Design September sets Brussels abuzz as Belgian capital focuses on re-usable and adaptable designs

September is design month across many European capitals and Brussels is no exception, with the city's art scene coming to life for four weeks.

Transcript

00:00Brussels is immersed in creativity, as the city celebrates design for an entire month.

00:10Art and colors have pervaded almost every corner of the Belgian capital.

00:17Jacopo Koenig stands out as one of the most eclectic and surreal artists of the festival.

00:25Because of how many informations we get every day, I feel like I see the world as absurd,

00:31so I can only create things for me that are absurd and think and seemingly lack meaning.

00:38But if you look at it intensely, everyone can find their own meaning.

00:42His work is largely inspired by Dadaism and the nonsense of the present.

00:50Dadaism focuses on the glorification of what's random, of what doesn't make sense at the beginning,

00:58but then you can give it your own sense by making it come true.

01:02Dozens of events will be taking place till the end of September.

01:07Some of them feature innovative design objects with a very specific practical function.

01:14Such as this expandable wheelchair for children called Hugo,

01:19which was created to be more reusable and durable than ordinary ones.

01:25Unfortunately not every family can afford to buy a wheelchair every one year or two.

01:33It's actually an innovative adjustable frame that you can see just here,

01:40that allows the wheelchair to grow with the child.

01:44Reuse and adapt are also the key words of another exhibition,

01:50focused on finding ways to live and build more sustainably.

01:55The situation of demolishing and rebuilding, which is getting faster and faster,

02:01is a huge environmental problem.

02:05What we actually need is, when we build a building,

02:09is that the structure of the building is very flexible,

02:12and to have a capacity for a building to live several lives,

02:18and for the structure of the building to be able to live several lives.

02:22And for that you need to have some kind of a basic regulation

02:28on the adaptability of building and particularly on the structure of the buildings.

02:34The Design Festival will return to Brussels in September 2025.