The Mikser Festival is an annual exhibition promoting design, architecture, urban planning, new technologies, art, music, and communications in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
.
It was founded in 2006 by architect
Maja Vidaković Lalić. It invites international and local experts from creative industries. It features lectures, competitions, workshops, exhibits, concerts, films and theater plays.
The festival occurs once a year in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
at the end of May or the beginning of June, and usually lasts 4 to 7 days. The first one was held at the "Žitomlina" silo in the
Dorćol
Dorćol ( sr-cyr, Дорћол; ) is an affluent urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad.
Located along the right bank of the Danube, Dorćol is oldest surviving neighborhood ...
area of
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
.
It was subsequently held in Belgrade's once-derelict industrial zone of
Savamala
Savamala ( sr-cyr, Савамала) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipalities of Savski Venac and Stari Grad.
Location
Savamala is located south of the Kalemegdan fortress and t ...
to help revitalize that area, before returning to
Dorćol
Dorćol ( sr-cyr, Дорћол; ) is an affluent urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad.
Located along the right bank of the Danube, Dorćol is oldest surviving neighborhood ...
in 2017.
Its 2010 attendance of 40,000 grew to 75,000 in 2017.
The festival is part of the Mikser umbrella organization, which includes the Mikser House, a gallery and cultural space in the
Savamala
Savamala ( sr-cyr, Савамала) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipalities of Savski Venac and Stari Grad.
Location
Savamala is located south of the Kalemegdan fortress and t ...
neighborhood. The group also operates the reMiks Studio, Mikser TV, the Mikser Organization, the Miksalište Refugee Center, the Mikser Café and the Balkan Design store.
The Mikser Festival sometimes coordinates with other events. In 2006, its Ghost Project exhibit appeared at
Belgrade Design Week
Belgrade Design Week is an international festival established in 2005, and held once a year in Belgrade, Serbia. The week-long conference is organized every spring and is the largest design initiative in South-Eastern Europe. It covers architectu ...
. The multimedia installation initially focused on local unrealized projects in industrial design; and since 2011, it has evolved into a competition for international designers.
Highlights
The main theme of the 2011 festival was the promotion of workshops, new technologies, and experimentation, as well as commemorating the 20 year anniversary of the break-up of
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. Musicians who had been popular before the break-up were invited to perform.
Greg Wilson,
John Tejada
John Tejada (born 21 April 1974) is an Austrian-born American electronic music producer and composer. Tejada's output of music began in 1994, including four albums for Kompakt, plus releases on Pokerflat, Cocoon, Plug Research, Seventh City, Playho ...
, JD Twitch and JG Wilkes, from the British club scene, also made appearances. In 2011,
Lalić launched The Young Balkan Designers competition as part of the Mikser Festival.
Aimed at local industrial designers,
the first competition was judged by designer
Konstantin Grcic
Konstantin Grcic ( sr-cyr, Константин грчић, born 1965) is a German industrial designer known for creating mass-manufactured items, such as furniture and household products. He has participated in leading design shows and his work ...
and
Maja Vidaković Lalić.
Winners had their work shown at design events such as the
Milan Furniture Fair
The Milan Furniture Fair ( it, Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano) is a furniture fair held annually in Milan. It is the largest trade fair of its kind in the world. The exhibition showcases the latest in furniture and design from countrie ...
and Vienna Design Week.
In 2014, the Misker Festival focused on the
Savamala
Savamala ( sr-cyr, Савамала) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipalities of Savski Venac and Stari Grad.
Location
Savamala is located south of the Kalemegdan fortress and t ...
neighbourhood, in a bid to continue its revitalization. 40 urban planners from around the world were invited to discuss possibilities for renewal. Austrian choreographer William Dorner performed a dance recital with the goal of inspiring local residents to protect their city.
Three Swiss artists exhibited a multimedia installation featuring video footage of
Savamala
Savamala ( sr-cyr, Савамала) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipalities of Savski Venac and Stari Grad.
Location
Savamala is located south of the Kalemegdan fortress and t ...
and other urban neighborhoods. A conference and workshops were also held with Dutch designer Renne Ramakers and British architect
Jeremy Till
Professor Jeremy Till (born 5 April 1957) is a British architect, educator and writer. He is Professor of Architecture at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. He was Head of Central Saint Martins and Pro Vice-Chancellor of the U ...
in attendance.
The 2017 festival concentrated on the themes of migration, education on the move, the city, and the making of culture. The topics were addressed through design, the visual arts, cinema and music, as well as the lecture series "Mikser Talks". About 50 local and international experts spoke about the planning of cities, architecture, design, social sciences, information technologies, and communications.
Representatives from the
Imperial College
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
gave a presentation about sustainable urban planning.
Additionally, the festival hosted a bazaar with home-made clothes and food stands,
and also invited the gaming company
Nordeus
Nordeus is a Serbian mobile game developer headquartered in New Belgrade. The studio's debut game is Top Eleven Football Manager, a free-to-play social football management simulation game.
In 2013, the game reached the top of the grossing ch ...
, which organized workshops for Serbian youth.
Concerts were given by musicians Aleksandar Sedlar Bogoev, Marko Luis and the Lola Klasik String Orchestra, among others.
New in 2017, was a creative camp aimed at solving social problems through technology.
See also
*
Belgrade Design Week
Belgrade Design Week is an international festival established in 2005, and held once a year in Belgrade, Serbia. The week-long conference is organized every spring and is the largest design initiative in South-Eastern Europe. It covers architectu ...
*
Maja Vidaković Lalić
References
{{Reflist
External links
* http://festival.mikser.rs
International conferences
Events in Belgrade
Industrial design awards
Festivals in Serbia
Serbian designers
Design events
June events
May events
Spring (season) events
Annual events in Serbia
Spring (season) events in Serbia