By Kristen Nozell, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The city’s designers will be eagerly anticipating the arrival of the first Semana Design Rio (Rio Design Week), and from Wednesday, October 23rd, the creative community will descend on Gávea’s Jockey Club. During the five-day event, design professionals and enthusiasts will have the opportunity to attend a variety of lectures, discussions and exhibits relating to the industry.
Each day focuses in on a different theme, starting with ‘Design and Urbanism’ on Thursday and continuing with ‘Design and Innovation’, ‘Social Design’, ‘Design and Communication’ and ‘Experiencing Design’.
Lectures from a handful of celebrated international speakers, meanwhile, begin with Julien Veyron of French architecture firm Atelier Arcau. Thursday’s headlining talk is from Martin Darbyshire, CEO and founder of British design consultancy Tangerine, followed by Cinthya Smith of the American Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum on Friday. Cassidy Curtis, from American animation giant Dreamworks, will close out the lineup on Saturday.
Workshops, discussions and lectures complete the schedule, covering such diverse topics as the creation of the Design Week logo, the role of design in education and its impact in an urban context.
In addition to numerous events and discussions, visitors can attend Rio+Design, an ongoing event across the five days that will feature 119 works ranging from furniture to jewelry to technological tools. The work of over fifty Brazilian artists, including Sergio Rodrigues and Gilson Martins, each was selected by the Design Advisory Board in the State Department of Economic Development, Industry and Services.
Despite being the first outing for Semana Design Rio, Rio+Design is an established annual event founded in 2008 by the State Secretary of Economic Development to promote Rio’s products and designers, both in domestic and international markets. This year will be the sixth year of the showcase being held in Rio, and sister event Rio+Design Milan has taken place annually since 2009.
Dulce Ângela Procópio, the Vice State Secretary for Economic Development reported that the number of participating designers has increased from seventeen in 2008 to over fifty this year.
Rafael Machado, a Carioca industrial designer, is looking forward to seeing the work of Studio Zanini. He told The Rio Times; “it’s very good to have events like this happening in Rio, and in Brazil in general. This way, people can have more contact with this world, which is part of their day-to-day lives, but which they often don’t understand well.”
Design Week activities are not just limited to the Jockey Club, either. In this city-wide design celebration, galleries, stores, design agencies, museums and public spaces throughout Rio will open their doors for workshops and showcases, a list of which can be found on the official website. To aid transportation between the various locations, special ‘Circuito Design Rio’ buses will be laid on, allowing attendees to easily access events across the city.
What: Semana Design Rio
Where: Jockey Club Brasileiro, Rua Jardim Botânico 1003, Jardim Botânico
When: Wednesday, October 23rd – Sunday October 27th
Entrance: FREE