FOKUS: AGEING
“Design has a complex relationship with age. Designers create objects that not only embrace the marks of time but also tell us more about ourselves through their wear and tear.” — Sandra Nuut, guest curator
FOKUS: AGEING
Everything withers over time. Maturing, weathering, and cracking are inevitable processes that affect humans, objects, surroundings, and ideas. In design, this relationship with ageing is multifaceted. Age draws lines on our faces and hands, while objects develop layers, depth, and patina, crack, show the passage of time and their natural decay. Ageing reminds us everything is ephemeral. This year’s edition of FOKUS delves into design’s relationship with ageing, highlighting its complexity and showcasing objects that accompany and remind us of our human condition.
Mass-produced design objects are often preferred because of their pristine, smooth, new-looking surfaces. This preference leads us to overlook the natural lifecycle of objects, which eventually change, show signs of wear or become dysfunctional. Damaged or worn pieces are discarded, put aside, and replaced, continuing a throwaway culture that has been prevalent for decades, contributing to waste and scarcity of materials.
Sione Raaijmakers has argued on the Design by Women platform that the design industry is ageist, looking for fresh faces and work while forgetting seasoned designers. Older women are often ignored, while a man’s age is seen as a sign of experience and wisdom. Could we work on finding more inclusive practices? As societies, particularly in Europe, experience ageing populations, embracing inclusivity across all age groups seems imperative.
There is profound beauty to be found in ageing. The wabi-sabi aesthetic, for instance, embraces transience and imperfections, appreciating the naturally ageing process of objects. Designers have the opportunity to create works that not only endure, but also mature gracefully. Practices such as remaking and repairing further contribute to the lifecycle of design.
Some designs intentionally incorporate decay, rust, or other signs of wear from the start, embracing organic forms and the passage of time. As complex beings, our designs can reflect our intricate inner and outer layers.
Guest Curators: Sandra Nuut
Cost per accepted piece: € 300,- (excluding shipping)
Application Deadline: 31.5.2025
Jury selection: End of June 2025
Festival Duration: 26.9.–5.10.2025 (press-preview and opening: 25.9.2025)
APPLY
Submit via this link: https://forms.gle/xYAycm8GqJb21LH19
- Images
- dimensions of a cohesive series of objects
- a brief text covering your work’s concept and its relevance to the topic
- a CV
For any questions, please contact: fokus@viennadesignweek.at
ABOUT FOKUS
Design is the conception of objects that are manufactured in industrial series. But this isn’t always the case! In their work, many designers don’t necessarily strive to scale up their ideas but, rather, devote themselves to the expression of an individual object. With the tools of design – but equally those of handcraft and art – they seek out the extraordinary and the poetic, and impressions that lie beyond the normal product cycle. In order to offer a home to this focus on the outstanding object, the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK is launching the group exhibition format FOKUS. Every year, a guest curator will make a selection from the local and international responses to a specific subject and the selected submissions will be presented in a group exhibition in the Festival Headquarters. A key element of this process is the specially commissioned spatial presentation, which brings together these selected exhibition objects and enables them to fully express themselves.