RDW Opens the City from May 24 to June 2, Featuring Design and Architecture Exhibitions at the CINA Building, Along with Over 130 Satellite Events
Romanian Design Week, the multidisciplinary festival dedicated to creative industries, organized by The Institute, presented by UniCredit Bank, and funded by the Ministry of Culture, kicks off. From May 24 to June 2, RDW opens the city through multiple exhibitions available to the public at the former CINA restaurant building (10 Benjamin Franklin Street), as well as through over 130 related events, taking place throughout Bucharest.
This year’s RDW edition is themed “Unlock the City” and aims to explore how creativity and innovation can shape the cities of the future, while also discovering Bucharest’s potential, its creative spaces, and the organizations or cultural projects that animate and define them.
The festival offers 9 formats, making RDW a comprehensive urban experience showcasing the best and most visionary examples of current design and architecture, while also providing social contexts, parties, events, initiatives, and debates dedicated to both the general public and representatives of the creative industries.
“We have been supporting Romanian Design Week for 12 years, reaffirming our long-standing tradition of backing creative industries, art, and culture, driven by the belief that this endeavor promotes social and economic progress and encourages dialogue on innovation, social cohesion, and a sense of belonging. UniCredit Bank is Romania’s most active brand in the field of art and culture, contributing to these fields for nearly 20 years and paying special attention to young artists and designers and their education. Over these 20 years, UniCredit Bank has also taken on the role of educating the public about the arts and design through every project the bank has been involved in. We are delighted to see the beautiful evolution of this project, the community it has built around it, and how it has become a true benchmark for the industry in Romania and Europe”, says Anca Ungureanu, Director of Identity and Communication at UniCredit Bank.
The Former CINA Restaurant Building: Open to the Public and Reintegrated into the Urban Circuit on the Occasion of RDW 2024
This year, RDW puts the historic monument building CINA on the map, hosting several important exhibitions, a mix of local and international content, created by both senior and new generation artists.
“For this year’s edition, we chose the former CINA restaurant building, which I would say is perhaps Romania’s most valuable square kilometer in terms of culture and history at the moment. It’s a place with a remarkable history that we are happy to bring back to the city’s attention. Over time, organizing RDW in forgotten, abandoned, or blocked buildings has become a brand attribute, so we are pleased to offer an urban experience that will surely be memorable for anyone who chooses to visit us”, said Andrei Borțun, CEO of The Institute, the festival's organizer.
On the two floors of the CINA building at 10 Benjamin Franklin Street, RDW Exhibition will present over 200 projects across 6 different creative categories: from architecture to interior design, graphic design, product design, fashion, and illustration. This year’s works were selected by a creative board composed of 6 teams of Romanian and international curators from a record number of entries, representing the best and most visionary architecture and design projects from the past year.
Additionally, the RDW Young Design format, supported by Rompetrol and the Romanian Cultural Institute, will feature 29 designers, architects, and artists from the new generation. The exhibition emphasizes the project authors, giving the general public a glimpse into the creative spirit of the future generation of Romanian designers and architects, fostering dialogue between specialists and young graduates of creative vocational faculties in the country, bringing optimism and energy through unconventional approaches and fresh perspectives in the industry.
The public will also be able to admire 9 exhibitions with international content as part of the RDW Design Flags format, supported by Château Purcari. Returning this year, the format is developed in collaboration with cultural institutes, embassies, and cultural-creative organizations, highlighting the contributions of designers and architects from around the world. Details about the 9 exhibitions can be found here.
Lastly, the CINA building will also host the RDW Concept Store, supported by Mega Mall and Promenada Mall. Thus, an unprecedented immersive experience will be offered to the public by Mega Mall, while Promenada Mall will exclusively present the new upcycling fashion collection created in partnership with Electric Castle and Velements. The RDW Concept Store is also an unconventional shopping space featuring 10 brands selling both local and international designs, activated through a series of capsule presences showcasing the latest collections from renowned designers, artists, and illustrators. The product selection is curated in collaboration with names like AlbAlb, Humanitas & Takumi Bookstores, Ototo, Viscri 32, Assamblage, Giometria, Șurașușara, Molecule F, and Meze Audio. The concept store area is located in the basement of the CINA building, covering a total area of 200 sqm.
RDW Design GO!: Over 130 Related Events for the Public to Discover Throughout Bucharest
RDW Design GO!, the festival’s satellite events format, presents this year’s most extensive program in all RDW editions to date. Organizers participating in this format offer a variety of leisure experiences: from exhibitions and presentations to workshops, guided tours, open doors, fairs, parties, and space launches. The full program can be consulted here.
“RDW Design GO! has always been a very important part of the festival, a way to invite Bucharest residents to experience and familiarize themselves with design and creative industries in general through a series of contexts that will entirely change the way the city looks during RDW. We will see a vibrant, lively Bucharest where each of us can create our path of interest to rediscover the city, its beauty, and its creative potential”, Andrei Borțun added.
RDW 2024: Immersive Installations, Presentations by Creative Industry Specialists, and a Generous Program of Parties and Concerts
On the festival’s first day, the RDW Talks masterclass series, supported by Globalworth, will take place. These will be held at the National University of Arts Bucharest and the Ion Mincu University of Architecture on May 24 and represent discussions aimed at offering the public new perspectives on the evolution of creative industries, addressing the theme of rediscovering cities through dialogues between Romania’s most creative minds and international professionals. The program includes presentations by names such as Alexander Manu (Professor at OCAD University, Strategic Foresight Practitioner, author), Yuko Shimizu (Illustrator & professor), Matthias Hillner (Professor at SCADpro in the Savannah College of Art and Design, USA), Maria Surducan (Illustrator), Raymond Bobar (Graphic Designer), Stela Nicolakaki (Architect), and Martina Muzi (Designer & Curator). Participation in the masterclasses is open to the public and free, through the registration form here. Places are limited.
RDW Experience by IQOS is the newest format in the RDW program and will get visitors into the festival spirit through a series of experiences developed especially for them. The immersive installation “SynergyX”, created by Adrian Damian and IQOS, is the result of the fusion between art, technology, and human connection, offering the public a multisensory experience. With the help of tactile interaction, visitors will experience a symphony of dynamically generated images and sounds from their collective contribution. Access to the installation is exclusively for individuals over 18 years old.
RDW Social sets the rhythm for the entire program, being the festival’s most dynamic format. It brings together the community of local creative industry enthusiasts and creates contexts for meetings, leisure, dialogue, and collaboration. In the festival’s first weekend, visitors are invited to join a series of live acts, parties, and concerts by Jazz in the Park and Moss Farai DJ Set, which will take place at the CINA space. The full program can be consulted here.
The festival’s traditional format, the Night of Architecture Studios, supported by Cemacon, will take place on May 30 and will open the doors of 27 offices and workspaces of specialists in the field, in social events for colleagues, friends, and the general public. Details about the program and studios that can be visited for one night, from 6 PM to 10 PM, can be found here.
10 Days of RDW in Bucharest. Program and Access
RDW can be visited from Monday to Friday, between 12:00 PM and 10:00 PM, and on weekends, between 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM. Tickets for the Romanian Design Week 2024 Festival can be purchased from the website https://bilete.romaniandesignweek.ro. Students, pupils, and retirees have free access, and UniCredit Mastercard cardholders receive a 50% discount on ticket purchases, applicable at the payment step. More details 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 ARCUB – Cultural Centre of Bucharest City
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
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.