WE ARE THE NEXT GENERATION exhibition

WE ARE THE NEXT GENERATION exhibits, for the 10th year in a row, the next generation of Belgian design talent. Every year since 2014, Designregio Kortrijk and its partners have been searching for the most promising young designers from Belgium's creative design education. This year, 44 projects were selected by a jury, from architecture to product design, and from graphic design to game design.

The expo will run from 17 October to 3 November at the Budafabriek in Kortrijk during the WONDER Creativity Festival.

Graphic design by Lucas Vermeire and Corneel Vaneeckhout.

Scenography by Arne Desmet (Fractall) in collaboration with Gyproc Saint-Gobain.

Even after ten years, the young designers still manage to surprise the jury with wonderfully original designs. This time, the jury was particularly impressed by the creative way of presentation. In all the designs, you can also sense the students' commitment to our future. They continuously push boundaries, looking for a sustainable balance between past and present, between speeding up and slowing down, between individual and society. In the raw materials and techniques they use, you can also see their search for a balance between man and nature. They are not looking far: they start working with materials and stuff that can be found all around us. Circularity has become a reflex. Nothing goes to waste, everything gets a new or even multiple life.

This circularity can also be found in the exhibition's scenography. Every year, we strive for an exhibition with virtually no waste. This year, we have been particularly successful thanks to our partner Gyproc®, market leader in sustainable, innovative building systems and solutions for plaster-based interior finishing. Gyproc® provides the plasterboards and profiles for this exhibition and takes them back afterwards for further reuse or recycling. This partnership fits perfectly with their mission, Making the world a better home. Together with professionals, schools, do-it-yourselfers and others, Gyproc® is constantly looking for solutions to preserve the planet for future generations. And let that be precisely part of the quest in WE ARE THE NEXT GENERATION.

We received 188 submissions this year from all different colleges and universities, 44 of which were selected by a jury. They took into account the following criteria: social relevance, innovative character, sustainability and exhibitability and quality in the context of the exhibition.

Thanks to all jury members:

Lucas Vermeire graphic designer WATNG, Arne Desmet scenographer WATNG, Hera Van Sande JUNO architects and artistic director Archipel, Marie-Amélie Cnockaert urbandesign architect, Griet Lannoo spatial planner Intercommunale Leiedal, Pieter Billiet architect Atelier Toekomst, Tine Poot Vlaams Architectuurinstituut, Mieke Nagels architect urbanist Tractebel, Annelies Thoelen coordinator Expertise Center for Design, Mies Van Roy Flanders DC, Hanne Debaere Flanders DC, Giel Dedeurwaerder designer, Elien Haentjens journalist and curator, Dries Laperre co-founder Surplace innovation studio, John Ghekiere founder Joli.

Amber De Maertelaere – Arteveldehogeschool – Master Cross-media ontwerp: Graphic Design - “RYOKOO”

Anna Sarkisova – Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen – Master Grafisch Ontwerp – “Don’t go to stop but stop to cross to go again”

Anna-Lisa Custers – Universiteit Hasselt – Master Architectuur – “Domus Memoria.”

Anouk Meurice – KU Leuven Sint-Lucas Gent – Master Architectuur – “Het dorp draait door” en “De zoektocht naar verloren kwetsbaarheid”

Anouk Ostyn – LUCA School of Arts Gent – Master Textielontwerp – “Time-Made”

Anton Vervoort – Universiteit Antwerpen – Master Productontwikkeling – “Ecologisch bestrijden van blauwalgen”

Audrey De Vleeschauwer, Jan-Frederik De Graaf & Noor De Weirdt – Howest – Bachelor Devine – “Schouwspielerei”

Axelle Delboo – Howest – Bachelor Industrieel Productontwerpen – “Puppet Chair”

Cas Reynders – LUCA School of Arts Genk – Master Productdesign – “Vlaamse Materie”

Dragan Marinkovic – LUCA School of Arts Gent – Master in Beeldende Kunst/Grafisch Ontwerp – “Tussenruimte”

Ella Maes - KU Leuven Sint-Lucas Brussel – Master Architectuur – “Barbican Makers”

Ellen Klinckhaemers – LUCA School of Arts Genk – Master Productdesign – “Stof tot nadenken”

Emma Comer – LUCA School of Arts Gent – Master Textielontwerp – “Het spel: een zoektocht naar wat verloren lijkt”

Fien Meizler – KASK School of Arts Gent – Bachelor interieurvormgeving – “Terramo”

Hannah Melis – LUCA School of Arts Genk – Master Productdesign – “Een Aardige Dood”

Hazel Van Genechten – KU Leuven Sint-Lucas Gent – Master Architectuur – “Hide and seek: a way of looking”

Ilgün Izzet – Universiteit Hasselt – Master Interieurarchitectuur – “Re-readings: The Red Hall in Pergamon as an Apparatus of Urban Fabric”

Inès Vaughan – La Cambre – Master Industrial Design– “GALBA”

Işil Yücel – KU Leuven Sint-Lucas Gent – Master Architectuur – “A piece of Earth”

Jef Van Weyenberg – Howest – Bachelor Industrieel Productontwerpen – “ICA”

Julie Verbeke – Howest – Bachelor Industrieel Productontwerpen – “JEVU Atl.”

Juliette Bouckaert – LUCA School of Arts Gent – Master Grafisch Ontwerp – “RSV(I)P”

Kato Herbots – LUCA School of Arts Genk – Master Productdesign – “Residents of Solar Space”

Kika Lathouwers – Sint Lucas Antwerpen – Master beeldende kunst, digitale context – “Reimagine Book Design”

Laura Libberecht – KU Leuven Sint-Lucas Gent – Master Architectuur – “Imitatie en manipulatie van het Derde Landschap”

Leonie Overmeire – KU Leuven Sint-Lucas Gent – Master Architectuur – “Ruimtelijke flirts: over nachtvlinders en netwerkfouten”

Lisa Vanlandschoot – LUCA School of Arts Gent – Professionele bachelor Visual Design, afstudeerrichting: grafische studio – “KUT”

Lotte Impens – LUCA School of Arts Gent – Professionele bachelor Visual Design – “Wisselvallig”

Luca van Driessch – Howest – Bachelor Industrieel Productontwerpen – “Cuban watch strap”

Luca Vanhoutvin – LUCA School of Arts Brussel – Master Media & Information Design – “Where Does The Blasphemer Go On Sunday?”

Lukas Vandeweege – Thomas More – Voortgezette Opleiding Meubel Ontwerp (VOMO) – “Lukas Miel MEUBELEN lage kast”

Maja Wrzeszcz – KU Leuven Sint-Lucas Brussel – Master Architectuur – “Lessons from industry – an open workshop”

Margit Verbeke – Howest – Bachelor Industrieel Productontwerpen – “Shallow”

Margo Steel – LUCA School of Arts Gent – Bachelor Interieurvormgeving – “Public Living Room”

Marie Kint – Universiteit Gent Campus Kortrijk – Master Industrieel Ontwerpen – “Herbruikbare verpakking in product-servicesysteem”

Marthe Van Rompaey – KU Leuven Sint-Lucas Gent – Master Interieurarchitectuur – “Rethinking Anthropocene Architecture At Altitude”

Natalia Hos – Sint Lucas Antwerpen – Master of Visual Arts – “My mother is a human”

Nona Van Laethem – Thomas More –Voortgezette Opleiding Meubel Ontwerp (VOMO) – “Suki”

Nora Palmen, Dries Van Belle, Youp Tulpin – KASK School of Arts Gent – Bachelor interieurvormgeving, focus Meubel en Design – “Analoge koffie”

Reine Pinxten – LUCA School of Arts Genk – Master Productdesign – “Soelaas, Migraine management”

Sander De Keukelaere, Evie Verstappen, Lee Vangraefschepe, Nina Krutkytė, Niyash Khadka, Robbe Mahieu – Howest – Bachelor Digital Arts and Entertainment – “Don’t Forget”

Stijn J. Vos – LUCA School of Arts Genk – Master Productdesign – “Uit Belgische Tuin”

Tosin Thompson – Howest – Bachelor Industrieel Productontwerpen – “Adapt”

Yanni Timmerman – Thomas More –Voortgezette Opleiding Meubel Ontwerp (VOMO) – “Memento”