When & where: 18 October – 18 November 2007, Ljubljana

Practices and Parties offer opportunities for designers, creative individuals, groups of designers, companies and organisations to present themselves to the broader public. The aim of the events is to rediscover the significance, diversity, and effects of good design.

Every year in Ljubljana some 20 accompanying events are organised in line with the theme and semantics of Month of Design – this year Mediterranean Identities.

THE SEMANTICS FOR PRACTICES AND PARTIES 2007

Legends inspire.

The people of Ljubljana like to believe that the legendary Jason and his Argonauts stopped in these parts on their quest for the Golden Fleece. Not only that, it is here, where the river meets the moors, that Jason conquered the dragon, disassembled the ship and – like some ancient predecessor of Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo – carried it over the land to the Adriatic Sea so that he could sail back home.
Seemingly timeless legends always talk about time – the time of their birth, and even more tellingly, about the time of their reawakening. If you were to start a journey from the ancient South, the cradle of civilisation, up the great rivers, time would lead you to Ljubljana, where the urban meets the natural.
You should think well and literally disassemble the past, so that you can rush back home into the future.
And the future, once again, is the South, and the home is, once again, the Mediterranean.
If the Mediterranean identities of today are to face new challenges, they need a safe haven deep in the mainland to reconsider, disassemble and transform themselves – and launch themselves forward. Ljubljana, where the moors meet the river, and the sea touches the Alps; Plečnik’s new Athens, connected to roads which lead to Rome, is an ideal venue for such reflection.
Welcome, Mediterranean.

NEW: For the first time this year as part of Month of Design, we are organising open-door days, offering an opportunity to different design and architecture firms to open their doors on selected days between 18 October and 18 November 2007, present themselves to the broader public, and provide an insight into their work and creativity.

Photo: Matevž Paternoster