View the Blood Mountain Press Release here.

Blood Mountain
Foundation
Stories
from Central
Europe
Budapest
Design Week
2011
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“Blood Mountain is in an extraordinary position to foster a series of
explorations into ‘Stories from Central Europe’. The very villa itself is
a reminder of an era when Budapest was one of the fastest growing
cities in the world, a cosmopolitan hub of intellectual, literary and
artistic discourse. The international experience and outlook of its
curatorial team reflects and refracts that moment of concentrated
culture and openness.
Budapest, once an avant garde centre of design, art and architecture
has lost its position of international prominence and this programme
represents an attempt to analyse, to reinterpret and to revivify a
segment of Hungarian culture through the study of the physical, formal,
industrial and intellectual remains of a landscape of production.
‘Stories from Central Europe’ is a commendably ambitious exploration
of the sketchy, messy and fascinating interstices between the history,
present and future of a culture.”
Edwin Heathcote
BMF’s trustee; architecture and design critic of
The Financial Times, London
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Tuesday 4 to Sunday 9 October
Blood Mountain (BM) is a creative collective comprising a non-profit arts organisation, Blood Mountain
Foundation and a design and communications agency, Blood Mountain Productions. Based in
Budapest and working at the intersection of art, architecture and design, BM’s broader mission is to
encourage opportunities, exchange and support between the non-profit arts sector and the private
creative industries. BM’s contribution the 2011 Budapest Design Week is the first collaboration
between the two partnership organisations, which were founded in 2009 by Hungarian-born curator,
Jade Niklai and Australian industrial designer, Tom Sloan.
As a partner organisation of the 2011 Budapest Design Week, BM presents “Stories from Central
Europe”: a programme of talks, workshops, exhibitions and educational events related to Hungary’s
design heritage, visual culture and its future creative potential. The theme of the eighth Budapest
Design Week, Couleur Locale (‘Local Colour’) is inspired by the 19th Century French literary
movement, Romanticism. Steeped in social reality and revised notions of nationhood, diversity and
cultural identity, it encouraged writers to express dissatisfaction with contemporary issues and
proposed new alternatives inspired by foreign cultures and earlier periods.
In this spirit BM has invited four international participants to explore Hungary’s ongoing negotiation
between its cultural past and future potential, and to celebrate its unique position as a ‘Central’ bridge
between the East and West of Europe. With a shared interest in resourcefulness, locality and process,
our contributors have developed new content inspired by local issues and tailored for local audiences.
They include Tom Sloan (AUS/HU), industrial designer; Fritz Haeg (US), artist-designer-actvist; and the
London-based collective Techonlogy Will Save Us, comprising digital artist, Daniel Hirschmann (SA/
UK) and designer and branding innovator, Bethany Koby (US/UK).
“Stories from Central Europe” was developed in association with 2011 Budapest Design Week and
with support from Lánchíd 19 Hotel.
Given the venue’s limited capacity, reservations are requested for all events.
Events take place at BM in English (Hungarian translation is available onsite).
Doors opens 30 minutes before each event.
Address: Vérhalom utca 27/c | Budapest 1025 | Hungary
Public transport: Take bus 91, 191 or 291 to Vérhalom stop and walk 5 minutes, or walk up from tram
4/6 at Margaret Bridge (Buda side)
For reservations and more information, please contact:
+36.1.326.1844 Ӏ +36.30.415.2123 Ӏ info@bloodmountain.org Ӏ www.bloodmountain.org
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Work in progress by Tom Sloan, 2011 | © András Káré, 2011
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Tuesday 4 October
Talk: Tom Sloan and Jade Niklai, Blood Mountain
6 to 7pm | doors open 5.30pm
Suitable for all design enthusiasts
Limited capacity | booking is recommended | free
Tom Sloan, Creative Director of Blood Mountain Productions and Jade Niklai, Director of Blood
Mountain Foundation discuss the collective’s broader ambitions and why “Stories from Central
Europe” is timely and crucial in defining Hungary’s contemporary design culture.
Tom Sloan is an Australian-born industrial designer with built-work ranging from furniture, products,
interior and lighting to architecture. He began as a product designer at Lab Architecture Studio in
Melbourne, where he developed the furniture and interactive components of several art institutions
comprising Federation Square: Australia’s largest cultural and civic precinct comparable to Vienna’s
Museum Quarter. Tom founded his first company in 2003 and has since worked independently and on
behalf of various design practices. His recent position as Senior Designer at London’s Jason Bruges
Studio (2006-2009) enabled him to design and deliver bespoke artworks and interactive design
objects with clients including Veuve Cliquot, Established & Sons, BBC1, Nike, O2 and a number
property developers and architecture firms. With a BA in Industrial Design from Melbourne’s RMIT
University, a strong work ethic and genuine belief that good design improves lives, Tom is an ardent
believer in practical knowledge and private entrepreneurship. His first built project in Budapest is
the Origo bistro and café at Pasaréti Square - voted the best new interior by the 2011 Top Lista, the
leading annual industry survey - with other local and international projects in progress.
Jade Niklai is a curator interested in contemporary art, design and architecture. She has fulfilled
curatorial positions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2000-01), the Ludwig Museum of
Contemporary Art, Budapest (2002), the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2003), the Sydney
Biennale (2004) and at London’s Architecture Foundation (2005-07). She has also worked in the
commercial sector as the founding director of a leading art dealership in Melbourne and as the first
and only curator in Norman Foster’s 40-year architecture practice, Foster + Partners (2008-09). Jade
holds a BA in Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London with a dissertation in
performance art and Central Eastern European politics; and an MA in Art Curatorship from the School
of Creative Arts, University of Melbourne with a thesis examining the museology of design. Born
in Hungary, raised in Australia, educated and trained in England and America; Jade’s international
background and professional outlook make her a strong believer that the arts motivate cultural
diversity, tolerance and social integration. In partnership,
Tom and Jade moved to Budapest in 2009 to establish Blood Mountain Productions; an agency
committed to new thinking in design and communication; and Blood Mountain Foundation, an
independent non-profit arts initiative dedicated to generating fresh discourse and dialogue between
local and international arts communities.
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Exhibition Opening
7 to 9pm | follows on from public talk starting at 6pm
All welcome
The exhibition “Stories from Central Europe” presents a selection of used functional objects
revived with subtle contemporary interventions by Tom Sloan, industrial designer and Blood
Mountain Production’s Creative Director. It is a tribute to Hungary’s ageing artisan culture, specialist
manufacturing skills and the inherent quality of old world materials.
Exhibited works include a former gym horse converted in to a bench and a customised leather
briefcase, a revamped Soviet era dining table and several lighting solutions. As the first chapter of
“Stories from Central Europe”, the exhibition is completed by objects produced during the workshops.
With special thanks to Ivan Moschlyak, antique and modern furniture dealer from Budapest’s Amata
Gallery and his team of artisans.
Work in progress by Tom Sloan, 2011 (detail) | © András Káré, 2011
Blood Mountain
Foundation
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Wednesday 5 October
Exhibition: Stories from Central Europe
Open daily: midday to 6pm (5 to 9 October) or by appointment (10 to 30 October) Ӏ free
On view: 5 to 30 October
The exhibition “Stories from Central Europe” presents a selection of used functional objects revived
with subtle contemporary interventions by Tom Sloan, industrial designer and Blood Mountain
Productions’ Creative Director. In the spirit of this year’s Design Week theme, Coleur Locale, it is a
tribute to Hungary’s ageing artisan culture, specialist manufacturing skills and the inherent quality of
old world materials.
Born, raised and trained in Australia in an era characterised by off-shore manufacturing and
an exploding consumer culture, Tom’s relocation to Hungary in 2009 brought a world of new
opportunities, texture and history to his practice. Exhibited works include a former gym horse
converted in to a bench and a customised leather briefcase, a revamped Soviet era dining table
and several lighting solutions. As the first chapter of “Stories from Central Europe”, the exhibition is
completed by objects produced during the workshops.
With special thanks to Ivan Moschlyak, antique and modern furniture dealer from Budapest’s Amata
Gallery and his team of artisans.
Work in progress by Tom Sloan, 2011 | © András Káré, 2011
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Thursday 6 October
Workshop: Lumiphone
2 to 5pm | doors open 10.30am
For design enthusiasts 16 years and older
2000 HUF (7 Euros) | free for tertiary education students (please bring valid student ID)
A DIY soldering experience: participants adapt a kit of disparate electronic components to create a
musical device. Includes introduction to TWSU’s work and an informal Q&A. No prior experience is
necessary.
BM has invited the London-based social enterprise, Technology Will Save Us (TWSU), as makers-inresidence for the duration of Design Week to develop a comprehensive education programme and to
develop their own practice in line with BMF’s residency programme. With a mission to encourage the
appreciation and production, not simply the consumption of technology; three hands-on workshops
will explore, build and produce functional objects for day-to-day use. Where possible, participants will
be asked to loan produced objects for display in the “Stories from Central Europe” exhibition (on view
until 30 October).
Technology Will Save Us is a new haberdashery for technology and alternative education. Based in
London, TWSU addresses design problems of distinct urban communities; and through a programme
of DIY kits, hands-on workshops and support services, empowers participants to find their own
creative solutions. Founded in 2010 by South African digital artist, Daniel Hirschmann and Bethany
Koby, an American designer and branding consultant, TWSU has delivered adult learning programmes
for London’s School of Life and for younger audiences at TEdxKids Brussels. TWSU contributes to
this year’s London Design Festival as part of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Digital Design Weekend
programme. TWSU takes up residence at BM during Design Week to develop a unique education
programme for Hungarian audiences and to develop its own creatice prctice in line with BMF’s
ongoing residency programme.
www.technologywillsaveus.org
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Lumiphone workshop, London | © TWSU, 2011
Lumiphone workshop, London | © TWSU, 2011
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Friday 7 October
Talk: Fritz Haeg_Edible Estates
6 to 7pm | doors open 5.30pm
Suitable for all design enthusiasts
Limited capacity | booking is recommended | free
In anticipation of speaker’s May 2012 artist-in-residence at Blood Mountain.
Haeg presents his seminal Edible Estates: an ongoing project helping avid gardeners to build and
benefit from organically grown urban estates. In light of increasing environmental and health concerns
associated with the industrialisation of food production and consumption worldwide, the project is
especially relevant to Hungary’s former position as an agricultural leader of the Soviet satellite states.
Edible Estates is the theme of Haeg’s artist-in-residence at BM in May 2012. Started in 2005 in Kansas
- the geographic centre of America - Budapest will be its 12th site and following London, Rome and
Istanbul, its first in Central Europe.
Fritz Haeg is an American artist-designer-activist. He studied architecture at the University of Venice
and the Carnegie Mellon University. He is a 2010-2011 research fellow at the American Academy
in Rome, a reoccuring MacDowell Colony Fellow and on occasion, nominated for National Design
Awards in America. He is a regular lecturer at American institutions (Princeton University, California
Institute of the Arts, Art Center College of Design, Parsons School of Design, South California) and
contributor to art periodicals (Art in America, Art Forum, Frieze). He has produced and exhibited
projects at Tate Modern (2007); Whitney Museum (2007, 2008, 2010); Guggenheim Museum (2010);
Istabul’s SALT Beyolu (2011); Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (2010); San Francisco Museum of
Modern Art (2008); Mass MoCA (2007); Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia (2007); Wattis
Institute (2006); the Netherlands Architecture Institute (2007); Indianapolis Museum of Art; MAK Center,
Los Angeles (2004); and the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT (2008). His recent publications
include “The Sundown Salon Unfolding Archive”, Evil Twin Publications, 2009; “Edible Estates: Attack
on the Front Lawn”, Metropolis Books (2nd ed.), 2010; and “Roma Mangia Roma”, Nero Publications,
2011. Fritz’s projects range from urban ecology (Edible Estates, Gardenlab), to social projects
(Sundown Salon and Schoolhouse) and commercial design (Fritz Haeg Studio). Between his travel,
work and public commitments, Fritz’s home base since 2001 is a part-subterranean, part-geodesic
dome in the hills of Los Angeles. His project, Edible Estate Budapest is commissioned by BMF and will
comprise his artist-in-residence at the insitution in May 2012. Fritz’s talk at the 2012 Budapest Design
Week is his first appearance in Central Europe.
www.fritzhaeg.com
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Edible Estate #6, Baltimore USA, 2008 (completed) | commissioned by Contemporary Museum Balitmore | © Fritz Haeg, 2008
Edible Estate #4, London UK, 2007 (in process) | commissioned by Tate Modern | © Fritz Haeg, 2007
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Saturday 8 October
Workshop: Electro-dough
For six to 12 year-olds
11am to 1pm | doors open 10.30am
4000 HUF (15 Euros), includes refreshments
Working with electrically conductive play-dough and basic electronics, participants learn about basic
electronics and create playful functional objects. In line with BM’s ongoing educational programme
and facilitated by our education officer, this is a bilingual event. For more information about BM’s longstanding commitment to education, visit our website.
BM has invited the London-based social enterprise, Technology Will Save Us (TWSU), as makers-inresidence for the duration of Design Week to develop a comprehensive education programme and to
develop their own practice in line with BMF’s residency programme. With a mission to encourage the
appreciation and production, not simply the consumption of technology; three hands-on workshops
will explore, build and produce functional objects for day-to-day use. Where possible, participants will
be asked to loan produced objects for display in the “Stories from Central Europe” exhibition (on view
until 30 October).
Technology Will Save Us is a new haberdashery for technology and alternative education. Based in
London, TWSU addresses design problems of distinct urban communities; and through a programme
of DIY kits, hands-on workshops and support services, empowers participants to find their own
creative solutions. Founded in 2010 by South African digital artist, Daniel Hirschmann and Bethany
Koby, an American designer and branding consultant, TWSU has delivered adult learning programmes
for London’s School of Life and for younger audiences at TEdxKids Brussels. TWSU contributes to
this year’s London Design Festival as part of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Digital Design Weekend
programme. TWSU takes up residence at BM during Design Week to develop a unique education
programme for Hungarian audiences and to develop its own creatice prctice in line with BMF’s
ongoing residency programme.
www.technologywillsaveus.org
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Electro-dough workshop, London | © TWSU, 2011
Electro-dough workshop, London | © TWSU, 2011
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Sunday 9 October
Workshop: Thirsty Plant
2 to 5pm | doors open 1.30pm
For all design enthusiasts 13 years and older
6000 HUF (20 Euros), includes refreshments
To understand when plants are thirsty is one of the great challenges of domestic horticulture. During
this workshop, participants learn to create a solar powered thirst detector. A new kit is produced in
partnership with BM and produced in Budapest during TWSU’s Design Week residency. Includes
introduction to TWSU’s work and an informal Q&A. No prior experience is necessary.
BM has invited the London-based social enterprise, Technology Will Save Us (TWSU), as makers-inresidence for the duration of Design Week to develop a comprehensive education programme and to
develop their own practice in line with BMF’s residency programme. With a mission to encourage the
appreciation and production, not simply the consumption of technology; three hands-on workshops
will explore, build and produce functional objects for day-to-day use. Where possible, participants will
be asked to loan produced objects for display in the “Stories from Central Europe” exhibition (on view
until 30 October).
Technology Will Save Us is a new haberdashery for technology and alternative education. Based in
London, TWSU addresses design problems of distinct urban communities; and through a programme
of DIY kits, hands-on workshops and support services, empowers participants to find their own
creative solutions. Founded in 2010 by South African digital artist, Daniel Hirschmann and Bethany
Koby, an American designer and branding consultant, TWSU has delivered adult learning programmes
for London’s School of Life and for younger audiences at TEdxKids Brussels. TWSU contributes to
this year’s London Design Festival as part of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Digital Design Weekend
programme. TWSU takes up residence at BM during Design Week to develop a unique education
programme for Hungarian audiences and to develop its own creatice prctice in line with BMF’s
ongoing residency programme.
www.technologywillsaveus.org
For reservations and more information, please contact: +36.1.326.1844 Ӏ +36.30.415.2123 Ӏ
info@bloodmountain.org Ӏ www.bloodmountain.org
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Thirsty Plant workshop, London | © TWSU, 2011