Accompanying programme 2023
12th TOP IDEAS
An exhibition and marketplace of creations by young and promising creatives. Top Ideas bring to the fore the awareness of young people’s creative capital. The solutions submitted this year are once again fresh and of high quality. They reflect knowledge, effort, courageous choices and technological perfection in execution. Green thinking and degradable, recyclable materials prevail. In particular, there are products made of wood, various types of metals, glass, polymers and even 3D printed concrete.
Special guest of TOP IDEAS
STUDIO AINO
Creativity at Studio Aino is bound by a distinctive philosophy. Initially, it was a combination of architecture and craftsmanship, which then included unique design. The design process is constantly checking, questioning and searching for details, but the focus remains on the material, whose characteristics dictate the form and condition the use. This is why, over time, their work has become increasingly noticed and rewarded, including in the Top Ideas Design Trade Show.
Special guest of the fair
CONNUBIA brand
Connubia is a young and modern brand of the Calligaris Group. It represents the creation of a new community of people who share the same passion for fresh and dynamic design. Connubia products have a simple, functional design where colour expresses vitality and personality. These are products that want to be environmentally friendly, using ever more environmentally friendly materials and boasting a low impact on the environment.
EXHIBITIONS
Ljubljana School Centre / HIGHER VOCATIONAL COLLEGE Materials Design programme
The Ljubljana School Centre’s Higher Vocational College runs a promising Materials Design programme, which is divided into two majors, Wood Design and Metal and Polymer Design. Students will present their work. The wooden products were made in cooperation with the Ribnica Handicraft Centre, while the metal furniture elements were made in cooperation with Voga d.o.o. Their slogan is “connected in knowledge”. It is through this connection that they have acquired knowledge of tradition and Slovenian heritage, as well as modern trends in material design in the metalworking industry.
Ljubljana School Centre / WOODWORK SECONDARY SCHOOL
Students prove with their projects that with good concepts, ideas, innovation, different thinking and with new design and other skills, they will be among the best and the most successful. The meaningful integration of theory and practical work in the school workshops and the intensive cooperation with the companies that support the work of the school allow them to present their products to a wider public. Participation at the fair event gives students the opportunity to promote themselves and to get in touch with current trends in the sector.
Exhibition of the project Designing Solutions for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
On the initiative of the University of Ljubljana, the first phase of research at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design faced the challenge of identifying the key problems of multiple sclerosis sufferers at different stages of the disease symptoms, and then to design conceptual designs for an improved user experience for patients, their caregivers and other stakeholders. The whole project will be presented at the fair.
Exhibition of Photographs on Wood: Wooden and Holistic Exterior Transformations (Mizarstvo Kos)
The Mizarstvo Kos Company presents a travelling exhibition of holistically planned and executed transformations designed to improve the quality of outdoor living. The before-and-after photographs visualise the products of master carpenters and present the exterior design of Slovenian homes and businesses. The exhibition is an experience with the wood material that is based on sustainable business, local wood processing and a low carbon footprint.
The exhibition is complemented by an exhibit from the Lesarius Museum, which presents the craft of woodworking as an intangible cultural heritage of our ancestors. Using an augmented reality app, visitors point their mobile device towards a wooden target and learn about the professions of wheelwright, carpenter, joiner, barrel maker, turner, carver and basket maker.
JURIJ RIHAR – Exhibition of Thonet chairs
Jurij Rihar, a gentleman from Škofja Loka, known as a master restorer of bentwood furniture and as one of the greatest connoisseurs of Thonet furniture, will be exhibiting his pieces also at this year’s Ambient Ljubljana. Throughout the exhibition, he will present interesting stories about the furniture and show how he himself breathes new life into them.
BIOTECHNICAL FACULTY – the Charm of Wood
In order to promote wood and wood products, the Slovenian Society for the Protection of Wood and the Wood Council are organising the exhibition The Charm of Wood. With it, they want to promote and encourage the processing and use of wood. The aim of the exhibitions is to raise consumer awareness of the sustainable importance of the wood processing industry and the use of wood products.
REUNICA – Refurbished Furniture
At Ambient Ljubljana, the Restored Furniture exhibition will show how each piece is given a new chance and comes back to life in its full glory. The mission of Reunica is to preserve our heritage, which is hidden in furniture. Because if we do not preserve it, we will disappear with it.
