Previously announced in May 2017 at the European Design Festival, the 1st edition of Porto Design Biennale started on September 19th and will last until December 8th. Curated by José Bártolo, this first edition of Porto Design Biennale (PDB) seeks to trace the projects and work processes by the millennials, the generation that gets to a labour market set in a framework of accelerated changes and tensions at global level. The initiative is held in several locations of Porto and Matosinhos and the vast programming seeks to question the thinking and practice in design, more than just simply exposing what has been done so far. Around the Post Millennium Tension theme, the programme is divided into three major thematic groups: Present Tense, Design and Democracy and Design Forum. Present Tense focuses on the Portuguese and international designs of the new millennium, seeking to implement a multifaceted professional practice. Design and Democracy focuses on the political context of design and, above all, on a reflection of possible ways for a relationship between these two issues. Design Forum is mainly about discussing and questioning the central theme of Porto Design Biennale. It is about tracing a critical map of the post-millennium tensions and reflecting not only on the specificities of disciplinary characterization, but also, on the working lines of intersection, conflict, confluence or consequence between design, other political areas, financial, technological and cultural aspects. In addition to the central programming axis, PDB will also count on the presence of a guest country, which is Italy. Territorio Italia, curated by Maria Milano, will be the programming axis around the guest country. As the programming is quite extensive, consulting the programme at portodesignbiennale.pt will be quite useful.
