The Barcelona Design Week, which this year celebrates its eighteenth edition under the motto “Design for Human Future” (Design for a Human Future) and will run until October 28.
With the purpose of aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Barcelona Design Week proposes SDG number 18: Design for Human Future, with the aim of promoting a more humane and humanistic future through the power of design, with the firm intention to generate a positive impact globally and for all people.
BDW'23 offers a varied program with more than 100 activities that cover a wide range of creative expressions for all audiences. From interactive installations that explore the connections between citizens and the Sustainable Development Goals, to exhibitions that stimulate reflection on the creative process and the world of artificial intelligence. In addition, attendees will be able to participate in conferences, workshops, round tables, networking meetings and parties.
Its mission is to address some of our society's most pressing challenges, ranging from climate change and the artificial intelligence revolution, to promoting cultural diversity and combating social inequality.
At the press conference held yesterday at the ME Barcelona hotel, Luis Lopez Barrena, president of the executive committee of Barcelona Center de Disseny, stressed that “there are a hundred design weeks in the world, which entails a very important and useful international interconnection for designers and companies.” In this sense, he highlighted that since 2020 the BDW has held the presidency of the World Design Weeks: “a very useful international network to link cities with design.”
For its part, Alessandro Manetti, curator of Barcelona Design Week 2023, explained that from the BDW we have contacted the United Nations, with the aim of building bridges. He has also highlighted that the final objective of BDW 23 is “to generate content beyond this edition, which we will then edit and send to the United Nations.” In this sense, he stressed that at the closing party of Barcelona Design Week 2023, the proposal for Manifesto Nº18: Design for Human Future will be presented, a document that seeks to inspire and guide towards a more humanized and sustainable future.
Finally, Isabel roig, director of Barcelona Design Week and Barcelona Center de Disseny, has spoken about the importance of design: “If the role of design must be to improve our world, it must talk about well-being, sustainability, innovation, gender equality, etc.” .
Among the main installations and exhibitions of BDW'23, highlighting: Diseño para un Futurho Humano, Hanging by a Thread, Human/AI Design Challenge, Pure Plants, Nutura and Young People Wanting to Move to a Better Future; as well as the day Nº18 Design for Human Future, the Opening of Barcelona Design Week, Disseny en Diagonal and OFF BDW, with 60 activities. Among the collaborating events taking place these days, Interihotel, Blanc! Festival and 48h Open House Barcelona, Roig has announced that this latest festival has named the Wikihousing module as Building 18, which can be visited this weekend.
This year's graphics were created by the León Romero design studio.
At the end of the press conference, the inauguration of the interactive urban installation Design for a Human Future took place, located in the Queen Victòria Gardens (Passeig de Gràcia and Gran Vía) and created by Domestic Data Streamers, with the collaboration of Escofet, which invites us to reflect on the role of design. The data that will be collected will be made public at the end of the festival.
