Hasta La Ideas

This year, Canadian designer Philippe Malouin was paired with the renowned Viennese glass company of J. & L. Lobmeyr through the annual Vienna Design Week Passionswege program. Erstwhile purveyors to the court, the company has devoted itself for nearly 200 years to the refinement and finishing of glass material.

In order to enforce the exchange of expertise, the preservation and further development of knowledge and the virtuosity in craftsmanship and manufacturing, the Passionswege (“pilgrimage ways”) program is an integral part of Vienna Design Week. Six months before the festival, the organizers invite nine different designers to collaborate with local Viennese producers and businesses.

The Passionswege involve the use of workshops, experimentation in situ, and interventions in local businesses and shops. Meanwhile, the partnerships are completely free of the pressure to generate commercially viable products (although we don’t exclude this as an option).

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