In celebration of 10 years as the premiere design event in the West, this year’s IDSwest featured projects and keynote speakers take design to a whole new level. “As IDSwest marks ten years of design on the West Coast, we’re finding fresh ways to engage with our audience,” says IDSwest director David Tyldesley. “We’re unveiling exclusive behind-the-scenes content and celebrating design from across North America and abroad. We invite design enthusiasts from far and wide to come and learn from the design world’s most creative minds. IDSwest is the Western hub for a diverse group of creative types who come to experience what’s up-and-coming in the world of design.”
Advance tickets and weekend passes are sold online at a reduced rate. Tickets will also be available at the door. For more information, please visit www.idswest.com
SPEAKER HIGHLIGHTS
Bertjan Pot, The Netherlands
Meet the man behind the mask! Famed Dutch designer Bertjan Pot, who keeps his identity hidden in portraits, is a designer whose projects stem from curiosity. His fascination with techniques, structure, pattern and colour resulted in the creation of the Random Light, one of the most iconic lighting designs of the last 10 years. Bertjan’s new Prop Light, recently launched at The Salone del Mobile in Milan will be seen for the first time in Canada at IDSwest.
Brooklyn Design Group, New York
Different Brooklyn-based designers bring their brand of cool modern style to the West Coast.
Asher Israelow is a New York native with a background in fine arts and architecture. As a furniture and building designer he builds with ethically-sourced materials, using them as inspiration to tell a narrative for the “modern explorer”. The Brooklyn Navy Yard studio where he works creates only original and limited-edition pieces designed to last for generations. In addition, a representative from Volk Furniture visits IDSwest to provide insight into the creation of its signature handcrafted furniture. Built with traditional joinery techniques, each unique design is gilded with delightful touches like inlaid vintage typewriter keys, drawers lined with shirting fabric or one-of-a-kind drawer pulls sourced from antique organ stops. Other Brooklyn Designers will round out the group.
Sarah Richardson, Toronto
Canadian Entrepreneur, television producer and interior designer Sarah Richardson is perhaps best known as the host of several popular HGTV series which air in over 100 countries worldwide, including Room Service, Design Inc, Sarah’s House and Sarah 101. Sarah’s award winning, modern-contemporary designs address the practical demands and real challenges of modern life. The owner of her own interior design firm for over 15 years, Sarah is passionate about design in all aspects of life, and injects her own enthusiasm, passion and effortless elegance into everything she tackles.
Patkau Architects, Vancouver
In over 30 years of practice, Patkau Architects has been responsible for designing a wide variety of buildings from the Middle East to the Americas. Current work closer to home include the new Presentation House Gallery destined for North Vancouver, as well as various innovative projects such as the Visitors’ Centre at Fort York National Historic Site in Toronto, the Tache Hall Music, Art, and Theatre Complex at the University of Manitoba, the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport at the University of Toronto, a series of Cottages at Fallingwater, Mill Run, Pennsylvania, as well as a variety of residential projects in diverse locations ranging from a northern island off the coast of British Columbia to a farm in Ad’Diriyyah, Saudi Arabia.
NEW FEATURES
PROCESS, Real Projects. Real Outcomes. Presented by Fusion TV
IDSwest pulls back the curtain on design, pairing designers with city-shaping clients to collaborate on real projects as they develop to completion. With privileged access, viewers will watch real design unfold as concepts become reality via an exclusive online video series produced by Fusion TV. Viewers of PROCESS webisodes will experience the real design journey and get the scoop on legacy-forming future projects that will shape Vancouver. The results will be unveiled in a physical exhibit at IDSwest.
PROCESS, Part I: Bottega S.p.A. one of the world’s most renowned producers of Prosecco wine is the first PROCESS client. This globally distributed Italian brand is planning the launch of their first flagship Bottega bar and restaurant in Canada. These exclusive design-led bars already exist in select high profile cities in Europe and the Middle East, with Vancouver being considered to provide the very first North American location for the brand. The culmination of the successful design collaboration with PROCESS will be a facsimile of the future Bottega Prosecco Bar concept unveiled for the first time at IDSwest in the form of the IDSwest VIP Lounge.
Prototype
This twice-juried competition pairs big-name mentors with students to produce real prototypes with a vision for future production. Students will receive hands-on experience in product design and put their creativity and imagination on display. Established designers are also eligible to submit their Prototypes to a jury made up of Brent Comber, Omer Arbel and Bertjan Pot. Attendees at IDSwest will see products before they go to market, and have the opportunity to meet the up-and-coming design stars of tomorrow.
The District featuring Poppytalk Curated
A favourite among fashion and design lovers, local design blog success story Poppytalk brings a unique vision to The District, a retail section at the show where makers and designers showcase and sell their products for purchase onsite. Discover one-of-a-kind items for you and your home. Experience an eclectic mix of perfectly curated products in this year’s District and plan to go home with a good piece of design.
Working Lunch
Italian brand Nidi, Design Spaces for Children will showcase their sleek and thoughtful aesthetic in Canada for the first time, in a collaborative feature called Working Lunch. This new area at IDSwest will serve as a place where all visitors can brainstorm their own projects.
Coast Modern Documentary Screening
IDSwest will be screening the acclaimed 2012 documentary Coast Modern, followed by a panel discussion on West Coast design and architecture. Coast Modern—an independent film directed by Mike Bernard and Gavin Froome—travels along the Pacific Northwest coastline from LA to Vancouver showcasing the pioneers of West Coast Modernist Architecture and the homes that have become their legacies. Bring a date, have some popcorn and delve into a fascinating narrative.
