Until 18 June 2012, the Central Atrium at Ljubljana City Hall plays host to an exhibition entitled ‘Linking Design and Industry’.

The exhibition, opened on Monday 28 May 2012 by Deputy Mayor of Ljubljana Janez Koželj, is of concepts for new furniture products, and is a result of an intensive interdisciplinary process in which 17 young industrial designers took part, mentored by Professor Vladimir Pezdirc from Ljubljana University’s Academy of Fine Arts and Design (Department for Design), five furniture companies and the Institute for Economic Research. The conceptual drafts exhibited offer innovative solutions for furniture products, such as beds, tables, educational children’s games, lights and upholstered furniture.

The initiator of the business chain is Ljubljana Urban Region Regional Development Agency (RRA LUR), among whose priority tasks is to stimulate creative industries in the economic region.

In the development of commerce, creative industries have long been recognised as development leaders and an important element in economic competitiveness. “Through the implementation of activities in the Creative Cities international project, we have recognised the potential of creative industries in the Ljubljana Urban Region. We have set up the Creative Economies Centre, which, working with its partners, carries out business education and encourages the linking of creators in the creative industry field with other economic sectors. The ‘Linking Design and Industry’ exhibition is the result of many months of work, which is to continue in the form of prototype conceptual solutions at the Ambient 2012 furniture fair in November 2012” explained the Director of RRA LUR Lilijana Madjar MA in her introduction.

The keynote speaker, Professor Janez Koželj, Deputy Mayor of the City of Ljubljana, recalled that Slovenia has a long ongoing tradition in the furniture industry and that we have already seen a long period in which Slovenian furniture products have been successful on foreign markets. So that we will also be successful in times of global competition, it is crucial to involve designers in the creation of new products. “Designers and all other creative industry actors are important development components. They have the capacity to think differently and to design solutions that carry us forward. Nowadays it is even more important that, through diverse projects, they are included in the economic development of the city, region and country” stated Prof Janez Koželj.

Exhibition visitors were also greeted by Prof Dr Julijana Kristl, Prorector of Ljubljana University and Mojca Škrinjar, State Secretary at the Ministry for Education, Science and Sport and City Councillor. Prof Dr Julijana Kristl pointed out that such projects demonstrate that the Faculties at Ljubljana University provide business with highly-trained staff, whose knowledge can make a significant contribution to Slovenian commerce and society. According to State Secretary Mojca Škrinjar, it will be important in the future to encourage the formation of links between commerce and education at every level of the educational process.

The initiators of the business chain, RRA LUR and its partners are pleased with the work done thus far. The business chain has shown itself to be a successful approach to linking creative industry designers and commerce. RRA LUR will in the future continue to strive to set up new business chains that will enable partnership in other content fields.

Partners in the first business chain:

• 17 young industrial designers, students and graduates from Ljubljana University’s Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Department for Design
• Their mentor Prof Vladimir Pezdirc, Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Department for Design
• Furniture companies: Maremico d. o. o., Mizarstvo Amek, Andrija Đalić s.p., Mizarstvo Strahovnik, Domen Strahovnik s.p., Špac d. o. o., Tapetništvo Luka Debevec s. p.
• The Institute for Economic Research
• Ljubljana Urban Region Regional Development Agency

More information on the Creative Cities project can be found at the following link.