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ZAPRI ISKANJE
BIO28

Double Agent: Do You Speak Flower? | Work report

21 Nov 2024 - 6 Apr 2025

MAO

The work of production platforms CzK – BIO28 has started!

 

In March 2024, MAO successfully completed an open call for participation in the BIO28 production platforms. Production platform “Double agent – Do you speak the language of flowers?” ensures that BIO is a living design organism that responds to the needs of society and the design field. This year we are developing projects that aim to interweave diverse media and disciplines such as design, craft, applied arts and film into processes and outcomes that contribute to the theme and bring a fresh perspective to design.

 

To the open call “Double agent – Do you speak the language of flowers?” more than 80 creative individuals from different European countries have applied, which confirms the international interest and the role that the design biennial plays, and also adds an interesting diversity in the creativity of approaches.

 

The evaluation process for the selection of production groups was led by BIO28 curator Alexandra Midal in cooperation with mentors and the BIO28 advisory board. The selection process and online meetings with the participants took place between March 12 and 15, 2024. The emphasis during the selection was on the originality, topicality, clarity and completeness of the applications, as well as their relevance to the topic of the chosen production platform. The selection was followed on March 25 by the BIO28 kick-off event, which brought together the organizing team of the biennale, the selected groups from the open call and the mentors of the production groups, marking the work and research of production platforms.

 

Within the framework of the BIO28 production platform, there are five groups that have already started intensive work on the conceptual phase of the project:

 

  • Group 1, The Wax Studio, mentored by Matali Crasset from France, focuses on ancient beekeeping and the use of beeswax instead of honey, encouraging sensitivity and self-questioning in an ecosystem context.
  • Group 2, Unerased, led by dach&zephir mentors (Florian Dach and Dimitri Zephir), explores marginalized histories and the inclusion of erased individuals from the former Yugoslavia in contemporary social and design discourse.
  • Group 3, Then Came Poppy, under the tutelage of El Ultimo Grito (Roberto Fea and Rosario Hurtado), is creating a short film about floriography that will replace the exhibition catalog and will premiere in major European cities.
  • Group 4, Movement for Public Speaking, led by Polonca Lovšin and composed of the Prostorož collective, engages in public discussion of often overlooked social issues in times of crisis.
  • Group 5, Katleja, under the mentorship of Michelle Phillips and Grishina Gabelmann, explores the androcentric interdependence of women and flowers, and the patriarchal idioms associated with women in Slovenian poetry, literature, art and advertising.

 

BIO28, which this year marks its 60th anniversary and 10th year of production platforms, is the oldest design biennial in the world and is still considered one of the leading international design events in Europe. Thank you to everyone who supports us on this creative journey!

 

The exhibition will be on display at the Museum of Architecture and Design from November 21 to April 6, 2025.

matali crasset

matali crasset advocates design at the intersection of artistic, anthropological and social practices. She works in the direction of creative, living and everyday design and asks herself how design can contribute to coexistence and support us in the modern world. After creating a community oven so close to the 25th edition of the Daleč Biennale - one of the most successful spatial installations - her collaboration with the local community resonates in this production platform as well.

dach&zephir

Dimitri Zephir and Florian Dach, graduates of the School of Decorative Arts in Paris (École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs), founded their creative studio dach&zephir in 2016. Their projects, intertwining fire and poetry, reflect the thoughts of Martinique poet Édouard Glissant and celebrate diversity in the world. For the couple, the starting point of their design is stories and history, through which they recognize that objects are expressive media of our thoughts. They stand behind the claim that we cannot progress without acknowledging the past and history.

El Ultimo Grito

Roberta Fea and Rosario Hurtado make up the collective El Ultimo Grito. Roberto Feo is Professor of Practice at Goldsmiths University, London, and Rosario Hurtado heads the Master's Program in Space and Communication at HEAD University of Art and Design in Geneva. Their practice is a response to the constant exploration of nature and the representation of systems.

Polonca Lovšin

Polonca Lovšin is an architect and artist who works in Ljubljana. In her works, she focuses on self-organized initiatives and alternative forms of life and activity related to architecture, urban planning and environmental issues. She exhibits her work independently and as part of groups at international venues and is the recipient of numerous scholarships, awards and residencies.

Studio Yukiko and Flaneur Magazine

Studio Yukiko is a Berlin-based creative agency specializing in creative and artistic direction, brand strategy, concept creation and graphic design for both commercial and cultural clients. The studio has received numerous awards for its work. They discover narratives, tell stories about local communities around the world and delve into internet and youth culture trends. Grashina Gabelmann, writer and translator, is a founding member and editor-in-chief of the collaborative and multidisciplinary project Flaneur Magazine. Her creative practices also include political-creative workshops for children, teenagers and the elderly, as well as collecting stories from different communities.