The Hansen House Center Design, Media and Technology, located in the Jerusalem’s charming Talbiya neighborhood, was first established in 1887 as a leper asylum. Since being purchased by the Jewish National Fund in 1950, the site has changed several owners before eventually falling in the hands of the Jerusalem Development Authority, which initiated the Hansen House preservation project.
The impressive Jerusalem building now not only acts as a design, media, and technology center, it also shares its picturesque venue with a restaurant and shop that vouch for sustainable agriculture and handmade produce, along with a vibrant bar by night.
Thus, it is no surprise the Hansen House has been home to the Jerusalem Design Week. The event this year is celebrating its 11th birthday and is being held from June 23 to 30.
The annual public design event attracts over 40,000 visitors, who come to see Israeli and international designers present their work in over 40 events, exhibitions, and installations.
Since 2011, the Jerusalem Design Week has been the largest and most influential public design event in Israel. More so, in 2016 it became an international event as well. This year, the week also hosted designers from Turkey, Lithuania, Japan, Italy, Austria, Spain, and Slovakia.
With the theme of the week being “For Now," the exhibits explore the ephemerality of design and asks how time can be harnessed for a positive effect in uncertain times. The designers address ecological threats, technological acceleration, and radical solar transformations to epitomize the time loop society is locked in, through which is it impossible to predict the future and impossible to sustain the past.
Among the highlights of the Jerusalem Design Week this year has been the work of Istanbul-based Piknik art collective. The four young Turkish designers invite visitors to sit around their table, what they call a “Salon” (“Living Room” in Turkish), and engage in conversations.
These talks are then made visible on the surfaces of the space in free-structured representations.
Two of the designers - Melodi Gulbaba and Ogul Oztuna - told Ynet of their excitement to be in Israel, claiming the cultures of the two countries are actually very similar to each other.
“If you were to put these people in Turkey, no one would notice,” they said, adding that they feel very comfortable and happy to be in Israel.
Another interactive project, also international, is titled “Name of the Project”. Designed by representatives from Slovenia’s Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. The exhibit is a “whole-room painting” that starts from scratch and invites its visitors to pick up a brush and “come paint with us”.
This playground acts as a metaphor for design education and allows the students to get to know each other and their surroundings through physical work and communication.
Doris Siskova, one of the artists, said that besides Israel being extremely hot, she is “overwhelmed by how kind people are," and is excited to explore the country during her stay.
The Design-Tech, belonging the Technion Institute of Technology, is a local Israeli project, which represented a more functional scientific angle of the design week.
The exhibit presented artificially printed reefs that are installed underwater and serve as a home for marine wildlife to stay and reproduce.
Ofer Berman, a doctoral student in the department, explained the progress the team at the Technion has made, with each model becoming more sustainable and innovative.
Like the designers, the crowd exploring the fascinating sites is very diverse: International delegations, artists, and students alike came especially to take part in the annual event.
The Jerusalem Design Week is made possible through an array of collaborations with top-design magazines, the Israel Antiques Authority, foreign ministries, and more.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion also attended the event's opening, and made a brief statement in honor of the 11th Jerusalem Design Week. “Jerusalem has leaped forward in fields of art and culture,” Lion said proudly as he thanked everyone involved for their efforts.
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The team of the 2022 Jerusalem Design Week on the opening night
(Photo: Hadas Bar-Ad)
The grand event is fitting for all crowds, whether you are a top-shot designer, a local art student, or just a tourist looking for a fun culture-rich evening.
Admission is free, the venue includes an array of different food and drink stands, as well as captivating musical shows. Don’t miss it!