Designers’ Residency
The Next Gen Design program encourages the exchange of local and European practices by bringing together young designers who, through innovation and a multidisciplinary approach, envision a more responsible, sustainable, and inclusive future.
As part of this year’s competition, an international jury composed of Birgit Lohmann (Germany/Italy), designer, curator, co-founder of designboom and founder of the platform NOT COMPROMISED; Laura Clèries (Spain), design researcher and director of The Hut Agency; Zoran Jedrejčić (Croatia/Serbia), designer and artistic director; David Jablonovski (Austria), activist and co-founder of the collective Klimadashboard.org; and Amanda Pinatih (Netherlands), curator of design and contemporary art at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, selected 52 of the most innovative works from 20 European countries. Ten young creatives were invited to participate in the Next Gen Design residency in Belgrade.
During a four-day stay as part of the Mikser Festival, the selected designers will engage in an intensive program to explore local challenges and collaboratively develop new scenarios for a sustainable future. Through teamwork, workshops, discussions, and lectures, participants will collaborate with experts from various fields, supported by mentors and local partners.
The ten chosen authors from different parts of Europe explore themes of sustainability, accessibility, and identity through their projects. Among them are: biopigments made from mushrooms—natural dyes derived from fungi for eco-friendly textile coloring; an app that uses a camera and artificial intelligence to identify waste during cleanup actions, originating from a local initiative in Colombia; artichoke beer that connects agro-tourism and local identity while promoting sustainable and regenerative production; a drawing robot—a device that enables children with motor disabilities to draw using a customized controller and Arduino system; and other ideas positioning design as a powerful tool for social and environmental change.