EXD'11/LISBOA SET TO TAKE LISBON
BY STORM FROM 28 SEPTEMBER —
Programme of original, unreleased content brings international talent to the Portuguese capital

The EXD'11 Biennale brings its experimental vibe to Lisbon, stirring the city’s cultural life from 28 September to 27 November. For its 6th edition, an eclectic mix of curators, designers and creative practitioners will engage audience members in explorations around the theme Useless.

The Biennale kicks off with the whirlwind of events of the Opening Week, from 28 September to 2 October. Five days of openings, launches and programme highlights:

LISBON LECTURES, starring leading figures in contemporary creative practice and thinking such as Marcel Wanders, Fernando Brízio or Michael Rock. Tickets are on sale at the venue, the Cinema São Jorge. + info		OPEN TALKS, panel debates on emerging issues and concerns of cultural theory, are led by Hans Ulrich Obrist, co-director of Serpentine Gallery in London, architect Pedro Gadanho, design critic and curator Zoë Ryan and designers Hans Maier-Aichen and Ed Annink; + info
FERNANDO BRÍZIO: Inhabited Designs, the first retrospective of this seminal Portuguese designer, affords an unexpected, intimate view of his design production and process. Also a unique opportunity to visit the venue, Antigo Convento da Trindade, a former convent in Bairro Alto. + info		SIDELINES, curated by design historian Emily King, surveys the relativity of material culture and the way in which the spirit of collections changes over time. Mapping out an itinerary through the heart of Lisbon, the exhibition is hosted in 7 little-know institutions, which will incorporate 8 personal, unexpected collections; + info		UTILITAS INTERRUPTA, curated by architect Joseph Grima, questions infrastructure projects once of crucial importance but now buried in collective memory, despite their larger-than-life scale and ambitions. The exhibition takes the viewer through 3 venues in close proximity: Amoreiras Garden, Mãe d’Água reservoir and Fundação Arpad Szenes- Vieira da Silva; + info
USELESS? presents 2 polarized curatorial approaches — one by product designer Jonathan Olivares, the other by design writer Max Bruinsma and designer Hans Maier-Aichen — introducing alternative value systems by which to establish uselessness. MUDE is hosting the exhibition. + info		REDUNDÂNCIA, portuguese studio R2 Design curates a series of five site-specific urban interventions by international graphic designers, located in Praça da Figueira, one of Lisbon’s most symbolic squares. + info

Between its core programme and the Tangents, independent projects by a host of cultural agents, this Biennale features 126 events, including a Film Cycle and the Special Projects: Action For Age, Retro-Future, Morte ao Design! Viva o Design! and the Creative Economy Symposium.

One of the highlights of the Opening Week is the unveiling of the Lounging Space on 28 September, at 10:30. This will be the occasion to attend the launch of the book "Useless/ Sem Uso", followed by a debate with its editors. The beating heart of the Biennale and its main communication interface, this year the Lounging Space is superbly located in downtown Lisbon, at a former convent-turned-courthouse, Antigo Tribunal da Boa-Hora. With a non-stop programme of workshops, debates and Tangents and an incredible atmosphere, this hotspot will have something new to offer every day throughout the Biennale.


Follow the preparations for the Biennale as they are unveiled daily
in the official blog and the social networks Facebook and Twitter.

http://www.experimentadesign.pt/2011

Institutional Partners:
Câmara Municipal de Lisboa; Ministério da Economia e da Inovação;
Turismo de Portugal; Presidência do Conselho de Ministros - Secretaria de Estado da Cultura.

Sponsored by: Heineken.
Open Talks Sponsor: Caixa Geral de Depósitos.
Associated Brand: SIM - Movimento pela criatividade em Portugal by Samsung.

Co-Productions: British Council; Cinemateca Portuguesa – Museu do Cinema; Cinema São Jorge. Strategic Partnership: EGEAC E.E.M. Action For Age Partners: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian; The Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce; Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa. Media Partners: Antena 1; Antena 3; Público; RTP; sapo.pt. Cooperation Protocols & Partnerships: Babel; Biblioteca Municipal Camões; Fundação Arpad Szenes - Vieira da Silva; Heineken; IADE - Creative University; Moda Lisboa; MUDE – Museu do Design e da Moda, Colecção Francisco Capelo; Museu Arqueológico do Carmo; Museu da Água – Reservatório da Mãe d'Água das Amoreiras; Museu da Farmácia; Museu das Artes Decorativas Portuguesas - FRESS; Museu de São Roque; Museu do Teatro Romano; Museu Geológico; Ordem dos Arquitectos. Apoios: Absolut Vodka; Arquivo Bens Culturais; ATL – Associação de Turismo de Lisboa; Cision Portugal; Goethe-Institut; Institut Français; JCDecaux; Metropolitano de Lisboa; Mondriaan Foundation. Media Supporters: Arqa; DAMn°; Dezeen; Étapes; Eye Magazine; Frame; Items; Neo2; Projectar Casa Magazine; Revista Up.


With the high patronage of the President of the Portuguese Republic Aníbal Cavaco Silva. Statute of cultural interest, within the patronage of the arts law.