Design September shines a light on Brussels' burgeoning creative industries

With more than 100 events spread over 24 days, September is all about design in Brussels, with exhibitions, lectures, open houses, an arts and craft tour, design market and more.

"At its core, this is about developing and enhancing Brussels in terms of the design market," says Brussels mayor Philippe Close. "We have a great deal to offer and a lot of potential. We are a capital of culture and a capital which is a crossroads, a meeting place.

"Year after year, Brussels Design September enables us to build on what we already have. A good example of this is the fact that MAD Brussels (the city's newly reopened fashion and design complex) has been chosen as a model to be duplicated in other European cities."

One of the emphases for this year's Brussels Design September is lighting design. New this year are exhibitions by renowned designers in iconic buildings in Brussels such as Bozar, MAD Brussels and in the Horta House, where Nacho Carbonell will be juxtaposing his poetic dreamlike pieces with Horta's furniture. The twice-yearly Brussels Design Market, which has become the biggest vintage market in Europe, will be celebrating its 15 years with a vintage urban trail that will take the visitor to all the fabulous vintage shops in Brussels, and with a ceramics show at Tour & Taxis.

Contrary to the look back that vintage offers, the urban trail FabLabs will concentrate on what tomorrow will bring. FabLabs, created at MIT in the 1990s are DIY workshops specialising in the creation and engineering of physical objects digitally. Through their horizontal structure, FabLabs are places where exchanges and co-productions lead to the research, conception, experimentation and production of prototypes and finished products, bringing together amateurs and professionals around electronics, robotics and 3D printing. Additionally all 20 FabLabs will take part in an exhibition at the BIP.

The art and crafts tour is focusing on jewellery, highlighting more than 20 Brussels designers and their workshops. By returning to traditional craft methods while rejecting classic rules, these artisans push the limits of what jewellery can be, while constantly searching for innovations in form and technique.

Lighting designer Nathalie Dewez, who will be giving one of the lectures, says: "I do both small scale and large scale production. I've started a lighting collection in collaboration with a local Brussels manufacturer which makes all the difference.

"It's very frustrating to have to rely on manufacturers in other countries who sometimes have their production in even other countries. This means that following up on production and possible changes or problems can be near impossible. Also some of the large producers close out lines very quickly and no longer produce them, which makes working with a small local manufacturer essential."

Beyond the venues listed above, there will be exhibitions at ADAM, Kartell, numerous galleries and in a special place newly open to the public, sculptor Oscar Jespers' 1928 house and studio. Designed by architect Victor Bourgeois, this modernist masterpiece was recently brought back to its original function as a showcase for art, 35 years after Jespers' passing.

In synergy with Design September, the Commerce Design Brussels competition encourages collaboration between businesses and design professionals. These awards underline the fact that design is not just for luxury items and is used by the city as a strategic tool to implement good design at all levels.

Brussels Design September, 7-30 September, various venues