BIO 21

21st Biennial of Industrial Design
2 October–2 November 2008
Architecture Museum of Ljubljana, Fužine Castle


THE SELECTION HAS BEEN MADE FOR BIO 21 EXHIBITION! 

The international selection committee of the 21st Biennial of Industrial Design met 8–9 May 2008 at the Architecture Museum of Ljubljana at Fužine Castle in Ljubljana.

The selection of works for the exhibition was made by an independent international selection committee. They applied a uniform set of criteria as they examined all the entries that had been received in response to the international Call for Entries for BIO 21. The seven respected experts who make up the international selection committee made a rigorous selection of the best in the areas of industrial design, visual communications, and design concepts.

Members of the BIO 21 international Selection Committee: Hilde Bouchez (Belgium), Petra Černe Oven (Slovenia), Gergely Nádas (Hungary), Rudolf Greger (Austria)		Katja Burger (Slovenia), Bojan Klančar (Slovenia)

Entrants will be notified by post about the selection results. 

The BIO 21 Secretariat received 421 entries from 29 countries; this represents a record number of countries responding to the call for submissions. The selection committee judged the submissions on the basis of the criteria set out in the Rules for Participation in the 21st Biennial of Industrial Design: “At BIO 21 the focus will be on design projects that propose creative and innovative solutions to the problems of life today, are oriented toward sustainable development and social responsibility and address the special needs of various groups of users” (Paragraph 3). “The committee will judge the entries based on the following criteria: innovation, the quality of the work as a whole, pertinence, functionality, economy, social awareness and concern for sustainable development” (The chapter “Selection of BIO 21 Exhibits,” Paragraph 3). 

After reviewing the works, the committee members agreed that approximately one third of the submissions met the criteria. The committee selected 126 works for the exhibition. They chose 47 works in Group A: PRODUCTS; 14 works in Group B: VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS; and 65 works in Group C: DESIGN CONCEPTS. The works to be exhibited come from eighteen countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Japan, Macedonia, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

The exhibition will emphasize the quality, innovation, and relevance of the works on display. With its 21st installment, and as a result of the work of the international selection committee, the Biennial of Industrial Design will present a coherent selection of exhibits and outline new directions that provide both domestic and foreign design with a space for international assessment.

Under uniform set of criteria Selection Committee is examining and appraising all the entries		Members of the BIO 21 international Selection Committee: Hilde Bouchez (Belgium), Petra Černe Oven (Slovenia), Gergely Nádas (Hungary), Rudolf Greger (Austria), Katja Burger (Slovenia), Bojan Klančar (Slovenia)

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The 21st Biennial of Industrial Design has been modernised!

• The BIO 21 international Selection Committee have examined for the first time
  in BIO history examine all entries equally and selected the most appropriate
  items of industrial design, visual communications and design concepts.
• We have expanded our international promotion and cooperation to incorporate
  some of the most important international design organisations. BIO 21 will
  be advertised in all countries of the European Union and elsewhere, such as
  in USA, Australia, New Zeland, China, South Africa and Japan.
• For the first time in the Biennial's history, the registration for BIO 21 was be possible
  online! It will also be possible to pay registration fees and buy the catalogue online.
• The BIO 21 catalogue will be expanded. The exhibits will be presented both with
  pictures and texts and will be discussed in introductory texts.
• The BIO 21 catalogue will be systematically distributed to key design institutions and design centres in the world.
• The International Jury will bestow the awards on 2 October 2008: BIO Gold Medals,
  BIO Quality Concept Awards and BIO Honourable Mentions.
• BIO awards will be redesigned by the Gigodesign studio, one of the
  award-winners of the 20th Biennial of Industrial Design.
• The entire event will receive a new corporate identity, which will be designed by
  the Gigodesign studio, one of the award-winners of the 20th Biennial
  of Industrial Design.
• During the exhibition BIO 21 will host a presentation of DME Award (Design
  Management Award). Consequently BIO 21 will be attended by the most
  notable experts on design and management in the world.
• The press and media representatives from the entire world will be invited to BIO 21
  and will be given a guided tour of Slovene design.