The 360 Design Budapest exhibition, organised by the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) for the fifth time, will welcome visitors to a historic venue in Budapest. The event will display over 200 works by more creators than ever in 2024. 360 Design Budapest will be realised as the central exhibition of Budapest Design Week between the 15th and the 20th of October 2024.
The Red Dot Award-winning 360 Design Budapest, celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, will be held between the 15th and the 20th of October 2024. The large-scale design event showcasing works by international and domestic artist aims to shape the audience’s mindset and expand their technical knowledge, presenting the high level and cultural diversity of Hungarian and international object culture in 360 degrees. A central venue will host the related events, focusing on the presentation of Hungarian and international material culture. During the event, outstanding actors in related artistic fields will walk through the space, presenting the characteristics and diversity of the works from a variety of perspectives. This year’s programmes will welcome visitors through local design events, on-site professional discussions, and exclusive guided tours. Iván Vitáris and Barbara Schoblocher will present the colourful exhibition from a musical arts perspective, while Márton Nemes and Zoltán Tombor will offer insight from a fine arts point of view. Zsófia Szamosi, actress, Adél Keller, TikTok content creator, and other guests will also hold guided tours. The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency pays special attention to education and knowledge sharing, thus, it provides free, experience-based professional guided tours for vocational and higher education institutions, their students and teachers. Art Market Budapest, the Museum of Applied Arts, Bayer Construct Zrt., and ELLE Decoration interior design trade magazine Az űrlap tetejejoined the event as strategic partners of the 360 Design Budapest 2024 exhibition.
Similarly to previous years, domestic and international emerging talents, product designers and artists could apply in three exhibition categories: Brand Product, Collectible Design, and Prototypes and/or Digital Designs. We received a record number of applications, out of which, nearly 30 young talents can exhibit at 360 Design Budapest. Az űrlap alja
The exhibition not only supports cooperation between domestic and regional design brands and applied and fine artists but also provides a professional meeting point and a platform for local and international creative industry players, contributing to competitiveness growth and the development of the creative industry’s ecosystem. In line with the strategic goals, domestic manufacturers will also appear in the installation space. At this year’s event, prominent representatives from the international trade press will once again be in attendance. They will have the opportunity to explore Budapest’s outstanding cultural values, iconic locations, and culinary specialities through a diverse hospitality tour.
This October’s exhibition has found a unique home in the former waiting hall of Nyugati Railway Station, which provides several hundred square metres of space for displaying a record number of entries. The grandiose venue, symbolising the connection between East and West, serves as an ideal platform for showcasing collaboration and exchange between the domestic and international design communities. The location perfectly fits HFDA’s strategy of preserving and creating value: while the spaces undergoing reconstruction and the renovated areas acquire new functions, they offer an opportunity to showcase historic sites and narrate their histories.
Since its opening in 1877, the Nyugati Railway Station has been regarded as one of Budapest’s most important railway hubs. The construction of the station ran parallel to the development of the Grand Boulevard (Nagykörút), making it one of its defining and iconic landmarks. Since its inception, the building has played a significant role in Budapest’s cityscape. The facility was commissioned by the Austrian State Railways, with the design process coordinated by Gustave Eiffel’s company in collaboration with architect August de Serres-Wieczffinski. The iconic iron structure is the work of the French engineer Théophile Seyrig, who was of German descent. The station’s appearance features occasional elements of French architectural style.
The installation highlights the site’s industrial character and reconstruction, leveraging the space’s natural attributes and grand scale. The construction scaffolding, covered with mesh and positioned as a central element in the exhibition space, serves as an installation surface for the displayed objects. The installation method perfectly aligns with this year’s curatorial concept, which emphasises the cultural layers of Hungarian applied arts and design, highlighting how these disciplines have become defining pillars of national identity over the centuries. 360 Design Budapest highlights how contemporary artists are reimagining the rich aesthetic traditions of Art Nouveau and Art Deco in their works while emphasising the circular economy and long-term, durable solutions in the context of sustainability.