The ninth edition of the international visual and social design festival Graphic DaysⓇ at the spaces of Flashback Habitat in Turin. An exhibition itinerary, a permanent work space and a calendar of events including conferences, workshops, live performances, DJ sets and activities for children, in the main headquarters and spread throughout the city, will interpret the title through different interpretations “A kind of future”.
The Graphic DaysⓇ festival is an initiative dedicated to Italian and international visual design promoted in Turin since 2016 by the Print Club Torino association, the plug association and the quattrolinee agency; starting from the great icons of history up to contemporary professionals, the festival tells the story of 360 degree visual communication and its contaminations in an annual event that involves the most relevant artists, professionals and studios on the international scene.
The 2024 edition is entitled “A kind of future”.
“With the awareness of being in a moment in which the work of the designer and his role in society are at the center of great transformations” argue Ilaria Reposo and Fabio Guida, artistic directors of the festival, “we have chosen to bring attention back to creativity as a fundamental element to produce innovation and encourage experimentation.”
The theme lends itself to a dual interpretation.
A kind of future is first and foremost a hypothesis of the future, not necessarily an alternative to other visions, which places the use of new languages and the valorisation of young talents at the center of attention. The experimentation is intended to be 360° and ranges from the decontextualized use of commonly used objects in a creative and innovative way to the most cutting-edge technologies based on artificial intelligence and the development of new tools.
“We want to overcome the idea” continue the artistic directors “that innovation is the exclusive prerogative of technological progress; on the contrary, in our vision, innovation can also start from analogue tools because the founding element is creativity and the way in which we also approach common objects“.
A kind future is the second key to understanding the festival: a future that puts kindness at the center, in which attention to people and the planet are the primary objective of every design action. This trend also includes social design initiatives built through the involvement of local communities.
The festival calendar will develop from 16 to 26 May within Flashback Habitat, an exhibition space recently reopened to the public and surrounded by greenery, with a complex program that will include: An exhibition itinerary that will propose different forms of experimentation and innovation, hosting artists and experiences from all over the world, bringing to Turin the most cutting-edge creative practices at the moment. Starting from a monographic study on the work of Vincent De Boer and Matteo Giuntini, ample space is dedicated to the international context which is analyzed through 4 interpretations: poster, type design, editorial and illustration. The future is explored through the key of social design in We mix design and people with the experience of the center Farm Cultural Park and with projects ranging from data design, editorial and visual design. During the visit the public can also take an active part in creative production by interacting with multimedia installations based on artificial intelligence and generative art. In the outdoor spaces of the park, one selection of 20 works taken from the international call Fight for Kindness, promoted by TypeCampus.
A permanent open workspace curated by Print Club Torino which will connect international printmakers, designers and companies, with live experiences open to all visitors and training and professionalising workshop moments: a permanent open workspace in which a collective work.
A calendar of events with workshops, talks and performances, a market exhibition and a section of initiatives dedicated to schools and families.… read the rest of the article”
The Festival activities also extend into the city: In the city is the calendar of initiatives created through the involvement of communication agencies, design studios and various entities operating in the field of visual and social design in the area. The 17 and 24 May it will be possible to get to know the eclectic nature of the Turin creative scene by visiting places not generally accessible to the public: over 30 appointments among very different exhibitions, workshops, performances and events they will interpret the theme of the festival A kind of future.
One of the main cores of the festival’s activities is reserved for young designers. From 2021 the festival promotes the call Neology dedicated to Italian designers under 30 or who have lived in Italy for at least two years, creating a showcase space to present young talents in today’s world of visual design: a democratic and continually evolving environment that brings together the best projects, rewarding the quality and experimentation of languages, allowing thus allowing new creative minds to become part of a dynamic and international context.
Every year i 100 selected projects in the categories Editorial, Poster and Motion are exhibited at the festival; among these, special prizes are then identified and awarded at a public event: the Neologia prize awarded by the Print Club and various mentions and prizes offered by the project partners. For the 2024 edition, awards from Farm Cultural Park, Zetafonts, International Graphics Biennale, AWDA and Fabrica are expected, which will take the form of professional experiences, residencies, workshops,… For the first time in 2024, the Artificial Intelligence category: posters and motion can also be created through artificial intelligence and participate in a dedicated selection.
As a corollary to the exhibition, a calendar of events dedicated to young designers: Saturday 18 May at 4pm contest award ceremony and talk by Zetafonts entitled “Life is better with more fonts” AndSunday 19 May at 10.30am portfolio review with Fabrica, the communication research center in Treviso.
The two weekends are the moments in which most of the activities on offer are concentrated: from professionalizing workshops to conferences with experts from all over the world to moments of B2B meetings and discussions.
Saturday 18 May from 10.00 to 18.00 ¡DAMN HAPPY LIFE?, screen printing workshop with Lars Harmsen of Slanted Publishers.
Sunday 19 May from 10.00 to 14.00 BRUSH BENDERS, calligraphy workshop with Vincent de Boer; at 4.00pm Design Talk, a discussion on the future of design with Vincent De Boer, Lars Harmsen of Slanted Publishers, Ariane Spanier and Martyna Wędzicka-Obuchowicz.
Saturday 25 May from 10.00 to 1.30 A KIND OF RIOT, a tribute to the bold and provocative punk aesthetic through a collective publication in Risograph with the Print Club Torino. At 4.00 pm the round table dedicated to social design We Mix Design and People with Farm Cultural Park, Sheldon.studio, Parco Studio, Studio Airport and Graphic DaysⓇ.
Sunday 26 May from 10.00 to 1.30 TUFTING, a workshop to experiment with the use of the tufting gun with Nodo – Tufting Torino . At 4.00 pm the Pandemonio talk with the communication agencies that participated in a social design project on the topic of fake news.
In addition to the activities for professionals, there are performative and musical moments and activities aimed at families: a free-to-use kids area always available and a calendar of workshops for children, Saturday and Sunday at 10.30am and 11.30am: 18 May: Warped wefts, to create colored flags with natural textures with paper
May 19: The world I would like, a laboratory based on stamps and inks
May 25: Creative recycling that is good for the planet, an upcycling experience with Iren
May 26: A postcard from the future, with mixed painting techniques
In the weekend of May 25th and 26th, a market exhibition that will involve the outdoor spaces of the park with the display of the works of studios, artists and independent realities in the field of visual arts; among the exhibitors: Mattia Riami, Galleria Garance & Marion, BOLO Paper, Morsi Editore, Spritz srl, Omar Edous, Colorobe, Vichi Zorzi, Cartiera Clandestina, Elisa Marsigliante, Inchiostro Festival and Damiano Boldrini.
During the week the program will be structured with activities dedicated to schools, guided tours and workshops, and with a schedule of conferences and activities in collaboration with local partners:
Friday 17 May from 8.30 to 10.00 the festival hosts the Creative Mornings community for an event dedicated to the theme “Vibrant”;
Tuesday 21 May from 11.30am to 1.30pm the talk New synergies for the evolution of the content supply chain in collaboration with the Turin Chamber of Commerce, Ceipiemonte and the Turin Industrial Union;
Thursday 23 May starting at 10.00 a portfolio review for students of the Polytechnic of Turin eat 6.00 pm the talk A kind of future: talking about people, design and words in collaboration with ADCI Art Directors Club Italiano and UNA Aziende della Comunicazione Unite.
The 2024 festival marks the start of an important partnership with the BIG International Graphics Biennale of Milan (23-26 May): the collaboration, tested with the 2022 edition of the Milan Graphic Festival, is consolidated this year with an exchange of cultural contents and collaborations. The 2024 Signs exhibition promoted by the International Graphics Biennial will be present at both events. At the same time, the works selected by Graphic DaysⓇ through the Neologia call, in the motion, poster and artificial intelligence categories will also be exhibited in Milan, as well as in Turin.
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