For the fourth time now, Tallinn is hosting a cultural festival that propagates design, a modern life style, a high-quality living environment and creative industries. The festival aims to clasp the exploratory spirit and INGENUITY is therefore its main focus. INNOVATION. SUSTAINABILITY. RECYCLING. The festival celebrates the European Year of Creativity and Innovation and is representative for the Estonian Year of Innovation.

The festival comprises exhibitions, installations, fashion shows, performances, open air movies, activities valuing external living spaces, workshops, product presentations and sales events at the festival’s special price. The educating or simply entertaining activities will demonstrate our visitors how design triggers the innovation process and how ingenious design can help to soothe even the economic crisis. 

The heart of this year’s festival lies in the Rotermann quarter, restored old industrial centre, synthesis of old and new. In the Prooviveski (sample mill) visitors can attend two exhibitions and a festival lounge. Festival visitors will have the opportunity to see the exhibition Design Elevator in the former grain elevator for free until 27th September and design gourmets will have the possibility to acquire the best of Estonian design. The fashion show in the Nisurukkiveski (wheat rye mill) on Saturday will try to find an answer to the question why is life the way it is. 

The partners of the festival include galleries, museums and furnishing stores who will delight us with interesting exhibitions, performances and product presentations. Satellite events will take place in the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design (free entrance on Friday), the SooSoo gallery, St. Catherine’s Church, Lühike Jalg (Short leg street), Salt Storage and so on. Extraordinary product design will be demonstrated at the guest exhibition Austrian Design Innovation & Technology in the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, BIO 21 Presents (Industrial Design Biennial) - a selected exhibition of award winning works and an exhibition of Polish and Lithuanian design. Experienced designers will guide design interested visitors in the workrooms. As a surprise act the designers will also perform as cooks in the restaurant Novell on 26th September, Culinary design.

The day before the Design Night will be dedicated to professionals. "Design Driven Innovation", an international seminar will take place in the Rotermann quarter on 24th September and the 25th September will be dedicated to sustainable design. Per Mollerup, Giovanni Benedetti, Bernhard Rothbuche and lot of others will be the speakers. At the gala in the evening the best architecture, interior design and design workers of the year will be announced and the nominees´ exhibition "Estonian design and living environment 2009" will be opened. The audience will witness the premiere of a film dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Estonian Association of Designers. Pecha Kucha will be part of the event.

One of the most important events of the Design Night is the disclosure of the winners of the EDL and Tallinn 2011 (Culture Capital) competition "Ethical Estonian Souvenir" in the Architecture and Design Gallery on 25th September.

On 25th September the traditional Design Auction will take place, allowing the participants to obtain original works and prototypes by famous designers. As usual, the auction will be non-profit-making and will help young student to continue their design studies abroad.

The Nisurukkiveski will create a phantasmal atmosphere for the i-phone performance on 27th September.

We will continue our tradition of filming every event and showing it simultaneously in different places on the event and on the internet.

The main organiser is Estonian Association of Designers. Our partners are: ngo Disainiöö, Rotermann Eesti OÜ, Tallinn-2011, Valgusfestival, Kinobuss, Plektrum, Helsinki Design Week.

14.09.2009.