history

The idea of ​​organizing an industrial design competition came to Zbigniew Michniowski 30 years ago, the then director of Galeria Bielska BWA, and later deputy mayor of the city. And it was the institution he ran, with the support of the Promotion Department of the City Office, that organized it. "It was in our city in 1994 that the concept of cooperation between artists and engineers, environments related to industrial design and the local economy was created. This project initiated by the local government also involved companies, banks, and the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry. After years, this model of cooperation began to be called a "cluster". The aim of this cooperation was to create designs for products that could be implemented by manufacturers from Bielsko-Biała and the surrounding area," Jacek Krywult, mayor of Bielsko-Biała, summed up in 2013 in a publication accompanying the 7th edition of the competition. And Zbigniew Michniowski emphasized in 2010: "Today in Poland we have many exhibitions, competitions and design festivals, but at that time this Bielsko competition was one of the first announcements of a change in thinking about building a company's strategy based on creativity not only in terms of technology, but also in the form of the product". The competition was part of the "Arting Program", which perceived industrial design as an important factor in the impact of culture on the economy and included it in the economic strategy of Bielsko-Biała. Designers interested in participating received a list of topics they could tackle, but original projects on other issues were also allowed. This was the assumption behind the editions in 1994, 1995 and 1996. In the latter, almost 100 designers applied to participate in the competition.

However, the next edition of the competition had to wait a decade. "During this time, very significant changes took place, which determined the rules of operation of economic entities from the Podbeskidzie region. The inclusion of Poland in the structures of the European Union, the integration of the economy with the global market system created opportunities, but also threats for our companies and enterprises. The term "Bielsko wool", which was almost synonymous with high quality, became a thing of the past; many significant companies changed their production profile or disappeared from the market. On the other hand, small and medium-sized production and trade companies, for which our region was famous, developed, and their potential allowed them to take over the excellent
a team of qualified employees” – explained Zbigniew Michniowski, Deputy Mayor of Bielsko-Biała, who sat on the jury in 2006. The reactivated competition was to provide support for companies that were just starting their business or those that were looking for their niche on the market. Projects for new products, services or ideas to improve the offers of entrepreneurs were to help in this. An important theme was visual communication, both of products and companies, but also intended for the public space and intended to make the city more friendly to residents and tourists.

“After opening our economy to Europe and the world – it is design and identification that can decide about the competitiveness, individuality and brand of Polish products on international markets” – emphasized Paweł Balcerzak, chairman of the jury in 2006. The competition jury assessed the projects in terms of originality, optimal combination of function and ergonomics, aesthetics, ecological values, low energy and material consumption, economic efficiency and production possibilities in companies in the Beskidy Euroregion. The submitted projects were a response to specific needs of companies or institutions. During the 5th edition – held in 2008 – it was emphasized that the organizers wanted to embed “Projekt Arting” even more strongly in the region and close cooperation between designers and manufacturers. Although fair events, festivals and competitions related to design began to appear in Poland, the Bielsko one had a unique specificity – urban and regional, firmly rooted in locality perceived as a great value. The competition also gained a cross-border character, and among the participants were designers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, also presenting ideas to companies from the region. The 2010 edition was guided by the slogan: Product - business card. The organizers intended it to inspire people to search for business cards for the region. For some participants, it turned out to be quite a challenge, and their innovation was limited to creating projects of promotional gadgets. The jurors emphasized the need to evolve the competition and search for a new formula. This edition also went down in the history of the event as the moment when the "Arting Project" gained its own website, serving as an information website, archive, tool stimulating interactivity - it allowed people to vote for their favorite projects, sign up for workshops, and use the newsletter.

"Creative thinking is a skill that is perhaps most needed today by people facing the challenges of 'liquid reality'. That is why we considered supporting it to be a sufficient reason to undertake the co-organization of this year's edition of the competition," explained Jacek Graś from the People-Innovations-Design Foundation in the introduction to the catalogue in 2013, which has been responsible for organizing the competition since then. The theme of the 7th edition was: " Energy tomorrow ". And one of the key values ​​that have guided the competition since then has been sustainable design. It was to this area that the next edition, in 2015, was devoted, which was held under the slogan: "The place where we live". The hope was for projects that improve the functioning of humans and their environment in accordance with the principles of sustainable development and energy conservation. The competition was accompanied by a series of exhibitions and educational campaigns. The organizers also asked well-known designers and specialists dealing with the topic of sustainable development to prepare articles that would be a valuable contribution to building awareness of the "place where we live".

The educational aspect has become an important element of the competition, with the additional goal of expanding knowledge, inspiring and encouraging reflection.

The Arting 2017 project was titled: "Balance". And what was hidden behind this slogan? "Balance between technology and nature, culture and economy, profit and health, need and consumption, information and freedom. Finally, between man and the environment, the creator and the recipient, the designer and the effect of his actions" - explained the organizers. Competition categories appeared: technology, environment, education, and the awarded projects presented at the exhibition were to inspire and be the beginning of change. An important part of the "Arting Project" was educational activities, such as a series of post-competition exhibitions and seminars, which were prepared mainly with young recipients in mind. They took place in schools, universities and cultural institutions, including in Bielsko-Biała, Ostrava, Krakow and Katowice. An online exhibition, publications, a film were created, and an international conference was organized at the Academy of Technology and Humanities in Bielsko-Biała. The competition had an international formula and was an element of the Polish-Czech educational campaign in the Euroregion Beskidy. Once again, experts were also asked to write articles, which were published in the magazine accompanying this edition of the competition, and on the website
website.

The Arting 2020 "Heritage" project was another edition that addressed the topic of sustainable design, but the first to explore the connections between heritage and contemporary design. It consisted of three stages. The first stage involved expert analyses that helped participants choose design topics. The second stage involved announcing the categories:
heritage, environment, technology. The third stage meant the presentation of two exhibitions – a post-competition one and one showing the results of expert research under the slogan:
"heritage design". Their opening was to be accompanied by a conference, but due to the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions introduced in the organization of events, it was only possible to record the experts' speeches and make them available on the competition website. The 2022 edition took place under the banner: "city?" The topic meant questions about the city, its space and infrastructure, as well as its residents. The idea was to use design thinking methods and the potential of industrial designers for the development of Bielsko-Biała. Designers could present their works in the following categories: technology
and the environment. New features were also introduced, referring to the first editions. As the organizers explained: "The competition topics then concerned specific needs reported by companies. This formula worked well at first, then less and less. Today, after many years, we are trying to reactivate it by introducing two new categories to the competition: Bielsko-Biała and challenges. We hope that this will bring good results in the form of projects dedicated to specific urban problems."

The Arting 2022 "city?" project had an expanded formula - a competition exhibition and an expert conference and a debate entitled "city? design?" was accompanied by a design experiment "project 11.11" focused on the issue of revitalization of 11 Listopada Street in Bielsko-Biała. Its aim was to find ideas for revitalizing this - important for the city - historical and functional axis. The experiment used the design methodology (design thinking) to define problems and jointly invent solutions by the local community. The participatory process was attended by residents, property owners, city authorities, entrepreneurs, local government organizations and social activists as well as designers from partner universities: the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice and the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. These activities were complemented by events around 11 Listopada Street: design workshops, a historical walk, a discussion panel, the opening of a student exhibition, film screenings, a concert. Information on this topic, as well as collected ideas for revitalizing the street.

The 12th edition of the competition – “Projekt Arting 2024” – is guided by the slogan: “miasto_częście”. The competition categories are planned: product, communication, concepts, Bielsko-Biała and challenge, i.e. design solutions for specific topics submitted by companies or institutions of the region. The competition projects are not only to answer questions related to broadly understood urban topics, but also to propose ideas in the spirit of sustainable development and energy conservation. The concept of a happy city will be discussed by speakers and conference participants, wondering, among others, what affects our sense of well-being and positive perception of the place where we live, what local policies we need and what the indicators of happiness in cities, the so-called Happy Cities Index, measure.

It is also worth emphasizing that the experience gained during several months of work on the “11.11 project” also resulted in the decision of the People-Innovations-Design Foundation to separate a structure operating as an open design laboratory. BB Design Lab was established, located in the Foundation’s headquarters, as a laboratory for joint design in the city space. Its purpose is to support and coordinate projects, organize meetings and exhibitions, communicate and promote events, and also collect a database. BB Design Lab is involved in prototyping solutions that eliminate barriers to city accessibility (the city_accessible project), prototyping the shape of the city in terms of beauty and harmony (the city_beautiful project), building awareness of the importance of heritage in the context of local design achievements (the design_heritage project), and it also plans to prototype creative solutions for the city based on local new technology companies (the city_creative project). The laboratory is open to all individuals, institutions, organizations, and companies that see the need and sense of joint design in the city space.

Prepared by Beata and Marcin Mońka