A Creative Design Collaboration Between Kaunas and Kortrijk

The design visualises the shared modernist heritage of Kaunas and Kortrijk, both UNESCO Cities of Design and celebrates these international design partnerships.

The K-TOTEM welcomes visitors at the main entrance of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design (FMED) at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU). Just before the New Year, the object was renewed once again, unveiling a new visual “skin” that celebrates the shared modernist heritage of Kaunas and Kortrijk.

United by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Kaunas and Kortrijk are also connected through their modernist architecture and, more broadly, through their urban identities. The new façade of the sculpture features recognisable yet non-specific modernist motifs – round windows, clear architectural lines, and… a human in a spacesuit travelling between a city’s valuable past and its creative future. This illustration, linking the philosophies of the two cities and raising questions about the role of heritage, was created by Belgian illustrator Ann-Sophie De Steur.

More Information: designregio-kortrijk.be/en/news-events/new-k-totem-kaunas-design-by-ann-sophie-de-steur