The Grassi Fair offers the best opportunities for visitors to inform themselves directly from the artists about current design trends in the areas of jewellery, fashion, furniture, metal, glass, paper, ceramics, porcelain, stone and toys; and also provides the chance to take inspiration and to purchase exquisite and unique works of art.
The areas of jewellery (21 exhibitors) and ceramics (18 exhibitors) form the main focus of this year's fair. Besides this, a number of textile, wood and glass artists will be fascinating visitors with their original pieces of work. Experiments with materials and unconventional ideas from young designers sit side by side with simple classic or lavishly playful works from renowned artists.
The silversmith Isabelle Enders/Nuremberg offers highly imaginative pepper-mills made from fittings and metal handles, Viennese fashion-designer Gudrun Bartenberger-Geyer has created a collection which is based on the geometry of the circle and displays unexpected forms when worn. Felix Lindner and Samantha Font-Sala/Erfurt exhibit their creations for the first time, which move between fashion-jewellery and art-jewellery and ceramist Daniela Chinellato/Italy presents large-sized sculptures.
Upcycling-Special: "Really old - Upcycling Design"
"Upcycling" is more popular than ever; that is converting waste-products or apparently useless materials into new products. The stage outfits for the Italian company Scartline demonstrate something special; these outfits consist exclusively of collected waste materials and were created for an opera production in the Teatro del Silenzio / Tuscany. Outfits and matching pieces of jewellery will amaze and delight with their poetic and lavish appearance. The project is in cooperation with the Leipzig KunstKraftWerk (art power station) where further upcycling exhibits, making use of furniture and equipment, will also be on show at the Grassi Fair.
Increasing the value of old equipment also plays a role at the Leipzig workshop community "Diefabrik". The "tombox" is a tribute to the loudspeakers from the heyday of "good designs"; these are collected and converted into portable speakers. The classics of Braun, Saba and Grundig can also satisfy today's demands when completed subtly with the latest technology.
Special projects by universities
Several universities will be exhibiting current and joint projects at the Grassi Fair. The textile class of the Burg Giebichenstein Academy of Arts, Halle worked together with the Academy of Arts, Stuttgart and tackled the question of how you can experience and simultaneously demolish tradition, in order to create something new, and therefore not stagnate in the past.
The University for Applied Science and Arts in Hildesheim, picks colour out as a central theme for itself. Colour plays an essential role both in product design and in the arts and crafts. The presentation shows how colour worlds have changed since the 1950s and how, by examining the past and using the method of trendscouting, future developments can be predicted.
The jewellery and accessories students of the University for Applied Science and Arts in Hildesheim are presenting their latest work pointing out the creative potential of skilled crafts as an impulse giver for innovative ideas.
The agency for contemporary arts and crafts 'craft2eu' introduces a choice of internationally active artisans and designers, who all follow the theme "Black & White". Work made of porcelain, paper, metal and many other materials is staged theatrically in front of red scenery.
Grassi Awards
A specialist jury gives out four Grassi awards for outstanding work and trend-setting projects. The winners will be announced at the prize ceremony on Thursday, 23rd October at 18:30.
In addition the Grassi prize for young talent will be awarded by Culturtraeger, a Leipzig-based company. A specialist subject jury will select an outstanding piece of degree work from the Castle Giebichenstein Academy of Art, Halle in the subject of design. The donated prize serves for both the promotion of young designers and demonstrates decades of cooperation between the museum and Castle Giebichenstein. The degree work is purchased by Culturtraeger and goes to the museum's collection.
Opening hours
Thursday, 22rd Oct. 2015 at 18:30 - Opening of the Grassi Fair, Grassi Award Ceremony with following preview of the Fair until 9:30 p.m.
Friday (23rd October) and Saturday (24th October): from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Sunday (25th October): from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Entrance fees
8 Euro
free under the age of 18
Festival tickets for the 'Designers' Open' are valid for all three trade fair days and allow free use of the MDV public transport system (Central German Transport Authority).