lodz design festival 2011 exhibition design

Central agora with festival mascot.

the 2011 edition of the lodz design festival was the first year in which the curators organized a competition for the exhibition design of the festival grounds. our proposal aimed not only to create an attractive and aesthetic backdrop for the fair activities, but also to develop a design strategy that would actively engage the modernist interiors of the historic factory building the festival was being held at. we chose stretch foil – known to many from luggage security counters at airports – as the prime material. bands of foil connect columns and thus form partition walls and highlight entrances to the various exhibitions. this ‘connect-the-dots’ typology highlights the industrial, reinforced concrete structure. the translucent foil introduces striking lighting effects and a surreal haze to an otherwise grey interior.

the restored outside facade was complemented with an elongated podium. this runway is a play on the red carpet of glamorous festivals and leads to an internal axis. after passing through a functional core consisting of a reception, ticket and information counters, the ground floor plays out in a “big bang”. a concentric composition of general public functions – a cafe, book store, design store and chill out space fan out around a central agora. the center-piece is an owl with 3d glasses – the mascot of this year’s festival. the remaing floors host the various design exhibtions. the top floor hosts the conference center. the stretch foil will be used as packing material after the festival is concluded.

Chillout area.