confirm that they are on the right track to make it happen. A good example of this is the sum of forces undertaken with the Zagreb Design Week, Croatian Design, presented in an exhibition opening at Doro 16.
Let's take a moment to talk about this space as a perfect example of those places that are putting Bucharest on the map through design. Besides the artists and all the agents involved in the development process of the artworks, it is important to draw up a network of shops, concept stores or multifunctional spaces that promote these projects, being a meeting point for the most restless minds in the country. This 114-year-old space for signature events houses a unique concept store for transformative and boutique designers around the world that you should visit if you are planning to come to Romania.
Also within this list of essential places, you should not miss The Edit, which houses an exclusive selection of home accessories that are simple, yet versatile and sophisticated. Founded by Irina Pogonaru and Magda Staicu, who share a passion for the intimate bond between people and their interiors, this project perfectly exemplifies the desire of a society that wants its talent to be known globally by offering inspired design items that draw inspiration from Danish aesthetics, which have become very popular in recent years both in art and fashion.
The expansion of the design does not only look abroad but also to the city that hosts the Romanian Design Week, with events and initiatives in four design districts of the Capital City: Dorobanti-Floreasca, Ioanid-Icoanei, Cotroceni, respectively the Creative Quarter (the area around Cișmigiu). “We will continue to invest in their development, in the presentation of the most relevant works of design and architecture, but also in the expansion of the festival through related events that put more and more creative neighbourhoods on the map of Bucharest and that show us an extremely talented and effervescent living urban universe,” says Raluca Mirel, Project Director of Romanian Design Week.
Let’s see how Romanian Design Week continues to evolve in the next years, and where its efforts are directed in future calls. They are already preparing their next edition, which will take place in May 2024. The details will be revealed soon and, as in the case of this year's edition, the works presented in the central exhibition of the festival will be selected following a call for projects, which will be announced starting in September of this year.
