The 12th edition of the Romanian Design Week, the multidisciplinary festival dedicated to the creative industries, organized by The Institute, presented by UniCredit Bank and funded by the Ministry of Culture, has ended. More than 80,000 visitors visited both the exhibitions in the historical monument building of CINA (Benjamin Franklin 10), and more than 130 related events that took place in Bucharest, from May 24-2 June, as part of RDW Design GO!.
More than 1,700 people made this year’s edition of the Romanian Design Week possible: from the organizing teams to commercial and institutional partners, exhibitors, curators, representatives from cultural institutes, embassies, vendors, studios that were part of the Night of Architecture Studios and organizers of related events.
The festival also offered a complete urban experience this year, presenting 9 formats from which the public could choose. The 12th edition took place under the theme “Unlock the City”.
More than 40,000 visitors crossed the threshold of CINA, historic monument building in the center of the Capital
This year, Romanian Design Week proposed, at CINA building, a series of exhibitions representative of the creative industries, which were visited by about 40,000 people, during the 10 days of the festival.
RDW Exhibition presented over 200 relevant projects in 6 different creative categories – architecture, interior design, graphic design, product design, illustration and fashion. Selected by 6 teams of local and international curators and exhibited on two floors of the former CINA restaurant, the works were admired by the general public in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Visitors also met with relevant projects for the international design stage within RDW Design Flags, supported by Château Purcari. At the ground floor of the CINA building, 9 representative exhibitions for the European landscape took place, brought from countries such as: Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Hungary, France or the Republic of Moldova.
The RDW Young Design format, supported by Rompetrol and the Romanian Cultural Institute, also presented, this year, the latest talents from the creative industries, artists and creators of the new generation of graduates of universities with a vocational-creative profile. The exhibition dedicated to them has set the spotlight on 29 relevant names that the general public will follow from now on.
From the RDW Concept Store, supported by Mega Mall and Promenada Mall, the general public was able to purchase objects of local and international design from 9 Romanian brands, which visitors found in the 200 square meters space, arranged at the basement of the CINA building. Among the best-selling items are author’s jewelry, clothing, but also ceramics and porcelain. During the 10 days of the festival, the concept store collected total revenues amounting to approximately 25,000 euros.
The RDW Social program was also generous and gathered thousands of people during the two weekends of the festival. Parties, concerts and socializing contexts gathered visitors around entertaining musical programmes. At the same time, the last weekend of the festival also welcomed a Jazz in the Park Pop-up, an event organized by the District 1 City Hall.
“The space within CINA helped us put into play the best of Romanian Design Week this year. And, more than ever, we felt the appreciation and enthusiasm of the general public to rediscover the former CINA restaurant, in a design that highlighted the beauty of the space through the intervention we proposed, with the help of the RDW exhibitions. We were happy to respond directly to the theme that the festival has proposed this year – <<Unlock the City>> – since we have thus opened a broader discussion about the places and areas of Bucharest that need to be unlocked and which can bring brilliance and prestige to the Capital”, Andrei Borțun, CEO of The Institute, said.
40,000 people explored the city through the more than 130 satellite events of the festival
This year, Romanian Design Week offered the most extensive program of satellite events of all the festival’s editions so far, that attracted more than 40,000 people. Gathered together under the format of RDW Design GO!, the more than 130 events proposed a diversity of contexts to bring visitors closer to the creative industries. The public was able to choose between workshops, product launches, exhibitions, open doors, guided tours and more.
Here are just a few of the ones that attracted the audience most this year:
Live acts: Jazz in the Garden (Maps’ Museum); Sounds of Cotroceni; Rămâne de Văzut x Atelierele Scânteia
Product launches: Confectionary @Mugshot; Treatment for noise @AȘKIA; The Upcycling Collection @Veron.
Exhibitions: Angel Radios, a show by Mihai Popescu @Bulandra Theater; the exhibition „HOME beyond the house’s door” (Urban Spaces – Sfinții Voievozi); The whispers of the city – Andra Panait workshop; Romania’s Pavilion, NowHereThere, at Venice Architecture Biennale 2023; Common Grounds – Melania Dulămea workshop; 21 FAI at the University of Architecture and Urbanism Ion Mincu
Open doors and guided tours: Explore the artist studios @Atelierele Scanteia; Discover Calea Victoriei – Guided tour with historian Anita Sterea, lector at Fundația Calea Victoriei
Market fairs: CIRCUIT: design and sustainability (Amzei Market); Sunday Thrift Market #9 – Friends & Family Anniversary Edition (Common House); CIOB – Ceramics Fair (Fired Up Romania)
Workshops: Gardening workshop in the block’s courtyard with Primitiv Plants and Senzui Studio; Prints That Design Your Life by Printoteca; sip.see.sit by Piua Studio; Workshop – Chess Opening Principles by The Square Chess Studio
Parties: Random House Soft Opening; Block Party with Bloom (OTOTO); Block Party by Urban Spaces Sfinții Voievozi.
“I believe that, this year, we have taken another step in the direction that we have been planning for a long time: to make the festival take over and be adopted by the city, given that all those who are part of the creative industries can organize and find their own pretexts for exposure and interaction with the general public within the framework of RDW Design GO!. Bucharest was alive and lived to the fullest for 10 days, which made it more friendly and open to all of us. This is the power that creative industries have, in fact, and that we aim to put into play with each RDW edition”, Andrei Borțun added.
The Night of Architecture Studios, supported by Cemacon, brought together over 25 studios, the largest number of all RDW editions to date. The studios opened their doors to colleagues, friends and the general public and gathered a total of more than 3,500 visitors for one night (30 May) as part of social and networking events.
The RDW Talks masterclass series, supported by Globalworth and the Bucharest City Hall, through the Cultural Centre Expo Arts, was also a great success. They took place at the National University of Arts Bucharest and the University of Architecture and Urbanism Ion Mincu on May 24 and represented discussions between the most creative minds in Romania and international professionals. The entrance was free, and seats were filled within 24 hours from the announcement.
RDW Experience by IQOS introduced visitors to a multi-sensory experience, through the immersive “SynergyX” installation, created by Adrian Damian and IQOS. The result of the interplay between art, technology and human connection, the installation allowed to experience a symphony of images and sounds, generated by the tactile interaction and the collective contribution of its visitors. Access to the facility was only allowed to persons over the age of 18.
Preparations for Romanian Design Week 2025
Romanian Design Week will soon begin preparations for its 13th edition. As with this year’s edition, the works presented at the festival will be selected following a call for projects, which will be announced starting with September 2024.
In addition to the possibility of presenting their work in the RDW Exhibition, the best projects will be selected to be promoted in the online gallery of good practices, on the festival’s website, in an effort to recognize the landmarks and significant development of local creative industries.
More details about this year’s edition, but also about the next edition – will be announced on the website, Facebook and Instagram.
A project of The Institute
Powered by UniCredit Bank
Cultural project funded by the Ministry of Culture
Partners: IQOS, Château Purcari, Cemacon, Kozel, Globalworth, Rompetrol, Oral B, Mega Mall, Promenada
Cultural partner: Romanian Cultural Institute
With the support of: Bucharest City Hall, through ExpoArte Cultural Center
Strategic media partners: PRO TV, Kiss FM, Euromedia, YOOH
Media partners: Radio România Cultural, Igloo, Haute Culture, Revista BIZ, Revista Zeppelin, Molecule F, Designist, Modernism, B365.ro, feeder.ro, munteanurecomandă.ro, Propagarta, Revista Atelierul, IQAds, RADOR, Agerpres, Zile și Nopți, Spotmedia, PRwave, Glamour, The Woman, Happening, Inspirationist, Arthood, Business Review, Metropolis, ALIST Magazine, Dreamingof.net, Daily Magazine, Nine O’Clock, Casa Magazin
Communication partners: 5 to go, Humanitas, FIHR
Special thanks to: Helinick, One Security, Demco, Arelux, Intercontinental, Triade, Jecza Gallery, Antalis
Creative team: Radu Manelici, Claudia Draghia, Sebastian Pren & Policromic
Monitoring partner: MediaTrust
Exhibition design: Attila Kim Architects
About The Institute
The Institute promotes the creative industries in Romania, aiming to contribute to the modernization of Romania. The Institute has been initiating and organizing events for over 25 years and has built a community that brings together entrepreneurs, professionals, and the public of the creative industries in Romania.
Through everything it does, The Institute contributes to building a strong infrastructure for the development of creative entrepreneurship in the country, it develops and diversifies the audience of workshops, designers, small businesses, agencies, and manufacturers, it promotes entrepreneurs and creative professionals nationally and internationally. It is the founder of Romanian Design Week, DIPLOMA Festival, Civil Society Gala, Internetics, Creative Quarter, combinat.ro, and initiator of ASAP Romania.
About UniCredit Bank
UniCredit Bank is part of UniCredit, a simple and successful Pan - European commercial bank with an integrated system of corporate and investment banking services, offering its client base a unique Western, Central-and Eastern-European network. The Group is present in Romania through: UniCredit Bank, UniCredit Consumer Financing, UniCredit Leasing Corporation, UniCredit Insurance Broker, UniCredit Leasing Fleet Management and UniCredit Services.