Joint Exhibition “Stories of Design Innovation: from Kortrijk to Kaunas”

Joint Exhibition “Stories of Design Innovation: from Kortrijk to Kaunas”

In the UNESCO City of Design in Kaunas (Lithuania), a joint open-air exhibition of architecture and design was opened: here passers-by can see the exhibition “Stories of Design Innovation: from Kortrijk to Kaunas” initiated by Kaunas and Kortrijk (Belgium) and the traditional exhibition of Lithuanian architects organized for the 30th time “Architecture: Kaunas 2023”.

“Architecture: Kaunas” is an annually exhibition-competition of regional architects, where architectural realizations, projects and ideas are presented, and the commission selects the best in 10 categories: the best residential house, public-commercial building, conversion, public space, architectural concept, residential building concept, emerging architect, education, and dissemination of architecture. The goal of the exhibition is to bring together the community of architects and the city and create a platform for discussions about architecture. The exhibition initiated by the Kaunas branch of Architects’ Association of Lithuania [LAS Kaunas Branch] was organized for the first time in 1993.

To mark the 30^th anniversary of the exhibition, the design exposition alongside the works of the best architects of the Kaunas region were presented. In 2022, LAS Kaunas Branch took over the experience of Designregio Kortrijk from Belgium and implemented the Design Innovation program “5X5®”. The project was a particularly important opportunity to stimulate the strategic value created by design and design professionals to increase the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in Lithuania.

Among the products created by Lithuanian companies in collaboration with Lithuanian and Belgium designers and presented at the exposition are: a collection of outdoor furniture “Leaf” by “IDDO slow living“ | designers Bart Van Houcke [studio achoo] x Rūta Lendraitytė Utalla; a tool-simulator for food exports development by LITAO | designer Jonas Liugaila and team; a unique design of digital in-glass printing “Glassttoo” by “Gravera” | designer Sandra Kasperavičienė; a new sustainable fashion brand “Nareco” | designer Vida Strasevičiūtė and a new souvenir series “The Woolf” designed by Peter Van de Sijpe and Stijn D’Hondt from Heren Loebas.

The joint exhibition will be open during July-August in the public space in old town of Kaunas.