As part of the Designers' Open, more than 60 different Spots can be seen. Among these will not only be exciting, popular locations such as the cotton spinning mill and the t-shirt manufacturer Spreadshirt, but also numerous newcomers like the charming furniture shop Liseleje in the Waldstraßenviertel and the Schlothof in Plagwitz. "The DO/Spots are an integral part of the Designers' Open," explains project director Kati Fritzsche. "All across the city visitors can experience inspiring places and feel the pulse beat of the design event for the entire week."
Programme highlights: From late night shopping to the anniversary exhibition
To arouse the curiosity for these three days, selected Spots will already be open on Monday, October 20th. Entrance to the World of Architecture will follow on Wednesday, October 22nd. As part of the event "KAP on Tour", a part of the famous KAP Forum, the strategies of communication in the architecture branch will be discussed. The event will take place in the "Galerie für zeitgenössische Kunst" ("gallery for contemporary art", Karl-Tauchnitz-Straße 9-11) and will start at 7pm.
Thursday, October 23rd 2014
On Thursday, October 23rd, the cotton spinning mill invites you to do some late night shopping from 6pm to 10pm. Those who like the finer things in life can find and buy exceptional designs. The event "Feine Herrenkultur" ("Fine men's culture") and the retrospective "10 Jahre Designers' Open" ("10 years Designers' Open") will mark the exclusive opening in the Schlothof. As the founder of the Designers' Open, the design agency Studio Hartensteiner invites you to an exciting exhibition which provides a vibrant setting to celebrate a decade of Designers' Open. This retrospective flashback incorporates a stylish get-together which embraces the theme "Herrenkultur", not only "him". In keeping with this, the Magdeburg manufacturer Petromax will provide a hearty BBQ. As an exclusive DO preview, Coboc's speedy and puristic high-tech eCycle from Heidelberg can be put to the test. Product developer and packaging designer Jo Zarth, who works at the Schlothof, will present Finest Beauty and Shaving Culture, and the hip label Von Jungfeld from Mannheim will be displaying fine socks made for men. However, the oh'KS POPUP-Café (Kolonnadenstr. 5) will be looking into the future. Starting at 6pm, Saxony's creative associations will discuss the future of the design industry.
Friday, October 24th 2014
On Friday, October 24th, the Leipzig Chamber of Handicrafts invites you, for the first time as a DO/Spot, to a sensuous tour of discovery. Embracing the theme "Design für die Sinne" ("Design for the senses"), the visitors can feel unique styles of fashion fabrics, smell the colours of the airbrush, taste the art of baking, and observe a fantastic room through special spectacles. At 3pm the visitors can experience something for the ears: the Drum Manufacturers and the CEO of the company Rockstrohdrums will take part in a drum duel. Also the oh'KS POPUP-Café will be host to musical performances. From 9pm, bands from Chemnitz, Dresden and Leipzig will play acoustic sets. Before that, visitors can meet the author Katja Kullmann. Kullmann writes books, essays, narratives, reports and newspaper columns, preferably about sociopolitical topics, about the battle of the sexes and the wonderful world of work - during an on-location reading, she will perform a sample of her work.
Saturday, October 25th 2014 and Sunday, October 26th 2014
Spreadshirt (Gießerstraße 27) will provide a glimpse behind the scenes of t-shirt design on Saturday, October 25th. Between 11am and 3pm, visitors can experience t-shirt manufacture on a tour through the production area and print their own t-shirts on the premises. On Sunday, October 26th, kids can create their own individual toys. At TinkerToys (Helmholtzstraße 2), young design fans will learn about 3D printing and create their own toys.
Premiere: Design tour to the Spots on Saturday and Sunday
For the very first time, the Designers' Open offers a guided bus tour through Leipzig so that visitors can comfortably get from the exhibition centre to the Spots. They can get on and off the bus at anytime at eleven different stops in order to experience the spots on-site. During the tour, visitors will learn interesting facts about the design city Leipzig. The bus tour will also go to the exhibition centre. From October 24th to 26th, more than 250 designers, labels and agents will exhibit their current products and trends there. The ticket will cost 8 Euros and is valid on Saturday and Sunday. The tickets can be purchased directly on the bus at all stops. They entitle the holder to reduced entrance for the Designers' Open and Grassi trade fair.
Grassi trade fair and Ways of Art suffuse the city with design
Parallel to the Designers' Open will be the Grassi trade fair from October 24th to 26th. Around 100 artists, artisans, designers and colleges will present their products from the applied arts. The Ways of Art as a contemporary exhibition, where artists from Germany and from Japan will present their current work for the sixth time in Leipzig, takes place during the design weekend this year.
About the Designers' Open
With more than 250 labels, designers and agents, and 13,500 visitors, the Designers' Open is the leading festival for design. In the fields of DO/Market, DO/Graphic and DO/Fashion, the event exhibits the latest trends for interior and fashion design, and also urban and street art. Within the fields DO/Industry and DO/Architecture, the Designers' Open addresses specialists. This year, the event takes place for the tenth time. Apart from the central venue - the glass hall of the Leipzig exhibition centre - there are various Spots in the entire city zone, and also in Halle and Dresden.
About the Grassi trade fair Leipzig
The Grassi trade fair takes place parallel to the Designers' open and is considered to be the most important international sales exhibition for applied arts and product design. About 100 artists, artisans, designers and colleges will present their current work at 75 different stands. The trade fair, which takes place every year at the end of October in the Grassi Museum for Applied Arts, invites you to peruse and purchase, to talk with creative people, and allows a look at international design trends. Special 2014: Design for children