BIO is a long – term research and production platform that explores contemporary design and its social, environmental and political dimensions. The platform it offers is a space for critical debate, the presentation of new practices and the establishment of collaborations, where design acts as a tool for thinking, acting and responsibility. The exhibition is not a starting point, but the result of processes of collaboration, research and public discourse.
The Biennial of Design Ljubljana is organised by the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) in collaboration with the Centre for Creativity (CzK). It connects designers, architects, researchers, artists, curators and humanists and places emphasis on teamwork, co-authorship and the exploration of alternatives to existing systems. Projects and ideas can continue even after the biennial has ended. The exhibition, public programme and accompanying events are spaces for meeting, reflection and open exchange of knowledge, where design engages with social, environmental, and political questions and creates conditions for interdisciplinary dialogue and new forms of collaboration both locally and globally.
The international dimension of the biennial enables the connection of different geographical, political and intellectual contexts and creates a space where local issues are read through global perspectives and vice versa. In its contemporary format, BIO positions itself as an open, transdisciplinary platform that encourages networking, long-term collaboration and the development of critical practices in design and related fields.
For a more detailed overview of the history, format and role of BIO, visit the history page or the archive of past editions of the Biennial of Design.
The Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) is the central national institution for architecture, design and related spatial and visual practices. As the organiser of BIO, it is responsible for the curatorial development of the Biennale, its conceptual orientation, international positioning, and long-term care and preservation of the Biennale's archive and heritage.
MAO places BIO in a broader cultural, social and historical context while ensuring institutional continuity, professional depth and stability that enable the development of the biennial as a long-term and research-oriented project.
The Center for Creativity (CzK) operates as a development platform that connects design, business, science, humanities and the public sector. Within the framework of BIO, CzK supports research and production processes, collaboration with local communities and the development of projects that go beyond the exhibition period and have the potential for a more lasting social, cultural and systemic impact.
CzK strengthens the role of design as a strategic and connecting tool and encourages practices based on collaboration, knowledge and responsible action in complex environments.