Now in it’s 30th year, design show Talente is one of Europe’s most prestigious showcases for emerging talent in the areas of design, technology and craft held annually as part of the International Trade Fair for the Skilled Trades in Munich, Germany.
The jury-selected artists that are showcased all stand out because of their experimental approach to materials and craft techniques. Most importantly, the show offers them a European platform, enabling them to launch their creative careers to the wider European market.
This year’s competition has attracted more than 400 applications from 28 countries, and in the end 99 young designer from 24 countries such as Estonia, Australia, the UK, the US and Israel were invited to show their work in Munich.
Two themes that many young designers have picked up on in 2010 are a renewed interest in traditional techniques, which often originate from the geographical environment of the designers, and memory. Both aspects point to the search for origins, for security and the idea of acknowleding loss. This search for localization often contrasts with the careers of many young designers who have moved abroad to train and learn their craft, but also reflects a general mood in a new generation looking for a more traditional, slow lifestyle.
Interestingly, many of this year’s technical contributions have been focusing on new modes of flexibility and transport , whether on water or land, and most of them based on green methods such as cycling, showing that ecological issues are an integral focal point of today’s young designers.
Talente 2010
Munich, Germany
3 – 9 March
image: Valentin Vodev (Bulgaria / United Kingdom), “Biquattro”
