The twenty-five artists in Overthrown: Clay Without Limits took on adventurous challenges to make the works in this exhibition. Most were made especially for Overthrown and many are in direct dialogue with our dynamic Daniel Libeskind-designed architecture; they move beyond the pedestal to the wall, the floor, and even the ceiling. A few extend beyond the Anschutz Gallery, across the entire museum complex. They break boundaries that are physical, technological, conceptual, and spatial.

After a successful premier last year, Blickfang will take place for a second time at the E-Halle in Kleinbasel. From 8th to 10th April 2011, more than 100 exhibitors will display their latest works of furniture, lighting, living accessories, fashion and jewellery design.

To coincide with the 2012 Olympics, this exhibition will showcase 60 years of British creative talent.

The Vitra Design Museum traces these conditions and influences in its new exhibition and presents the high art of reduction as the quintessence of design. Divided into twelve sections grouped under the headings Manufacture, Function, Aesthetics and Ethics, the exhibition puts forth the motifs, motivations and strategies pursued by design in its quest for efficiency. The fact that Vitra Design Museum concentrates on tendencies in furniture design – though by no means exclusively – proves to be a decisive advantage, as furniture supplies this complex theme with particularly vivid arguments as a proxy for everyday culture and our attitude toward the world.

We use them every day. They influence our lives. They number in the billions. They are so common that we rarely even think about them: the Hidden Heroes of everyday life. Be it a dowel, a tea bag or a zipper, these objects are classics. Typically based on an idea that was both simple and ingenious, they have often remained essentially unaltered for decades. Due to their constancy, efficient use of materials and great utility, they are the utmost examples of sustainability and functional aesthetics. With the exhibition „Hidden Heroes: The Genius of Everyday Things“, the Vitra Design Museum and Hi-Cone present 36 of these everyday classics, telling about their history and demonstrating the enormous significance they have today, both conceptually and economically.

Alessi is widely regarded as the world’s most innovative and influential manufacturer of household objects that blur the boundaries between industry and art. The family-owned and operated company was founded in 1921 by Giovanni Alessi near Lake Orta in the foothills of the Italian Alps, an area known for highly developed craft traditions in wood and metal. In the 1950s, under the leadership of Carlo Alessi, Giovanni’s son, the company began to commission products from outside designers, and it was through this strategy that Carlo’s eldest son, Alberto Alessi, brought the company to the forefront of international design.

If you work in design and/or love design, you will find something or someone that will change, inspire or encourage you in unprecedented ways. Keynote speakers range from international stars like Paris-based Jean-Marie Massaud to Canadian design heroes Sarah Richardson and Brian Gluckstein; one-off and unique exhibits and installations by Canada’s best; and 300 exhibitors showing truly unique products for your home, restaurant or hotel.

For the twelfth edition of Art Rotterdam, the stunning departure hall of the Holland America Line in Rotterdam, The Netherlands will again be the set for the international art fair to discover emerging talent.

From 10 to 13 February 2011 and simultaneous with Art Rotterdam, Object Rotterdam will for the fourth time in a row, be the official side fair, held in the Las Palmas building, opposite to Art Rotterdam. 

Counter Space explores the twentieth-century transformation of the kitchen and highlights MoMA’s recent acquisition of an unusually complete example of the iconic “Frankfurt Kitchen,” designed in 1926–27 by the architect Grete Schütte-Lihotzky. In the aftermath of World War I, thousands of these kitchens were manufactured for public-housing estates being built around the city of Frankfurt-am-Main in Germany.

In the latest edition of MADProjects, which explores emerging trends and innovations in the design world, the Museum of Arts and Design presents Patrick Jouin: Design and Gesture.