The Courtray Design Biennale Interieur () is a major international
design
A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...
exhibition that takes place once every two years (in even years) in the Belgian city of
Courtray
Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders.
With its 80,000 inhabitants (2024) Kortrijk is the capital and largest cit ...
(Kortrijk in Dutch). The first Interieur Design Biennale took place in 1968. The Biennale is organised by the Biennale Interieur npo. During the fair, producers and designers present their innovating interior products to a broad cultural, commercial and professional audience. Over the years, the fair has introduced a number of side activities such as the YoungDesignersFair, Design at Work, Exterieur, lectures and debates.
History
The first Design
Biennale
In the art world, a biennale ( , ; ), is a large-scale international contemporary art exhibition. The term was popularised by the Venice Biennale, which was first held in 1895, but the concept of such a large scale, and intentionally internationa ...
was held in 1968. The event took place in the 'Halls of Kortrijk', a new exhibition complex near the E17 highway. The event became more and more international during the following decades, and so it became one of the most important
design
A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
with international acclaim. At the 2012 Design Biennale, the exhibition space came to the city centre for the first time. During this Biennale, not only the halls in
Kortrijk Xpo
Kortrijk Xpo is one of the biggest multi-purpose indoor arenas and convention centres in the Benelux, covering some (2009).Broeltowers
The Broel Towers () are a listed monument and a landmark in the Belgian city of Kortrijk (''Courtrai''). The towers are known as one of the most important symbols of the city.
History
Although they look identical, the towers were not built a ...
.
In 2016, Interieur will be centred around
Kortrijk Xpo
Kortrijk Xpo is one of the biggest multi-purpose indoor arenas and convention centres in the Benelux, covering some (2009).Vlasmuseum in the heart of Kortrijk.
Format
The aim of the Biennale Interieur npo is to promote creativity in product development and design, through the means of a major international Biennale, which offers an overview of the most recent developments and the most successful projects in product development and design.
The 2012 fair will, for the first time in its history, take place both at the Expo halls and in the city centre, where activities are planned in the Buda Design Factory.
Guests of Honour
World famous design personalities have been invited as guest of honour:
*1968: Simon Mari Pruys (NL)
*1970:
Raymond Loewy
Raymond Loewy ( , ; November 5, 1893 – July 14, 1986) was a French-born American industrial designer who achieved fame for the magnitude of his design efforts across a variety of industries. He was recognized for this by ''Time'' magazi ...
(VS)
*1972:
Gio Ponti
Giovanni "Gio" Ponti (; 18 November 1891 – 16 September 1979) was an Italian architect, industrial designer, furniture designer, artist, teacher, writer and publisher.
During his career, which spanned six decades, Ponti built more than a hu ...
(IT)
*1974:
Verner Panton
Verner Panton (13 February 1926 – 5 September 1998) is considered one of Denmark's most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers. During his career, he created innovative and futuristic designs in a variety of materials, espec ...
(DK/CH)
*1976: Gillo Dorfles (IT)
*1978:
Philip Rosenthal
Philip Rosenthal (born January 27, 1960) is an American television writer and producer who is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2005). In recent years, he has presented food and tr ...
(DE)
*1980:
Jean Prouvé
Jean Prouvé (; 8 April 1901 – 23 March 1984) was a French metal worker, self-taught architect and designer. Le Corbusier designated Prouvé a constructeur, blending architecture and engineering. Prouvé's main achievement was transferring m ...
(FR)
*1982:
Alessandro Mendini
Alessandro Mendini (16 August 1931 – 18 February 2019) was an Italians, Italian designer and architect. He played an important part in the development of Italian, Postmodern architecture, Postmodern, and Radical period, Radical design. He a ...
(IT)
*1984:
Herman Liebaers
Herman Liebaers (February 1, 1919 in Tienen, Belgium – November 9, 2010 in Jette, Brussels) was a Belgian linguist. He was director general of the central Belgian Royal Library and ''Marshal of the Royal Household'' of the Royal Court of Be ...
(BE)
*1986:
Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck (; born 18 January 1949) is a French industrial architect and designer known for his wide range of designs, including interior design, architecture, household objects, furniture, boats and other vehicles. His most popular pieces ...
(FR)
*1988:
Geert Bekaert
Geert Bekaert (1928–2016) was a Belgian architectural critic and writer on art and design. He was one of the most prolific non-fiction writers in the Dutch language of the late 20th-century. As a young man he was for some years a member of the ...
(BE)
*1990:
Andrea Branzi
Andrea Branzi (30 November 1938 – 9 October 2023) was an Italian architect, designer, and academic. He was born and raised in Florence, though he lived and worked in Milan for much of his career. He was a professor and chairman of the School ...
(IT)
*1992:
Dieter Rams
Dieter Rams (born 20 May 1932) is a German industrial designer who is most closely associated with the consumer products company Braun (company), Braun, the furniture company Vitsœ, and the functionalism (architecture), functionalist school of ...
(DE)
*1994:
Jasper Morrison
Jasper Morrison (born 1959) is an English product and furniture designer. He is known for the refinement and apparent simplicity of his designs. In a rare interview with the designer, he is quoted as saying: "Objects should never shout."
...
(UK)
*1996:
Jean Nouvel
Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and ''Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has ob ...
(FR)
*1998: Rolf Fehlbaum (CH)
*2000: Konstantin Grcic (DE)
*2002:
Michael Young Michael Young may refer to:
Academics
* Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington (1915–2002), British life peer, sociologist and social activist
* Michael Young (educationalist), British educational theorist and sociologist
* Michael K. Youn ...
Kirsti Paakkanen
Kirsti Paakkanen ( Poikonen; 12 February 1929 — 2 November 2021) was a Finnish entrepreneur and business executive.
Career
Paakkanen studied advertising, and worked for many years in the marketing departments of Finnish retail companies incl ...
Jun'ya Ishigami
(born 1974 in Kanagawa prefecture) is a Japanese architect.
Ishigami completed his master's degree in architecture and planning at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 2000. Between 2000 and 2004, he worked with Kazuyo Sejima at ...
(JP)
*2012: Nendo (Japan), Troika (UK),
Studio Makkink & Bey Makkink & Bey is an architecture and design practice based in Rotterdam and also in the Noordoostpolder. The studio, founded in 2002, is led by architect Rianne Makkink and designer Jurgen Bey, and works in various domains of applied arts including ...
Ross Lovegrove
Ross Lovegrove (born 1958 in Cardiff, Wales) is a Welsh artist and industrial designer.
Biography
Ross Lovegrove was born in Wales in 1958. He studied at Manchester Polytechnic (now Manchester Metropolitan University), graduating with a Fi ...
(UK),
Greg Lynn
Greg Lynn (born 1964) is an American architect, founder and owner of the Greg Lynn FORM office, a Full Professor at the Institute of Architecture at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and a professor at the UCLA School of the Arts and Archite ...
(VS) and Muller Van Severen (BE).
*2014: Joseph Grima (GB)
*2016: Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen (BE)
Designer of the year award
This ''Designer of the year award'' is awarded by the Biennale Interieur npo in cooperation with style magazines Knack and Le Vif Weekend. This award is supported by the '' Design Museum Gent'' and ''
Grand-Hornu
Grand-Hornu is an old industrial coal mining complex and company town (''cité ouvrière'') in Hornu (Boussu), near Mons, in Belgium. It was built by Henri De Gorge between 1810 and 1830. It is a unique example of functional town-planning. Toda ...
Sylvain Willenz Sylvain is the French form of Silvanus. It may refer to:
People
*Sylvain Lancelot (born 2005), Valorant professional
*Sylvain Archambault (born 1963), Canadian director
* Sylvain Bied (1965–2011), French footballer and manager
*Sylvain Cappell ...
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
)
*2011
Nathalie Dewez
Nathalie is a female given name. It is a variant of the name Natalie (given name), Natalie/Natalia (given name), Natalia which is found in many languages, and is especially common in French and English-speaking countries.
Notable people with the ...
Jean-François D'Or
Jean-François () is a French given name. Notable people bearing the given name include:
* Jean-François Carenco (born 1952), French politician
* Jean-François Champollion (1790–1832), French Egyptologist
* Jean-François Clervoy (born 1958), ...
Muller Van Severen
Muller is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
A–H
*Alexandre Muller (born 1997), French tennis player
*A. Charles Muller (born 1953), translator
*Bauke Muller (born 1962), Dutch bridge player
*Bennie Muller (1938–2024), Dut ...