Virtual Design Festival

Gary Hustwit screens Rams documentary at VDF

This week's VDF highlights include Alison Brooks, Chris Precht, UNStudio, Fritz Hansen and free Dieter Rams film screening

That was week three of VDF! Highlights include a video message from Ben van Berkel and an exclusive screening of the Dieter Rams documentary plus a live interview with director Gary Hustwit. We also teamed up with Fritz Hansen to celebrate Vico Magistretti's centenary.


Ravi Naidoo lectures at reSITE

Monday 27 April

VDF x reSITE: we started week three with a collaboration with Prague conference reSITE, which shared five lectures from its catalogue of talks by leading creatives. Design Indaba's Ravi Naidoo (above), UNStudio's Marianthi Tatari, architect Chris Precht and open-government advocate Bianca Wylie held individual lectures, while a panel discussion on development in China ended the day.


VDF products fair launches

Tuesday 28 April

VDF products fair: the VDF products fair launched with new releases from design brands including Fritz Hansen (above), Modus and Muuto.

VDF Screentime: VDF's Screentime series of architecture interviews in collaboration with Enscape launched with a conversation with Austrian architect Chris Precht. The architect spoke to editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs about his practice and showed his work exploring low-impact building technologies and ways of making buildings more self-sufficient.


Ventura Projects x VDF

Wednesday 29 April

VDF x Ventura Projects: we teamed up with Ventura Projects to showcase the work of over 80 international designers, academies and brands through three online exhibitions and a live panel discussion exploring how designers are having to adapt to lockdown.

Video message: UNStudio founder Ben van Berkel shared his vision of how the architecture firm can "support the sectors that are in need" after the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, and asks how technology can assist in making the built environment safer.


Dezeen Day conference at VDF

Thursday 29 April

VDF x Fritz Hansen: VDF teamed up with Fritz Hansen to host a talk about the legacy of Italian designer Vico Magistretti. The conversation between Fritz Hansen's head of design Christian Andresen and Dezeen's editor-in-chief Marcus fairs coincided with the 100th anniversary of Magistretti's birth, which the Danish furniture brand marked by reissuing Magistretti's Vico Duo chair.

VDF x Dezeen Day: anyone who missed the very first Dezeen Day, which took place at BFI Southbank in London on 30 October 2019, could tune in to see the entire architecture and design conference streamed as part of VDF. 

Highlights included a debate between Zaha Hadid Architects principal Patrik Schumacher and Pratt Institute dean Harriet Harriss about architecture's long-hours culture and a clash between Dutch designer Richard Hutten and Ellen MacArthur Foundation CEO Andrew Morlet about whether plastic can be part of a circular economy.

VDF Screentime: New York architect Dong-Ping Wong discussed his design for an information tower in Chinatown, New York, his work with Kanye West and how healthcare should be easier to access in our second Screentime interview in collaboration with Enscape.


Gary Hustwit will speak to Dezeen in a live Screentime conversation as part of Virtual Design Festival's collaboration with the filmmaker

Friday 1 May

VDF x Gary Hustwit: as part of our collaboration with Gary Hustwit, the filmmaker spoke live to Marcus Fairs about his work including Rams, a feature-length documentary about Dieter Rams. He also shared previously unseen photos of designer Dieter Rams and invited VDF visitors to watch Rams for free throughout the weekend.

VDF Screentime: architect Alison Brooks showed new projects for the first time, discussed her award-winning work and answered questions from viewers in our third Screentime architecture interview sponsored by Enscape.


Next week:

Week four of VDF will feature even more collaborations and exclusives, including a talk from architects and designers involved in Dezeen Awards, a collaboration with New York City design gallery Friedman Benda, an exclusive series of video interviews with fashion designer Iris van Herpen and a virtual tour of Schloss Hollenegg, a castle in Austria that hosts design exhibitions.


Last week:

Did you miss week two? Read the summary of the highlights from the second week, including Ron Arad, SO-IL, Kunlé Adeyemi, Nelly Ben Hayoun, Beatie Wolfe and Studio Drift.


Previous week:

Did you miss week one? Read the summary of the first week's highlights include live interviews with Li Edelkoort and Klein Dytham Architecture plus the now-legendary VDF launch movie.

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