Awards 14

2014 was a special year for the Henry van de Velde Awards & Labels. For this edition, yet another prize joins the collection; this one is awarded by PMV | CultuurInvest, which has been a partner since 2012, providing support for the Company Award. The location for the presentations is also new. The event has relocated from the Flemish Parliament to Bozar in Brussels.

The range of Awards has continued to expand over the years. We have yet another first this year, the prize granted by PMV and CultuurInvest. A cash prize of 2,500 euros for the company that reflects the balance between creativity and commercial feasibility with its new product, granted by PMV and CultuurInvest. A trophy was also awarded with each prize. In keeping with tradition, we offered a silver trophy, but not a traditional model; it is one that is designed and produced by a famous silversmith from Flanders. Past versions were designed by Siegfried De Buck, Nedda El-Asmar, David Huycke and Helena Schepens. This year, Rembrandt Jordan joined the group with four shell-shaped trophies in silver, each with their own individual finish.

The partnership with the Flemish Parliament gave a tremendous boost to the overall image of the Awards & Labels. The fact that no more exhibitions were going to be held in the beautiful De Loketten, forced us to look for a new location in Brussels. We believed that the Bozar, in its role as a centre of creativity and innovation, was the only logical and deserving successor. The director, Paul Dujardin, and curator, Dieter Van Den Storm, were immediately in agree- ment with our plans.

The official presentation of the Henry van de Velde Awards & Labels will now take place in the Henry Le Boeuf concert hall where the Belgian National Orchestra plays and the annual finals of the Queen Elisabeth Competition are held. The exhibition will be held in the Foyers.

The Henry van de Velde trophy, designed by Rembrandt Jordan (2014)

Lifetime Achievement

Gert Dooreman

How do you recognise a true artist? The answer is simpler than most philosophers suggest. The true artist can be recognised by the numbers of his students and his imitators.

Young Talent

Claire Warnier and Dries Verbruggen of Unfold

Unfold

Grace Murray Hopper, one of the first computer programmers at Harvard University, used to tell the story of debugging the Mark II Aiken Relay Calculator, an electromechanical computer.

Company

Serax

The 20th Henry van de Velde Company Award goes to Serax in Kontich. For the first time in the history of this award, it was not awarded to a studio or factory, but to a label mainly produced abroad.

Public

Daily-Needs

Daily-Needs is a modular product for gardening and keeping smaller livestock. The programme provides tools for growing vegetables, storing garden equipment, keeping chickens, etc.

OVAM Ecodesign PRO