Campus HEAD, Bât.H, Le Cube, Av. de Châtelaine 7, 1203 Genève
At the same time, on the HEAD – Geneva campus, the exhibition Design Heads: tomorrow's creations, organised in partnership with Art Genève, showcases young design talent. In the Cube, some thirty award-winning or selected projects offer a rich and diverse vision of contemporary design practices.
From graphic design and interior architecture to fashion and interactive experiences, young designers are exploring universal themes – such as identity, nature and love – and confronting current issues such as sustainability, inclusivity and misinformation. These projects bear witness to the commitment of a new generation that is questioning and reinventing uses and forms.
Curator: Joanna Haefeli
HEAD TALKS : PROGRAMME OF LUNCHTIME LECTURES
THURSDAY 30 JANUARY 2025,12:00 – 14:00 (in partnership with the Pavillon Sicli Foundation)
12:00 – 14:00: Opening with a talk by the artist Thomas Hirschhorn, followed by a tour in the presence of the designers.
Thomas Hirschhorn has created over seventy works in the public space, questioning the notions of autonomy, authorship and resistance of a work of art. Composed of materials such as tape, cardboard, wood and bin bags, his inherently precarious works serve as places to meet and exchange thoughts. His work has been exhibited in numerous museums and public and private collections around the world. He has won the Meret Oppenheim Prize (2018), the Joseph Beuys Prize (2004) and the Marcel Duchamp Prize (2000).
FRIDAY 31 JANUARY 2025, 12:00 – 13:00
Gun & Roses, lecture by Alexandra Midal, historian and theorist of design.
Gun & Roses invites you to explore the hidden power of the language of flowers, traditionally associated with the delicacy of women. At the intersection of visual arts, design, and politics, floral cryptology provides a twist that deconstructs a worn-out metaphor, questions the notion of secrecy in troubled times like ours, and challenges the role of storytelling in exhibition design. Between appearances and mystification, the floral metaphor reveals that mastering the manipulation of forms can be a weapon against oppression
SATURDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2025, 12:00 – 13:00
Lecture by Ben Hibon
Ben Hibon is a Swiss director specialising in animation. Born in Geneva, he studied fine art before moving to London in 1996 to train in graphic design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, where he also obtained a master's degree. Hibon created animated sequences for Capcom's Killer7 video game in 2005 and directed a segment for Sakichi Sato's Japanese film Tokyo Zombie. In 2006, his short film Codehunters was presented at the MTV Asia Awards and won several awards, including the Golden Nica at the Prix Ars Electronica. He also collaborated with Sony PlayStation to make an animated series based on the game Heavenly Sword and contributed to the making of the animated short The Tale of The Three Brothers in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. In 2020, he was announced as director and executive producer of the Star Trek: Prodigy series for Nickelodeon. His work, recognised at numerous festivals and prestigious awards, includes collaborations with brands such as Sony, MTV, Sega, Capcom and Puma.
SCHEDULE AND INFORMATION
Thursday 30 January: 12 noon to 7 pm
Friday 31 January: 12 noon to 8pm
Sunday 2 February 2025: 12 noon to 7pm – Children's workshop (2pm to 6pm)
Opening with a talk by the artist Thomas Hirschhorn, followed by a tour in the presence of the designers.