To overcome such an important past and to look towards the future, 20 years ago the city decided to redeem through design and launched the International Biennale of Design.
Saint-Etienne is a small town located in the South-East of France, not far from Lyon, whose past is marked by the presence of coal mines and heavy industry. To overcome such an important past and to look towards the future, 20 years ago the city decided to redeem through design and launched the International Biennale of Design.
The 10th edition of the exhibition was inaugurated at the beginning of March and will be open until the first days of April. The exhibitions and initiatives of the whole 2017 biennale focus on shapes and on the progress of work. As a matter of fact, the theme identified by Olivier Peyricot, Scientific Director of the event, is “Working Promesse. Shifting Work Paradigms”, to explore the role of design in the design theory and practice for work environments. Factories, offices, objects, habits, relationships, digital platforms will be analysed thanks to the contribution of schools, designers, architects and artists.
Among the various installations and exhibitions, we highlight the interesting collaboration between Detroit and Saint-Etienne, two cities with a strong industrial history that are now two big creative hubs. The spectacular and unmissable exhibition “Extravaillances. Working Dead” puts on stage the lack of borders between work time and free time. The most visionary and crazy project? The artist and designer Jerzsy Seymour created the “Lucky Larry Cosmic Comune” where it is possible to find free accomodations, but only working some hours for the common good.
The heart of the Biennale are the exhibitions ad paths of the Cité du Design, but other places are equally worth while visiting such as the Parc-Musée De La Mine, the MAM, Musée d’Art et d’Industrie and the group of stores in rue de la Republique.
Photo credit ©P.Grasset
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