BIO 50, the 24th edition of the Biennial of Design in Ljubljana is taking place in September to December 2014 at the Slovenian capital’s Museum of Architecture. BIO is one of the longest-standing regular design events, founded in 1964. It has moved recently from an awards-based competition to an experimental process that rewards collaboration. Within the framework of BIO 50, around 120 international designers and multidisciplinary agents have engaged in a six-month collaborative effort devising possible futures for design. Guided by a group of mentors, eleven teams tackled each a specific topic about how design affects and determines our life and environment.

This new book compiles notes, essays, and interviews, along with rich visual material. It aggregates the manifold dimensions of each team’s collaborative process, and illuminates strategies and roles for design in a contemporary world. Designing Everyday Life also features reflections on BIO as a meeting point for design between East and West in Central Europe, and conversations with design critic Alice Rawsthorn, industrial designers Konstantin Grcic and Saša J. Mächtig, and others.

Topics covered by BIO 50:
Affordable Living
Knowing Food
Public Water, Public Space
Walking the City
Hidden Crafts
The Fashion System
Hacking Households
Nanotourism
Engine Blocks
Observing Space
Designing Life

In cooperation with Museum of Architecture and Design MAO, Ljubljana