The VIENNA DESIGN WEEK is a curated festival which has taken place annually in Vienna since 2007. For ten days Vienna becomes Europe’s design arena.
MBQ [Mesteshukar ButiQ] is a Bucharest based social enterprise working on revaluing traditional Roma craftsmanship.
Starting with 2015, MBQ [Mesteshukar ButiQ] has been providing the Viennese public with a deep and detailed insight into the creative work of Roma craftspeople.
With the help of designers Nadja Zerunian and Peter Weisz, MBQ’s presence in Vienna Design Week has grown yearly, culminating in this edition with an impressive presence in 2 exhibitions and 2 POP-UP Shops.
We are thrilled to invite you to discover each of them individually:
- FIDDLER, PFEIFFER & SCHLAU – Festivalzentrale South, Sparkassaplatz 4
- MBQ POP-UP SHOP – Blindengasse 3
- BUY SOCIAL DESIGN – Festivalzentrale Nord, Europaplatz 1
- THREADS OF TRADITION – Festivalzentrale Nord, Europaplatz 1
FIDDLER, PFEIFFER & SCHLAU
The design duo zerunianandweisz has accompanied us since the very beginning: Nadja Zerunian and Peter Weisz discuss, draw, forge ideas. They sit side by side with the Roma craftspeople who are supported by our initiative – whether in the bone-chilling cold of the Transylvanian winter or the baking heat of the summer: “We’re on the spot when the objects take shape in minutely detailed handicraft. They look at us, talk to us, follow us. Now they’re also going to talk to their observers.” FIDDLER, PFEIFFER & SCHLAU is a cooperative venture between MBQ [Mesteshukar ButiQ] and zerunianandweisz as part of the ERSTE Foundation Roma Partnership and will be showcased at VDW Festival Headquarters South.
POP-UP SHOP
Revisiting Traditional Romanian Roma Crafts with MBQ [Mesteshukar ButiQ]
We know little of Roma craftsmen and their ancient skills.
This cultural heritage can both contribute to changing attitudes towards the Roma and provide an opportunity to help families escape the grinding poverty in which so many of them live.
With the support of the ERSTE Foundation Roma Partnership, MBQ [Meşteshukar ButiQ] has revisited many of these traditional crafts and developed an updated collection in collaboration with zerunianandweisz. This has been an ongoing journey of almost 3 years, and we are proud to present a selection of our most appreciated products.
We invite everyone in Vienna to come and see, smell, touch and buy our products.
The POP-UP Shop will be open every day of the Vienna Design Week, from 13:00 to 19:00.
Cocktail on the 5th from 18:00.
BUY SOCIAL DESIGN
How design can contribute to making a better world is shown by social businesses such as GOODGOODs, magdas DESIGN, NUT & FEDER, and MBQ [Mesteshukar ButiQ] with zerunianandweisz. All four initiatives combine the work of international designers with the craft skills of disadvantaged people – and so place them with their potentials and capabilities at the center of things.
Through high-quality products and professional marketing, they gain not only appreciation of their work, but also frequently even realistic opportunities of integration.
BUY SOCIAL DESIGN unites design products with a social signal (GOODGOODs), traditional Roma crafts (MBQ with zerunianandweisz.), furniture by people with a refugee background (NUT & FEDER), and design products with character (magdas DESIGN).
BUY SOCIAL DESIGN unites design products with a social signal (GOODGOODs), traditional Roma crafts (MBQ with zerunianandweisz.), furniture by people with a refugee background (NUT & FEDER), and design products with character (magdas DESIGN).
THREADS OF TRADITION
Romanian Design Week / Romanian Cultural Institute Vienna.
How can we reflect upon the characteristics of the past without falling into the nostalgia trap? The showcase THREADS OF TRADITION presents approaches that simultaneously spotlight Romania’s dynamic new design scene.
MBQ [Mesteshukar ButiQ] will be featured in this exhibition with products from its PICNIC 2016 collection and its Charana 2015 jewelry collection.
