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The next-generation competition 'ein&zwanzig': vernissage in the Zona Tortona, twenty winners and one 'Best of Best'
The vernissage for 'ein&zwanzig' was held today in the Zona Tortona. This international competition and its awards were initiated by the German Design Council to support young designers at the start of their careers. 'The high quality of so many international entries fills me with pride,' commented Andrej Kupetz, the executive director of the German Design Council and chairman of the jury.
We received 574 entries from 36 countries for this new competition, which is aimed at young designers from around the globe working in the fields of interior design and lifestyle. A jury of internationally respected experts selected the eponymous twenty-one best works. The winning design newcomers presented their works to invited guests and an international audience, and celebrated with a lively party afterwards. At the Salone del Mobile, the Zona Tortona is one of the international hot spots of the design scene.
At the opening event, one of the works presented was honoured with the 'Best of Best' award. The jury's choice was not an easy one; the shortlist of 56 products published on the internet reveals the diversity, technical virtuosity and experimental approaches of many of the entries.
‘Best of Best’ for Mireille Burger und Rudi Boiten
The designer duo Mireille Burger and Rudi Boiten from Eindhoven in the Netherlands were thrilled with
their 'Best of Best' award. The designers, who do business as Studio Plott, completed their studies at the
Design Academy Eindhoven in 2014, unite conventional manufacturing methods with new printing
technologies in their projects. They impressed the jury with their work entitled 'Open Rugs'. 'Open Rugs'
are textile structures made of blended fabrics produced in a three-dimensional printing process.
In the conventional sense as a floor covering, but also as a spatial structure or flexible architecture, 'Open Rugs' is a haptically as well as visually fascinating project. The dialogue of the object and the surface beneath it as well as the combination of intense colour and transparency create the unique tension of the work.
The exhibition of the next-generation competition 'ein&zwanzig' will be held from 4–9 April at Via Tortona 31 during Tortona Design Week. It was designed by Studio Besau-Marguerre, who were among the 'Newcomer' finalists for the German Design Award in 2014 and whose portfolio includes renowned projects such as the furnishings for the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
Studio Besau-Marguerre’s exhibition concept gives the extremely diverse range of works by the design newcomers a common setting. The Scandinavian textile manufacturer Kvadrat partnered with the design studio to implement the concept.
Exhibition info: 4–9 April 2017, Via Tortona, 31, 20144 Milan, open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
German Design Council
The German Design Council is an independent and international institution that supports companies in
communicating design expertise efficiently and works to increase the awareness and understanding of
design amongst the general public. Originally established as a foundation in 1953 by a decree of the
German Federal Parliament, the German Design Council advocates good design through its
competitions, exhibitions, conferences, seminars and publications. Currently, over 260 German and
international companies are members of the German Design Council.