The French Community of Wallonia-Brussels distinguishes itself by gathering on its territory a whole group of designers with very different profiles.
Some are impassioned by noble materials and cherish true artisanal values. For them, it is a question of issuing limited series by using artistic trades.
Woodworkers or blacksmiths create and manufacture pieces of furniture and objects for the pure pleasure of the collectors.
Others live in a world of technology and virtual communication. They draw and design with the use of computers, and their design is an immediate result of advanced techniques.
With the assistance of engineers, Pol Quadens drew and produced the lightest chair in the world. It is made out of carbon fibre and weighs a little less than 1 kg.
Others still possess the art of showing us that sometimes these two types of creation can meet and merge. The state-of-the-art technique joins the artisanal perfection or the other way round. Ola Dele Kuku's " Teatro dell' archivio ", first prize in 1995 at the International Nagoya Competition, forms a perfect illustration.
These pieces of furniture and objects, the simultaneous result of a 3D creation and the artisanal know-how, characterize the design landscape of our community. It is the synthesis of this creation, made up of talents and versatile skills, that is the subject of this exhibition.

Martine Boucher , curator
martine.boucher@skynet.be

Technical National museum, Prague, Dec 2000/Jan 2001