START_UP: Designer's New Projects

The group presentation “Cute Puppies. Young Austrian Designers”  shows exemplary works by fourteen Austrian or Austrianbased designers and designer collectives: Marian Grabmayer, Oliver Grimm, Valerie Gudenus and Sandra Reichl, Dejana Kabiljo, Kristian Kloeckl, Grisha Morgenstern, Motmot - Anna Breitenberger and Stephen Kwon Reeder, Johanna Nock, POLKA, Hansi Raber, Stefan Rauter, sensomatic, Tortenthimmel, Katrina Wiedner. The works exhibited revolve around the idea of the unexpected, about breaking with convention and creative communication strategies in the broadest sense of the word. The range of media used spans from interactive tools to applied artisanry.

Following “Walking-Chair. Happy Landing” this is the second exhibition of the “START_UP: Designers’ New Projects” series presented under the “design> new strategies” cooperation of MAK and departure, the creative industries promotion agency of the Vienna Municipality. The concept seeks to encourage design ambitions and a new generation’s self-definition of pushing boundaries and incorporating unconventional media.

“Cute Puppies. Young Austrian Designers” is curated by Omar Vulpinari who was also responsible for the exhibition “Fabrica. For the People, From the People” at the MAK DESIGN SPACE (June 17 – Aug. 16, 2009). Vulpinari is head of Visual Communication at Fabrica, the Benetton Communications Research Center in Treviso, which defines itself as a creative lab.

Curator Fabrica / Omar Vulpinari
Exhibition Assistant Karin Ferrari

The cooperation agreed upon for 2009 between MAK and departure aims to establish a new platform in Vienna for future-oriented projects that expand the concept of design. Also presented in the MAK DESIGN SPACE under the title "START_UP: Designer's New Projects," will be prototypes and innovative ideas by young Austrian designers.