Rediscovering comfort
What is comfort in today’s world? Is it just a matter of physical comfort or is it something more? Can everyone afford it? Answers to these questions will be provided by the 18th edition of the Łódź Design Festival, planned for 21-26 May 2024.
Etymologically, the word comfort derives from the Latin word “confortare”, meaning “to strengthen significantly”, which originally had to do with a sense of empowerment and support. This concept, in the context of the evolution of domestic life, is explored by Witold Rybczyński in his book “Home. A Brief History of Ideas”. The author notes that in the Middle Ages, the concept of comfort was virtually non-existent – everyday life lacked privacy and sanitary facilities, and home was more about survival than comfort. A significant change only came with the bourgeois lifestyle of the 17th-century Holland. Contemporary understanding of the concept has been expanded to include aspects of ease of living, pleasure and amenities, which are relatively new in human history. These considerations have become particularly relevant in the context of increasing social conflicts, progressive climate change or the global mental health crisis. The need for a new perspective on comfort has therefore become one of the most important issues in the social debate.
The leading theme
The upcoming 18th edition of the Łódź Design Festival, which will take place from 21-26 May 2024, takes the slogan “Comfort” as the central exploration point. The festival organisers invite you to immerse yourself in the various aspects of this concept, showing how contemporary design responds dynamically to the changing needs of society. – We now live in a constant search for satisfaction and well-being, and accelerating changes presents us with new challenges. During the upcoming edition of the Festival, we will discover how comfort permeates far beyond traditional physical comforts, embracing subtle elements such as harmony, peace of mind and individual user’s needs. We will show that a properly designed environment not only promotes well-being, but also reflects our unique identity and desired lifestyle. Thus, at the festival we will touch upon such topics as, for example, the impact of nature on our health, ways of shaping the space of contemporary cities or the cultural and social sense of consumption– emphasises Michał Piernikowski, director of Łódź Design Festival.
The Festival programme will also include elements that have been appreciated by the public for years:
- make me! – an international competition that selects the best projects by artists of the young generation. The accompanying exhibition is a kind of picture of the world of the near future
- must have – a plebiscite and an exhibition presenting the best national utility implementations, which also provides an opportunity to meet representatives of the Polish creative industry
- open programme – the presentation of exhibitions and events from an open call addressed primarily at institutions, curators, artists and designers
- ARCHIBLOK – a block of expert presentations and discussions, devoted to current topics in the field of architecture and urban planning
- Edukreacja – a space dedicated to families with children for creative fun and learning regardless of age, status or knowledge
Festival atmosphere
Established in 2007, the Łódź Design Festival is currently considered to be one of the most important events dedicated to broadly understood design, which is confirmed, among others, by its long-standing membership of World Design Weeks (established on the initiative of Tokyo Design Week, an international network bringing together the best events of this kind in the world). Last year’s edition of the festival was visited by 20,000 persons, and more than 500 designers, social scientists, curators and culture animators were involved in its programme. The ŁDF presents projects combining artistic and social activities and comments on the most important challenges of the contemporary world; its broad thematic scope covers such design fields as graphics, crafts, industrial design, fashion or architecture.
The Łódź Design Festival is not only an event conducive to the integration of the creative industry, but also above all a unique opportunity to discover debuting talents and learn about new directions of the world around us. The festival’s exhibitions and events are an opportunity to spend some interesting time with close friends and family. – The festival itself is brilliant and I was proud to be part of it. But more importantly, the people I met were so enthusiastic and fascinated by what I was sharing that they really got involved and took something useful away with them,” confirms Terry McStea of Design Network North, conducting one of the workshops at LDF2023 who will also be visiting the Festival in 2024.
The main Festival hub – the industrial space of Art_Inkubator at the Art Factory in Łódź is the heart of the event. However, valuable exhibitions, fascinating presentations, artistic installations and venues accompanying the Festival are also located in other corners of the city.
Last opportunity
Creative persons, active in the field of design, have the last opportunity to submit their proposal under the ongoing calls for proposals for selected parts of the ŁDF2024 programme – the must have plebiscite (call until 15.02.2024), the open programme (call until 15.03.2024) and the make me! Competition (call until 05.04.2024). The first surnames of the finalists will be announced soon, as well as the list of exhibitions and events selected for this year’s ŁDF. You can find the details on the website www.lodzdesign.com.
Visit the Łódź Design Festival on May 21-26, 2024 and discover the inspiring world of design.
The author of this year’s graphic identification is: Katarzyna Ludwisiak.
The organization of the Łódź Design Festival is possible thanks to the support of the Łódź Event Center and the City of Łódź.