GEOPHO
Design Month Graz bundles and condenses the energy of the local creative industries within one month, makes it visible to the outside world and thus makes a central contribution to anchoring the creative industries in people’s consciousness. It provides a space for innovative projects – be it experimental or commercial – and thus heightens the perception of the meaning of design: it is not about purely decorative behaviors (design as styling), but about the economic relevance (design as development and value added process) as well as the transformational power of design in economy and society.
The festival boasts an extensive and multifaceted schedule, spanning across the numerous domains of design. Over the course of a month, attendees can expect to immerse themselves in exhibitions, workshops, meetings, and presentations, all while enjoying a plethora of individual initiatives from local designers, design schools and universities, and commercial entities. Through this event, participants have the opportunity to connect, showcase their work, and underscore the significance of design in daily life, as well as the economic value of creative endeavors and the future’s challenges.
Design Month Graz 2023 is all about the focus topic Revolution. Revolution, understood as a fundamental upheaval of the past, has become an unmistakable constant in recent years. Its concomitants – from pandemics to war – irritate and unsettle. Revolution in today’s sense, however, is complex; it is digital, social, green, economic. And revolution means speed. It is needed to drive change more urgently, to find solutions more quickly. “Soft transformation” alone will not be enough to move society and the economy forward in a positive way. The creative industries are driving this revolution, and their players are developing intelligent and disruptive methods to find new ways and solutions to complex issues. Design and creativity offer the necessary tools and techniques for this, and for everyone. In the area of tension between revolution and continuity, between disruption and tradition, between “no longer usable” and “not yet imaginable”, Design Month Graz 2023 offers a platform to bring these multiple revolutions to the public’s attention. A lot is at stake. And nothing will ever be the same again. But things are moving forward.