This year, Europe's oldest design biennale took place in Ljubljana for the 26th time. From November 2019 to February 2020, it was dedicated to the theme of "Common-Knowledge" to show ways out of the current information crisis. Now, the main exhibition travels to Germany and will be presented as a cross-section at the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts) of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) at Pillnitz Palace.

The Museum of Architecture and Design (Muzej za arhitekturo in oblikonvanje, MAO) from Ljubljana was responsible for the conception and organization of the event – in cooperation with Thomas A. Geisler, the director of the Kunstgewerbemuseum, and the Brazilian curator and journalist Aline Lara Rezende. She dedicated herself to one of the greatest challenges of our time: the interrelationship between the information crisis and society. In search of an answer to the question of what role design plays in shaping knowledge and truth or what potential it possesses, projects and exhibitions were created through intercultural exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration of designers, architects, scientists, artists, communication experts, education professionals, and sociologists. The works were already on display from November 14, 2019, to February 9, 2020, at various locations in Ljubljana: in a library, a museum, a university, a daily newspaper, a retirement home, and a botanical garden, solutions were presented on how knowledge can be made accessible, produced, and disseminated.

The Kunstgewerbemuseum in Pillnitz now offers cinematic insights into the various site-specific solutions, embedded in a comprehensive overview of contemporary works – from prototypes to products – with references to media and design history. "No generation before us had faster access to knowledge and information, and yet we are in a deep crisis of processing and trust," says Kunstgewerbemuseum director Thomas A. Geisler, "Design can be a catalyst that exacerbates the information crisis – but it can also engage in the discussion and become part of the solution."

Five different thematic rooms provide insight into classic and new fields of action in design and knowledge transfer. The exhibition spans from artistic data processing to information and media design, as well as investigative and speculative design approaches. These include large-format infographics by the French artist duo Bureau d’Etudes and analog-digital interfaces by the design collective Commonplace Studio.

All information about the exhibitions can be found HERE.