“OPEN!” was the word that greeted you, glowing in bright neon letters that emerged from a space bathed in pale pink light, as soon as you entered the Festival Headquarters in the Amtshaus Theresienbadgasse. And you were immediately, magically drawn into this former office, which Eldine Heep and Klemens Schillinger had transformed with great effect into an exhibition space. Throughout VIENNA DESIGN WEEK 2020 this was home to the exhibition 15 YEARS PASSIONSWEGE. As a review of the popular and widely acclaimed festival format PASSIONSWEGE, in which, for the past 15 years, traditional craft-based Viennese businesses have worked with talented designers from across Europe to create unique objects, this year’s contribution brought together and presented some remarkable pieces. In this way, the exhibition curated by Festival Director Lilli Hollein and her Deputy Gabriel Roland marked this anniversary by convincingly displaying the results that this cooperation has generated over the years. In the exhibition, objects from materials ranging from the finest glass and turned wood to unusually treated Viennese wickerwork provided ample evidence of how the experimental exchange of knowhow and crafts skills can function.

“15 years ago – a year before the founding of VIENNA DESIGN WEEK – when we first implemented our project, in which we bring together crafts-based manufacturers with outstanding talents from the European design scene, people were still astonished and asked what design and craftspersonship could possibly have in common. But it rapidly became one of the most popular and internationally acclaimed festival formats. For us, the project continues to be a curated interaction based on knowledge transfer, respectful exchange, and the spirit of innovation. Of course this opportunity to glimpse into workshops and places of production is just as appealing to designers as it is to the public. Over the years, extraordinarily diverse projects have emerged: The results range from much-discussed objects, via successful products, to moderated handovers between generations. We are displaying a fraction of this cooperation in this anniversary exhibition.” – Lilli Hollein

With projects by: POLKA with RIESS Emaille, Marco Dessí with Porzellanmanufaktur Augarten, Max Lamb with J. & L. Lobmeyr, Tomás Alonso with Wiener Silber Manufactur, Charlotte Talbot with Wiener Silber Manufactur, Bertille & Mathieu with J. & L. Lobmeyr, Oscar Wanless with RIESS Emaille, PostlerFerguson with A. E. Köchert, BIG-GAME with Wiener Silber Manufactur, Stephanie Hornig with Robert Roth, Alexandre Echasseriau with Wiener Silber Manufactur, Martino Gamper with J. & L. Lobmeyr, Katharina Eisenköck with Hornmanufaktur Petz, Laurids Gallée with M. Maurer, Teemu Salonen with Glas Bauer, and Studio Sain with Toni Viehauser.

Design of the anniversary exhibition: Eldine Heep and Klemens Schillinger