We love to travel with a cultural agenda. Visiting Venice for the Art Biennale or Milan for Design Week was so inspiring and we love to look back at the photos we collected there. Art and design events are a wonderful bridge to get to know a new city and I always try to visit creative spaces, galleries or museums when I travel to a new city to get in contact with the creative local scene.
In the beginning of October I had the chance to discover a new town in my repertoire of creative hotspots: Liege. The third biggest city in Belgium (after Brussels which is known for politics and Antwerp which is known for fashion) is the so called “Latin” city of the country. They had a big wave of South European migration in the 60s that made the city quite connected with Italy. While visiting the Reciprocity Design Triennale I could almost physically feel this connection because I was always surrounded by Italians. This year’s edition had a main focus on design with a social impact. Bringing designers and citizens together in the process of public service innovation was one of the most focused topics in the exhibitions we saw. This was really inspiring for me as somebody who works with Berlin, because I love to learn more about how creative ideas can be a positive factor in the social development of a city.
What impressed me the most about the Reciprocity were the stunning locations they choose for their different exhibitions. From an old school theater with murals from the 20s, a church turned into a museum and a monumental swimming pool which is now a space for public events. Our friend and Blogfabrik colleague Eylül Aslan joined us for this trip. Discover her unique photographic impressions and some more insights and pictures from Liege after the jump.
Exhibition 1: The Taste of Change
This exhibition was all about design for food and it was inside of a former church. Read more about it here.
Exhibition 2: Deconstrution
Inside a former theater of a public school this show was all about the concept of recycling design material from construction sites. More infos over here.
Exhibition 3: Printed Commons
Can graphic design have an impact on society? Showcasing several works from different studios this exhibitions showed a display of amazing creativity. More about it here.
Exhibition 4: Welcome to
Bringing together design students with locals this project was all about social interaction and design in public services. More about it here.
Far from being a simple showcase that makes a guest appearance every three years, the concept of the Reciprocity exhibition is to establish a multidisciplinary laboratory that is ongoing – a collaborative and lasting project to improve the life of other inhabitants of Liege.
Even if you won’t be able to make to the Reciprocity exhibition that is finishing on November 1, going to Liege is still worth the trip. We discovered beautiful spaces and amazing sights in this quite unconventional town. The main attraction for all architecture lovers is the main train station designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It’s breathtaking to walk inside of it especially on a sunny day where you feel like inside a giant crystal gem.
More impressions of some side exhibitions and Liege in general.
photos by: Eylül Aslan & Reciprocity Design Liege
