José Bártolo
[Chief Curator]

Confronting the tensions of the new millennium, the first edition of Porto Design Biennale seeks to analyse the current disciplinary configuration of design. The reflection on the one hand takes into account the historical perspective and tension relationships, between remoteness and closeness, contemporary design and the model of modern design that was in effect until the end of the millennium; on the other hand, it is important to identify and evaluate the forms and functions of design produced in the first two decades of the current millennium, as well as to reflect on the social efficiency of design and the new connections that arise from the economic, technological, political, cultural and environmental situations.