Almost 3500 visitors wanted to see the 360 Design Budapest exhibition

This year, the 360 Design Budapest exhibition was held for the third time, between the 3^rd and the 9^th of October. Again, it welcomed those interested in contemporary design with exciting programmes and numerous breathtaking creations. Bálna Budapest was filled with life by a crowd of visitors for a whole week, who, besides discovering design objects and home accessories, could deepen their knowledge about product design and its frontiers thanks to roundtable discussions and world-famous designers’ presentations.

The 360 Design Budapest, which has received several awards in the previous years, was a great success among those interested in the Hungarian and regional creative industry this year as well. Nearly 3500 visitors were curious to see the 31 domestic and over 10 regional designers’ creations at the event series presenting more than 100 design objects. In recent years, the exhibition has attracted a lot of interest, as shown by the fact that since it opened on Monday at noon, a total of almost 300 000 users have visited the event's Facebook or Instagram channel.

“This time, we focused on storytelling, education, and digitalisation at the exhibition, thanks to which, we presented a very colourful and exciting selection to the visitors, illustrating the design industry’s diversity. The Hungarian designers and the emerging talents could enter not only their finished pieces but 3D creations as well, which were displayed in a special, innovative digital space using LED projectors. Owing to our close collaboration with Art Market, not only the connections between physical and digital reality and the past, present, and future came to life in front of the visitors but the intertwinement and contrasts between different disciplines of art” – explained the complexity of the concept Anita Forintos-Szűcs, the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency’s Deputy CEO.

In the exhibition space divided into three sections, a wide palette of designs appeared again this year. In the design history part created in collaboration with the Museum of Applied Arts, visitors had the chance to see the designs and a work of art by Lajos Kozma, one of the most outstanding and internationally renowned artists of the early 20^th century, among other things. In the middle section, the pictures on the LED projectors came to life as you approached them, as a result of which, you could observe 3D designs better, and the virtual designer furniture visibly stood out from the crowd. In the third section, a real “design oasis” welcomed visitors, where industrial architecture and the green surfaces created a spectacular contrast,  because of this the objects presented in the innovative space stuck out even more. The ceramics were placed on a grandiose table that Gáspár Bonta, the exhibition’s programme director interpreted as a paraphrase of The Last Supper. Those interested could meet Hungarian designers’ works in the lounge section as well, where they could even purchase creations of the exhibiting designers.

The exhibition’s educative programmes were popular among visitors as well, and the professional guided tours were full-house, but many people visiting Bálna Budapest also wanted to hear the keynote speeches and roundtable discussions. It is a great honour for 360 Design Budapest that internationally acknowledged professionals, such as Piero Lissoni, one of the most outstanding architects and designers of our era, participated in the programme as speakers.  In his speech entitled 1:1 Humanist Approach, he talked in detail about his Hungarian-related projects, but there was also great interest in his guided tour with Gáspár Bonta. Besides the star speakers, similarly to previous years, 360 Design Budapest was realised in cooperation with regional professional organisations such as Art Market Budapest, Budapest Design Week, Czechdesign, the Museum of Applied Arts, and LuCreate Design Development Foundation. 

“We awaited those interested in the Hungarian product design culture from several European countries. Numerous Hungarian and international surveys have confirmed the role and importance of cultural tourism, which show that culture is one of the main motivations for travellers in Europe and even overseas. The growing demand for getting to know the local culture and experience-based touristic services affect the fashion and design industries as well. There is great potential in both sectors and they can grow by building and helping each other. Both could contribute to not only sustaining but elevating the living standards, selling high-quality services based on local values, and last but not least, strengthening the country's image.  For this reason, it is vital for us to strengthen Hungary’s regional design industry role, and thus provide the highest possible visibility for Hungarian design industry talents” – said Zsófia Jakab, the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency’s CEO.

In the spirit of regional cooperation, the professional events organised with Art Market further enhanced intellectual experiences: those interested could participate in two roundtable discussions of the HFDA Academy under the Inside Art & Design programme series. Points of Intersection: Art & Design was the title of the English discussion in which international guests talked about the differences between art and design, their overlaps and intertwinement, with the moderation of Nóra Winkler, cultural expert. The participants were Audrone Drungilaite, Director of the Vilnius Design Innovation Centre; Giovanni Ottonello, Art Director of  Instituto Europeo di Design; and Tanja Pak, Professor of the Ljubljana University.  At the other roundtable discussion, Anita Korn, creator and creative producer of Ruhastory talked to Lehel Juhos, Annabella Hevesi, and Bence Simonfalvi designers about collaboration as a driver of innovation.

You can re-watch the sneak peek event video on the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency’s YouTube channel, and you can view the exhibition’s online platform here.

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About the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency

The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency was founded in 2018 to support every actor in the fashion and design industry in an efficient and structured way, following predetermined strategic pillars: professional coordination, enhancing Hungarian brands’ availability and trade opportunities, educational development and manufacturing development. To realise its goals, the HFDA organises domestic events each year, such as the region’s major fashion event, the Budapest Central European Fashion Week, or the 360 Design Budapest exhibition, which has received international awards. Besides, they provide Hungarian creators opportunities for participation and debuting at international professional events such as the Milano Fashion Week. Strategic cooperation with professional organisations, increasing export, and supporting Hungarian brands’ professional development with mentoring programmes are among their accentuated goals.

360 Design Budapest

The 360 Design Budapest event series organised by the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency draws attention to the everyday role of design surrounding us in 360 degrees with online and offline exhibitions, guided tours, and roundtable discussions. The event aims to make Hungarian and regional product designers more widely known using modern tools, help domestic design brands enter the international market, and present new, innovative, sustainable directions for the target audience interested in design. By realising the event, the Agency wants to help Hungary become a regional centre in the design industry, and wants to create a programme which is attractive to tourists from all around Europe.