Design experts from here and abroad will be featured in Design Talks, in celebration of Design Week Philippines at the 60th Manila Fame to be held Oct. 16-19 at SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.
Design Talks is the banner event of Design Week Philippines (DWP), a multi-faceted platform that gathers visionaries from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to celebrate design and artistry.
With the theme “Design for Life,” the four-day series will focus on the role of design in improving lives through products and services.
“Design is ever present in all aspects of our lives—from the images we see, to products we use and consume, to the spaces we live and work in, and even to the processes we encounter. Design improves the overall quality of life,” said Rosvi Gaetos, executive director of the Center for International Trade Expositions & Missions (Citem).
Citem has invited Alexander von Vegesack, founding director of the Vitra Design Museum and founder-president of the Centre International de Recherche et D’Éducation Culturel et Agricole (Cireca), a nonprofit organization that runs Domaine de Boisbuchet, a place to practice and discover design and culture in dialog with nature; Italian marketing specialist for sustainable textiles Giusy Bettoni; Cebu-based Costa Rican furniture designer Bernardo Urbina, founder of Tacloban Prevails (a group that transforms debris left by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” and gives them new life); New York-based luxury retail business expert Joseph Boitano; Japanese industrial designer Motomi Kawakami, chair of the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP); and top Taiwanese architect Johnny Chiu.
From the Philippines the speakers include National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) chair Felipe de Leon, Jr.; artist/social entrepreneur and creative collaborator Jeannie Javelosa; Oliver Segovia, co-founder and CEO of AVA.ph (a curated online boutique for premium brands and experiences); digital marketing expert Donald Lim of ABS-CBN; Carl Mamawal, co-founder of Nyfti Bicycles (a convenient folding bicycle that encourages alternative means of transportation); Aisa Mijeno, co-founder of Sustainable Alternative Lighting (an ecologically designed lamp powered by salt and water); Joshua de le Llana, head of Tactiles (a simple and integrated learning tool that encourages interest in electronics engineering among young people); Jen Horn, designer and founder of the shoe brand Tala Luna which promotes traditional weaves from around the country; and lifestyle blogger Alessandra Lanot of Life after Breakfast.
Gaetos added: “Design Talks will afford Filipino design practitioners the rare opportunity to learn from design luminaries who have made their mark in the world of design.”
Positioning the Philippines as Asia’s design destination, Design Week Philippines has become a national agenda to nurture the creativity and design capability of Filipinos to pave the way for trade opportunities.
Proclamation No. 277, signed by President Benigno S. Aquino III on Oct. 20, 2011, declares the third week of March and October of each year as Design Week Philippines.
Aside from Design Talks, DWP events include: Katha Awards (Philippine design excellence awards); Creative Environment (local creative communities and urban development initiatives); Design Tours (special tours around Metro Manila’s design destinations); and Creative Placemaking: Narratives from the Edge (special art installations by DWP partners at the Manila Fame).
The Design Week Philippines was created to expand the range of activities for visitors and locals alike during the Manila Fame, the country’s premier design and lifestyle event.
Held bi-annually, the Manila Fame is a showcase of craftsmanship, eco-sustainability, and artisanship in Philippine products like furniture and home furnishings, holiday gifts and décor, and fashion accessories.