Though being a creative pool in the heart of Wallonia, RECIPROCITY design liege continues to build relationships, stimulate discussion and support innovation. This 2015 edition expands its boundaries in terms of discipline and geography: RECIPROCITY will host a series of exhibitions and events organized in other cities in Belgium and the Meuse-Rhine . Here are the extra-muros.
Toegepast is an annual contest for graduate designers. In 2015, the 20th edition will be held again at the Z33 in Hasselt, but in order to highlight this jubilee, it will be under the sign of experimentation: all selected participants of previous editions will be invited to collaborate on Beyond Food & Design, to be held at the C-mine designcentrum Genk, curated by Jan Boelen. In Mons 2015, European Capital of Culture, Innovation & Ready-made reflects on the conservation and enhancement of our heritage, tangible and intangible, questioning the role that we all can play. Following a workshop organized during six months by Single Studio, the exhibition will deploy the issues related to the evolution of design manufacturing technologies and their impact in our daily lives. In Maastricht, Bureau Europa aims to highlight certain European networks that connect various actors and events. The Design by choice exhibition, organized by Professor Sowa and Jules Schoonman, concentrates on a representative sample of European cast iron trade catalogues as depicted in the 19th century. Meanwhile, in Made in Europe, the photographer Kim Bouvy analyzes the specific reciprocity between the history and the industrial identity of Liege and Maastricht. Shifiting Identities tells the story of the Meuse-Rhine Euregio. From the daily experience of its people and the use of new technologies, this exhibition presents research on identifiable characteristics of this fascinating border area. Dear Euroregio Dates, in Liege and Maastricht, presents a multilevel investigation of the character of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion. The aim of Dear Euregio is to trace habits, spatial routines and experiences of the inhabitants of this cross-border region. These experiences will be translated into mappings, but also into spatial action and interventions. The project is executed from two converted shipping containers, one for the team of Dear Hunter and one furnished as a small hotel room, fully equipped to receive guests and collaborators. A series of designers from different backgrounds join in ‘dates’. Through working sessions and discussions they share (knowledge about) their projects and strengthen cross-border encounters. The meetings are captured in a ‘road movie’ to be broadcasted during in both Liege and Maastricht. A guided tour to discover the Maastricht cultural scene and key players in the city and surrounding Euregion: Common Knowledge # 21 is organized to strengthen knowledge of creative artists, cultural professionals and the curious, during a walk through Maastricht. In Kerkrade, the Netherlands, the Cube Design Museum opens its activities devoted to the best international and Euregional design. The museum aims to be a dynamic space of co-creation through its Living Labs. And in Germany, Designmetropole Aachen is a loose network of artists and designers who operate out of the greater Aachen region, and the bordering parts of Belgium and the Netherlands. From October 2015, Designmetropole Aachen will invite designers to plan & publish any number of dates where they open the doors of their studios/workspaces and throw parties or host events.